Justice Martin Tangeman (Ret.) brings a wealth of judicial, mediation and professional experience to his role as a professional neutral available for mediations and arbitrations. As an attorney, trial judge and appellate justice he has actively participated in advocacy on behalf of clients involved in complex litigation, managed the judicial process of both simple and complex litigation from filing through final resolution, and applied the standards of judicial review to jury verdicts and trial court judgments for all case types on appeal. He is prepared to assist the parties in reaching a fair and just resolution of their cases without the expense and risk of litigation, based on his in-depth experience at every stage of a civil lawsuit. In addition, as a member for 16 years (including as Chair for eight years) of the Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions (CACI), Justice Tangeman has had direct involvement in writing the jury instructions that will apply to your client’s lawsuit or potential lawsuit. 

Judicial Experience: After unanimous confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, Justice Tangeman served as Associate Justice, Second Appellate District, Division Six of the California Court of Appeal from 2016 to 2022. From 2001 to 2016, he served on the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court and for five of those years was the Supervising Judge of the Civil Departments – and Presiding Judge in 2008-2009. He was assigned as the Probate Judge for the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court for four one-year terms; and as a designated CEQA Judge for the Court for six terms. He was also a member of the Judicial Council of California from 2014-2016; and was appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to serve for 16 years on the CACI committee, including the last eight years as Chair.

Mediation Experience: While on the trial court, Justice Tangeman participated in the Superior Court’s pilot program on judicial mediations. In that role, he undertook professional mediation training and conducted hundreds of mediations of civil cases of all case types over the course of several years in a successful effort to reduce the Court’s trial backlog.

Professional Experience: For approximately 20 years, Justice Tangeman maintained a private civil practice which emphasized business and real property litigation before transitioning to a transactional practice focused on land use and development, as well as mergers and acquisitions. He handled several major purchase and sale transactions of prominent local businesses, employers, manufacturers and internet providers. In 1985, he obtained the largest jury verdict in County history, a record amount that remained the largest verdict in County history for over 20 years.

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