Santa Barbara County Arbitration & Mediation Lawyers

John E. Borba graduated from Hastings College of the Law, University of California in 1993 and was admitted into the California Bar in December 1993. John graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in International Relations in 1985. College for John began at Santa Rosa Junior College where he met his wife while earning his A.A. Degree in 1982. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: * Member of the Sonoma County Bar Association Board of Directors (2006-2010). * Co-Editor, Sonoma...

After spending nearly a decade working in Europe and Asia for large international law firms, I recently opened a lean law firm in Los Angeles focused on resolving commercial disputes through arbitration & meditation. My main focus is handling matters with an international element and working with social impact entrepreneurs. I often work with social enterprises that incorporate a social mission into their business models, particularly smaller, more entrepreneurial companies. Given my experience abroad and my commercial background, I am able to provide strategic guidance that addresses my clients’ legal and commercial objectives, particularly for those doing business in Asia. I have...

Caroline brings extensive mediation and problem-solving expertise to Phillips ADR, drawing from her roles as General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Principal Deputy White House Counsel. Known for her communication, judgment, and legal acumen, she excels in advising Boards and senior leaders on dispute resolution. At PwC, Caroline managed all legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance matters, handling lawsuits and regulatory issues with potential damages in the billions. She led settlement negotiations and mediations with opposing counsel, clients, and regulators like the SEC and FDIC, while resolving internal conflicts within PwC’s global network. As Principal Deputy White House Counsel under President Obama, she...

Fred Bennett is an independent arbitrator/mediator with over 35 years of experience as an arbitrator and advocate of an exceptionally broad range of complex international and domestic disputes, as well as business litigation/trials. He was formerly a senior partner and global chair of the arbitration practice at Quinn Emanuel for many years, and before that a senior partner with and chair of the worldwide ADR group at Gibson Dunn. He is an arbitration panelist on (i) the AAA's Large Complex Case Panels for Commercial, Construction, and Aviation, Aerospace and National Security disputes, (ii) the AAA's International...

Greg joined Phillips ADR after a 40-year career litigating high-stakes securities class actions, fiduciary duty cases, and complex commercial disputes in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts. After clerking for Judge John Cannella in SDNY, he joined Kramer Levin, becoming a partner in 1981, where he litigated hostile takeover battles in the 1970s and 1980s, often representing raiders. In 1988, Greg moved to Weil Gotshal & Manges’ Securities Litigation Group, becoming co-head in 1998. He handled M&A litigation, including high-profile Delaware cases (Blasius, Macmillan, CBS), securities class actions, and SEC investigations, defending clients like GE, Campbell’s, and Genworth. Greg served on the...

Ann Cook brings a business-focused approach to Phillips ADR, leveraging a decade at Ernst & Young LLP, including two years as General Counsel. Experienced as both plaintiff and defendant, she understands dispute dynamics and has litigated, arbitrated, and mediated cases in accounting, securities, contracts, and employment. A creative problem solver, Ann advised on complex corporate initiatives, balancing risk and business goals, earning recognition as a tenacious leader. At EY, Ann managed legal strategy for a $20B firm with 50,000 employees, overseeing litigation and regulatory matters during high regulatory activity. She advised on public disclosure and bankruptcy issues for over 1,000 public...