Civil Rights Mediator
I am a private mediator specializing in civil rights cases, with a focus on resolving complex disputes involving police misconduct, Section 1983 claims, and constitutional violations. Based in San Diego, I serve as a mediator for the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the Los Angeles Superior Court. I am the only mediator who exclusively handles civil rights litigation for these courts.
With over 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer, I have litigated a wide range of federal civil rights cases under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, including: excessive force, false arrest and imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, racial profiling and equal protection violations, sexual assault and battery by law enforcement, Eighth Amendment prisoner rights, Fourteenth Amendment claims involving pretrial detainees, federal wrongful death and familial association claims, implied section 1983 claims under Bivens, and the Federal Tort Claims Act.
I also have extensive experience handling California civil rights claims against private entities, including security companies, hotels, restaurants, bars, and casinos under the Ralph Civil Rights Act and the Bane Act.
Why Civil Rights Specialization?
Civil rights litigation is uniquely charged with intense emotions, biases, and preconceptions, on both sides. Understanding and managing these emotions is essential to progress and ultimately a resolution. And failure to do so is problematic.
As a mediator, I bring deep subject-matter expertise and decades of courtroom experience which produces credibility with both plaintiffs and the defendants. This specialization allows me to manage the temperature in the room while offering insight to pathways of resolution that may be unseen by a generalist.
Too much time and money has been spent educating very good mediators who are simply not well-versed in civil rights litigation, the accompanying constitutional principals, nor accustomed to the emotional challenges, biases, and the verdicts they produce.
Civil Rights Mediation News
Bivens after Egbert v. Boule, 596 U.S. 482 (2022)
“Section 1983 still reflects the post-Civil War concern over bad state actors, not an affirmative decision to permit unchecked excessive and deadly force by federal agents. But that is exactly where we are in history.”
Read my Daily Journal article, “Civil Liability of ICE and Border Patrol Agents for Excessive Force” by clicking on the article image to your left.
Gilliland Mediation for Civil Rights Cases
Training and Education:
Harvard Law School – Mediation Intensive, Cambridge, Massachusetts
American Bar Association – Advanced Mediation Skills Institute, Washington, D.C.
ADR Tort & Insurance Summit, Chicago, Illinois
University of San Diego School of Law – Master of Laws
University of Oregon School of Law – Juris Doctorate, Oregon Law Review
University of Washington – BA English
Mediation Panels:
United States District Court, Central District of California
Los Angeles Superior Court, MVP Mediation Program
Professional Affiliations:
Federal Bar Association – Civil Rights Section
American Bar Association – Dispute Resolution Section
Honors:
National Trial Lawyers, Top 100
National Trial Lawyers, Civil Rights Section, Top 10
Best Lawyers in America
Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Top Trial Lawyers in America
Booking a Civil Rights Mediation
The best way to book a mediation is to call or email me. Or you can use the real-time interactive booking system below. If your preferred date is shown as “booked,” just call or email to see if the date is just “provisionally” booked (parties sometimes book several dates until they decide which one they want). And the busy courts in Los Angeles keep my schedule in a state of flux.
You Can't Pick Your Judge, But You Can Pick Your Mediator
A mediator should be accessible to all parties. Evaluative mediators do more than carry water back and forth. They are often entrusted with presenting a take-it-or-leave-it mediator’s compromise. Know your mediator. Don’t let a mediator’s scheduler keep you from interviewing your prospective mediator.
Using our Interactive Calendar
Welcome to our interactive calendar and reservation system. Please feel free to explore available dates. When you have selected a date and your preference for a full or half-day, you will be prompted to enter the names and email addresses of counsel, along with the case name and number. Once that is done, your date is provisionally reserved and a proposed contract will be emailed to all counsel. When the contract is fully executed and returned, the date is formally reserved for your case.
If your preferred date is not available, please feel free to contact us to see if the date has been formally reserved by the parties in that case. You are welcome to contact us by phone or email. If we are in session, or it is after regular business hours, email is the most efficient way to contact us: [email protected].
A Little About Me
I was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Seattle, Washington. After law school, my first job was with a large defense firm in San Diego. I left that firm to start my own private practice in 1994.
I am married to attorney Aisling Sokitch-Gilliland. We have three adult children. Nicole is a securities lawyer with Robbins, Geller, Rudman & Dowd’s San Diego office. Hannah is the Manager of Sales Operations and Compliance at Blooma, Inc. in Encinitas, California. Ronan is the Business Development Officer at C3 Bank in Encinitas, and a Director at Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association.
I enjoy Sunday dinners with our growing family, animals, cooking, fitness, and nutrition. I managed the Team Hoyt Boston Marathon team for 15 years, which advocated for the inclusion of disabled persons in athletic events such as marathons and triathlons. I have run 10 Boston Marathons in addition to the Los Angeles and San Diego (now Carlsbad) marathons. Aisling and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York.
Connect
Contact
If you have any questions, or if you prefer to schedule with a live person, please call us at (858) 225-5300 or email me at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
San Diego
12544 High Bluff Drive
Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92130
Mailing Address
Los Angeles
2121 Avenue of the Stars
8th Floor
Century City, CA 90067