ADR Services, Southern California Mediation and Arbitration

 

Orange County ADR Services and Judge Jim Gray

One of the things that gave me the most satisfaction from my 25 years as a trial court judge was helping people resolve their disputes voluntarily. And now I am able to continue to derive the same gratification from my arbitration work with ADR Services located in Orange County. Please give us a try, because in 25 years on the bench, I presided over every type of court calendar except family law, and encountered virtually every type of situation imaginable. But more than that, it takes insight, caring and effort to settle cases. And, as shown by my having been a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years in Costa Rica, those are things that I take pride in.

Judge Jim Gray's office is in Orange County on the corner of MacArthur Blvd. and Campus Drive, just across the street from the Orange County Airport. The address is 19000 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 550, Irvine, CA 92612. But if you need me, I will also go to our fine offices in downtown Los Angeles, Century City or San Diego.

Orange Country ADR Services, "Judge Gray's experienced realism, creativity, practicality, and disciplined optimism make him an ideal neutral to address and resolve tort and business disputes, as well as problems based upon emotion and company politics. During his years on the Superior Court, Judge Gray became known for settling the "unsettleable" cases. For example, he settled what was probably the first Catholic priest child sexual molestation case in the country, resulting in positive institutional changes in the Orange County and Los Angeles Dioceses of the Catholic Church. He also settled the difficult Wade Boggs palimony case that had been bouncing around the courthouse for more than a year before it landed in his courtroom."

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Judicial Experience
1989 – 2009 Orange County Superior Court Judge
1983 – 1989 Orange County Municipal Court, Central Orange County District

EDUCATION

1966 University of California, Los Angeles, B.A.
1971 University of Southern California School of Law, J.D.

PERSONAL

Judge James P. Gray is the son of the distinguished late Federal District Court Judge William P. Gray (1912 - 2002).

He has also been awarded honorary doctor of laws degrees by both Western State University School of Law and Chapman University School of Law, and the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County annually names a recipient of the “Honorable James P. Gray Judge of the Year” award.

Judge Gray is married to Grace Walker Gray, has four children, including an adopted Vietnamese son, is a member of the Methodist church, lives in Newport Beach, California, and also writes a weekly column about issues of our day for The Daily Pilot newspaper.

PAST & CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS

Southern California Mediators & Arbitrators Office

19000 MacArthur Boulevard
Suite 550
Irvine, California 92612
Tel (949) 863-9800
Fax (949) 863-9888
Download Judge Gray VCardDownload VCard

ADR Services Website

Map to our Orange County office

Judge Jim Gray ADR Services Resume

ADR Arbitration Forms:

In order to assist counsel in setting up arbitrations, below are several links. Please be advised that the information provided does not constitute legal advice provided by ADR Services, Inc., it's employees or contractors. Non-represented parties are encouraged to seek independent counsel for assistance in arbitration matters.

ADR Mediation Forms:


Arbitration - Alternative Dispute Resolution Types:


Disclaimer: Please be advised that the contents of this web site and any other statements contained herein are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be represented as legal advice in any way.

Arbitration Provision

This is a standard pre-dispute arbitration provision to be utilized in boilerplate or form agreements. This clause is often modified to meet the needs of the drafting party(ies).

Stipulation to Arbitrate

This form is used to stay judicial proceedings pending the outcome of an arbitration. To initiate an arbitration, please send a copy of this stipulation to ADR Services, Inc. along with a $300 Initial Filing Fee.

Agreement to Binding Arbitration

This is a form agreement that signifies a willingness of the parties to arbitrate a given dispute.

Demand for Arbitration

A Demand for Arbitration must be properly filed to initiate an arbitration pursuant to a pre-dispute agreement to arbitrate.

ADR Services Arbitration Rules

ADR Services, Inc. has developed a comprehensive set of rules to help guide the arbitration process. These rules will be utilized in every instance where another set of rules has not been named in the arbitration agreement or stipulation. In instances where another set of rules or codes is named, these rules shall serve to supplement the designated rules wherever said designated rules are silent.

Mediation Provision

This is a standard clause to be inserted in pre-dispute agreements and forms. This clause is often modified to meet the requirements of the drafting party(ies).

Stipulation to Mediate / Settlement

This is a form agreement that signifies a willingness of the parties to mediate a given dispute. A Stipulation to Mediate is not a necessary requirement for the filing of a mediation with ADR Services, Inc.

ADR Services Mediation Rules

ADR Services, Inc. has developed a comprehensive set of rules to help guide the mediation process. These rules will be utilized in every instance where another set of rules has not been named in the mediation agreement or stipulation, or where no written agreement to mediate exists. In instances where another set of rules or codes is named, these rules shall serve to supplement the designated rules wherever said designated rules are silent.

Professional Tools for Litigators: Direct and Cross-Examination

Daily Journal, 5/4/2011:by Judge Jim Gray

What is really the difference between direct and crossexamination? Think of a megaphone. Direct examination is represented by the smaller end. You should ask short questions that call for the witness to expound upon and develop the answer, which is represented by the larger end. In direct examination, you are usually vouching for the credibility and knowledge of the witness, so you want the leave as much of the talking as possible to the witness that you called.

"Remember that most of these evidentiary issues will be hitting the judge for the first time, so when objections are inappropriately sustained, phrasing them differently can give the judges an extra opportunity to focus on what is really happening." Read More on Professional Tools for Litigators.

Professional Tools For Litigators: Opening Statement

Daily Journal, 4/7/2011: by Judge Jim Gray

Many attorneys, judges and legal commentators believe that, second only to issue of the credibility of witnesses, the opening statement is the most important aspect of the trial when it comes to convincing a jury. I share that belief. Skilled and artful attorneys will use an opening statement to tell the jury about what they anticipate the evidence at the trial will be, which means they will tell a story that allows the jurors to see the case through their client's eyes. Another approach is to see the opening statement as a trailer or preview of a movie, with the presentation of evidence being the movie itself, and the closing argument being a critique of the movie after it is finished. Opening statements are not to be used to "ingratiate" counsel or their clients to the potential jurors, pre-condition the jurors to vote in their favor, instruct the jurors about the law, or in any other way argue their case. Those comments are objectionable, and opposing counsel and trial court judges will be listening.

The opening statement is the most important aspect of the trial when it comes to convincing a jury. Read More on Opening Statement.

Are Attorneys Friends Or Foes? by Judge Jim Gray

It's A Gray Area - 04/20/08

Orange County - Judge Jim Gray - Abritration & Litigation

For those who work as plaintiffs' attorneys in litigation, frequently their clients are not happy with them because plaintiffs often lose their cases. Or they are not satisfied with the eventual award, or, if they are, with the time it took to procure it. With regard to representing defendants in litigation, it is a fact that no one likes to get sued. At the very least it is expensive, aggravating and takes lots of time, and attorneys frequently charge a lot of money for their time and expertise.

So one way or the other, litigation attorneys usually have unsatisfied clients on their hands, and "it is always their attorney's fault" (or the judge's). And that does not even begin to discuss what people think about the attorneys on the other side of their cases. So, as I often tell people, we are in the "dissatisfaction distribution business," and that is almost literally true. And that situation adversely affects our reputation. Read More

 

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