Introduction
Rob brings more than 32 years of experience representing both plaintiffs, defendants and insurance companies in California, New York, and New England. In 2012, he left litigation to commit full time to serving as a neutral. During this time, he has served as an arbitrator and mediator in thousand of disputes involving insurance coverage, bad faith, mass tort, and personal injury including wrongful death.
Rob has unique experience, after a decade representing plaintiffs, he became managing in house counsel at a major insurance carrier. He then moved to a special counsel position which enabled him to oversee and handle first party cases and umbrella policies up to $10 million dealing with complicated coverage and bad faith issues. He was involved in settling hundreds of claims deriving from major fires in San Diego like the Witch Fire with over 1600 structure losses, and the Station Fire in LA County with over 200 structure losses. In managing thousands of Northridge earthquake claims, he was committed to making sure plaintiffs had enough time to file and settle their claims and as a result he became a driving force in extending the statute of limitations which the Department of Insurance approved requiring other carriers to do the same. While litigating, he earned a reputation of being fair, respectful, and settlement oriented which have led plaintiff attorneys to comment, "He is a defense attorney who thinks like a plaintiff’s attorney”.
As a neutral, Rob is highly regarded as having an excellent grasp of all issues from both sides perspective. He has a down to earth style and cares deeply about people and achieving the best result for the parties. One attorney commented, “Rob was thoroughly prepared, worked hard and enthusiastic about the process and the people”.
Practice Areas
Hobbies & Interests
In his spare time, Rob is an international sports venue consultant who has worked for the Rose Bowl Parade and Game for over 30 years, as well as the Los Angeles Olympics and World Cup, the Beijing Olympics, and served the negotiating team that brought Formula One Racing to Shanghai China in 2004. He is an avid music enthusiast and film buff. Rob speaks Mandarin Chinese and enjoys travel, winter sports and restoring vintage sports cars.
Website
http://www.rmbennettglobalmediation.com
Testimonials
"Utilized his litigation experience / knowledge to help parties recognize strength, and weaknesses in real world way."
- Attorney on a personal injury auto dispute
"He got the case settled in only a half-day session. He was forthright and fully understood the case."
- Attorney on a Property Damage Mold Matter
"Beautiful job! Thank you so much for getting this claim resolved!"
- Attorney on a Wrongful Death, Dangerous Condition matter
"He had a perfect manner in the case, so comfortable for defendant's attorney, plaintiff's attorney, the 2 plaintiffs and the attorney claim rep."
- An attorney on a legally complex, highly emotional case
"Mr. Bennett immediately grasped the business realities and the litigation “drivers” from the underlying facts and procedural history. He provided extremely valuable feedback and advice about how to increase the chances for a successful future resolution."
- Defense Attorney on a Business Contractual Matter
"Mr. Bennett was extremely prepared and did an excellent job. He was very professional in communicating with the clients (making them feel heard and understood) and I felt he completely understood the legal aspects (and non-liability) of the case. I will gladly use him on future cases."
- Attorney on a Wrongful Death matter
"This was my first mediation with Mr. Bennett. It started out looking rather dismal. Mr. Bennett picked up on the personalities of the participants very quickly and kept us moving. My client was a sophisticated claims professional, and Mr. Bennett treated him accordingly without platitudes or games that would have put my client off. I am pleasantly surprised by the outcome and appreciate Mr. Bennett’s role."
- Attorney on a Premises Liability Dispute
"This is now the fourth case in which I have been involved in which Mr. Bennett has acted as mediator. In every instance he has been well prepared, knowledgeable of the facts and legal issues, and very helpful in pushing the cases toward settlement."
- Attorney on a Real Property Breach of Contract Dispute
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