Richard I. Phillips
Mediator/ Attorney
Sage Mediation Services, LLC

BACKGROUND

           Richard I. Phillips has been a trial lawyer for 30 years. He has been a sole practitioner, a partner in a large AV-rated firm, and was the founding attorney of his own firm. Prior to attending law school, he received a Masters Degree in Social Welfare and practiced as a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor for several years.

           He has owned and helped operate three different retail businesses during the past 30 years. As a result, he brings a wide range of professional and life experiences, skills, techniques and approaches to any ADR process.

RESOLUTION EXPERTISE

Mr. Phillips created Sage Mediation Services, LLC in 2004 to provide ADR services to Central California.

PERSONAL INJURY:

Experienced in mediating and arbitrating virtually every type of personal injury case. These have included motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability and product liability matters.

CONSTRUCTION DEFECT / REAL ESTATE

Mr. Phillips has experience with most types of real estate disputes (commercial and residential) involving construction defects/mold, easement issues, land subsidence, breach of contract, foreclosure, and quiet title actions.

EMPLOYMENT / LABOR

He has mediation and arbitration experience with disputes involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment, trade secrets, non-competition agreements and discrimination matters.

COMMERCIAL / BUSINESS

Mr. Phillips has been involved in the resolution of matters involving breach of contract, shareholder disputes and dissolution of partnerships.

FAMILY LAW

Having earned his Masters Degree in Social Welfare plus his years of experience as a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor have uniquely equipped Mr. Phillips to deal with the dynamics of divorce and related issues. As a result he has been called upon to assist in resolving many such matters.

MEDIATION TRAINING

Mr. Phillips has more than 300 hours of training in dispute resolution most provided by Pepperdine University School of Law's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, as well as training offered through the Southern California Mediation Association and one on one training sessions with Trainer/Mediator Forest (Woody) Mosten. He has completed the following training programs:

• Mediating the Litigated Case
• Specialized Mediation Training: Handling Challenging Employment, Medical Malpractice and PI Cases
• The Protean Mediator as Leader
• The Absolute Mediator
• Advanced Family Mediation Skills
• Building Bridges- The Art & Science of Mediation
• Personal Training with Woody Mosten
• Winter Intensive Mediation Seminar at Straus
• Harnessing the Power of the Master Mediator
• Beyond Yes Dialogue Series
• Interactive Professional Mediation Training
• Advance Interactive Professional Mediation Training
• Multiple Skills Sessions - 9th Annual ABA/ADR Conference
• Basic Divorce Mediation Training
• Improvisational Mediation Training

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Past and Present)

• Membership in the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County Bar Associations and their respective ADR Sections
• Membership in the Kern, Monterey, Fresno, Tulare and Kings County Bar Associations
• Southern California Mediation Association
• The Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• The Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California
• California Trial Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association and their ADR Section
• Association for Conflict Resolution
• Association for Conflict Resolution Central California Chapter
• California Dispute Resolution Council

COURT MEDIATION PANELS

Mr. Phillips is currently listed as an approved mediator on the following court panels:

• Santa Barbara County
• San Luis Obispo County
• Fresno County
• Tulare County
• Monterey County
• Kern County 
• Ventura County

EDUCATION

J.D., University of West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 1978
M.S.W., University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 1970
B.A., San Francisco State, San Francisco, California, 1965

Panelist Information Updated: November 27, 2007