Barbara Spector, Esq. joins JAMS with over 40 years of experience as a lawyer, mediator and arbitrator. In addition to her extensive experience in business, real estate, employment and personal injury matters in both state and federal courts, she has successfully argued a case of first impression before the California Supreme Court.

ADR Qualifications

• Harvard-certified negotiator and mediator who has received acclaim for her eminent career in alternative dispute resolution and litigation
• Conducted hundreds of mediations, arbitrations, settlement conferences and early neutral evaluations for the United States District Court, the California Court of Appeal and the Santa Clara County Superior Court
• Extensive experience in business, real estate, employment and personal injury matters
• Lecturer on topics that include alternative dispute resolution, discovery, law and motion, pretrial litigation strategy, negotiation techniques and the elimination of bias in the legal profession

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Mediated breach of contract and common count claims brought by a Silicon Valley electronic equipment retailer against a major Internet corporation
• Mediated contract and tort claims between two high-tech international corporations, one based in Silicon Valley and the other in Asia
• Mediated a dispute between a multinational financial institution and a Silicon Valley startup
• Resolved a dispute involving an international aircraft manufacturer and its subsidiaries for wrongful dealer termination
• Employment Law
• Successfully mediated a claim of racial bias brought by an employee of a publishing company
• Negotiated a $500,000 settlement against an employer, hospital and product manufacturer on behalf of an individual injured in a mining accident
• Resolved a wrongful termination claim against an employer for failure to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee’s disability
• Mediated wage and hour claims brought against an employer by eight employees who alleged workplace violations relating to meal breaks, overtime and unreimbursed business and mileage expenses
• Personal Injury
• Resolved a high-profile case involving a municipality’s responsibility for the accidental death of a Silicon Valley CEO
• Real Property
• Successfully argued a case of first impression before the California Supreme Court, establishing the right of commercial tenants to sublease their facilities
• Resolved numerous breach-of-contract and commercial landlord/tenant disputes

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Mediation and Negotiation Certifications, Harvard Law School, 1994–1995
• Appellate Mediation Certification, Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, 2001
• “AV Preeminent” Rating (the highest level of professional excellence awarded through peer review)
• Three-Time Recipient, Northern California ADR Super Lawyer of the Year Award, 2004–2006
• Member, ADR Administration Committee, Santa Clara County Superior Court, 1998–present
• Early Neutral Evaluator, U.S. District Court, N.D. CA, 1994–present
• Judge Pro Tem, Arbitrator and Mediator, Santa Clara County Superior Court, 1987–present
• Special Master, Santa Clara County Superior Court, Judge Pro Tem and Arbitrator 1985 – present; Mediator 1995 - present
• Member, Santa Clara County, 1978 – present, and West Valley Bar Associations, 2015-present.
• Member, State Bar of California, 1978–present
• Member, Board of Visitors, Santa Clara University School of Law, 1993–1998
• Recipient, Santa Clara County Bar Association Salsman Award (for exemplary service to the legal community), 2004
• Hearing Officer, City of Saratoga, California, 2001–2008
• Member, plaintiff and defense lawyer Sexual Harassment Roundtable
• Recipient, John J. George Lifetime Achievement Award, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, 2013
• Recipient, Tribute to Women in Industry Award, YWCA, 2014
• Member, Los Gatos Town Council, 2004–present (four terms)
• Mayor, Town of Los Gatos, 2008, 2013, 2016 (three terms)
• Planning Commissioner, Town of Los Gatos, 1980–1988 (two terms)

Selected Lectures and Publications

• California Supreme Court, Kendall v. Pestana, Inc. (1985) 40 Cal.3d 488
• The Rutter Group, 1988–1990
  • Discovery 1988
  • Discovery 1989
  • Law and Motion 1990
• Santa Clara County Bar Association, 1994–2014
  • Government Entity Mediation
  • Civil Pre-Trial Litigation Strategy
  • Clueless About Negotiating?
  • Superior Court ADR Update
  • How to Represent a Client in Mediation
  • Personal Injury Mediation
  • Elimination of Bias
• Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), 1992–1993
  • Creating and Implementing a Successful Discovery Plan

Background and Education

• Harvard-certified mediator and negotiator
• Neutral in the United States District Court, California Court of Appeal and Santa Clara County Superior Court
• Civil litigation attorney, 1978–2018
• Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel, 2008–2018
• Spector Law Firm, 1992–2008
• Spector & Hackett, 1986–1992
• Morgan, Morgan, Towery, Morgan & Spector, 1978–1986
• J.D., magna cum laude, Santa Clara University School of Law, 1978
• B.A., English, University of California, Berkeley, 1966
• Three-term Mayor and four-term councilmember, Town of Los Gatos