Professional Work History:
Ray Kepner is an independent mediator, focused on the settlement of employment and workplace disputes. He brings to the mediation process four decades of experience in the field of labor and employment law, and has been involved in negotiating and crafting hundreds of employment settlements involving virtually every type of employment claim.
Ray practiced labor and employment law with Seyfarth Shaw for over 30 years in Los Angeles, retiring as a Senior Partner in December 2016. He served the firm in various leadership positions, including managing partner of the Los Angeles office and co-chair of the firm's California Labor and Employment Practice Group. Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw in 1979, he was an associate in the Cleveland office of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey for two years. In addition, from 1992 to 1998, Ray was a partner with Morgan, Lewis and Bockius in Los Angeles, where he managed the firm's Los Angeles labor and employment group.
Dispute Resolution Experience
Ray has served as a settlement officer in the Los Angeles County Superior Court mediation programs, including the Civil Referee Assisted Settlement Hearing (CRASH) program for employment disputes.
Cornell University Dispute Resolution Training (Course titles and dates taken)
Cornell University, Industrial and Labor Relations School, Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, Employment Law Mediator Training (June, 2016)
Other Dispute Resolution Training
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Civic Mediation Project, Basic Mediation Training (April, 2016)
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Civic Mediation Project, Advanced Mediation Skills Practicum (October, 2016)
Western Justice Center, ABCs of Conflict Training (July, 2016)
Professional Associations
State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section
Western Justice Center Foundation, Board of Directors and Executive Committee (non-profit organization focused on promoting mediation and conflict resolution programs)
Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1977
Indiana State University, B.A (History), Summa Cum Laude, 1974
References
Available on request.
Fee Policy
Standard fee for full-day mediation is $5,500.
Fee for half-day mediation (4 hours of session time) is $3,000.
Fee for class and/or collective action is $6,500; such cases may only be scheduled on a full-day basis.
Additional information available at www.kepnermediation.com