Randall "Randy" Choy , Esq., JAMS Mediator and Arbitrator

Overview
Practice Areas & Industries
- Business Commercial
- Construction Defect
- Estate Probate Trusts
- Family Law
- Insurance
- Personal Injury
- Professional Liability
- Real Property
Honors, Memberships and Professional Activities
Background Education
Locations
Counsel Comments
News & Insights
Events

Randy Choy is a neutral who has nearly 40 years of experience in the legal field. During that time, he has mediated as well as handled a wide variety of cases, including complex personal injury, construction, and business litigation. Mr. Choy’s practice includes personal injury, business, construction, insurance bad faith and coverage, real estate, and family law. A seasoned litigator and trial practitioner, Mr. Choy’s experience provides him with valuable insights as a mediator to evaluate cases to facilitate resolution.

A native San Franciscan, Mr. Choy graduated from Lowell High School prior to getting his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, and he returned to San Francisco to get his J.D. degree. Mr. Choy maintains close community ties, both in the local legal community and the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also active in the Japanese and Chinese communities, which are an integral part of present day San Francisco. Mr. Choy is fluent in Cantonese and has continuing improvement in his knowledge of Mandarin.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

Nearly 40 years of experience in the legal field, including litigation, trial, and mediation and arbitration experience
Has successfully mediated dozens of cases
Hearing officer of the San Francisco Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board
Arbitrator for the San Francisco Superior Court, in both limited and unlimited jurisdictions

Representative Matters

Business Commercial

Mediated matter involving the purchase of wine and alleged breach of contract for failure to deliver and refusal to return
Settled a breach of contract matter between siblings which included allegations of misappropriation of funds
Mediated a partnership contract dispute that involved fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment

Construction Defect

Multiple construction/breach of contract cases involving contractors, sub-contractors, design professionals, and owners
Case involving various allegations including construction defects, violations of building codes, and elder abuse. Additional issues included two parties in bankruptcy; insurance coverage issues and alleged sub-contractor violations of worker’s compensation laws
Construction and fire loss cases involving both residential and commercial complexes
Case involving general contractors and foreclosure of a mechanic’s lien and breach of contract

Family Law

Successfully mediated numerous family law cases, including issues such as divorce/dissolution, child support, spousal support, characterization of property, reimbursements, and child custody and visitation matters

Personal Injury

Injury from mis-labeling, lack of instructions/warning for plumbing product, resulting in 2nd and 3rd degree acid burns over arms, legs, and torso of consumer
Handled case in which an elderly person was attacked by a dog in the public area of an apartment complex and fell attempting to get away; coverage issues were involved as well as multiple parties, including the injured party, dog owner, dog walker, apartment owner, and the homeowners association (HOA)
Handled case involving two martial arts schools competing for business which resulted in a brawl; all parties alleged assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud
Handled case involving a foreign national motorcyclist who was killed while crossing a major intersection in San Francisco, and subsequent negligence of emergency personnel
Handled pedestrian accident case where a person was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer rig
Handled settlement of case involving a restaurant, parents and a young child injured at the restaurant from scalding tea
Numerous auto accidents involving catastrophic injuries, including head injuries, traumatic brain injury, paraplegia, and quadriplegia
Handled case where the plaintiff fell two and a half stories and suffered multiple fractures and head injuries that resulted in paraplegia. Allegations included failure to properly secure a stairway under repair
Case involving a minor who stole a vehicle, attempted to elude police pursuit, and struck another vehicle after running a red light. The accident rendered the driver of the second vehicle a partial paraplegic. Insurance issues included determination of primary, secondary, and excess coverage priorities, and involved three different policies
Drowning case in the Sierras, alleging improper supervision; case involved a community service organization, as well as the resort where the accident occurred
Handled case involving injury and illness stemming from mold, damp conditions, and habitability issues in landlord/tenant/premises liability case

Professional Liability

Numerous wrongful death cases involving exposure beyond insurance policy limits
Esthetician negligence case involving burns to extremities allegedly from hair removal techniques

Real Property

Mediated a number of Real Estate/Real Property matters involving issues such as sales and purchase contracts, landlord/tenant disputes, commercial lease disputes, and habitability issues

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS.

Recognized as one of the Bay Area’s “Top Lawyers,” Bay Area Lawyer Magazine
Recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer
Martindale-Hubbell AV rated
Fluent in Cantonese and knowledge of Mandarin

Additional or Unique Skills

Languages

English

Chinese-Cantonese

Chinese-Mandarin

Background and Education

J.D., University of San Francisco, 1978
A.B., University of California, Berkeley, 1975

Virtual & In-Person Locations

Home Offices

San Francisco, CA
Walnut Creek, CA

Available to Travel To

Atlanta, GA
Boca Raton, FL
Boston, MA
Century City, CA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX
Inland Empire, CA
Las Vegas, NV
London
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
Minneapolis, MN
New York, NY
Orange County, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Sacramento, CA
San Diego, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
Seattle, WA
Silicon Valley, CA
St. Louis, MO
Toronto, ON
Washington, DC

Virtual hearings available nationwide

“I've had the pleasure to have Randy Choy mediate a couple of my cases. In each occasion, he came to the mediation not only well versed in the law that applied to my cases, but also as to the factual background. His review of the case included a full understanding of sensitive cultural and historical factors that were key to successful mediations. I would highly recommend Randy as a mediator for any business or real estate matter, but especially for matters where culturally sensitive issues relating to the Asian community are at issue.”

— Bay Area Attorney

“I was very impressed with Randy as our mediator in a personal injury action. He understood the issues, understood the dynamics between the parties, and could deftly navigate delicate issues in our case. He is top-notch and on my short list of ‘go-to’ mediators.”

— Founding Partner at San Francisco Law Firm

“I would strongly recommend Mr. Choy as a mediator. He has handled numerous complicated real estate disputes for me and each has resolved. Randy understands that sometimes it’s as much personalities as legal issues preventing a case from resolving. His knowledge of the law and people have been invaluable in getting my matters resolved.”

— Founding Partner at San Francisco Firm

“It was a pleasure working with Mr. Choy in a difficult case marked by great distrust between the parties.”

— Bay Area Attorney
“Randall Choy worked both sides and eventually was able to help the parties reach a settlement with a mediator's proposal. We were very happy with the result.”

— San Francisco Attorney
"Thank you for your efforts. It is my personal belief that this case could not have resolved without your valuable assistance."

— Civil Litigation Attorney