Professional Resume

I was the infamous trial attorney of the Foxgate v. Bramalea case. The unfortunate problem is that a reading of the facts, as described by the Supreme Court, was less than accurate. As such I have attached a copy of an article written by me to explain the events leading up to the mediation and subsequent appellate decisions that occurred.

Upon completion of law school and admission to the State Bar, the United States Navy requested my immediate presence in Newport, Rhode Island. There, I attended Naval Justice School with a subsequent assignment to a ship out of San Diego for a short period. I then went on to Guam for the next 18 months. While in Guam, I served as an Assistant Judge Advocate to the Commander Naval Forces Marianas. I was directly involved in the handling of legal issues involving  Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Vietnam in 1975. Subsequently, I became head of the defense counsel wing for the Naval Legal Service Office before becoming head of the prosecution wing. The last tour was as a claims officer for the Naval Legal Service Office and all 34 military commands on the island. While serving as the Claims Officer, a super typhoon hit Guam causing wide spread destruction. As the claims officer, I coordinated claims relief efforts and off island inspection teams from various government agencies and civilian companies involved in the evaluation, determination, accounting and documentation of damages.

After serving in Guam, I was shipped to Kenitra, Morocco where I was the Assistant Staff Judge Advocate. Due to my prior criminal defense and prosecution  experience, the United States Embassy in Rabat assigned me as a Foreign Trial Observer. As the U.S. Foreign Trial Observer I was deeply involved with local government officials to obtain the return of U.S. military personnel that the Moroccan government had incarcerated. As part of that process, I was involved in heated diplomatic negotiations throughout my stay in Morocco. In addition, I handled incidents that could have led to serious international repercussions between the United States and Morocco. I was also a claims administrator for claims involving the local Moroccans against the United States Goverment. I also handled and coordinated the review of medical malpractice claims from all over Europe for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I was subsequently transferred back to the United States, where I finished my tour of duty at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Port Magu and Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme.

I continued in the Reserves pursuing my legal career with Martin & Stamp before establishing my own firm in 1983. Throughout my career as an attorney, I have done both plaintiff and defense work.  In fact, I have belonged to both ATLA on the plaintiff's side and ASCDC on the defense side for years.  I have tried cases to their conclusions on both sides of the table. While continuing my legal career I have also started a number of businesses including, but not limited to, Benefits Consulting Services, Tayson Insurance Administrators and Sunbolt Travel. Further, I continue to give back to my community by being an active member of the Emergency Response Teams with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs - Lomita Station (PERT), Torrance Fire Department and the Los Angeles City Fire Department (CERT). I have been an arbitrator with the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 1980/81 and a member of the mediation panel with the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 1997.

I also serve as a Settlement Officer for the U.S. Federal District Court - Central District and have served for a number of years as Mandatory Settlement Conference Judge Pro Tem for the Orange County Superior Courts. In the field of ethics, I have sat as a member and subsequently a vice-chairperson for the Attorney Client Relations Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. I served in that position for a number of years dealing directly with the State Bar of California regarding referrals to the State Bar for violations of ethical rules and regulations. I am a Fellow of the Center for International Legal Studies and have presented lectures on the subject matter of alternative dispute resolution. I am a licensed Third Party Administrator, in addition to maintaining my license as an attorney in the State of California. As a licensed Third Party Administrator my company, Tayson Insurance Administrators has been responsible for adjudicating and handling health care claims for a number of ERISA trusts, self insured entities and out of state health, medical and disability insurance carriers for almost 20 years. I have been asked what style of mediation I practice, either evaluative or facilitative?  The reality is that the case and the circumstances dictate the approach. 

As a mediator, I respond to the situation as presented and work towards meeting the parties desires through the mediation process. The bottom line is, I am here to be of whatever assistance I can to the parties.