Mediate Solutions Now LLC Conflict Resolution Services

Extensive Experience

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MediateSolutionsNow

    G A I L   K A P L A N, Esq.
        

  Mediator – Educator – Organizer

     ◊  Mediated disputes for 30+ years
      ◊  Attorney for 18 years specialized in employment, housing and ADA issues
      ◊  Sr. Corporate Human Resources Executive for 15 years at Fortune 500 companies
      ◊  Social Worker focused on family, geriatric and psychiatric issues
      ◊  Founder & 1st Chair State Bar of California Standing Committee on lawyers and judges with
              disabilities; Spearheaded establishment of & 1st Chair Judicial Council of California 
              Standing Committee on Access and Fairness Subcommittee on access to the courts
              for persons with disabilities
      ◊  Organized and directed numerous civil rights organizations, including California's first statewide
              organization of lawyers, judges and law students with disabilities
      ◊  Workshops, publications, and speeches throughout California, the United States, and in
              Canada for the State Bar of California, American Bar Association, law firms, corporations
              and special interest groups on full range of employment, discrimination and disability laws


Employment

         President & Founder, Mediate Solutions Now LLC
         Principal & Founder, Law & Mediation Offices of Gail Kaplan & Associates
         Mediator, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Keybridge Foundation
         Mediator, California Dept. of Fair Employment & Housing
         Personnel Director, MGM-UA
         Human Resources Consultant, Union Bank
         First Woman Personnel Director, Philip Morris Inc. Corporate Headquarters
         First Woman Executive, Tetley, Inc.
         Personnel Director, WNET-TV
         President & Founder, Employment Policy Institute
         Family Therapist-Social Worker, Scanlon Medical Group
         Psychiatric Social Worker, NYU-Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital
         Geriatric Social Worker, R. I. Medical Center
         Director & Fundraiser, New York State Seniors Campaign for Carter/Mondale:
             created and directed national policies, programs and media campaign;
             formed national advisory council - recruited Margaret Mead, Scoop Jackson,
             other national leaders in politics, industry, labor, and special interest groups.
             Collaborated with Margaret Mead to establish national program: "Sr/Jr
             Political Partnership" to advance teen participation in rights and privileges of citizenship


Panels
 
         Settlement Officer:
         U.S. District Court - Central District of California
 
         Mediation:
         California Court of Appeal - Second Appellate District
         Los Angeles County Superior Court - Party Pay and Pro Bono
         Federal Executive Board of Greater Los Angeles
         U.S. Department of Justice
         U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
         California Department of Fair Employment & Housing. 


        Arbitration:
        Los Angeles County Superior Court

Education 

        Mediation:

        Certified Mediator by Los Angeles County Bar Association – Dispute Resolution
        Services.  More than 200 Hours of Mediation Training through Pepperdine University
        School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution; Cornell University; Loyola Law
        School of Los Angeles; U.S. District Court - Central District of California; California
        Court of Appeal – Second Appellate District; U.S. Dept. of Justice; U.S. Equal
        Employment Opportunity Commission; California Dept. of Fair Employment &
        Housing; American Bar Association; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Beverly HiIIs
        Bar Association; Mosten Divorce Mediation. Sample of courses:
Appellate Mediation,
        Advanced Commercial Mediation, Scope of Arbitration Awards and Mediation, ADR
        Theories and Techniques, Mediation Theories & Techniques in Employment,
        Mediating ADA Cases, Mediating EEO Cases, Family & Divorce Mediation
.


      Legal and pre-Legal:


        LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL OF LOS ANGELES, J.D.: LAW REVIEW member; published article
           
Pay Equity or Pay Up: The Inevitable Evolution of Comparable Worth Into Employer
            Liability Under Title VII
; Cited in 8 Witkin, Summary of California Law; Noted as
            Worth Reading in The National Law Journal; Reviewed in L.A. Daily Journal;
            JUDICIAL EXTERN to Hon. Dickran Tevrizian, U.S. District Court;
            WHO'S WHO AMONG LAW STUDENTS

        COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, School of Social Work
        BOSTON UNIVERSITY, B.A.:  English, Classics, Sociology


Admitted to Practice 
 
        United States Supreme Court; United States Court of Appeals; 
        United States District Court, Central District of California;
        The State Bar of California; all courts throughout the State .

