Yermo Arbitration & Mediation Lawyers

James graduated from California State University Northridge with honors and a B.A. in Electronic Media Management. He received his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law and is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the State of New Jersey. After admission to the State Bar of California, James served as General Counsel for various entities. James has significant knowledge in the development and implementation of legal protocols and processes geared for the development of small to medium sized businesses. His experience in business law, employment law, tax, contracts, acquisitions, risk prevention and general...

I am currently Litigation Director for Denning Moores APC and litigating cases in the areas of Civil Appeals and Writs, Medical Malpractice, Elder Abuse, Wrongful Death, Premises Liability, Real Estate and Land Use, Commercial Contracts, Construction Defect and Complex Business Litigation. Most of my background is in civil appeals and writs, which has given me a unique perspective on trial practice in vast areas of the law.

Robert Bosso has been an attorney in Santa Cruz for over 55 years, after graduating from the University of California Law School in 1964 (top 10% of his class--Law Review Note & Comment Editor) which he followed with two years in U.S. Army Intelligence Corps rising to the rank of Captain in charge of a regional field office. He has experience in trial work (although he no longer does trial work), real estate, water law, business law, and general estate planning areas. He also serves as an Arbitrator and Mediator for other attorneys cases He has served...

Breanna Cornwall is the firm’s founder and managing attorney. Since going into private practice, she has focused on representing clients involved in family law matters including divorce, military divorce, child custody, and spousal support. She also represents clients in obtaining (and defending against) domestic violence restraining orders and civil restraining orders such as civil harassment restraining orders, workplace violence restraining orders, and private postsecondary school violence restraining orders.

Prior to starting her own firm, she had an extensive background as a business owner and entrepreneur. She started and managed a staffing agency and a real estate brokerage. Her business and...

Karen Matcke Crosby Attorney / Mediator P.C. 35+ years of legal practice and 15+ years as a mediator. WHY MEDIATION CAN BE SUPERIOR TO COURT By Karen Matcke Crosby (2021) Court litigation exposes parties to great public exposure, expense and long delays in court proceedings. Litigants have little or no control over the procedural process. How a dispute arose in the first place, is given short shrift, failing to consider the parties’ intentions, experience in negotiations (or lack thereof), personality, ego, culture, norms, morals, bullying, customs, or values. What is heard in court is the representing attorney’s version of his client’s legal...

Edwin V. Woodsome, a Phillips ADR neutral, was managing partner of Dechert LLP’s Los Angeles office and head of Global Litigation at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. With over 35 years of trial experience, he has handled consumer fraud, False Claims Act, securities, product liability, trade secrets, employment, antitrust, and intellectual property cases in state and federal courts. He has extensive appellate, mediation, and arbitration experience, including the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California’s mediation panel. Woodsome represented major firms in transportation, banking, technology, aerospace, and entertainment, serving as U.S. national litigation counsel for a global logistics company and...

Our driving belief is based on old-fashioned advocacy. We are a small Westlake Village-based firm and recognize the importance of being accessible to our clients. We believe in personal attention, and our clients have direct, responsive contact with us. At the Law Offices of Richard J. Uss, we take particular pride in the quality of service that our clients receive. We believe in forming relationships.

Niki, a Phillips ADR neutral for six years, brings 25 years of experience in complex litigation, claims administration, mediation, arbitration, and special master roles. A protégé of Judge Layn Phillips, she has co-mediated hundreds of cases, applying his innovative practices in mediations she leads and in court-appointed special master roles nationwide. Before Phillips ADR, Niki was Vice President of Client Strategy & Development at a national class action claims administrator. For nearly 15 years, she litigated securities fraud and complex commercial cases at a national class action law firm, securing court-approved settlements in high-profile matters. She also represented defendants in insurance...

Margaret B. Seymour, a retired U.S. District Judge (District of South Carolina, 1998–2022), was the first African American woman federal judge and chief federal judge in South Carolina. She served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge (1996–1998) before her district court appointment. Over 26 years, Judge Seymour presided over complex securities, contract, class action, commercial, banking, bankruptcy, employment, discrimination, and environmental cases, as well as criminal matters like drug conspiracies, white-collar crime, and Ponzi schemes. She sat by designation on the Fourth Circuit and participated in two three-judge-panel redistricting cases. She served twice on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of...

Michelle Yoshida, a full-time mediator, arbitrator, and special master since 2007, joined Phillips ADR in 2014. Previously with Judge Daniel Weinstein’s team, she has mediated over 500 disputes with billions in settlements, excelling in complex cases involving securities, insurance, professional liability, ERISA, and trustee issues. Known for quickly grasping legal and factual complexities, she manages large ADR cases with objectivity and determination, finding practical solutions for disputes ranging from personal contracts to major corporate matters. Michelle builds trust and productive relationships with mediation participants. Before becoming a neutral, she was a trial attorney handling complex business litigation, including contracts, insurance, intellectual...

Miles, a Phillips ADR mediator, excels in securities, antitrust, professional liability, mass torts, and complex commercial litigation, closing settlements totaling nearly $3 billion. Previously, he was a renowned trial and appellate lawyer for over 40 years, serving as Global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Litigation Department. Recognized as a “legendary litigator” by the New York Law Journal, he received its Lifetime Achievement Award and accolades from Chambers USA, Best Lawyers (New York City’s Lawyer of the Year for Securities Litigation), and the Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame. His economics and mathematics expertise aids in analyzing damages and crafting innovative settlement...

Barry R. Ostrager, a retired New York State Supreme Court Justice (Commercial Division, 2015–2023), presided over numerous trials and resolved hundreds of commercial cases. Before his judicial role, he was a litigation partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, leading its 300+ attorney Litigation Department and serving on the management committee. As lead trial counsel, Ostrager handled high-profile securities, antitrust, and insurance cases, including Swiss Re’s World Trade Center dispute and Travelers’ environmental coverage case against Shell Oil, both resulting in jury verdicts. He tried five cases involving $1 billion+ disputes and led major arbitrations, such as Andersen Consulting’s $14 billion...