Mediation · California · By Zoom
Settle well.
Kyle D. Smith mediates California employment disputes, from single-plaintiff claims through class and PAGA actions, after more than a decade litigating them. Prepared before the session, candid about value during it, persistent until it settles.
- Confidential
- Employment Cases
- Statewide
01 Practice
Conflicts I Help Resolve
Individual Claims
Wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and wage/hour disputes. Cases where credibility, documents, and exposure meet in the middle.
Learn more about individual claimsClass Actions & PAGA
Representative matters where the number is only half the deal. Allocation, scope of release, and approval are structured from the outset.
Learn more about class and PAGA casesPre-Litigation Disputes
Resolve employment disputes before a lawsuit is filed through early strategic negotiations designed to reduce costs and manage risk.
Learn more about prelitigation cases02 Approach
What to Expect in the Mediation
One objective: a deal both sides can sign.
Preparation is respect.
Briefs are read and researched. Valuation questions go out before the session. The day starts at the real issues, not the boilerplate recitals.
Candor, confidentially.
An honest read on value, risk, and the weak points of each position. What’s shared in the room stays in the room unless you authorize otherwise.
An active hand in the negotiation.
A mediator shouldn’t just deliver messages from room to room. Expect positions tested, issues reframed, negotiations structured, and momentum managed.
Mediation isn’t the goal, a deal is.
Stubborn gaps get follow-up calls, fresh deal structures, and—when appropriate—a mediator’s proposal. The file stays open until the deal is done or truly can’t be.
03 Process
From Conflict to Written Agreement
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Get on the calendar
A quick review of the case and a scheduling call. Case type, posture, and what’s standing in the way—and a candid answer on whether the case is ready to mediate.
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Briefs and pre-session calls
Each side submits a confidential mediation brief, and I speak with each room separately before the session. The work starts before anyone logs on.
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Mediate by Zoom
Secure breakout rooms are where the candid conversations happen. No travel, easier scheduling, statewide reach.
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Put the deal in writing
Before the session closes, the essential terms go in writing—a memorandum of understanding or a confirming email outlining the deal, whichever the parties prefer. For class and PAGA matters, terms are structured with approval in mind.
Every mediation is conducted by Zoom, anywhere in California. Rates are disclosed up front and available on my Mediation Fees page. No hiding the ball.
04 Your mediator
Kyle D. Smith
More than a decade inside California employment litigation: hundreds of cases, from individual claims through complex class actions and PAGA matters. He knows how these cases get valued, where they break down, and what it takes to close them.
A UCLA School of Law graduate licensed since 2011, Kyle is admitted in all state and federal courts in California, including the Ninth Circuit. He trained as a neutral at Pepperdine’s Straus Institute (“Mediating the Litigated Case”), holds NITA’s Advocate designation, has litigated hundreds of employment-related disputes, and has written on California employment law topics for an audience of millions.
Full background
05 Scheduling
Have dates in mind?
Booking takes about a minute. Select an open date, add your case details, and lock in your session. Confirmed instantly.