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Apr. 17, 2026

Veteran San Francisco judge Kathleen Kelly applies trial discipline to ADR practice

After a long judicial career, retired San Francisco judge Kathleen Kelly now uses structured processes and pre-mediation work to guide complex cases to settlement.

Read more about Kathleen A. Kelly...
Veteran San Francisco judge Kathleen Kelly applies trial discipline to ADR practice
Employment, personal injury, commercial, real estate, construction

For more than two decades on the San Francisco County Superior Court, retired judge Kathleen A. Kelly routinely witnessed what she described as the torment of litigation.

"I saw a lot of heartache that comes with the unpredictability - particularly of a jury trial, but frankly, sometimes also in a court trial," Kelly said. "There's so much in the litigation process that is wrenching for people."

After a long run of juvenile, criminal an... (continued)

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