Contra Costa County Alternative Dispute Resolution Attorneys
The litigation process from filing a lawsuit to seeing it through trial can be emotionally challenging, time-consuming and expensive. Many disputes can be resolved through alternative dispute resolution (ADR), thus effectively shielding litigants from a great deal of emotional and financial stress.
Michael D. Goforth's experience with Alternative Dispute Resolution begins with hundreds of mediations and arbitrations over a 33 year career as a civil litigator. During this time frame he has assisted countless litigants and their attorneys in resolving their disputes through the ADR process.
Mr. Goforth serves as a Superior Court mediation panelist in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, Solano, Sonoma and Sacramento counties.
Education: B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1973, Juris doctorate from Western State University College of Law, San Diego in 1978. Principal of the Goforth & Lucas Law Partnership, emphasizing personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, workers' compensation, real estate and general business litigation.
Mr. Goforth's litigation expertise includes:
- Insurance
- Premises liability
- Personal injury
- Workers' compensation
- Lien claims
- Employee rights
- Government tort claims
- Toxic torts
- Real Estate
- Mortgage fraud
- Landlord Tenant
- Contract disputes
- Public entity
Mr. Goforth's mediation philosophy is largely facilitative. He assists the parties in arriving at a practical understanding of the facts and relative positions of the litigants. His communicative style is direct and is productive to a meaningful exchange of information and ideas which are essential to leading the parties to settlement.
