Case Manager: Lisha Shanholtzer
Chris White, Esq. practiced law for over 30 years and earned a reputation as one of the top civil litigators in California. As an experienced trial lawyer and litigator, Chris handled and tried a wide variety of cases including, but not limited to, personal injury cases, construction defect claims, and catastrophic loss cases that included fatalities, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, and amputations. In 1999, Chris co-founded a prominent AV-rated law firm and served as Co-Managing Partner for more than 23 years before stepping down to become a full-time mediator. As an attorney and a mediator, Chris has been involved with more than 800 mediations. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a prestigious trial lawyers’ organization whose membership is by invitation only.
Chris has also served the Orange County legal community by volunteering his time as a settlement officer and temporary judge for the Orange County Superior Court. He has successfully resolved dozens of settlement conferences and presided over hundreds of civil trials through this program. He is a proud member of the “100 club” which honors volunteers who have donated more than 100 hours of their time to the Orange County Superior Court in a year.
As a mediator, Chris blends his extensive civil litigation background and trial experience with his practical, optimistic and determined nature to effectively resolve disputes. He is known as a closer who gets cases settled, which is why he is such a sought-after mediator.
Chris advises: “My natural temperament is to treat people fairly and with respect. One of my ‘rules of life’ is that everyone believes they are reasonable. As a mediator, I do my best to understand why the parties are doing what they are doing. Then, I help them and encourage them to think about why the other side is doing what they are doing. It helps the parties have more clarity, understanding, and appreciation of the risk assessment inherent to mediation. Helping people resolve their cases is a privilege, and the work is personally rewarding. I am grateful that this is my profession. It feels natural for me to be a mediator, and I think that is why I am effective at settling cases.”
• Auto Accidents
• Catastrophic Accidents
• Construction Accidents
• Construction Defect
• Fire Cases
• Premises Liability
• Product Liability
• Security Guard Cases
• Subrogation Matters
• Toxic Tort Claims
• Trucking Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University
• Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, Juris Doctorate
• University of California at Berkeley, Bachelor of Science
“I met Chris early in my career which spans over thirty years now. Immediately I saw in him attributes that would make a fantastic attorney. He was always prepared for the many depositions that young lawyers attend. He treated everyone with respect. He was, and still is smart. He has a great work ethic. His trial record speaks for itself. As the years went by and he began taking on mediation work I knew he would be making a move to become the trusted, effective mediator that he has become. Plaintiff attorneys and defense attorneys get the same treatment: respect, trust, hard-working and most of all results. You cannot make a mistake by choosing him for your case.”
“I have had the pleasure of mediating several, complex cases with Chris. In each instance, he has been well-prepared, thorough and considerate of both sides, bringing new insight to the cases. Even where the issues, and sometimes personalities, are in conflict, he has been able to hoe the middle ground, being laser focused on the parties’ mutual goal; resolving the case. His tenacity and dedication has made Chris a regular in our mediator rotation, both for my firm and for my clients. ”
“Mr. White did an excellent job in a very personal mediation regarding a case of financial elder abuse with a disabled Plaintiff. Chris successfully shuttled between an (understandably) highly emotional Plaintiff, and a very stubborn insurance counsel. He put in the time and the work to bring both parties closer together and managed to close the gap at the very end with some creative thinking and outside of the box accounting. The entire time he maintained an air of professionalism tempered with a firmness and dedication to the settlement that kept pushing both sides. I’ve already signed up with him for another mediation and look forward to more of the same.”
“Chris White is a very thorough and patient mediator. His background in civil litigation combined with his extensive trial experience allows Chris to quickly take command of the issues and facts and get the parties focused on the benefits of settlement. Chris is very smart and detailed, and has the skills needed to help attorneys and their clients evaluate the risks and benefits of further litigation. In my 27 plus years of practice, I have mediated before many mediators and would put Chris at the top of the list of those mediators. Chris is an excellent mediator and I would not hesitate to recommend him.”
“I met Chris through the pro-temp process in Orange County. The parties had previously participated in mediation without success. Despite resistance through the date of the MSC, the parties remained at an impasse. Though we were not able to get it done, Chris went out of his way to make himself available after the MSC up until the point of resolution the week of trial.
I am a career Plaintiffs attorney and Chris is a career Defense guy. Nevertheless, In my experiences with him, Chris has only brought with him the skill and logical processing of a seasoned and award-winning practitioner, and his reputation speaks for itself. He has made an art out of carrying his trial practice background into the mediation room.
I would highly recommend Chris for any parties involved in “high stakes” civil or complex litigation.”
“Chris is absolutely fantastic! He brings a dynamic, enthusiastic energy to the table and strives to get the job done. He is an excellent communicator and is able to effectively navigate difficult conversations in order to arrive at a satisfactory solution for both parties. Highly recommend!”
“Chris was one of the most determined mediators that I have met. He was determined to get the case settled. Chris made an excellent personal connection with the parties and their representatives, which I believe went a long way toward helping us resolve our case. Chris continued to follow up (even on the weekends) in an effort to help us resolve our case, and ultimately, was successful in doing so.”
“I was very impressed with Chris’s abilities and determination as a mediator. Our matter took about 2 weeks to resolve after the initial mediation. Chris’s continued to keep the settlement dialogue going well after our mediation and was critical to helping the parties resolve the case.”
“Chris mediated a large and important products liability case for us, my office representing the plaintiff. Chris is my model for tenacity. I had already given up any realistic hope of resolution. I can’t express how surprised and pleased I was that Chris was able to broker an amicable and fair settlement under very tough circumstances.”