Rimforest Arbitration & Mediation Lawyers

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...

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...

James (Jim) Parke has practiced law in California for over 45 years. Jim graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 1975 and from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978. An esteemed expert in all areas of family law, Jim has spoken on several family law-related topics throughout Southern California and regularly contributes to divorce recovery workshops. He has also written several articles related to family law. Jim understands the psychological aspect of family law and he knows the importance of helping a client pass through the dissolution process as quickly, painlessly, and fairly as possible. He is diligent, caring, and works...

Mr. Helm, a Phillips ADR neutral, has mediated disputes up to ten figures in securities, class actions, shareholder disputes, corporate transactions, mass torts, professional liability, land use, sexual misconduct, ERISA, and intellectual property. He serves on the PG&E bankruptcy mediator panel and studied mediation at the Straus Institute. Previously, he was on the U.S. District Court, Central District of California ADR panel. A panelist on the American Arbitration Association roster and Institute for Transnational Arbitration advisory board, Mr. Helm has arbitrated business and consumer disputes and advocated in complex arbitrations involving asset management, trade secrets, and international investments. Before Phillips ADR, Mr....

Layn R. Phillips, founder of Phillips ADR Enterprises (PADRE), is a former U.S. Attorney and U.S. District Judge. Appointed at age 35 by President Reagan, he presided over 140+ trials in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, and sat by designation on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier, Judge Phillips served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, and at age 31, was nominated as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. After leaving the bench, he spent 23 years at Irell & Manella, focusing on complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and alternative dispute resolution. He later founded PADRE, specializing...

Clay joined Judge Phillips’ ADR practice in 2011. He graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University (B.A., History, 2006) and earned his J.D. from Fordham Law School (2011). He is admitted to the New York and California State Bars. Clay began mediating small claims in Bronx County Civil Court during law school. With over a decade at Phillips ADR, he now mediates complex disputes involving major companies in areas like antitrust, class actions, intellectual property, environmental, mass tort, insurance, securities, and contract disputes. He has worked on over 500 mediations, assisting Judge Phillips before, during, and after sessions, and directly engaging parties...