Steven was quite
good at using his knowledge of the law to educate the defendant and even
myself. He’s modest and patient. He doesn’t make threats, and he doesn’t
clobber anyone over the head.
The case I was
involved in I thought was going to be impossible to settle. I’ve since
recommended Steven to two others, and they said the same thing – that he
settled cases they did not think were possible to settle.
Randy Renick
Partner, Hadsell, Stormer,
Richardson & Renick LLP
Steven:
I wanted to
thank you very much for your services mediating our recent wrongful
termination/age discrimination matter.
It was truly a pleasure working with such a consummate professional. You exhibited an extraordinary amount of
patience and willingness to listen, which was very beneficial to my clients.
Additionally, we really appreciated your tenacity. You clearly understood that it was
advantageous to both sides to settle our case and as such, you "rolled up
your sleeves," continued to wade through all of our numerous outstanding
issues until they were all resolved, which then allowed us to settle the
matter.
I look forward
to working with you again on another challenging matter.
Debra Ellwood Meppen
Co-Chair, Employment Practice Group
Gordon & Rees LLP
Steve has such
an expertise in the field of wage-and-hour. There is no need to educate him,
and in fact, he’s often able to teach you something about the law.
John L. Barber
Vice Chair of Employment, Labor and Workers' Compensation
Department
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard &
Smith LLP
In employment
cases, it’s useful to have a level of empathy and connection between the
mediator and the plaintiffs. Steve Pearl can ask questions and probe them
without doubting them or having them feel like their human experience doesn’t
matter.
We picked Steve because
after speaking to other employment counsel, one thing they said was that he
really dug in and was determined to get to “yes” and to put in the level of
work and thoroughness that, in at least one instance, settled the case the
attorneys thought was impossible to settle.
Bert Voorhes
Traber & Voorhes
Pasadena, California
Steve Pearl just
settled a wage case for me. Steve brings a wealth of knowledge about wage/hour
cases, class actions, and trial experience to the table. Defense counsel was
hesitant to mediate, but Steve got the parties to the table to work on settling
a wage case that was tricky because of the financial condition of the
defendant. Steve hung in there and got the case settled. He has a practical
approach and kept pushing both sides. Steve's a natural mediator and I've added
him to my list of go‑to mediators for wage cases.
Jennifer Kramer, Esq.
Jennifer Kramer Legal, APC
My
firm recently used Steven G. Pearl, Esq. as a mediator in a wage and hour case.
Mr. Pearl is extremely knowledgeable in the area of wage an hour and has the
ability of bridging the gap between the parties diverging positions. In this
particular case emotions ran high; however, Mr. Pearl was able to deal with the
emotions of the parties and got everyone to objectively focus on the potential
exposure if the case were to proceed to trial. Mr. Pearl was able to come up
with unique settlement options for the parties to consider. Mr. Pearl was not
willing to give up until every option was explored and finally after a full day
mediation, Mr. Pearl was able to get the parties to settle. Our firm unequivocally
recommends Mr. Pearl as a mediator and we will not hesitate to use him again.
Michael Nourmand, Esq.
The Nourmand Law Firm, APC
I recently
mediated a wage‑and‑hour case with Steven for a very difficult case involving a
small business owner faced with a former employee's demand that could have
forced her into bankruptcy for her struggling company. Steven showed incredible
patience, tenacity, and creativity in getting the matter resolved, even in the
face of a very scared and emotional defendant, and a determined former employee
and opposing counsel. It wasn't an easy case to resolve, but he did it!
Nancy Yaffe
Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
Steve Pearl is
extremely knowledgeable about labor and employment law. His experience as an
attorney and his consistent work as a mediator in this field are invaluable. He
is an excellent mediator who can handle and manage very difficult and complex
cases and more importantly, relate to a broad spectrum of individuals. Steve’s
knowledge of the law, and, most importantly, ability to bring the parties
together is truly impressive. Also, through Steve’s skill, creativity, and
perseverance, we reached a successful settlement. I recommend his services to
any attorney or party, regardless of the subject matter.
Alexander Gareeb
Gareeb Law Group APC
I am a
bankruptcy attorney. Recently I became involved with a wage and hour mediation,
and Steve was the mediator.
I was brought on
as bankruptcy counsel. My job was to communicate [defendant's financial
position] to the plaintiff.
This was a case
with tremendous animosity, on both sides. When I learned the facts, the
feelings of the parties and how far apart they were, I thought there was no
chance that the case would settle.
It took the
better part of the day, but Steve orchestrated a successful mediation. I have
never seen one handled so masterfully. It was truly Steve who, against all
odds, brought the parties together. The other mediators that I've experienced
would have failed. But Steve deeply understood the emotional components of the
case and that is why the mediation was successful.
Stuart Price
Price Law Group
Steve
successfully mediated an employment dispute for us and I would certainly
mediate with him again. He demonstrated a firm grasp of the key issues,
provided thoughtful evaluation of our case and kept both sides at the
negotiating table when progress seemed unlikely. In the end, his tenacity,
including considerable follow up with counsel after the mediation, helped the
parties reach a resolution that made sense.
Michael G. Jacob, Esq.
Kesluk & Silverstein, P.C.
Steve's low key
style and ability to communicate in Spanish, resulted in all sides agreeing to
extend the mediation past the 3 hour deadline and into a second session. The
case settled. For those who have already mediated with Steve this should come
as no surprise, but Steve's knowledge and experience in wage and hour litigation,
is very useful in a low economic damage case. Defendants often focus on the low
wage loss claim and ignore the attorney fees component of a potential award.
Steve can knowledgeably relate his own experiences in explaining the risk to
all sides. Steve also stayed calm and focused through both sessions and
telephone calls and kept the parties focused on the goal.
Renuka V. Jain
I highly
recommend Steve Pearl as a litigator and mediator. Steve successfully mediated
a difficult overtime case involving high emotion and a lawyer as one of the
parties. My client and I went into the case thinking the possibility of
settlement was slim, and we were pleasantly surprised that Steve was able to
help us settle the case. Steve has the right personal touch for a mediator,
likable and persuasive. His real‑world experience and subject matter expertise,
particularly in employment law and wage‑hour law, will help people find the
right path to settlement.
David A. Mallen
Employee Law Group
Steve Pearl is
an excellent mediator. I defended a
tough wage and hour case in which my client was sued by a former employee. Steve mediated the case for us and did a top
notch job. He listened to my client and
understood how difficult it was for him to resolve the case. Steve was tenacious, and we did finally get
the case resolved after a long day of negotiation. I would not hesitate to work
with Steve again.
Daniel L. Warshaw
Pearson, Simon, Warshaw &
Penny, LLP