       
Awards and Recognition

        National Register's Who's Who in Executives and Professionals - Law and Mediation;
        State Bar of California Board of Governors’ Proclamation -
            commending Ms. Kaplan's "vision, leadership and innovation
            for extraordinary contributions in advancing the letter and spirit
            of the Americans with Disabilities Act" and the State Bar; 
        State Bar of California Legal Services Section Outstanding Service Award;
        State Bar of California Standing Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities;
            Outstanding Service Award to its Founder;
        Beverly Hills Bar Association Distinguished Service Award
        Loyola Law School of Los Angeles Rev. Richard A. Vachon, SJ Distinguished Service Award
            for Community Service; 
        National Register's Who's Who Among Law Students;
        Summa Publishing Who's Who Among American Law Students;
        Loyola Law School of Los Angeles Law Review;
        President Jimmy Carter distinguished service commendation for
            creating and implementing unprecedented national policies and
            programs to advance Seniors' active lifestyles;
        Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists.


Affiliations


        Member, American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section
        Member, State Bar of California Ad Hoc Committee on ADR
        Chair, Beverly Hills Bar Association Conflict Resolution Section;
        Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution
            Section; Labor & Employment Law Section; Judicial Evaluation Committee;
        Member, State Bar of California Executive Committee on Labor & Employment Law
            First liaison to Ad Hoc Committee on ADR;
        Member, National Employment Lawyers Association;
        Member, California Employment Lawyers Association;
        Member, Southern California Employment Lawyers Association;
        Member, State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners;
        Member, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles;
        Member, Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee;
        Member, Association for Conflict Management;
        Member, National Institute for Dispute Resolution “NIDR”;
        Member, Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution “SPIDR”;
        Member, California Dispute Resolution Council “CDRC”;
        Member, Southern California Mediation Association “SCMA”;
        Organizer, First Union for Professional Workers at Bellevue Hospital;
           Commissioner, American Bar Association Commission on Physical and
           Mental Disability Law, Subcommittee on lawyers with disabilities (Chair);
        Member, California Judicial Council of California Standing Committee on Access
            and Fairness, Subcommittee on Court Access for Persons with Disabilities
            (1st Chair; facilitated its establishment)
        Member, State Bar Standing Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities
            (Founder & 1st Chair)
        Member, State Bar of California Committee on Legal Rights of Persons with
            Disabilities; Founding Chair - Subcommittee on Employment of Attorneys
            with Disabilities ("EAD");
        Member, Westside Committee for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, affiliate
            of California Governor's and President’s Committees on Employment of Persons
            with Disabilities;
        Member, Californians for Disability Rights;
        Fundraiser, City of Hope Professions Division;
        Member, Rhode Island Governor's Committee created State’s 1st Narcotics Addiction
            Cure Center - prototype for 6 more throughout New England;
        Founding Director, First Civil Rights Volunteer Organization at Boston University;
        First Student Adviser, Rhode Island Governor's Committee on Children & Youth;
        First Volunteer Coordinator, Providence, R.I. Inner City Settlement House;
        Organizer, high school volunteer activities to advance Civil Rights;
        Student Council & Class Secretary - 3 years;
        First Female Sports Reporter high school newspaper, Quill & Scroll Recipient.


Publications

                                                             
“In Pursuit . . . A Blueprint for Disability Law and Policy”, (The American Bar Association,
Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, National Conference, Washington, DC, June 1998)


“Access to the California State Courts:  A Survey of Court Users, Attorneys and Court 
Personnel”, (The Judicial Council of California Advisory Committee on Access and Fairness in
the Courts Access for Persons with Disabilities Subcommittee, San Francisco, CA, January
1997, Chair)


“Public Hearings Report:  Access for Persons with Disabilities”, (The Judicial Council of
California Advisory Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts Access for Persons with
Disabilities Subcommittee, San Francisco, CA, January 1997, Chair)


“Summary of Survey of Court Users, Attorneys and Court Personnel and  Public Hearings: 
Access for Persons with Disabilities”, (The Judicial Council of California Advisory Committee on
Access and Fairness in the Courts Access for Persons with Disabilities Subcommittee,
San Francisco, CA, January 1997, Chair)


“Rule of Court 989.3: Requests for Accommodations By Persons with Disabilities”, contributor
and Chair, Judicial Council Subcommittee on Access to the Courts for Persons with Disabilities
of the Access and Fairness Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council of California,
San Francisco, CA 1996.


