Resolution Advocates Biographical Information
The following is a list of biographical information for the Resolution Advocates who have been selected to serve on the BDRP Panel. The background information was submitted by the applicants, and is provided without comment by the Court.
Not all panel members are willing to serve in all divisions. Please check the Resolution Advocates Availability list to select a Resolution Advocate and alternate in your area.
Isola, Mark V.
Occupation: Attorney: bankruptcy and civil litigation (state and federal courts)
Areas of Specialization: Bankruptcy, commercial disputes, fraudulent transfers, real estate foreclosures
Education: B.S., Santa Clara University, 1988; J.D., U.C. Davis Law School (King Hall), 1991
ADR Training: Mediate.com University 40 hour Basic Mediation Training. Handled numerous settlement conferences as Judge Pro-Tem and early neutral evaluator for Santa Clara County Superior Court cases since 2001.
ADR Style: Let parties and issues dictate proper approach, but preferred method is facilitative and collaborative with evaluation as necessary to assist in resolution.
Jacobson, Lawrence
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A., Gonzaga University, 1970; J.D., University of San Francisco, 1973
ADR Training: 40 Hours Mediation Training, Teresa V. Carvey
ADR Style: Depends on the nature of the case, disposition of the parties and preference of counsel. Traditional joint session and separate caucuses adapted accordingly.
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, **(San Jose, Salinas & Monterey)
Kalikman, George
Occupation: Attorney
Areas of Specialization: Bankruptcy, insolvency, workouts, creditors' rights, commercial lending, secured transactions, real estate.
Education: A.B., Harvard, 1975; J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, 1978
ADR Training: BDRP training (Rosenberg) - 18 hours; Member of BDRP panel of resolution advocates since program's inception in 1994.
ADR Style: Caucus, collaborative, facilitative.
Advocate Location(s): Remote Virtual/Video
Kingsley, Sanford
Occupation: Attorney, Mediator
Areas of Specialization: Accounting, Banking, Lender Liability, Insurance, Bankruptcy, Business, Employment, Landlord/Tenant, Partnerships, Real Estate, Workouts, Personal Injury
Education: University of California (Berkeley) - Bachelor of Arts Political Science and Development Studies 1977; UC Law San Francisco - Juris Doctorate 1981
ADR Training: Rosenberg Training (40 hours); American Arbitration Association (40 hours); Straus Institute for Advanced Mediation Training (Pepperdine University) June 2016. I am a member of the Mediation and Early Neutral Evaluation Panels of the Northern District's ADR Program and serve as a Neutral in the Eastern District's Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program. I also conduct settlement conferences in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin County Superior Courts. I am a member of The Mediation Society and was its president for the 2022-23 year
ADR Style: I am available for Mediation, Early Neutral Evaluation and Facilitation. My mediation style is a mixture of facilitative and evaluative. I work closely with all parties to achieve a practical solution that terminates difficult and hard fought litigation. I listen intently, communicate clearly, and bring patience, perseverance and neutrality to a case. All participants will be fully heard, and all positions considered.
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Remote Virtual/Video
Lormon, Reg J.
Occupation: Attorney
Areas of Specialization: Commercial real estate, environmental, business-commercial and litigation
Education: B.A., Arizona State University, 1966; J.D., University of Arizona, 1969
ADR Training: University of California, Berkeley Extension (Kelley)- 40 hours
ADR Style: Situational driven - with use of caucus, facilitative and collaborative or a combination thereof
Advocate Location(s): San Francisco, San Jose
Macdonald, Iain
Occupation: Attorney
Areas of Specialization: Accounting, bankruptcy, commercial, mediation, real estate & workouts
Education: A.B., University of San Francisco, 1968; J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, 1971
ADR Training: Certificate of Study, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University, 2006. 40 hours Mediation and Early Neutral Case Evaluation Training.
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa
Maher, Charles P.
Occupation: Attorney
Areas of Specialization: Attorney specializing in representation of bankruptcy trustees
Education: A.B., University of California - Berkeley, 1973; J.D., Hastings College of Law, 1986
ADR Training: U.S. Bankruptcy Court Training (Steven Rosenberg of Steven Rosenberg Mediation) - 18 hours
ADR Style: I have a flexible approach that depends on the nature of the dispute and the personalities of the parties and their attorneys. My primary requirement of parties in a mediation is a real willingness to compromise positions in order to get a compromise accomplished.
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa
Mellinkoff, Debra
Occupation: Mediator
Areas of Specialization: Business, Banking and Securities
Education: B.A., University of California - Santa Cruz, 1976; J.D., Hastings College of Law - 1981
ADR Training: 37 Years of experience as professional mediator. Office of Environmental Mediation - 180 hours; Center for Mediation in Law (Friedman) - hours; ADRA (Yeend) - 20 hours.
ADR Style: Although I have experience in all models, most often I use a hybrid model of the evaluative and facilitative processes.
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, Remote Virtual/Video
Resume: Debra Mellinkoff Nyberg, Eric
Occupation: Attorney
Education: J.D., San Francisco Law School, 1987
ADR Training: U.S. Bankruptcy Court Training (Yeend) - 6 hrs., (Rosenberg) - 18 hrs.
ADR Style: "No set approach as it often varies depending upon the parties and type of case
Advocate Location(s): Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa
Olson, Steven
Occupation: Attorney
Areas of Specialization: Emphasis on all aspects of bankruptcy, plus real estate and commercial law.
Education: B.A., Simpson College, IA, 1983; J.D., Berkeley Law, 1986
ADR Training: Steven Rosenberg (18 hours)
ADR Style: Usually shuttle diplomacy.
Advocate Location(s): Santa Rosa
Resume: Steven Olsen