MAP Background Information Provided

Judge Charlotte W. Woolard

ADR Services, Inc.
100 First Street, 27th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 772-0900 Fax:(415) 772-0960

750 per hour

Please see attached Fee Schedule. Administrative Fees: Mediation $250 per party;
Arbitration $500 per party; Early Neutral Evaluation $250 per party; Initial filing fee (Demand for Arbitration) $300. The fees include use of the conference rooms. Judge Woolard does not charge travel costs. Cancellation fees: full payment required for all cases for notice of 14 days or less and for 15-30 days notice for a multi-day hearing. May be waived upon showing of good cause.

0088275

Retired Judge/Justice

My mediation experience includes approximately 25 family law cases involving property division, support, and child custody/visitation. I have mediated 7 personal injury matters, 6 business disputes involving contracts, 2 employment discrimination cases, 4 landlord/tenant actions, 2 real property disputes involving Home Owners Associations and rule violations, and 1 juvenile dependency case.

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law - Mediating the Litigated Case- 42 hours - completed August 2013. Northern California Mediation Center – Essentials of Mediation and Divorce Mediation 40 hours - 2014
Straus Institute at Pepperdine -Mediator Bootcamp - 18 hours- 2015
Straus Institute at Pepperdine - Family Law Mediation - 17 hours - June 2018
CJER/Straus Institute - Mediation: The Art of Facilitating Settlement- 40 hours - 2008

I am a member of the Kaiser Permanente Arbitration Panel and have been appointed to 2 medical malpractice cases. One was a wrongful death. Both settled. I arbitrated a business dispute involving a contract that proceeded to award. I am currently arbitrating a family law matter regarding issues of post-separation accounting and values of antiques and artwork. Although not technically arbitrations, I have tried two family law matters as a temporary judge involving child custody, property division and support.

I served as a neutral evaluator in a business dispute matter.

As a retired judge of the San Francisco Superior Court I have handled settlement conferences too numerous to count in the areas of Civil, Family Law, Juvenile and Criminal. My current caseload includes settlement conferences in Family Law matters on the issues of property division, support and child custody/visitation

Santa Clara University School of Law - J.D - 1979 San Jose State University - Political Science - B.A. 1976

Before the mediation I request brief written statements, then separately telephone the attorneys (or parties if self-represented) to discuss issues, the posture of the case, status of discovery, identify impediments to settlement, and whether the case lends itself to non-caucus sessions. I open the mediation session by explaining the process, then listening to the parties' positions and their concerns. Early in the session, my approach is usually facilitative, gathering information without judgment and establishing party communication. As the mediation progresses, I generally transition to a more evaluative style, offering feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the case and proposing possible solutions if the parties are unable to create their own.
I have found that successful mediations involve taking the time to hear the parties, especially since I may be the only judge they speak to and litigation has been frustrating. I emphasize that settlement requires compromise, but that it is empowering and usually takes some time to achieve. My style is calm and compassionate, rather than directive and bombastic.

Once the arbitration is assigned, I hold a telephonic arbitration management conference with counsel (or the parties if self-represented) for the purpose of discussing and reaching agreement regarding the statement of the claim and response, setting a hearing date and the exchange of briefs, discovery and a streamlined method of resolving disputes, motions, service of documents, preparation of a joint exhibit book, opening statements and closing arguments, exchange of post arbitration briefs, and an attorney fees and costs motion after the interim award is issued. I draft and serve arbitration management orders as the case progresses. Arbitration hearings are conducted in a fashion similar to a court trial only in a more informal setting, applying the rules and statutes that relate to arbitrations. I encourage stipulations so that the focus is on relevant disputed issues.

Upon my assignment as a neutral evaluator, I conduct a joint conference call with counsel to discuss the case and the scheduling of the session. I seek the attorneys' agreement that the case is ripe for a productive evaluation session in terms of information exchange and expert witness development. I set the evaluation session and a date for the exchange and submission of written evaluation statements including documents and witness transcripts or offers of proof. I prefer that the parties be present during the evaluation session where the attorneys present a summary of their cases and I can ask questions. Before I provide my evaluation, I ask the attorneys if they would like me to attempt to mediate the dispute. If settlement is not achieved, I provide an oral evaluation or, if requested, a brief written evaluation.

I am a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, California Women Lawyers, The Lawyers' Club of San Francisco American Inn of Court, the Bar Association of San Francisco, National Association of Women Judges, and Queen's Bench. My resume, experience, and a representative case list are more fully detailed on my website www.judgewoolard.com and at www.adrservices.com.

During my more than two decades of service on the state court benches in San Francisco, I handled cases in almost every area of law. Having spent nine years presiding in Family Law Departments, I discovered that I enjoyed resolving family law cases and assisting parties who are in crisis. I spent four years in Civil Trial Departments and an additional two years in Civil Law and Motion, which provided me with a diverse civil background supplementing my experience as a civil litigator prior to my judicial appointment.