Fred Carr Professional Profile
Fred Carr is an international, AV® preeminent rated attorney-mediator. Mr. Carr has over 30 years of litigation and negotiation experience. He has mediated hundreds of cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, construction defects, contract, real estate, probate, employment, sexual harassment and assault. Mr. Carr is keenly capable of maintaining control of negotiations and facilitating the resolution of disputes.
Mr. Carr’s ability to connect with litigants from all walks of life, from laborers to Heads of State, creates a calm and controlled atmosphere and assures that the parties assess the strengths and weaknesses of each side’s case and weighs the costs, risks and benefits of proceeding to trial versus settlement. Mr. Carr is highly accomplished at analyzing litigation strategies and possesses strong conflict resolution, communication and leadership skills. Oftentimes, he is able to assist parties in creating options not previously considered.
As a litigator, Mr. Carr served as legal counsel in trials and appellate matters in both State and Federal courts in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and Arizona. He has represented a wide range of clients on both the plaintiff and defense sides of the bar, with an emphasis on maritime, personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, product liability, premises liability, construction, real estate, contract, employment law, and insurance matters. Mr. Carr has managed litigation with sums in dispute in the eight-figure range and has a winning record in both judge and jury trials. Having managed hundreds of cases, Mr. Carr has extensive mediation experience and has been very successful in pre-trial resolution.
Prior to entering law school, Mr. Carr was educated and trained in the fields of engineering and science. His early career focused on landside construction and maritime operations where he served as Engineer and Captain aboard sailing yachts, commercial fishing vessels and cargo freighters, resulting in a 400 Ton Captain’s license. Mr. Carr also worked in offshore oil fields as a deep-sea commercial diver and one-man submarine pilot. As a result of his education and experience in the marine and construction fields, Mr. Carr’s mediation practice benefits from strong analytical and forensic engineering skills including significant catastrophic mechanical and structural failure analysis.
Mr. Carr’s mediation skills also benefit from five years of service in the Middle East where he served as Legal Director for the largest property developer in Abu Dhabi, and a consultant to the United Arab Emirates government. As Legal Director, Mr. Carr’s responsibilities included over-all risk management for the Marinas Division: drafting all legal documents, contracts and Operations and Emergency Response Manuals; assuring compliance with all governmental and international regulations; development of protocols to reduce the risk of personal injury to employees and guests and damage to property (in excess of $1B USD in assets); as well as assuring the placement of all required insurance covers.
Mr. Carr also developed close working relationships with several governmental agencies at both the Emirate and National levels, and as a result, he was recruited by Good Harbor Consulting, LLC, a Washington D.C. based international consultancy focused upon emergent and post conflict governments. As a Principal Consultant, Mr. Carr was embedded within the Abu Dhabi Maritime Security and Strategy Executive Committee to assist in the development of an overarching strategy for the nation focused upon environmental and economic sustainability, public safety and security. This role required intense negotiations between disparate government agency stake holders with widely conflicting agendas. Mr. Carr was applauded for his ability to bring “calm to the storm” and find acceptable and workable solutions to what initially appeared to be impossibly conflicting goals and priorities.
Not only is Mr. Carr’s leadership skills evidenced by his years as a sea captain, and his aptitude as a “consensus builder” evidenced by his role as a consultant to foreign governmental agencies, his public service life is testimonial to his dedication to developing constructive outcomes. While attending law school at the University of San Francisco, Mr. Carr was one of the founders of the now internationally renowned University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal which resulted in his receiving the “Student Bar Association Award for the Most Significant Contribution to the Law School Through Outstanding Service.” Mr. Carr was also the founding Chairman of a non-profit educational organization for grade school children, and a co-founder of one of the first trade associations formed in the United Arab Emirates.
Mr. Carr serves as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Superior Court for Sonoma County, a Discovery Referee for Contra Costa Superior Court and an Attorney Fee Dispute Arbitrator for the State Bar of California and various Superior Courts in the Bay Area. Mr. Carr also serves as Special Project Consultant to a local Native American Indian tribe.
EDUCATION AND ADR PROGRAM PANEL MEMBERSHIP
- Northeastern University, Boston Massachusetts, Engineering Program 1973
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Completion of Bachelor of Arts Degree in Absentia, With Honors 1978
- Boston University, Bachelor of Arts and Science, With Honors, 1979.
- University of San Francisco School of Law, Juris Doctorate, With Honors, 1991.
- California State Bar Association, 1991
- California Dispute Resolution Council
- Alameda County Bar Association, ADR Panel
- Bar Association of San Francisco, ADR Panel
- Santa Clara County Bar Association, ADR Panel
- Marin County Bar Association, ADR Panel
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, ADR Panel and Settlement Mentor
- Solano County Bar Association, ADR Panel
- Sonoma County Bar Association, ADR Panel
RECENT ADR TRAINING
- “Discovery and Demurrer Facilitator Programs” Sonoma County Bar Association
- “Judicial Ethics for Temporary Judges” Judicial Council of California
- “Small Claims Court: Procedures and Practices, and Consumer and Substantive Laws” - Judicial Council of California
- “Fairness, Demeanor, and Self-Represented Litigants” Administrative Office of the Courts
- “Fee Arbitration Training” The State Bar of California
- “Managing the Money Dance in Negotiation and Mediation” Alameda County Bar Association
- “Arbitrator Certificate Training” Ron Kelly
- “Advanced Mediation Techniques” Stephen Rosenberg
- “Handling the Emotional Mediation,” Claudia Hagadus Long
- “Best Practices in Probate and Estate Mediation,” Jessica Notini
- “Advanced Mediation Strategies and Ethics,” Santa Clara County Bar Association
- “Drafting Effective Settlement Agreements,” Ron Kelly
- “Yes Virginia, There Are Ethics Rules for Mediators,” Michael Marcus
- “Mediating the Litigated Case,” Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law
- Public Education Conference, The Mediation Society
- Over 100 hours of one-on-one mediation training with San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association “Distinguished Mediator of the Year” recipient, Charlotte Venner
RECENT PUBLICATIONS, SPEAKING ENGAGMENTS AND CLE COURSES GIVEN
- “ADR War Stories: When it Really is All About the Money” Bulletin – The Bar Association of San Francisco
- “Alternative to Traditional Mediation in the Civil Context – Collaborative and Integrative Mediation, Is the time Ripe?” Marin County Bar Association 2016
- “The Inherent Conflict of Interest in “Prevailing Party Attorney Fees” Provisions” Plaintiff Magazine
- “Settling the “Dangerous Condition of Public Property” Claim” Plaintiff Magazine
- “Cultural Awareness in Mediation” The Trial Lawyer and CLE Course
- “What’s Said in Mediation Stays in Mediation, Right? Public Policy and the Confidentiality Shroud” Plaintiff Magazine
- “Are You Really Ready to Mediate?” Sonoma County Bar Association CLE Course
