Hon. Barry Baskin (Ret.)

Hon. Barry Baskin (Ret.) is a respected neutral known for his deep experience in complex civil litigation in a variety of practice areas. His experience as a judge and a lawyer, both plaintiff and defense, gives him the tools to effectively listen, understand underlying issues, analyze and provide parties with the merits of their positions.

When handling a case, Judge Baskin is direct in his approach and uses his substantive knowledge to help resolve the matter. His experience as a plaintiff and defense lawyer gives him the unique skill set to fully understand and evaluate the risks associated with both sides of a case and the currency needed to reach a resolution.

As a special master and discovery referee, Judge Baskin is diligent and well prepared. He is always familiar with the filings in the case, regardless of complexity. He understands the need for discovery versus the burden of production and knows what balance to strike from decades of handling these issues.

For 20 years, Judge Baskin served on the Contra Costa County Superior Court, where he served in almost all divisions and was the presiding judge from 2019 to 2020. He served six years in the civil division, handling complex litigation, including class actions.

Judge Baskin used mediation often as a lawyer, which helped him to successfully resolve well over 1,000 matters before trial. In 1987, he joined Pillsbury Winthrop (formerly Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro), where he handled large commercial cases and served in the firm’s antitrust and intellectual property group.

Judge Baskin is the first person appointed to the bench in California who was born, raised and trained in South Africa. He was the managing partner of his family’s law firm, Baskin & Partners, in South Africa, where his practice consisted of business litigation and family law.

bbaskin@jamsadr.com 415-774-2613 https://www.jamsadr.com/baskin/