Jean Hyams
About Me
After decades as a litigator, I find incredible satisfaction working as a mediator to shepherd parties to the end of conflict and the resolution of disputes. My collaborative approach means I invite and listen to suggestions from all participants about what we can do together to find resolution. And I’m convinced that the key to my success in resolving cases is that I listen carefully until I find the common ground that almost always exists between the parties.
I am a graduate of the intensive mediation training through the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and I continue to serve as a court-appointed neutral. I have organized and presented seminars on mediation through Continuing Education of the Bar, including on “Preparing Your Clients for Employment Mediations” and “The Mediator’s Toolbox.”
I’m particularly proud of my consistent “Super Lawyer” rating because it means that peers from the plaintiff and defense bar have highly and consistently ranked me as an exceptional attorney every year since 2006, including many years when I was listed as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in Northern California.”
A Little More About Me
I find the world of work fascinating and like to learn something new with each mediation, whether about technology, construction, retail, restaurant, medicine, government or any other field. Prior to becoming an attorney, I spent a number of interesting years in Silicon Valley, beginning with a position as executive assistant to Oracle Corporation’s CEO, Larry Ellison, and then in management positions at Oracle and Hewlett-Packard. I learned a lot in those years about the promise and challenges of business – for employers and employees. Those lessons continue to inform my mediation practice.
Outside of mediation and litigation, I am a happy denizen of the East Bay, after essentially circumnavigating the Bay from my teen years to the present, with time spent in Marin County, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond. For many years, I have served as a member of the board for YES Nature to Neighborhoods, a leadership development organization based in Richmond. Check them out!