The mediations and arbitrations Robert L. Dondero hear these days are much like settlement conferences and bench trials he supervised during his 17 years as a San Francisco County Judge.

Recently, however, he has begun to hear a different type of proceeding. Those are like the oral arguments he heard during his 10 years as 1^st District Court of Appeal justice. They are called “neutral evaluations” and are somewhat similar to moot court hearings. Often, they are sort of practice sessions for attorneys getting ready to argue an appeal or important motion.

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