Santa Monica – George D. Calkins II, Esq., an accomplished construction dispute resolution professional, announced today that he joined JAMS, The Resolution Experts, the nation’s largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services. Mr. Calkins joins JAMS in Southern California and will resolve disputes in a variety of areas, including: business/commercial, construction, environmental, insurance, partnerships, product liability, professional negligence, real property, and surety. In addition, he becomes a member of the JAMS Global Engineering and Construction Group (GEC), which provides local andglobal ADR services.
“George brings to JAMS a substantial ADR practice and will contribute to an increasingly strong JAMS construction panel,” said Chris Poole, JAMS President and 
CEO. “He is recognized for his outstanding ability to resolve construction, business, insurance, surety, and other complex matters.”
“After so many years working in the construction and ADR communities, the opportunity to combine my skills with the quality panel and staff at JAMS is extremely appealing,” said Mr. Calkins. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues and expanding my dispute resolution practice.”
Prior to joining JAMS, Mr. Calkins worked for three decades as a partner in the Century City office of Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, where his experience included trials, arbitrations and mediations through the Courts, the American Arbitration Association, and the California Public Works Arbitration Program, among others.
Throughout his career, he has mediated and arbitrated thousands of disputes involving commercial projects and public works construction projects. He is nationally known as an industry leader in the development of strategies for settling claims involving partnership, product liability, construction projects, and suretyship disputes.
Mr. Calkins has written and lectured nationally on issues including construction law, design/built contracts, and risk management and construction claims avoidance, and he has participated in the drafting of ADR legislation.
Among his numerous professional affiliations, he is a member of the American Bar Association Forum Committee on the Construction Industry, Associated General Contractors Legal Advisory Committee, the Defense Research Institute, the Southern California Association of Defense Counsel, and the Business Trial Lawyers Association.
His teaching and lecture experience includes construction law and dispute resolution courses for various industry and legal associations, including the Associated General Contractors, FEMA, the Southern California Defense Counsel, the Ceramic Tile Institute, the Southern California Accountants Association, the California Continuing Education of the Bar, the California Judges Association, the University of California, Los Angeles and Pepperdine University.
Mr. Calkins earned his J.D. in 1973 from the Loyola University School of Law (Los Angeles), and received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968.
About JAMS, The Resolution Experts
Founded in 1979, JAMS, The Resolution Experts, is the nation’s largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services. With Resolution Centers nationwide, JAMS and its more than 200 full-time, exclusive neutrals are responsible for resolving thousands of the nation's most important cases. JAMS may be reached at 800-352-5267.