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Specialties:
- Aviation
- Business
- Construction/ Construction Defect
- Consumer Law/ Product Law
- Contracts
- Discovery referee
- Employment
- Insurance
- Arbitrator
- Land Use / Boundary Disputes
- Landlord-Tenant
- Personal Injury
- Real Estate
- Tree Law/ Neighbor Disputes
Memberships & Special Honors
- Charter Member of the Mediation Society
- Panelist – California Court of Appeal
- San Francisco Superior Court
- Member, Lawyer Pilots Bar Association
- named to Northern California Super Lawyers 2004, 2005, 2006, and as Super Lawyer with specialty in mediation in 2007, 2008, and 2009
- International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers
Education
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 1971
- B.A., Sonoma State University, 1968
W. Bruce Wold, Esq.
“I have always hoped all parties leave the mediation process with the strong belief that the right thing happened – and that the process worked. To make that happen the mediator must be prepared, professional, thoughtful, and credible.” – Bruce Wold
Bruce Wold has built a reputation as a practical, good-humored problem-solver who respects the complex relationships among the parties and uses that knowledge to guide them toward conflict-free resolution. As an extremely successful attorney handling high stakes litigation with a variety of clients both locally and nationally, Mr. Wold employed a combination of vigorous representation and a clear understanding of what it truly takes to help clients. He recognized the value of mediation and other forms of ADR early in his career, and has mediated more than 100 cases nationwide.
Before retiring in 2006 from the practice of law, Mr. Wold went through formal mediation training and conducted mediation in many interesting and challenging cases. Bruce then joined the Resolution Remedies panel, serving as a popular mediator, arbitrator, and discovery referee on both simple and complex cases.
In a recent interview Mr. Wold passed along some interesting thoughts about his role as mediator:
- I have observed, studied, and utilized all sorts of mediation styles and approaches, but, interestingly enough, I’ve participated in mediations where the best thing a mediator did and said was absolutely nothing. For attorneys, you might agree, this is an enormous exercise in personal restraint, but it works when the situation calls for it.
- No single style by the mediator can work every time. Much like a coach must analyze how a game is going and make appropriate adjustments, a mediator must understand what is working and what is not, and then adjust the process as necessary.
- Effective mediators learn to dispel preconceptions about the case at the door. Thorough preparation is essential, of course, but flexibility and disciplined thinking are paramount to the process. You never know when you might have to shift strategy in mid-stream, so it’s vitally important to be open-minded, accommodating and flexible.
- A negotiated final agreement driven by a process in which both counsel and their clients have actively participated in a meaningful and civil way is profoundly satisfying, particularly when you’ve contributed little more than your attentiveness, gentle guidance and presence.”
Background
Mr. Wold is retired from Sedgwick, Detert, Moran and Arnold, a 350-lawyer international law firm based in San Francisco. As one of the firm’s senior trial partners, he chaired the firm’s 100 lawyer Complex Litigation Group. Because of his skills at working with people with differing opinions, he headed the firm’s Partner Compensation Committee for several years and was a founding partner of the Attorney Relations Committee. He created the Sedgwick Trial Academy, a weeklong trial practice course, and then taught the course for ten years, eventually helping to train more than 150 of the firm’s lawyers. He has lectured extensively to a wide variety of groups on the art of mediation.
Bruce is an instrument rated private pilot with FAA approval to fly formation flights in airshow space. He is active with golf, tennis, pickleball, skiing and sitting with his young grandkids.
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