Myer Sankary, Esq.

For the past ten years, Myer Sankary has enjoyed a reputation as an excellent mediator, both for his ability to mediate difficult matters and in bringing over 90% of the cases he mediates to settlement. Mr. Sankary has mediated over 1,000 cases since 1996 involving a variety of areas of law and business. He is a specialist in probate mediation, because of his 40 years of practice in the field of probate and estate planning. He has handled both highly contentious probate matters as well as matters with high settlement amounts; he also serves on the ADR Committee for the LA Superior Court which administers the court facilitated mediation program. In addition to probate disputes, Mr. Sankary handles general business / commercial contract disputes, real estate, employment and personal injury matters.

As an author and lecturer on negotiating strategies as well as the new social science of persuasion and influence, Mr. Sankary is knowledgeable in a variety of settlement strategies and tactics. He is the only attorney and mediator trained and certified by one of the leading social scientists in the world, Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of the best selling book, "Influence: Science and Practice." He has been trained in the science of persuasion which he uses to facilitate the disputes he mediates. Mr. Sankary presents the Cialdini Principles of Persuasion workshop to lawyers, mediators, business executives, sales and human resource managers, forensic experts and business consultants.

After graduating Harvard Law School in 1965, Mr. Sankary began practicing law in Beverly Hills with the firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman & Kuchel. Since then, he has become known for his extensive knowledge, experience and reputation for honesty and integrity, both as a litigator and as a transactional attorney which has earned him an A.V. rating in Martindale & Hubbell. Mr. Sankary has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ABA Solo and General Practice Committee, as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award from the State Bar Solo and Small Firm Committee.

Areas of Expertise

General Business/Commercial Contract Disputes; Unfair Business Practices
Probate / Trusts & Estates
Real Estate
Employment
Personal Injury

ADR Experience

Mr. Sankary's career in ADR is extensive, starting with family law mediation as early as 1985. Based upon his research, training, and experience, Mr. Sankary is particularly astute in assisting attorneys and their clients in the negotiating process during mediation and is sensitive to cross-cultural, psychological and personality issues which may affect the attitudes of parties in the dispute. He has served in the following capacities:

Mediator, Los Angeles Superior Court Panel of Mediators
Arbitrator, Los Angeles Superior Court Panel of Arbitrators
Mediator, Los Angeles Probate Court Panel of Mediators
Mediator, San Fernando Valley Bar Association Court Preferred Panel of Mediators & Mentors
Arbitrator, Kaiser Permanente Arbitration Panel

Background and Experience

Mr. Sankary has practiced as a litigator and transactional attorney for over 40 years in areas of law which include the following: corporate and business transactions, both drafting contracts and negotiating disputes in areas including U.C.C., probate, wills, trusts, conservatorships, family law, real estate, construction disputes, employment law, including discrimination, intellectual property matters, trade secrets, and a variety of tort actions including personal injury, premise liability, and product liability.

Mr. Sankary is active in numerous civic organizations, including serving on the Board of the American Friends of the Oasis of Peace (Neve Shalom/Wahat Al Salam), the only community in Israel where Arabs and Jews have lived together in one community peacefully for over 30 years. Member, Americans for Peace Now. He is the founder and director of the Middle East Peace Network, a non-profit corporation that supports conflict resolution, peace and democracy in the Middle East.

Professional Associations

Member, The California Academy of Distinguished Neutrals; member, Director and Treasurer, Southern California Mediation Association; member and Director of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association; chairman of Lawyer Fee Arbitration Committee of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association; former Chairman and current Senior Advisor to the Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of California; member, Los Angeles County Bar; member, Los Angeles Consumer Lawyers Association; member, Los Angeles County Bar Association; and member of State Bar of California (since 1966); member, Professional Network Group.

Dispute Resolution Training

Pepperdine Law School Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute,
Pepperdine Law School Mediation Masters Forum, Straus Institute,
Pepperdine Law School, Negotiating Techniques in Mediation, Professor Randy Lowry
Civil and Probate Mediation Training, by James C. Melamed , J. D., Mediation Center, Inc.

Teaching, Workshops and Articles

Mediation Workshop for Arabs and Jews at the School For Peace, Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam, Israel.
Difficult Parties and Cross-cultural Issues in Mediation Cases, State Bar of California
Lecturer, University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, "Negotiation Strategies in Mediation - Theory and Practice Workshop" - presented to USC MBA students.
U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of California, Use of Mediation;
Mediating Probate Disputes presented to San Fernando Valley Bar Association
Lecturer, State Bar of California, Annual Meetings and Section Education Institutes, and author of "Mediation - How To Negotiate the Best Deal for Your Client;" "Ethical Advocacy, Using the Science of Persuasion in Legal Negotiations," "Critical Crossroads: How to Make Smart Decisions in Negotiating Disputes" "New Perspectives in Negotiating Strategies and Tactics."
Presenter, 14th Annual Northwest ADR Conference, U. of Wash. School of Law; Presenter 18th Annual Southern California Mediation Conference, Pepperdine Law School, "Applying the Science of Influence to the Art of Negotiations." Visit www.california-mediation.com for more articles.
The Cialdini Principles of Persuasion Interactive Workshop. Visit www.usinginfluence.com

Education

Straus Institute, Pepperdine Law School, Malibu, Dispute Resolution Training programs 1996 to present.

Harvard Law School, J.D., Cambridge, Mass., 1965.

Admitted State Bar of California, 1966.

Texas Christian University, BA, [summa cum laude] Philosophy and Metaphysics, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1962.

This page was last modified in June 2007

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