“First of its Kind: California Rule of Court 989.3 Requests for Accommodations by Persons with
Disabilities", Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter, American Bar Association
Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, Chicago, IL, January 1996.


“First of its Kind Rule on Accommodations for those with Disabilities”, contributor, California
Bar Journal
, State Bar of California, San Francisco, CA, February 1996.


“Disability Access Project Is Launched”, co-author, COURT NEWS, Judicial Council of
California, Administrative Office of the Courts, San Francisco, CA, August-September 1995.


"Into the Jury Box: A Disability Accommodation Guide for State Courts," contributor/consultant,
American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, Commission on
Legal Problems of the Elderly, State Justice Institute, Washington, D.C., 1994.


"Survey of California Attorneys and Judges with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions,"
State Bar of California Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities,
San Francisco, CA, Employment Policy Institute, Los Angeles, CA, October 1993.


“Justice in the Balance”, (Commission on the Future of the California Courts, Los Angeles, CA,
August 1993)


“Lawyers with Disabilities: Entering Through the Front Door” TRIAL, Washington, D.C.,
August 1993.


“Sole Practitioner Spearheads Statewide Drive to Employ Attorneys with Disabilities”,
contributor, California Lawyer, San Francisco, CA, September 1992.


“Issues Facing the Profession: Barriers Continue to Confront Disabled Lawyers”, contributor,
MemberNet, ABA/YLD, American Bar Association, Chicago, IL, January 1991.


“Pay Equity or Pay Up:  The Inevitable Evolution of Comparable Worth Into Employer Liability
Under Title VII”, 21 Loyola L.A.L.Rev. 305 (1987); Cited in 8 Witkin, Summary of California Law;
Noted as "Worth Reading" in The National Law Journal; Reviewed in L.A. Daily Journal.


Speeches

“In Pursuit . . . A Blueprint for Disability Law and Policy”, (The American Bar Association,
Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, National Conference, Washington, DC,
June 1998)


“Access, Fairness, Dignity in the Courts”, (The Judicial Council of California Advisory
Committee on Access and Fairness Access for Persons with Disabilities Subcommittee,
Hearings, Fresno, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Francisco, CA, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA,
August 1996, September 1996, October 1996, Chair)


“Elimination of Bias: Recognition & Remedies”, (Los Angeles County Bar Association,
Barristers Committee on Bias in the Legal Profession, Los Angeles, CA, November 1996).


“The Bench & Bar on Valuing Diversity”, (State Bar of California Minority Attorneys Convention,
State Bar Standing Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities, Los Angeles, CA, June 1996).


“The Bench & Bar on Committing to Diversity”, (State Bar of California Women in the Law
Convention, State Bar Standing Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities,
Costa Mesa, CA, XX 1996).


“Access to the Profession”, (National Association for Law Placement (“NALP”), Annual
Convention, Palm Springs, CA, May 1996).


“Elimination of Bias: Recognition & Remedies”, (Los Angeles County Bar Association,
Barristers Committee on Bias in the Legal Profession, Santa Monica, CA, November 1995).


“Elimination of Bias: Recognition & Remedies”, (Los Angeles County Bar Association,
Barristers Committee on Bias in the Legal Profession, Los Angeles, CA, October 1995).


“The Bench & Bar on Valuing Diversity”, (State Bar of California Annual Convention, State Bar
Standing Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities, San Francisco, CA, September
1995).


“And Justice for All”, (American Bar Association Annual Meeting, ABA Commission on Mental
and Physical Disability Law, Chicago, IL, August 1995).


“Law Firm Management, Professional Ethics, and the Americans with Disabilities Act”,
(State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section, 1995 Spring Symposium,
Anaheim, CA, May 1995).


“Law Firm Management, Professional Ethics, and the Americans with Disabilities Act”,
(State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section, 1995 Spring Symposium,
San Francisco,
CA, May 1995).


“Elimination of Bias: Recognition & Remedies”, (Los Angeles County Bar Association,
Barristers Committee on Bias in the Legal Profession, Los Angeles, CA, January 1995).


“The New Code of Professional Conduct and the ADA: Practical Tips on Lawyers’ Duties
to Persons with Disabilities”, (State Bar of California Section Education Institute, State Bar
Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, San Diego, CA,
November 1994).


“The New Code of Professional Conduct and the ADA: Practical Tips on Lawyers’ Duties to
Persons with Disabilities”, (State Bar of California Annual Convention, State Bar Subcommittee
on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, Anaheim, CA, September 1994).


