About Eleanor Barr

Mediation Experience

Settling cases is Eleanor Barr’s passion. She began her legal career over 30 years ago as a litigator of complex cases, and after 10 years, dedicated herself full-time to mediation.  Over these last 21 years, she has successfully mediated over 1500 disputes and has earned an extraordinary settlement rate of over ninety percent. She is now recognized as one of the premier mediators in California.

Ms. Barr  mediates in the areas of employment, real estate, environmental, business, insurance coverage and personal injury.  She is especially skilled at handling complex, multi-party matters—and any matters that include tough negotiations and difficult personalities. She brings exceptional people skills to even the most bitterly-contested disputes and is known for her sense of fairness and her tenacious commitment to reaching settlement.

Ms. Barr has been named a Top 50 Neutral in California by the Daily Journal. She has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for the past 8 years and nominated to The Best Lawyers in America for five consecutive years. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a frequent lecturer on mediation and negotiation, and has taught mediation as an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine School of Law.

Litigation Experience

Ms. Barr began practicing law 28 years ago as a litigator of complex civil cases. She was a named partner (under her maiden name, Oths) at Denney & Oths in Glendale, California, where she focused on environmental, business and employment litigation.  Prior to that, Ms. Barr litigated in the areas of entertainment and First Amendment law at Glassman & Browning in Beverly Hills. She has represented corporate and individual clients, as plaintiffs and defendants, in all stages of litigation, including mediations, arbitrations, trials and appeals. Ms. Barrr’s experience in litigating complex, multi-party lawsuits has been instrumental in her ability to resolve such cases as a mediator.

Memberships and Recognition

• State Bar of California, 1989 to Present
• Top 50 Neutral in California, 2012
• Southern California Super Lawyer, 2009-2010 & 2012 to Present
• Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators, 2003 to Present
• Best Lawyer in America, 2008-2012
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Women Lawyers of Los Angeles Association, ADR Committee
• Attorney Settlement Officer, United States District Court, Central District of California, 2012
• Adjunct Professor, Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, 2006, 2008 

Education

Ms. Barr received a J.D. from Indiana University Law School in Bloomington and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University.  She has received mediation and negotiation training from many institutions including Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School, U.C.L.A., Los Angeles County Bar, Center for Conflict Resolution, the California Court of Appeal, and Concur.

Daily Journal

Download PDF of Daily Journal Profile 

Lectures 

• Mediation Training, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2016, 2015
• Mediating Complex Environmental and Toxic Tort Matters, National Forum for Environmental and Toxic Tort Issues, 2014
• Mediating Public Policy Disputes, Southern California Mediation Association, November 2013
• Contaminated Property Cases: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement, Beverly Hills Bar Association, February 2012, 2010
• Negotiating in the Caucus Stage of Mediation, American Bar Association, November 2011
• Getting the Benefit of the Bargain: How to Win in Your Everyday Negotiations, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, October 2011
• Tips for Success in Employment Mediation, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Employment Section, April 2011
• Always Be Closing, American Bar Association, 2011 and International Academy of Mediators, 2010
• Adjunct Professor, Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, 2006, 2008
• Mediating Real Estate Disputes, California Association of Realtors, 2008
• Conflict Resolution for Managers, Los Angeles Community College District, 2008
• Resolving Disputes: Mediation, Negotiation, and Facilitation in Theory and Practice, UCLA, 2008
• Ethics in Negotiation, Inns of Court, 2007
• Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law, 2007.
• Ethics and ADR: What Happened to Zealous Representation? State Bar of California, Sections Education Institute, January 2007.

Publications

• “Neuroscience and Negotiation” Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California, August, 2016.
• "Mediating the Complex Case:  A Primer for Plaintiff's Counsel," Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California, September 2013
• "Environmental Mediation Holds Challenges," Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 2, 2012
• “Mediation Lessons from the Facebook/Winklevoss Dispute,” Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 19, 2011
• "The Evolution of Employment Mediations: A Mediator’s Perspective,” Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California, October, 2008.
• “Enforcing Agreements,” Los Angeles Daily Journal, September 20, 2007
• “Making Sound Decisions:  How to Help Your Client Evaluate Settlement Options,” 24 Alternatives 65, April 2006, International Institute for Conflict Resolution - CPR Institute.
• Co-author (under her maiden name, Oths), the California Environmental Law Handbook, Government Institutes, 1994-1997