Biography
Hon. Carl J. West (Ret.) joined JAMS following eighteen years on the bench, spending the most recent ten years as a judge with the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s complex litigation panel. The complex litigation program, distinguished by its early judicial involvement and hands-on case management, promotes early identification of issues, focuses discovery to permit significant issues to be resolved, and encourages settlement. Judge West has held hundreds of settlement conferences for disputes that have spanned the legal spectrum, often working closely with parties to bring them together and foster resolution of even the most complex and difficult cases.
Judge West is highly regarded as a tech-savvy and hands-on innovator in complex case management, e-discovery, and civil procedure and is a frequent speaker and lecturer on these topics.
Representative Matters
- Class action matter involving soil and groundwater contamination of former industrial sites
- Class Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and state recovery action
- Contract claims arising from sale of electricity generation plant involving soil and groundwater contamination and remediation costs
- Dispute over contract retention under energy services contract between division of global leading energy company and community college district involving solar energy project installation \
- Environmental contamination case involving lease indemnities and common law claims involving tire sale and service facility
- Mediation of environmental liability case involving groundwater contamination and remediation
- Heard matter related to wind energy lease dispute
- Presided over many environmental contamination-related matters involving mass tort claims, remediation issues, cost recovery and contribution issues while on the bench
- Recognized as one of California's Top Rising Star Neutrals, Daily Journal, 2012
- Member, Sedona Conference Advisory Board, 2003-present
- Executive Committee, Litigation Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Board Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers-Los Angeles
- Board Member, Pasadena Bar Association
- Board Member, Polytechnic School, Pasadena, CA
- Board Member, Wellness Community-Foothills
- Board Member, Pasadena Rotary Club
- Speaker and lecturer on complex case management, e-discovery, and civil case procedure at numerous conferences, including the Sedona Conference, the ABA Litigation and Insurance section annual retreat, and the State Bar of California’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition seminar
- Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court, 1996-2011
- Judge, Los Angeles County Municipal Court, 1994-1996
- Partner, Hahn & Hahn, 1980-1994
- Associate, Severson Werson Burke & Melchior, 1978-1980
- J.D., Loyola Law School, 1977
- B.A., Occidental College, 1973
Counsel Comments
- "[Judge West] was excellent. He stayed involved for weeks until the case was settled. He developed unique strategies to communicate to the parties the mutual benefits of settling under the terms proposed."
- "Exceptionally professional, extremely fair ... [and] firm, concise and timely in rulings"
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- Antitrust
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- Class Action/Mass Tort
- Construction Defect
- Cybersecurity & Privacy
- Employment
- Energy/Utility
- Entertainment and Sports
- Environmental
- Health Care
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- Real Property
- Securities
- Special Master/Discovery Referee
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