Judge Duryee has excelled in the resolution of thorny legal disputes throughout her career, first as a trial judge for 21 years, and then at JAMS as a mediator, arbitrator, and special master. She is known for bringing a high level of preparation, engagement and professionalism to each assignment. Her deep experience in the law as well as her dedication to resolving disputes make her an excellent choice as a neutral.

At JAMS, Judge Duryee has settled hundreds of cases involving real estate purchases and sales; construction contracts and claims of defects; employment matters, including unpaid wages and commissions, harassment, and wrongful termination; commercial contract disputes; trust and estate matters, including breach of fiduciary duties, accountings and undue influence; professional negligence; and a full range personal injury cases, including catastrophic injuries, premises liability, and sexual abuse. Judge Duryee has also managed multiple large construction and defect cases as a Special Master and has arbitrated to conclusion claims involving real estate, commercial, insurance and employment disputes.

As a Superior Court judge in Marin County, California, Judge Duryee resolved thousands of commercial, contract and negligence case. During her tenure as the Supervising Family Law Judge, she settled hundreds of high-conflict, high emotion cases and eliminated the court’s backlog. Outside of her work as a judge and neutral, Judge Duryee has taught hundreds of courses to judges in all aspects of civil litigation. She served as Associate Dean and then as Dean of the B.E. Witkin Judicial College. Along with attorney Matt White she co-wrote Mastering Mediation: 50 Essential Tools for the Advanced Practitioner (Thompson Reuters, 2012). Between 2013 – 2024, she was privileged to teach Civil Procedure to first-year law students as a Visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• At JAMS, Judge Duryee handles a full range of real property, employment, personal injury, construction, business, family trust, sexual assault, and professional negligence cases, and is highly effective in helping parties achieve resolution
• Served 21 years as a trial court judge where she presided over and settled thousands of civil cases of all types
• Elected by her colleagues as Presiding Judge of the Marin County Superior Court
• Under Judge Duryee’s leadership as a Supervising Judge, eliminated the court’s backlog in the civil, family, and criminal divisions

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Arbitrated and mediated commercial contract disputes involving claims for failure to pay, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, theft of trade secrets, unfair competition, exercise of stock option rights, failure to pay commissions
• Arbitrated and mediated partnership dissolutions, fiduciary duty and accounting claims
• Other arbitrations include breach of licensing agreements, breach of contract and fiduciary duties, breach of Confidentiality Agreement, consumer credit.
• Other mediations include commercial disputes of all kinds between business owners/investors, vendors and customers, employers and employees, and competitors; investment fraud; compensation disputes involving independent contractors  
• Construction Defect
• Arbitrated numerous construction defect cases involving homeowner associations and individuals vs. developers and builders involving new construction, remodels, project delay, and mechanic’s liens.
• Settled many construction defect cases, including condos, HOA claims, single family dwelling, and claims between generals and subs, generals and owners, and claims involving design professionals 
• Experienced in reading plans, specifications, contracts, scope of repairs, change orders, CC&R’s, warranties, and expert reports
• Judge Duryee’s father was a Builder and Designer of residential and commercial structures. She grew up with construction every day
• Employment Law
• Extensive experience trying and settling claims involving discrimination, harassment, wrongful terminations, hostile work environment, pregnancy discrimination, whistleblower and retaliation, wage disputes, Labor Code and FMLA violations, trade secrets, executive compensation and PAGA claims; employment disputes between and among family members in family business and disputes involving public entities, failure to promote.
• Personal Injury
• Arbitrated matters involving uninsured motorists, premises liability, elder abuse,   
• Settled hundreds of cases involving injuries and wrongful death auto, pedestrian, bicycle, electric bike, truck, streetcar/train, and motorcycle accidents; libel and defamation; dog bites; assault and battery; product liability.
• Successfully mediated claims for premises liability, including slip/trip and fall, mold exposure, 
• Extensive experience settling sexual assault and abuse claims as a judge and mediator
• Professional Liability
• Managed, presided over, and settled hundreds of claims for professional negligence including medical, legal, dental, architectural and other design professionals
• Real Property
• Arbitrated and mediated commercial contract disputes involving claims for failure to pay, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, theft of trade secrets, unfair competition, exercise of stock option rights, failure to pay commissions
• Arbitrated and mediated partnership dissolutions, fiduciary duty and accounting claims
• Other arbitrations include breach of licensing agreements, breach of contract and fiduciary duties, breach of Confidentiality Agreement, consumer credit.
• Other mediations include commercial disputes of all kinds between business owners/investors, vendors and customers, employers and employees, and competitors; investment fraud; compensation disputes involving independent contractors  

