SANTA ANA, Calif.; Sept. 13, 2023 – Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, has added Judge Linda S. Marks, formerly with the Orange County Superior Court, to its roster of neutrals. Judge Marks is based out of the Orange County office and available statewide as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge.
“Judge Marks mediated with us briefly in the early 2000s, before her bench appointment. Since then, we’ve cheered her on from the sidelines as she’s gained 20 years of judicial experience, including both civil and appellate assignments, and a long list of impactful community involvements,” said Alan Brutman, President and Co-Founder of Judicate West. “Her kind and approachable yet firm demeanor, legal analytical skills, and ability to understand and relate to people from all walks of life will make Judge Marks a real asset to Judicate West clients, but it’s her temperament – her strength at turning down the temperature in a heated environment and really listening to the perspectives involved – that are the hallmarks of her dispute resolution skill set. We are thrilled to welcome Judge Marks back home to our Judicate West family.”
Appointed in 2003 by then-Gov. Gray Davis, Judge Marks served two decades on the Orange County Superior Court bench where she presided over all types of civil matters and served a two-year assignment as a Justice Pro Tem for the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three. During her judicial tenure, she presided over a wide variety of civil matters ranging from contentious real estate disputes to emotionally charged sexual assault cases, as well as all types of wrongful death and injury cases. Prior to her appointment and in addition to serving as a neutral with Judicate West, Judge Marks was a Judge Pro Tem for the Orange County Superior Court and led a civil litigation practice at her own firm Marks & Yocum, where she focused on insurance defense matters. She also served as a deputy public defender for the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender from 1985-1989.
Judge Marks was on the executive board of the California Judges Association and is a Past President of the California Judges Foundation. She has also been on the Board of Governors and the Judicial Advisory committee for the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) and is a longstanding and active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), including serving as president of the Orange County Chapter in 2017. Judge Marks is credited with establishing and chairing the OC ABOTA’s Teachers Law School Program. Working in conjunction with the Orange County Board of Education, the program aims to educate teachers and their students about the importance of the U.S. judicial system and judicial independence.
In 2018, Judge Marks was named “Judge of the Year” by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association and OC ABOTA, which also recognized her with their George Francis Judicial Civility Award. Additionally, she received the Judicial Civility Award from the Banyard Inn of Court in 2010. Judge Marks received her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law (1984) and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (1979).
About Judicate West Judicate West is one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus professional attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions to all types of civil disputes. The firm’s successful formula involves top-tier neutrals, a great company culture and an experienced team of ADR professionals dedicated to delivering gold standard service in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Judicate West has offices in Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco.