Hon. Gerard M. Shellan (Ret.) has conducted over 3,750 hearings as a jurist and JAMS panelist since 1977 and has settled the vast majority of non-binding matters. He has special expertise in complex business litigation, marriage dissolution, real estate, environmental, partnership dissolution, trust and estate, and personal injury matters.
Representative Matters
- Business/Commercial: Arbitrated and mediated many types of commercial matters including partnership dissolutions, buyout of departing shareholder, breach of contract concerning commercial lease agreements, collection of attorney fees, and failure to make payment on purchase of business
- Construction: Arbitrated and mediated many construction defect cases involving commercial buildings and single-family residences as well as condominium complexes; has mediated contracts between general and subs as well as between general and homeowner
- Employment: Judge Pro Tem in a well-publicized case that involved the right of the federal government to require drug testing on members of the local Transit Workers' Union while a panelist at JAMS; has also mediated many wrongful termination, wage dispute, and discrimination cases
- Environmental: Mediated cases involving underground storage tanks and miscellaneous pollution cases.
- Estate/Probate: Mediated many estate and probate cases involving issues ranging from undue influence to unfair division of assets among heirs to embezzlement
- Family Law: Mediated hundreds of multi-million dollar dissolution cases including issues of stock ownership, real estate, pre- and post-prenuptual agreements, and on-going businesses as well as issues of community versus separate property and characterization thereof. Has also mediated many medium to small estate dissolutions involving parenting plans, post-high school education support, disposition of property, etc.
- Personal Injury/Professional Liability: Mediated professional liability cases involving failure to supervise children, improper service of legal documents, and malicious prosecution. Arbitrated and mediated many personal injury claims arising from vehicle accidents, slip and fall, and other traumatic incidents
- Real Estate: Mediated many cases involving property line disputes, adverse possession, condemnation, eminent domain. Has also mediated cases involving landlord/tenant disputes for both residential and commercial properties, cases involving purchase and sale agreements, non-disclosure, and alleged fraud and misrepresentation.