Joan B. Kessler
Kessler & Kessler,
A Law Corporation
1901 Avenue of the Stars,
Suite 400
Los Angeles, California 90067
Telephone (310) 552-9800
Facsimile (310) 552-0442
jkessler@kesslerandkessler.com
 Contact Joan B. Kessler
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ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
- LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL, Los Angeles, California, J.D., 1986
Honors: Chief Articles Editor, Loyola of Los Angeles
International and Comparative Law Journal - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Ph.D. Speech Communication, 1973
Honors: Rackham Prize Fellowship, 1972-1973
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, M.A. Speech Communication, 1969
- UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, A.B. English, 1967
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
- Attorney and Mediator. Kessler & Kessler, A Law Corporation. President and shareholder, 1994 - Present. Mediate various matters including: business, real estate, employment, entertainment, insurance, and shareholder/partnership matters.
- Mediator. ADR Services, Inc., 2006 - Present.
- Attorney. Gold, Marks, Ring & Pepper, 1990 - 1993. Business litigation, commercial litigation and bankruptcy.
- Attorney. Frandzel & Share, A Law Corporation, 1986 - 1990. Commercial litigation and bankruptcy.
- Extern. California Court of Appeal. 1985-1986.
- Associate Professor. California State University, Northridge, Tenured, Department of Speech Communication, 1977-1983. Honors: Danforth Fellowship (1981-1986), National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship (1977-1979), Women's Center Board of Directors.
- Assistant Professor. Loyola University of Chicago, Department of Communication. 1973-1976.
- Instructor. Loyola University of Chicago Law School. Developed and taught communication and law. Summer, 1976.
- Teaching Fellow. University of Michigan, Department of Speech. 1971-1972.
- Instructor. Monroe Community College, Rochester, New York, Department of Speech. 1970-1971.
- Teacher and Debate Coach. Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, California. 1968-1970.
- Teacher and Debate Coach. Ann Arbor High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1967-1968.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/AWARDS
- Admitted to the State Bar of California (1987). AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell.
- Member, American, Los Angeles County, and Beverly Hills Bar Associations.
- Member, Woman Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
- Member, Organization of Women Executives, 1996-Present.
- Super Lawyers, 2006, 2007, 2008.
- Daily Journal's 2006 Top Women Litigators.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
- Los Angeles City Attorney Office Transition/Advisory Team Member. 2001 - Present.
- Board of Governors, City of Hope, Member of Executive Committee. 1994 - 1999.
- Advisory Council, University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School. 1992 - Present.
- Board of Directors (Western States Board), National Jewish Center for Immunology & Respiratory Medicine, Denver, Colorado. 1991 - 1995.
- Board of Directors, St. Vincent's Hospital Foundation. 1990 - Present.
- Board of Directors, American Cancer Society, San Fernando Valley Unit. 1982 - 1983.
- Advisory Board, Kauai Film Commission. 2003 - Present.
- 2006 Advisory Board Turks & Caicos International Film Festival.
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS, PAPERS AND PUBLICATIONS
- Note, An Empirical Study of Six- and Twelve-member Jury Decision-making Processes, 6 U. of Mich. J. L. Ref. 712 (1973) (CITED IN) Colgrove v. Battin 413 U.S. 149, 159 (1973); Georgia v. Ballew 435 U.S. 223, 238, 242 (1978).
- Kessler, A Content Analytic Comparison of the Six- and Twelve-member Jury Decision-making Process. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan (1973).
- Kessler, The Social Psychology of Jury Deliberation, in R. J. Simon (Ed.), The Jury System in America, A Critical Overview, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications (1975).
- Kessler, Karnes & Follert, "The Effect of Juror Sex on the Decision-making of Student and Actual Jurors in a Simulated Civil Case," Speech Communication Association convention paper, Houston (1975).
- Kulka & Kessler, "Is Justice Really Blind? -- The Influence of Litigant Physical Attractiveness on Juridical Judgment," 8 Journal of Applied Social Psychology 366 (1978).
- Kessler, "Use of Videotape for the Expert Witness," 28 Journal of the American Academy of Forensic Science (April, 1983).
- Benson and Kessler, "Legalese v. Plain English: An Empirical Study of Persuasion and Credibility in Appellate Brief Writing," 20 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review (January, 1987).
- Kessler, "The Lawyer's Intercultural Communication Problems with Clients from Diverse Cultures," Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business 64 (Spring, 1988).
- Kessler, "Are Lender Liability Actions Alive and Well?" Western Independent Bankers Newsline (October, 1989).
- University of Michigan, Rackham School, Alumni Magazine, 2005, article, page 10.
- Moderator, Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles seminar "Get a Life and Stay Successful - Balancing Work, Life, and Family" (May, 2006)
- Moderator, Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles seminar "Communication Strategies In Dispute Resolution: How To Have A Successful Mediation - And Make The Settlement Stick" (April, 2007)
- Kessler, "Beyond the Golden Rule: Successful Intercultural Mediations" Volume 34, Number 10, Advocate (October, 2007)
- Kessler, “Cross-Cultural Communication in Mediations” Southern California Mediation Association Annual Conference (November, 2007)
- "Mediator Draws on Her Multifaceted Careers" Daily Journal (April 18, 2008)
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