Hon. Douglas W. Stern, (Ret.)

Los Angeles

Real Estate, Personal Injury, Habitability, Business & Commercial, Disputes, Complex Litigation, Class Actions

Judge Douglas Stern served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2013 until his retirement in 2025. His assignments included an Independent Calendar unlimited-jurisdiction civil courtroom in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, an Independent Calendar assignment in the Torrance Courthouse, and a civil trial courtroom handling personal injury and unlawful detainer matters. He also presided over unlawful detainer and small claims calendars.

Before joining the bench, Judge Stern was a partner in a major national law firm and spent 35 years as a civil business litigator in state and federal courts. He litigated a broad range of complex matters including antitrust, business torts, real property, real property financing, commercial disputes, tort and product liability litigation as well as other substantive areas.

Judge Stern also was the Vice President and Litigation Manager of the nation's largest title insurance company where he was in charge of the in-house litigation group handling its southern California litigation.

Judge Stern's combined judicial and litigation backgrounds give him unusually broad experience across the full spectrum of civil matters and dispute resolution. Over his 35-year litigation career, he handled complex, multi-party matters--including months-long antitrust trials, real estate and title disputes, partnership and corporate conflicts, and catastrophic tort claims. During his years in practice, he represented both plaintiffs and defendants, giving him an appreciation for the strategies, pressures, and expectations on all sides of a dispute. This depth of experience equips him to quickly grasp complicated factual records and legal frameworks in mediation and arbitration.

In addition, Judge Stern served as an Adjunct Professor at USC Law School, teaching Remedies. His litigation, judicial, and teaching experience make Judge Stern a neutral possessing the analytical and communication skills to address the most complex of matters.

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