Robert Wrede, Esq.
ADR EXPERIENCE/TRAINING/
CERTIFICATIONS
Mediator, settlement officer, early neutral evaluator and/or arbitrator
in over 250 civil cases for the Los Angeles Superior Court and the
United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Adjunct Professor of Law: Pepperdine Law School and Straus Institute for
Dispute Resolution.
http://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/.
Representation of clients in numerous court-ordered and voluntary
arbitrations and mediations, under the auspices of the:
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• Heckler & Koch v. Olin Corporation [breach of international munitions
contract]
American Arbitration Association (AAA)
• Kurinij v. Bear Stearns [finder’s fee]; Pace Healthcare Consultants v.
Actuarial Sciences and AT&T [unfair business practices]; the Screen
Actors’ Guild James Brolin v. LocoMotion Productions [breach of talent
contract]; grievance proceedings pursuant to collective bargaining
agreements ILWU adv Bird & Son of Massachusetts [work rules, wage and
hour]; Machinists Union adv Greyhound (wrongful discharge), Elaine
Kaptein v. County of Los Angeles, the University of Southern California
and S. Massry [sexual harassment and discrimination]
Numerous ad hoc arbitrations pursuant to the Federal Hawai’i and
California Arbitration Acts
• Attorney General of Hawai’i v. Trustees of the Bishop Estate [removal
and surcharge claims against sitting trustees]; Garey v. Connecticut
Mutual Life Insurance Co. [life insurance coverage-suicide exclusion];
Activision v. Philips Interactive Media [copyright infringement];
Rotbart v. Feliciano and Hollman v. Feliciano [Estate of Larry Hillblom];
In the Matter of Washington Medical Center [construction defects and
delay claims].
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
• Business/Contracts
• Employment
• Insurance
• Probate
• Construction Defect
• Entertainment
• Intellectual Property
• Environmental/Toxic Torts
• Antitrust
• Securities
TRAINING/CERTIFICATIONS
Straus Institute Seminars: Strategic Negotiation Skills Seminar, June
19-21 2008; Negotiating, Mediating, and Managing Conflict: Evolution in
a Global Society, April 2008; The Conflict Management Culture and the
Technology-Driven Company, Santa Clara, September 2004
State Bar of California, International Law Section: Seminar: Debates on
Key Issues in International Arbitration, Winter 2006
Los Angeles Superior Court, Early Neutral Evaluation Pilot Program
Seminar: Los Angeles, May 2006
International Chamber of Commerce, Court of Arbitration: Conference: ICC
International Commercial Dispute Resolution: Flexible Solutions for an
Evolving World, September 2005
Dispute Prevention & Resolution, Inc., Advanced Mediation Training:
Honolulu, April 2005
Mediation Externship: Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, London (CEDR):
Comparative Analysis of UK and US Mediation Styles, Spring 2005
United States District Court for the Central District of California
Settlement Officers Advanced Mediation Strategies Seminar: Los Angeles,
March 2005 and May 13-14 2008
National Association of Securities Dealers Arbitration Panel Training:
San Francisco, April 2005
Mediation Externship: Los Angeles Superior Court Civil Mediations and
Civil Harassment Mediation Pilot Project, 2004-2006
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Labor Arbitrator’s
Certification Training: Seattle, November 2004
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
October 1999 – Present Of Counsel, Russ August & Kabat
A Los Angeles firm specializing in complex commercial litigation,
business transactions, and the protection and exploitation of
intellectual property. Employments have included the successful
resolution of litigation by the Hawai’i Attorney General to remove and
surcharge trustees of the Estate of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop (the
Bishop Estate/Kamehameha Schools litigation) defense of extended
arbitration proceedings arising from the death of, and paternity claims
against, the estate of Larry Hillblom (the founder of DHL) and the
defense of multi-party, multi-jurisdiction class action litigation
challenging recruiting and employment practices in the garment industry
in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands (Saipan).
January 1997 – September 1999 Of Counsel, Parker Milliken Clark O’Hara &
Samuelian
Specializing in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. Pace
Healthcare Management v. ASA (breach of joint venture agreement, trade
secrets theft); Richie’s Electronic Supply v. ITC Electronics
(antitrust); Extradition of Blaxland (extradition for alleged violation
of Australian securities law); Kulperger v. Pacific Innovations (sexual
harassment); Kaptein v. Los Angeles County, University of Southern
California and Dr. Shaul Massry (sexual harassment, constructive
discharge).
January 1988 – December 1996 Of Counsel, Lewis D’Amato Brisbois &
Bisgaard
A 220 lawyer firm with offices throughout California specializing in a
broad range of litigation, including the successful defense and
prosecution of several professional negligence cases (HOH v. Lyon &
Lyon; Self-Cleaning Environments v. Christie, Parker & Hale; Flores v.
Marvin Mitchelson); a precedent-setting toxic tort case (Home Federal
Savings Bank v. Rossmoor Corp., et al.); a major antitrust and unfair
competition case (Pennsylvania Life Insurance Co. v. Connecticut Mutual
Life Insurance Co.); and the successful prosecution of several cases
involving enforcement of finder’s fee contracts (Kurinij v. Bear
Stearns), antitrust and patent/trademark infringement (Phrobis v. Buck
Knives), and trade secret misappropriation (Spectra Star v. ERO, Inc.).
Commercial litigation engagements also included successful arbitration
before the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration
involving allegedly defective ammunition provided to the United Arab
Emirates by Swiss munitions broker Heckler & Koch, S.A., and federal
litigation involving foreign sales of U.S. defense equipment by General
Dynamics and Dr. Shaul Massry (sexual harassment, constructive
discharge).
