Douglas H. Barker, Esq.
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Doug Barker was a very active and highly successful civil litigator from 1980 to 2014, both as a shareholder at San Diego’s largest law firm, and, thereafter, as the managing partner of a full service civil litigation firm. As a trial lawyer, he represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Barker has been extremely active as an arbitrator and mediator for over 30 years. Beginning in 1984, he was a frequent arbitrator of cases referred by the court under the California Rules of Court. During the late 1990s, he trained to become a mediator and commenced his highly successful mediation practice. With time, that mediation practice grew until it became his exclusive professional area of practice.
In addition to his background as a lawyer, arbitrator, and mediator, Mr. Barker possesses broad academic achievements and life experiences that enable him to understand and empathize with the parties and issues in mediation. He was Editor-in-Chief of the San Diego Law Review, a holder of a number of advance degrees, an officer in the United State Army, and a college and high school teacher and coach. He presented more than 125 seminars on litigation and ADR skills.
To date, Mr. Barker has served as mediator in over 2,000 cases.
RATES:
- Half day – $2,500 flat rate: includes 1 hour of preparation (including brief review and pre-mediation Zoom test session) and 4 hours of mediation time; $500 per hour thereafter, in 1/2 hour increments.
- Full day – $5,000 flat rate: includes 2 hours of preparation (including brief review and pre-mediation Zoom test session) and 8 hours of mediation time; $500 per hour thereafter, in 1/2 hour increments.
- $300 non-refundable administrative fee per party
HOA Mediations:
- $800/3 hours + $500 per hour thereafter.
- $500 per hour for brief review.
- There is a $150 per party administrative fee. $800 flat rate for up to three hours. $500 per hour thereafter.
- For all HOA mediations: please contact the WCRG Coordinator, Smhale Leon: sleon@westcoastresolution.com or 619-238-7282
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE:
- Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper), 1980 to 1994 — Shareholder
- Barker Olmsted & Barnier, 1994 to 2014 — Shareholder
- Mediator at NCRC and West Coast Resolution Group, 1999 to present
- Law School Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
- B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1969 (History)
- M.A., University of Missouri, 1970 (History)
- M.A., California Lutheran University, 1975 (Education)
- J.D., University of San Diego, 1980 (Cum laude)
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES:
Trained as a mediator at NCRC, Pepperdine University, and the American Bar Association.
Specialties:
- Commercial disputes — Partnership dissolutions, contract, dissolutions, professional (legal and medical) negligence, insurance, misappropriate of trade secrets, unfair competition
- Construction — Defect, contract, code compliance, lien enforcement
- Employment – Wage and hour, whistleblowing, retaliation, discrimination, disability, pay equity, misclassification, breach of contract, labor, harassment, free speech, misappropriation of trade secrets, statutory penalties, and PAGA
- Personal injury — Including product liability, wrongful death and medical/dental malpractice
- Real estate — Purchase/sale, landlord/tenant, contract (including failures to disclose), easements, environmental
- Claims against governmental entities
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS:
- Editor-in-Chief, San Diego Law Review, 1980
- “AV” rating, Martindale-Hubbell, since 1989
- “Top 10 Attorneys in San Diego,” San Diego Magazine, 2005
- Master, American Inns of Court, Lopardo Chapter, 2011 to present
TESTIMONIALS:
“My honest belief was that the mediation had little chance of resolving the case in the pre-litigation early stage. You proved me wrong.” – Statement from an attorney’s experience with Doug Barker.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS:
Former college football player and high school teacher/coach (football and baseball)
Youth sports coach since 1993
ARTICLES:
- “Serious About Settlement in Mediation?” The Adjuster (Publication of the San Diego Insurance Adjuster Association), April 2003
- “Settle or Not, Mediation is Well Worth the Time and Money to Both the Lawyer and the Client,” West Coast Resolution Group website (www.westcoastresolution.com), July 2010
- “An Effective Negotiation Strategy,” West Coast Resolution Group website (www.westcoastresolution.com) , July 2010
- “Why It Is in the Best Interests of Lawyers Always to Take Their Cases to Mediation,” West Coast Resolution Group website and newsletter (www.westcoastresolution.com), December 2011 through February 2012
RECENT PRESS:
- Listed at “Top Lawyer”, San Diego Magazine, 2015-Present
- Organizer and presenter in well over 100 presentations on various subjects related to litigation skills, and mediation and negotiation techniques.
If you would like to see a copy of Mr. Barker’s full CV please contact Veronica Montenegro.