Why Mediation  

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Strength and understanding, knowledge and compassion

At Sarnoff Mediations, resolution is priority number one.  It takes the right balance of pragmatism and creativity to craft real-world solutions to difficult problems.

Litigation takes a toll on everyone involved: the parties, the lawyers, and even those close to them. It is a battle waged on paper and in court in increasingly contentious battles. Then, the parties ultimately give up all control and let a judge or jury of strangers decide their fate. 

My goal is to give control back to those involved in a legal, business, or other dispute and help them reach a resolution so they can move forward with their lives, either without the continued burden and expense of litigation, or in a continued business relationship having put their differences aside and being able to move forward with a better understanding of each other and their respective needs and interests.

Sometimes it takes the point of view of someone not intimately involved to help everyone overcome a hurdle or break an impasse.  Other times it takes out-of-the-box thinking to find a way around a deadlock everyone thought could never be broken or circumvented.  That is where I come in. My sole goal to help people find a way to come together and reach common ground they otherwise could not reach.

 About David  

DAVID SARNOFF, ESQ.

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As a litigator and advocate, David has been involved in hundreds of mediations and negotiations and strongly advocated on behalf of his clients. However, being a good advocate included advising clients when it was best to let go of the past — and their dispute. David saw first-hand the profound relief many of his clients experienced after resolving their cases. In the end, it was often not winning that meant the most to his clients, but rather, putting their ordeal behind them with dignity.

It was these experiences as an advocate that led David to consider mediating, and in 2018, he received mediation training at Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute. He has since used this training along with his experience as a litigator and small business owner to mediate matters and help litigants move on with their lives by letting go of the past and realizing the benefits of compromise and resolution. He values his work as a mediator and finds it deeply rewarding to help parties resolve their disputes and provide them the freedom to move forward to better days. David mediates throughout California in all areas of his legal practice and those in which he has significant experience, including Employment, Personal Injury, Real Estate, and General Business Litigation.

Professional Litigation Experience

In 2010, David and his wife, Raven, opened their law practice, Sarnoff + Sarnoff, APLC, an employment litigation firm representing individuals in employment discrimination lawsuits. David has also represented individuals and advised businesses in Personal Injury, Real Estate, and General Business Law matters.  David started his career at Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth, a large regional law firm in Southern California, where he practiced in the areas of Real Estate, Unfair Competition, Intellectual Property, Employment, and General Business litigation. He transitioned from big-firm corporate representation to representing individuals, including as an associate at Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Harris & Hoffman, where David learned from pre-eminent trial attorney Jim DeSimone prior to founding Sarnoff + Sarnoff.  After more than 10 years of running their firm, in late summer 2021, David resolved his last litigation case to focus on his growing mediation practice and now mediates full time.

Customer Reviews

See what some of our customers have to say. Sarnoff Mediations treats every case with a unique approach tailored to your needs. Each case demands its own approach and we’ll work with you to create a plan that is mutually beneficial for all parties.

Clarissa Wolman

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Lora Spielberg

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Christopher Brown

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 Contact  

Sarnoff Mediations

415.788.0888

david@sarnoffmediations.com

David’s office is available and can accommodate mediations if necessary.  However, it is not set up to host mediations and is a shared office space.  Therefore, we urge the parties to discuss possible alternate locations, either at the offices of one party’s counsel or elsewhere.  If the parties cannot accommodate a mediation or cannot agree on a location, please contact David at david@sarnoffmediations.com.  David has access to locations across the Bay Area and throughout California and will help the parties find an appropriate venue.

 Availability  

Choose an option below to view available dates.

Don’t see the date you need?  Please email david@sarnoffmediations.com or call (415) 788-0888 with any inquiries, as cancellations do occur.  

The calendar does not guarantee availability and is subject to change.  Dates should only be considered confirmed after you receive an email confirmation. 

 References  

The following attorneys are available to provide references for David as a mediator. Please contact them should you have any questions or if you seek information regarding his mediation practice.

Plaintiff Attorney References:

Kathryn Bain, Laura Mazza, or Katherine Debski of Bain, Mazza, & Debski (www.bmdlegal.com), (650) 378-1472, kbain@bmdlegal.com, lmazza@bmdlegal.com, kdebski@bmdlegal.com

Martin Horowitz and Stephanie Rubinoff of Horowitz & Rubinoff (www.horowitzrubinoff.com), (510) 444-7717, mhorowitz@h-rlegal.com, srubinoff@h-rlegal.com.  

Lisa Peck of Peck Law (www.peck-law.com), (408) 332-5792, lisa@peck-law.com.

Jennifer Smith of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (clsepa.org), (650) 204-9065, jsmith@clsepa.org

Defense Attorney References:

Tod Gurney of Garcia & Gurney, ALC, (925) 468-0400, tgurney@garciagurney.com.

Patrick Hurley of the Contra Costa County Office of the General Counsel, (925) 335-1851, Patrick.Hurley@cc.cccounty.us.

Allison Moser of Curley, Hurtgen & Johnsrud, amoser@chjllp.com

Brad Weintraub of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP, (415) 875-4315, bwintraub@grsm.com.