May 1984 – December 1987 Senior Partner, Finley Kumble Wagner Heine
Unterberg Manley Meyerson & Casey
General commercial litigation including entertainment: Lynn Redgrave v.
Universal Studios (“Housecalls”); Steenbergen v. MGM (“The Natural”);
Saul Zaentz v. Polygram Records (“Amadeus”); Bob Evans (“Cotton Club”,
“Two Jacks”); securities (Universal Savings Bank v. Unity); banking (In
re Conservatorship of Universal Savings Bank; Baadi v. Imperial Savings
Bank); construction defects; regulatory and administrative proceedings
(California Energy Commission v. Bonneville Power Administration); and
hostile acquisition litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery
(Garrett and Stater Bros. v. Brown). Member – Finley, Kumble litigation
committee.
June 1969 – April 1984 Partner, McCutchen Black Verleger & Shea
A prominent Los Angeles law firm specializing in complex litigation and
business transactions. Major engagements included antitrust (Purex v.
Procter & Gamble and Clorox), products liability (McDaniel v. Porsche;
Barkan & Upjohn), entertainment law (Marlon Brando v. Salkind
(“Superman”); Marlon Brando v. Zoetrope Studios (“Apocalypse Now”),
insurance coverage (Garey v. Connecticut Mutual); defended NFL in 1973
Superbowl “blackout” litigation; also, admiralty, and environmental
litigation (Santa Barbara Oil Spill; McColl dump site; asbestos
litigation; and NPDES Guidelines litigation against the EPA on behalf of
the petroleum industry. Clients: American Petroleum Institute, Ford,
U.S. Gypsum, RSR Corp.); and extensive regulatory and other
administrative proceedings (Los Angeles Air Pollution Control District,
California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, California
Water Resources Board,
Alaska Department of Environmental Affairs, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Federal Energy Resources Commission, Federal Trade
Commission) on behalf of trade associations (American Petroleum
Institute, Western Oil & Gas Association, American Hot Dip Galvanizers,
Association of Urethane Manufacturers) and individual clients (Ford,
Union Oil, Alyeska Pipeline, Mobile, Exxon, Arcata Graphics, Continental
Can).
AFFILIATIONS/AWARDS
• California Bar Association
• International Law Section
• American Bar Association
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
• Association of Business Trial Lawyers
• International Student Center at UCLA: Board Member, 1973-present;
President, 1979-1986
• Jonathan Club: Member, 1969-present; Board of Directors, 1985-1988
• Military Women in Need: Advisory Board, 2006-2008
• Los Angeles Heart & Lung Foundation: Trustee, 1989-present; Grants
Committee, 2000-present
• Valley Forge Military Academy: Trustee, 2005-2007; Board of Visitors,
1999-2001, 2005
• Cambodian Children’s Fund: Sponsor, 2007-present
• Recipient, Los Angeles Superior Court award to Court mediators,
arbitrators and evaluators for “Outstanding Volunteer Contributions
2006.”
• Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: CV – Peer ranking “at the
highest level of professional excellence” for lawyers admitted for 10
years or more.
LECTURES/PUBLICATIONS
Lecture member at seminars conducted by the Practicing Law Institute and
CEEB continuing education audio-visual programs regarding developments
in environmental law.
Representative Publications:
• Natural Resources Lawyer
• American Petroleum Institute Manual on Compliance with Coastal Zone
Management Act
• California Law of Unfair Competition, Unfair Competition Committee of
the ABA Antitrust Section
• “Honolulu: Geneva of the Pacific?” Mealey’s International Arbitration
Reports, November 2006
• Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Journal, vol. 2, p. 189, 2007
• “What HR Professionals Should Know About Alternative Dispute
Resolution,” Society for Human Resources Managers, Hawaii Chapter
Newsletter, July 2006
• “Communication and Conflict: Managing Verbal Aggression in Mediation,”
www.Mediate.com., April 2003.
EDUCATION
• Pepperdine School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution,
Fellow (2001-2002), LL.M (2006)
• Cornell Law School, J.D. (1969)
• Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences, B.A. (1961)
• Valley Forge Military Academy, Valedictorian (1957)
ADMISSIONS
• State of California (1970)
• United States Supreme Court (1983); the Fifth (1983), Eight (1995),
and Ninth (1972)
• Circuit United States Courts of Appeal; the United States District
Courts for the Central (1970), Southern (1989) and Northern (1973)
Districts of California.
• Pro hac vice admissions in the Eastern District of Missouri (1994),
the Eastern District of New York (1987), the District of the Northern
Marianna Islands (1999), the Delaware Court of Chancery (1986), the
Hawaii Family and Probate Courts (1996, 1999), and the Circuit Court of
Jefferson County, Alabama (2001).
ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENTS
• UCLA Graduate School of Management MBA, Executive MBA, and Executive
Seminar programs.
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Pepperdine Law School, Straus Institute for
Dispute Resolution, and Seaver College.
• Business Law Instructor, University of Phoenix MBA Program (Legal and
Regulatory Environment of Business; Legal Issues in the Workplace
[Employment and Labor Law], Risk Management.
• Guest Lecturer, Hawaii International Dispute Resolution Group
(International Commercial Dispute Resolution Lecture).
• Guest Lecturer, Berger International Legal Studies Program, Cornell
University Law School, 2006, 2007.
MILITARY SERVICE
• Captain, United States Army Artillery (Ret.)
• 82nd Airborne Division (1964-66)
• 98th Training Division (Reserve)
• 12th Special Forces (Reserve)
This page was last modified in May 2008
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