Hon. William F. McDonald (Ret.) combines 35 years of judicial and legal experience with his proven ability to analyze complicated situations to bring about the successful resolution of complex, multi-party matters. Before joining JAMS, Judge McDonald was Supervising Judge of the Orange County Complex Civil Litigation Panel. There, he developed particular expertise in resolving a broad range of disputes, including complex construction defect, intellectual property, environmental pollution, maritime oil spill, mass tort, toxic tort, asbestos, class actions, California Business and Professions Code §17200, insurance, and medical implant cases.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- As a neutral at JAMS, Judge McDonald has developed extensive expertise mediating and arbitrating complicated business/commercial cases including trade secret, security class action, unfair competition, redevelopment, and complex contract disputes
- In the construction defect arena, Judge McDonald has extensive alternative dispute resolution experience handling coverage disputes, toxic mold and soil contamination issues, and housing development disputes throughout Southern California
- Judge McDonald is adept at handling a wide range of complex employment matters, including wage and class-action disputes, sexual harassment, and wrongful discharge claims
- Judge McDonald served as an arbitrator in a number of patent disputes, which included matters involving medical implants and oil drilling technology
- Judge McDonald specialized in intellectual property law as a registered patent attorney and in business litigation for 15 years before his appointment to the bench in 1981. He has handled patent and trademark ownership and licensing, trade secret, and copyright disputes. Judge McDonald is a certified member of World Intellectual Property Organization panel of arbitrators and mediators.