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• "John J. Meeham Mentor of the Year," University of San Francisco, 2014
• “Judge of the Year,” Marin Consumer Attorneys, 2013
• Marin County Women Lawyers Award for Outstanding Leadership and Dedication, 2008
• “Bernard Jefferson Award for Distinguished Service in Judicial Education,” California Judges Association, 2002
• Member, “Statewide Task Force for Impartiality of the Courts,” 2007-2009
• Editor, “The California Bench,” 1998-2004

• “From Conflict to Connection,” Supervising Judges Institute, Administrative Offices of the Courts, California, 2/7/2025
• “High Conflict Personalities,” B.E. Witkin Judicial College, 2014 - 2025
• “Rookies in Robes,” California Judges Association, 4/28/2022
• “Creating Trust and Earning Engagement,” Hawaii State Judiciary, Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, 6/22/2023
• “Overcoming Impasse,” North Carolina Dispute Resolution, 9/23/2022
• Moderator, “Judges of Color: Resilience in Our Roots,” University of San Francisco School of Law, 10/8/2021

• Panelist, “[PODCAST] Utilizing Co-Mediation,” JAMS ADR Insights, March 2025
• “From Obstacle to Opportunity: Strategies to Enhance Happiness in the Practice of Law,” University of San Francisco Law Review, March 2023
• “Reconnecting With the Outside World,” JAMS ADR Insights, June 2022
• Panelist, “[PODCAST] Reflecting on the Emotional and Psychological Dimensions of Alternative Dispute Resolution,” JAMS ADR Insights, March 2022 
• “Co-Mediation: When 2 Heads Are Better Than 1,” co-authored with Jeanne Struck, Daily Journal, June 2017
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: The Neighbor Dispute,“ JAMS ADR Insights, June 2016
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: The Employment Case,“ JAMS ADR Insights, February 2016
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: The Personal Injury Case,” Law.com, November 2015
• “Pro Tips for Rising Stars,” Plaintiff Magazine, September 2015
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation:  The Single-Family Construction Case,” Law.com, July 2015
• “Turning the Page,” ADR Profile, Daily Journal, May 2015
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation:  Seal the Deal,” Law.com, February 2015
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: Effective Negotiations,” Law.com, November 2014
• “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow:  ADR in Review, The Recorder, October 2014
• “Overcoming Impasse,” Plaintiff Magazine, September 2014
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: The Brief,” Law.com, July 2014
• “Make the Most of Your Mediation: Early Preparation,” Law.com, April 2014
• “In Defense of Joint Sessions,” JAMS ADR Insights, April 2014

Background and Education

• Judge, Superior Court, County of Marin, 1998-2014
  • Presiding Judge, 2006-2007
  • Supervising Civil Judge for 11 years between 1999-2013, (Supervising Family Law Judge, 2005-2006; Supervising Criminal Judge, 2007-2008)
• Judge, Municipal Court, County of Marin, 1993-1998 (Presiding Judge, 1995)
• Private civil practice, Marin County, 1979-1993
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Hastings College of the Law, 1983-1991
• Instructor, Hastings College of the Law, 1980-1983
• J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, 1979
• B.A., English, High Honors, University of California, Berkeley, 1976