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OUR NEUTRALS

Michael D. Young, Esq.
Michael D. Young, a former employment, intellectual property and business litigator and mediator with the national firm Alston & Bird, has been mediating cases since 1989. Building off of his extensive litigation experience, and his training through the nationally acclaimed Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine Law School, Mr. Young assists parties resolve contentious and complex civil disputes, often in creative and innovative ways that the parties themselves had not previously considered.


Mr. Young has extensive experience both litigating and mediating all varieties of employment, intellectual property, and business disputes, including class actions and single-plaintiff matters. On the employment side, these have included wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, disability, public policy, wage and hour, and misclassification disputes, among others. On the IP side, Mr. Young had handled disputes over trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and restrictive covenants. In addition, in his 25-plus year legal career, Mr. Young has mediated, litigated, and tried hundreds of disputes involving unfair competition, antitrust, and environmental issues (including CERCLA and RCRA cases), among other complex business disputes.


Attorney's have praised Mr. Young's creativity and doggedness. Said one attorney following a difficult employment mediation: “Your ideas were very creative, and your no-nonsense approach was exactly right for this case. I’ve been in over 200 mediations from all perspectives, but the job you did this week really stands out.” Commented another: “Mike was very effective in building credibility with both plaintiffs and the defense in an emotionally charged case involving several plaintiffs. He was able to get to the heart of the issues and put the parties on a path to resolution while giving everyone an opportunity to be heard. His tireless follow up and accessibility was crucial to the resolution of the case.” Said a third: “I have used mediators for over three decades, and Mike came up with approaches, ideas, and solutions that were new to me. That mediation was a success because Mike Young refused to let it fail.”
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE
  • Civil Litigation Trial Attorney in California since 1985, with emphasis in employment, intellectual property, business, commercial, environmental, and other civil disputes (Alston & Bird; Weston Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava & MacCuish; Los Angeles, CA)
  • Mediator since 1989 and Chair, Neutral Services Department of Weston, Benshoof
  • Adjunct Professor, USC Law School, Negotiation and ADR Processes for nearly a decade
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
  • J.D. University of Southern California Law School (1985)
  • B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara (1981)
  • Strauss Institute For Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law, Mediation and Negotiation Training (1995-96)
  • Dispute Resolution Services, L.A.County Bar Assn., Mediation Training (1989, 1991, 1994)
  • Negotiation Strategy Institute, Negotiation Training (1996)
  • International Academy of Mediators, Continuing Education, Annually
  • Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators
  • California State Bar ADR Committee (2006-2010)
  • Former Co-Chair, ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, Trade Secrets SubCommittee
  • Former Chair, ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, Mediation Sub-Committee
  • USC Law School Annual Fund Executive Committee (1985-Present)
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES
  • Intellectual Property
  • Employment (including Class Actions and single Plaintiff)
  • Complex Business/Commercial
  • Environmental (including Toxic Tort, CERCLA, RCRA, CWA)
  • Restrictive Covenants
  • Unfair Competition, Antitrust
  • Multi-Party and Multi-Interest Disputes
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS
  • Mr. Young has been named "Super Lawyer" for ADR, Employment, and Intellectual Property every year since 2004.
  • Additionally, he has written numerous articles on ADR for Dispute Resolution Magazine, California Lawyer, LA Daily Journal, The Advocate, California Law Business, Alternatives, and many more.
  • Mr. Young was an adjunct professor of law in Negotiation and ADR processes at the USC Law School for nearly a decade.
LOCATIONS
  • All of California
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
RECENT ARTICLES
RECENT PRESS
WEBSITE


Michael D. Young, Esq.
Michael D. Young, a former employment, intellectual property and business litigator and mediator with the national firm Alston & Bird, has been mediating cases since 1989. Building off of his extensive litigation experience, and his training through the nationally acclaimed Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine Law School, Mr. Young assists parties resolve contentious and complex civil disputes, often in creative and innovative ways that the parties themselves had not previously considered.


Mr. Young has extensive experience both litigating and mediating all varieties of employment, intellectual property, and business disputes, including class actions and single-plaintiff matters. On the employment side, these have included wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, disability, public policy, wage and hour, and misclassification disputes, among others. On the IP side, Mr. Young had handled disputes over trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and restrictive covenants. In addition, in his 25-plus year legal career, Mr. Young has mediated, litigated, and tried hundreds of disputes involving unfair competition, antitrust, and environmental issues (including CERCLA and RCRA cases), among other complex business disputes.


Attorney's have praised Mr. Young's creativity and doggedness. Said one attorney following a difficult employment mediation: “Your ideas were very creative, and your no-nonsense approach was exactly right for this case. I’ve been in over 200 mediations from all perspectives, but the job you did this week really stands out.” Commented another: “Mike was very effective in building credibility with both plaintiffs and the defense in an emotionally charged case involving several plaintiffs. He was able to get to the heart of the issues and put the parties on a path to resolution while giving everyone an opportunity to be heard. His tireless follow up and accessibility was crucial to the resolution of the case.” Said a third: “I have used mediators for over three decades, and Mike came up with approaches, ideas, and solutions that were new to me. That mediation was a success because Mike Young refused to let it fail.”
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE
  • Civil Litigation Trial Attorney in California since 1985, with emphasis in employment, intellectual property, business, commercial, environmental, and other civil disputes (Alston & Bird; Weston Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava & MacCuish; Los Angeles, CA)
  • Mediator since 1989 and Chair, Neutral Services Department of Weston, Benshoof
  • Adjunct Professor, USC Law School, Negotiation and ADR Processes for nearly a decade
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
  • J.D. University of Southern California Law School (1985)
  • B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara (1981)
  • Strauss Institute For Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law, Mediation and Negotiation Training (1995-96)
  • Dispute Resolution Services, L.A.County Bar Assn., Mediation Training (1989, 1991, 1994)
  • Negotiation Strategy Institute, Negotiation Training (1996)
  • International Academy of Mediators, Continuing Education, Annually
  • Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators
  • California State Bar ADR Committee (2006-2010)
  • Former Co-Chair, ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, Trade Secrets SubCommittee
  • Former Chair, ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, Mediation Sub-Committee
  • USC Law School Annual Fund Executive Committee (1985-Present)
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES
  • Intellectual Property
  • Employment (including Class Actions and single Plaintiff)
  • Complex Business/Commercial
  • Environmental (including Toxic Tort, CERCLA, RCRA, CWA)
  • Restrictive Covenants
  • Unfair Competition, Antitrust
  • Multi-Party and Multi-Interest Disputes
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS
  • Mr. Young has been named "Super Lawyer" for ADR, Employment, and Intellectual Property every year since 2004.
  • Additionally, he has written numerous articles on ADR for Dispute Resolution Magazine, California Lawyer, LA Daily Journal, The Advocate, California Law Business, Alternatives, and many more.
  • Mr. Young was an adjunct professor of law in Negotiation and ADR processes at the USC Law School for nearly a decade.
LOCATIONS
  • All of California
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
RECENT ARTICLES
RECENT PRESS
WEBSITE