Experience:
  • Mediator, Private practice
  • Mediator, American Arbitration Association, Employment and Commercial Panels; International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Employment and Commercial Panels; National Arbitration Forum
  • Mediator, California Superior Courts Civil Division in the Counties of Solano, Yolo, Santa Clara, Marin, Fresno, Contra Costa, Alameda and Nevada; Sacramento County Superior Court Civil Harassment Department
  • Mediator, Department of Fair Employment & Housing; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Department of Insurance, Coverage Dispute Panel; Sacramento Human Rights & Fair Housing Commission; United States Department of Agriculture-Division of Forestry, ADR Program
  • Panel member, Voluntary Dispute Resolution Panels, U.S. District Court, Northern and Eastern Districts of California
  • Arbitrator, Private practice
  • Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association, Employment and Commercial Panels; International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Employment and Commercial Panels; National Arbitration Forum; California Department of Food and Agriculture, Market Enforcement
  • Judicial Arbitrator, Sonoma and Sacramento County Superior Courts
  • Judge Pro Tem, Sacramento County Superior Court



Professional Licensing, Certificates & Associations:
  • Admitted to all California state courts, the federal district courts for all districts of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Tax Court
  • American Bar Association, member Labor & Employment and ADR Sections; California Bar Association, member Labor & Employment Section; Sacramento County Bar Association, member Labor & Employment and ADR Sections, ADR Section Executive Committee Member and Section Liaison to Sacramento Superior Court; Association for Conflict Resolution, Practitioner Member; Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California.

Background:
  • University of California, Davis, JD 1979, Law Review Editorial Board,
  • Ohio State University, psychology, MA 1973
  • The Ohio University, psychology, BS 1971
  • Law Clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence K. Karlton, Eastern District California
  • Former Partner Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott, LLP, San Francisco and Sacramento offices

Recent Presentations & Publications:
  • Ms. Connors publishes a periodic column, entitled “Mediation Matters” in the Sacramento Daily Recorder
  • “Electronic Communication: Liability and Privacy Issues” Sacramento Employers Advisory Council, September 2006

ADR Training:
  • Straus Institute at Pepperdine University School of Law; The International Academy of Mediators, The American College of Civil Trial Mediators, The American Bar Association ADR Section, The American Arbitration Association, The Negotiation Strategy Institute and The National Employment Law Institute
”Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser – in fees, expenses and waste of time.”

- Abraham Lincoln
Attorney At Law - Arbitrator - Mediator
PROFILE

Patricia Lee Connors practices as a mediator, arbitrator and discovery referee/special master to parties involved in employment and commercial disputes. She has resolved hundreds of disputes, successfully handling numerous multi-party actions and multimillion dollar claims in employment, real estate and business disputes. In providing ADR services, Ms. Connors’ goal is to bring closure to the issues between the parties as quickly and inexpensively as possible, while honoring the participants and respecting the role of their counsel.

Ms. Connors initially became involved in alternative dispute resolution as an advocate for her litigation clients. For over twenty-five years, Ms. Connors provided advice and litigation representation to clients involved in all types of commercial actions. As a partner with a large firm, she handled significant litigation matters in the areas of employment, real estate, contract, and insurance coverage law.

In 2000, Ms. Connors began training through the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University School of Law, the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, the International Academy of Mediators and the American Arbitration Association in order to provide the highest quality ADR services as a neutral. Ms. Connors now dedicates her practice to providing these services exclusively.