Steven M. Sepassi

Steve Sepassi's style and approach to facilitating settlements have been formed and molded by not only his personal life experiences, but also the legal and business experiences that he has gathered since 1995 when he began his legal career. As an advocate, he has handled hundreds of cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants, including insured defendants, in personal injury, business disputes, insurance claims, and real estate matters. Over the years, he has served as a mediator in a variety of cases, and has also served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court.  These experiences have exposed him to the dynamic life-cycle that cases in litigation frequently have. As a result, he has his finger on the pulse, so to speak, as to interests at stake, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of settlement versus continued litigation and trial. 

As a mediator, Steve assists the parties in identifying and evaluating the relative risks involved in the case. For example, “monetizing” the good and the bad facts, as well as identifying those facts that are in the proverbial grey area. While parties in mediation rely on their counsel to help them make legal decisions, he makes it his role is to work with the parties to determine whether settling the case presents a viable and acceptable business decision given the relative risks and rewards that are in play.

As Steve's mediation practice has developed throughout the years, his mediation style has become less rigid and more fluid.  Depending on the facts and the dynamics between the parties, he tends to favor a facilitative negotiation style, and only when absolutely necessary, or when asked, will he offer his candid view of the case.

In addition to the conventional half-day and full-day mediation programs, and in response to the closure of the Los Angeles Superior Court’s ADR Department, Steve has implemented a Personal Injury Specialty Program. This Specialty Program is aimed at providing attorneys access to affordable mediation services for Personal Injury cases where all parties anticipate/agree that the reasonable settlement value of the case for purposes of the mediation is less than $50,000.  Contact his office for additional information for the Specialty Program.

• J.D., Southwestern University School of Law
• E.D.C.E., University of Southern California (USC)
• M.S.C.E., University of Missouri
• B.S.C.E., University of Missouri

• Judge Pro-Tem, L.A. Superior Court
• L.A. County Bar Association
• San Fernando Valley Bar Association Board of Trustees
• ADR Panel of Second District Court of Appeals of California
• ADR Panel of U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• ADR Panel of U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California
• ADR Panel of Ventura County Superior Court
• Mediation Center of Los Angeles
• Former ADR Panel of Los Angeles Superior Court

$1,600 Half Day,  $3,200 Full Day,  $400 hourly for additional work.  Call for the Specialty Program rate.