Scott S. Markus is widely known as the last person to give up on a settlement. “After 28 years and 4,000 mediations, I still strive to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem in civil litigation, which can often be protracted, expensive and emotionally draining.” His perseverance and adherence to his personal creed have established him as one of California’s most dedicated, enthusiastic and popular neutrals.
Biography
Scott Markus, San Diego County’s first full-time attorney-mediator, facilitates settlements of complex litigation throughout Southern California. Since 1992, Mr. Markus has mediated 4,000 disputes involving personal injury, insurance, employment, real property, business, construction and many other subjects.
He has worked with countless Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies and government agencies at the city, county, state and federal level and with the top consumer attorneys throughout the region. Through his guidance, parties have reached settlements ranging from $1,000 to $20 million.
Mr. Markus has a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law (1980) and a B.A. from Middlebury College, VT (1977). Raised in Cleveland, he has lived in San Diego since 1980.
Recognition
Mr. Markus’s commitment to neutrality and dedication to attaining reasonable settlements have earned him the respect of both counsel and clients. His recognitions include:
Los Angeles Daily Journal five-time Top 50 Neutral
SuperLawyers-Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialty
International Academy of Mediators (by invitation only) – Fellow
CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (New York, NY) – Panel of Distinguished Neutrals
Best Lawyers in America (“the gold standard of reliablility and integrity in lawyer rating”) – Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialty
Primary Areas of Focus
Employment
Wage and hour matters (including class actions), sexual harassment and discrimination (e.g., race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disablility), wrongful termination, public policy violations, the ADA and other issues.
Professional Liability
Legal, medical, realty, engineering, financial, business and accounting fields.
Real Property
Residential non-disclosure cases and those involving commercial leases and commissions, boundaries and easements and CC&R’s.
Personal Injury
Wrongful death and serious injury matters involving product liability, industrial accidents, premises liability, toxic substance exposure and motor vehicle accidents.
Business
Breach of contract, franchise disputes, business dissolution, unfair competition and more.
Insurance
Coverage, bad faith and subrogation issues.
Construction
Contracts, delay claims and public works.