Description:

Video-conference mediations offer a viable format to discuss settlement opportunities now and allow you to avoid postponing your mediations. In this program, two talented employment mediators share their best practices for making Zoom video-conference mediations successful (zoom.us). They will describe their personal experiences in conducting mediations on Zoom, in addition to describing how to avoid common challenges that arise. The program will also address concerns about attorney-client privilege conversations in private caucus, in addition to offering work-arounds. (Note: this program focuses on the nuts and bolts of how to use Zoom as a mediator, including the use of breakout rooms, white boards, broadcast feature and moving between rooms.  Video demonstration will occur to show how the features can be used.)

Claudia Viera is an effective and talented mediator focused on resolving employment and business disputes. Since 2001, Ms. Viera has settled nearly a thousand tough cases at the state, federal and appellate level. She is highly regarded by counsel for her patience and excellence in resolving high- emotion conflicts. Her recent mediations include claims of wrongful termination, sexual harassment, race harassment/discrimination, disability discrimination, wage and hour class action, contract, landlord/tenant, real estate and business dissolutions of partnerships. Ms. Viera formerly litigated at Littler Mendelson and then practiced as a plaintiff’s employment attorney, which gives her a keen understanding of the priorities on both sides of the table. She mediates in both English and Spanish. Ms. Viera teaches a 40-hour mediation skills program for UC Berkeley extension and is a leader in the San Francisco Bay Area mediation community. www.vieramediation.com

Patricia Prince is an experienced mediator, recognized as a “Super Lawyer of Northern California” in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. She works effectively with parties and counsel in high-conflict cases to identify key interests and options, moving from impasse to agreement with creativity and persistence. She has successfully mediated to resolution hundreds of employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and wage and hour cases. She handles class and representative actions, as well as individual employment

cases. Patricia also mediates business disputes, including partnership dissolution; intellectual property disputes; business torts such as breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, unfair business practices, and misappropriation of trade secrets; breach of contract; and trust and estate disputes. Patricia received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She is fluent in Spanish and is often retained to mediate cases with mono-lingual Spanish-speaking parties. For more, see http://princemediation.com/.