“Employing Legal Professionals with Disabilities”, (American Bar Association Mid-Year
Convention, Young Leadership Division, Kansas City, KA,  February 1994).

“Women’s Rights: Disabled & Deaf Women in California: Employment and Training Issues”,
(The California Women’s Law Center, Los Angeles, CA, November 1993).


“What To Do When You’re Feeling Discriminated Against”, (California Disability Leadership
Summit, Anaheim, CA, October 1993).


“Legal Professionals with Disabilities: Success Stories”, (California Disability Leadership Summit,
 Anaheim, CA, October 1993).


“Access to Lawyering Under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Surveys & Solutions”, (State Bar of
 California Annual Convention, State Bar Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities,
 San Diego; CA, October 1993).


“Employing Attorneys with Disabilities” (American Blind Lawyers Association Annual Meeting,
 San Francisco; CA, July 1993)


“Employing Physically Challenged Physicians”, (Los Angeles County Medical Association,
Committee on Physically Challenged Physicians, Los Angeles, CA, May 1993).      

“Practical Tips on Recruiting and Employing Lawyers with Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions”,
 (Los Angeles Area Legal Recruitment Administrators, Los Angeles, CA, May 1993).


“Lawyers with Disabilities Courted”, (Public Forum, State Bar of California Subcommittee on
the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, San Francisco, CA, March 1993).


“Lawyers with Disabilities Get Ideas on Access”, (Public Forum, State Bar of California
Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, Los Angeles, CA,
February 1993).


“No Limitations”, (Public Forum, State Bar of California Subcommittee on the Employment
of Attorneys with Disabilities, Sacramento, CA, February 1993).


“Attorneys with Disabilities Seek to Raise Consciousness” (Public Forum, State Bar of
California Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, San Diego, CA, 
January 1993).


“Lawyers with Disabilities Seek Recognition” (State Bar of California Annual Convention,
State Bar Subcommittee on the Employment of Attorneys with Disabilities, San Francisco, CA,
October 1992)


Newspapers   


“Screening for Judicial Posts Could Conflict with Bias Law”, contributor, San Francisco Daily
Journal
,  San Francisco, CA, December 1995.


“Judicial Council Probes Issues of the Disabled”, contributor, Los Angeles Daily Journal,
Los Angeles, CA, August 1995.


“Judicial Council To Hold Hearings on Courts and the Disabled”, contributor,
The Recorder, San Francisco, CA, August 1995.


“Want to Find a Westlaw Case? Just Ask.”, contributor, “Legal Technology Update”,
 California Law Business, Los Angeles, CA, February 1994.


“No Limitations”, contributor, The Daily Recorder, Sacramento, CA, March 1993.


“Judge Promises Efforts for New Court Rule”, contributor, Metropolitan News-Enterprise,
Los Angeles, CA, February 1993.


“Lawyers with Disabilities Get Ideas on Access”, contributor, Los Angeles Daily Journal,
Los Angeles, CA, February 1993.


“Disabilities Shouldn’t Bar Lawyers”, contributor, San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego, CA, 
January 1993.


“Attorneys with Disabilities Seek to Raise Consciousness”, contributor, San Diego Daily
Transcript
, San Diego, CA,  January 1993.


“Turnout Lauded at First-Ever Meeting for State’s Disabled Attorneys”, contributor,
Metropolitan News-Enterprise, Los Angeles, CA, October 1992.


“Disabled Lawyers Seek Recognition”, contributor, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Los Angeles,
CA, October 1992.


"Disabled Counsel See New Role”, contributor, The San Francisco Daily Journal,
San Francisco, CA, October 1992.

Radio & TV


“Access, Fairness & Dignity in State Courts under the ADA”, Challenges, KPFK, Los Angeles, CA,
 September 1995.


“What to do When You’re Feeling Discriminated Against”, Challenges, KPFK,  Los Angeles, CA,
 October 1993.


“First Student Advisor to Governor’s Committee on Children & Youth”, Nightly News,
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI, April 1961.


NOTE
:  This Curriculum Vitae is a partial listing of current and past activities.

Mediate Solutions Now LLC
Conflict Resolution Services
Phone-Fax: 310.310.3412
2120 Fourth Street, Ste. 1, Santa Monica, CA 90405 
http://MediateSolutionsNow.com    http://MSNmediation.com