Now a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals, Debra Bogaards served as a private mediator for over six years, as well as a mandatory settlement conference officer in San Francisco for over five years and in Marin County for almost 30 years. Her extensive career highlights a remarkable track record of successfully mediating hundreds of cases, achieving a consistent settlement rate above 98%. Ms. Bogaards brings a distinct advantage to her role, offering a clear and balanced perspective derived from having represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout her 40-year career. In this session, Debra and Len discuss the mediation of a matter involving child molestation of both the victim and the molester’s daughter, also a victim of molestation, and the process of dealing with the emotional impact of the molestation in reaching a resolution. Debra Bogaards reveals the mediation tools she employed to overcome the considerable impact those emotions had on the parties, after recognizing that without doing so, neither party would be able to meet their emotional needs.
Ms. Bogaards’ subject matter expertise includes a wide range of employment issues in individual and multi-party cases involving wage and hour disputes, discrimination (across all protected classes), sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, whistleblowing, defamation, fraud, and reductions in workforce. Her expertise extends to personal injury matters, including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, toxic tort, sexual abuse, and rideshare (Uber and Lyft) cases, elder neglect and abuse, as well as landlord-tenant disputes, including wrongful eviction and breaches of habitability like mold and carbon-monoxide exposure.
Ms. Bogaards brings nearly 25 years of experience managing two insurance defense firms and 7 years as an associate, providing her with a profound understanding of how claims representatives set reserves, evaluate cases to determine value, and negotiate settlements. With 15 years of plaintiff’s work overlapping her defense practice and over six years exclusively on the plaintiff’s side, she possesses a comprehensive perspective on personal injury cases. Ms. Bogaards is adept at calculating Howell medical specials, analyzing wage loss claims, reviewing life care plans, assessing economic damages, as well as discussing expert retention and trial budgets. Her experience, including almost 40 successful jury trials, enhances her effectiveness as a mediator in personal injury matters.
Ms. Bogaards embodies warmth, compassion, and empathy, while also maintaining a straightforward, direct, and no-nonsense approach. She adeptly discusses the strengths and weaknesses of a case with attorneys or parties directly, employing a polite, respectful, and professional manner. Her extensive experience earns the respect of seasoned trial attorneys, making them attentive to her insights. As a mediator, Ms. Bogaards has earned a reputation as a quick study capable of identifying the key issues in the heart of a dispute. The “secret” to her success lies in meticulous pre-mediation preparation, including a thorough review of all case materials.
Debra Bogaards may be reached through her Case Manager, Katy Jones, at (510) 466-6630 or by email at katyteam@adrservices.com.
