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OUR NEUTRALS

Hon. Anita Rae Shapiro, Comm., Ret.
Commissioner Shapiro conducted over 600 civil settlement conferences, with an 80% settlement rate, from her appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench in 1982 until her retirement in 1997. Since then, she has been providing private dispute resolution services to the Southern California legal community, utilizing her extensive experience in probate, tort, complex commercial and family law matters. As an Arbitrator, Commissioner Shapiro is known for her thoroughness in reviewing submitted materials, her ability to expedite hearings by cutting through trivialities, and her clearly explained, detailed decisions. Clients comment: "She is insightful to the ins and outs of the family and probate courts," and "She is a very focused Arbitrator, attuned to the credibility of witnesses, and she gives fair and reasonable awards." As a Mediator, she energetically pursues all avenues of conciliation, guides parties to reach a resolution, and always remains objective to each party's needs. Noted one attorney, "There are many emotions impacting a family law case before it reaches a settlement. Ms. Shapiro was able to sift through that and focus clients on reaching a resolution that everyone could live with."
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE
  • Commissioner, Superior Court, Los Angeles County (1982-97)
  • Senior Judicial Attorney, CA Courts of Appeal (San Bernardino, 1977-82), Los Angeles (1971-77)
  • Associate Editor, Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co.; wrote annotations for A.L.R. 3d, A.L.R. Fed. and L.Ed.2d (1969-70)
  • Deputy City Prosecutor, Pasadena, CA (1968)
  • Private General Civil Law Practice, Pasadena, CA (1967-68)
  • Office Auditor, Internal Revenue Service, San Francisco (1961-62)
  • Adjunct Faculty: Southwestern University School of Law (1990); California State University, Fullerton (1981); Western State University College of Law (1979-83)
  • Lecturer: California Judges Education and Research (CJER), CEB, The Rutter Group, numerous Bar Associations and other Professional Organizations
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
  • LL.B., University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA (1965)
  • B.A., Psychology, Mills College, Oakland, CA (1961)
  • New York University School of Law, Graduate Division, Tax Law Study (1965-66)
  • Pepperdine University, School of Law-Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediation Training and Advanced Mediation Skills (1997)
  • Member, California Judges Association, Retired Judge Committee
  • Former Member, California Judges Association, Ethics Committee
  • Former Member, California Court Commissioners Assn. Board of Directors
  • Former Member, California Women Lawyers Board of Governors
  • Former Member, Los Angeles County Superior Court Rules Committee
  • Former Member, Los Angeles County Bar Assn., Court Improvements Committee
  • Volunteer, Constitutional Rights Foundation
  • Former President and Vice President, Friends Outside, National Board of Directors
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES
  • Personal Injury
  • Family Law
  • Probate
  • Premises Liability
  • Products Liability
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS
  • Friends Outside President's Award for Distinguished Service (1983)
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
  • Enjoys Reading Novels, Listening to Music, Outdoor Activities, Photography, Travel
LOCATIONS
  • All of Southern California


Hon. Anita Rae Shapiro, Comm., Ret.
Commissioner Shapiro conducted over 600 civil settlement conferences, with an 80% settlement rate, from her appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench in 1982 until her retirement in 1997. Since then, she has been providing private dispute resolution services to the Southern California legal community, utilizing her extensive experience in probate, tort, complex commercial and family law matters. As an Arbitrator, Commissioner Shapiro is known for her thoroughness in reviewing submitted materials, her ability to expedite hearings by cutting through trivialities, and her clearly explained, detailed decisions. Clients comment: "She is insightful to the ins and outs of the family and probate courts," and "She is a very focused Arbitrator, attuned to the credibility of witnesses, and she gives fair and reasonable awards." As a Mediator, she energetically pursues all avenues of conciliation, guides parties to reach a resolution, and always remains objective to each party's needs. Noted one attorney, "There are many emotions impacting a family law case before it reaches a settlement. Ms. Shapiro was able to sift through that and focus clients on reaching a resolution that everyone could live with."
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE
  • Commissioner, Superior Court, Los Angeles County (1982-97)
  • Senior Judicial Attorney, CA Courts of Appeal (San Bernardino, 1977-82), Los Angeles (1971-77)
  • Associate Editor, Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co.; wrote annotations for A.L.R. 3d, A.L.R. Fed. and L.Ed.2d (1969-70)
  • Deputy City Prosecutor, Pasadena, CA (1968)
  • Private General Civil Law Practice, Pasadena, CA (1967-68)
  • Office Auditor, Internal Revenue Service, San Francisco (1961-62)
  • Adjunct Faculty: Southwestern University School of Law (1990); California State University, Fullerton (1981); Western State University College of Law (1979-83)
  • Lecturer: California Judges Education and Research (CJER), CEB, The Rutter Group, numerous Bar Associations and other Professional Organizations
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
  • LL.B., University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA (1965)
  • B.A., Psychology, Mills College, Oakland, CA (1961)
  • New York University School of Law, Graduate Division, Tax Law Study (1965-66)
  • Pepperdine University, School of Law-Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediation Training and Advanced Mediation Skills (1997)
  • Member, California Judges Association, Retired Judge Committee
  • Former Member, California Judges Association, Ethics Committee
  • Former Member, California Court Commissioners Assn. Board of Directors
  • Former Member, California Women Lawyers Board of Governors
  • Former Member, Los Angeles County Superior Court Rules Committee
  • Former Member, Los Angeles County Bar Assn., Court Improvements Committee
  • Volunteer, Constitutional Rights Foundation
  • Former President and Vice President, Friends Outside, National Board of Directors
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES
  • Personal Injury
  • Family Law
  • Probate
  • Premises Liability
  • Products Liability
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS
  • Friends Outside President's Award for Distinguished Service (1983)
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
  • Enjoys Reading Novels, Listening to Music, Outdoor Activities, Photography, Travel
LOCATIONS
  • All of Southern California