A Collaborative Approach to Dispute Resolution

 Encourage Communication | Facilitate Creative Solutions

As a US Navy SEAL, I learned that a diplomatic resolution was often a superior approach to conflict rather than engaging in “out and out” war.  Similarly, as a lawyer, having participated in hundreds of mediations, I have learned that mediated resolutions rather than adversarial “scorched-earth” litigation result in a win-win solutions for the parties.

Today, I use my negotiation and mediation skills to facilitate an environment for creative problem-solving where the parties themselves control the outcome.  As Mediator, I help the parties define the issues clearly, understand each other’s position, manage expectations and reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

I practiced law for seventeen years before beginning a private practice in 1991 with my spouse and law partner, Eugenia Hicks, exclusively representing employees in employment disputes, including unlawful harassment, discrimination and retaliation in the workplace as well as whistleblower claims and wage & hour violations.

I am duly licensed to practice before all the courts of the State of California, the United States District Court, the Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).

I have represented veterans requesting an impartial judicial review of denials made by the Board of Veterans' Appeals on claims of entitlement to service-related disabilities, survivor benefits, and other benefits such as education payments and waivers of indebtedness.

I have represented clients in administrative proceedings before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Employment Development Department and the Department of Justice.

Rick Hicks California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)
 
 
 

Credentials:

University of Idaho, NROTC Scholar, 1962 - 1966

United States Navy, UDT-22; UDT-13; SEAL Team ONE, Lieutenant, 1966 - 1970

The University of California, Hastings School of Law, 1970 - 1973

Licensed in California, 1974

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law, “Mediating the Litigated Case” training program, Certificate in Dispute Resolution, 2005 and 2022

Settlement Officer, Resolve Law LA, Los Angeles Superior Court, 2022- present

Member:

California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)