Hon. John Leo Wagner, Ret.

Judge John Leo Wagner, Ret., specializes in legally challenging matters involving multiple parties and has earned a reputation for excelling in particularly protracted, difficult, and emotionally charged cases. Throughout his career, he has served as a mediator, arbitrator, private judge, special master, and referee.

Judge Wagner is a seasoned legal professional with over 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer, judge, and neutral. At the age of 31, he was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Oklahoma, where he served 12 years on the bench and was tasked with reducing the court’s extensive backlog. After leaving the bench, Judge Wagner continued to follow his passion as a full-time neutral, he co-founded and served as the Director of the Irell & Manella ADR Center in 1997 before joining Judicate West in 2005.

Judge Wagner has mediated and arbitrated more than 5,000 matters and is sought after for high-stakes, complex disputes around the nation. He has extensive experience resolving complex cases involving intellectual property, environmental issues, mass torts, securities, real estate, aerospace, and consumer class actions. He is highly regarded for developing new, creative, and unique approaches to breaking parties’ impasses and guiding them toward resolution.

jwagner@wagneradr.com (714) 834-1340 https://www.judicatewest.com/adr/john-wagner