Peter Rukin
About Me
I have been helping parties resolve their disputes through mediation for over 20 years. I mediate cases because I find the work challenging and rewarding and because I know firsthand how unpleasant litigation can be. I enjoy helping parties build a bridge they can cross, away from negativity and conflict and toward a new beginning.
I devote most of my professional time to mediation work. I am a member of the Northern District of California mediation panel, a graduate of the Harvard Negotiation Institute Advanced Mediation Workshop, & Co-Chair of the Employment Committee of the ABA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.
“I have known Peter Rukin for many years as one of the best employment lawyers around - smart and balanced in his perspective. It’s no wonder he’s a great mediator. I brought Peter a case against one of the toughest defendants around and he got it settled - I hope to return soon!”
“Peter strikes an outstanding balance between facilitative and evaluative approaches to mediation. He respects the party-driven process and nudges constructively, yet he also brings decades of subject matter expertise to draw parties out of entrenched positions.”
A Little More About Me
I’ve called California home since 2000. Before moving to the Golden State, I spent years living and working as an attorney in Chicago and New York City. I graduated from New York University School of Law in 1991 and served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Harry D. Leinenweber in Chicago from 1991-1993. Following my clerkship, I practiced at law firms in Chicago and New York, handled high profile litigation matters as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Law Department, and served as Of Counsel in the Employment Law Department at Paul Hastings LLP before starting my own firm (where I represented both employees and management).
I am a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, member of the Alameda County Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Executive Committee, former Chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco Labor & Employment Section, past member of the State Bar of California Labor & Employment Section Executive Committee, and former member of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA) Amicus Committee. I am co-author of the Mediation chapter of the CEB Treatise California Wage and Hour Law and Litigation and have testified on employment law issues before committees of the California Legislature and the Women and Equalities Committee of the UK Parliament. I have been regularly named to the “Top 100 Northern California Lawyers” list in SuperLawyers Magazine.