Steve Vartabedian has been with our firm’s ADR and appellate practice groups since June 2010, following 29 years of judicial experience. His work focuses on primarily alternative dispute resolution: serving as Mediator or Arbitrator, mostly in employment, real estate, personal injury and agricultural disputes. Serving as a dispute resolution neutral, Steve has regularly served as a mediator, arbitrator and referee. He has been particularly effective in mediating and resolving a high volume of challenging cases that have allowed the parties to avoid the costs and uncertainties of public trial.

Steve’s grandfather, having lost all of his direct family in the Armenian Genocide, instilled in him a strong desire to seek justice, and to this day, in his chosen profession in the law, he takes great satisfaction in settling a case. He has served at every level of the California judicial system, adjudicating matters across the entire spectrum of types of actions. While the 180 published appellate opinions he authored demonstrate the breadth of matters he has handled, he has a particular depth of experience in cases alleging serious personal injury and product defect, including those involving claims of punitive damages. Steve also has a strong background in real estate and construction litigation, employment law, medical services contracts, probate matters, and agricultural disputes. As both a trial and appellate judge, he has assisted many parties in settling their disputes prior to adjudication.

Away from work, Steve enjoy engaging with his three grandchildren and exercising. As a sports fan, he also enjoys rooting for his favorite football, baseball, and basketball teams.