Hon. Victoria Wood (Ret.) established her successful track record of settling highly disputed cases during her time as a Judge for the Superior Court of Napa County, where she served her community with dedication for nearly two decades. Judge Wood has gained a reputation of bringing “tremendous empathy coupled with formidable analytical and practical skills to a mediation,” with a “combination of people skills and great competence.” In this episode, she relates the story of a mother and two adult daughters, co-owners of a house in which they lived, embroiled in a contentious and sometimes violent relationship which could not continue. Faced with a multitude of challenges in reaching an agreement that would allow the parties to move forward with their lives, Victoria used her considerable skills to assist the parties, only to have the agreement undone by a sudden and catastrophic event. Listen and learn how a master mediator gets it done!

Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2013, Victoria Wood gained extensive experience analyzing the law as a respected judicial attorney at both the trial and appellate court levels, which prepared her well for her role as a judge.

During her judicial tenure, Judge Wood presided over complex matters in a variety of assignments, including civil, probate, and family law. Her responsibilities extended to overseeing complex jury trials, appeals, and high-conflict settlement conferences. She also held diverse and impactful roles in court leadership, including serving as the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Court, Lead Judge for the Civil, Juvenile, and Family Law Divisions, as well as Judicial Liaison to the Grand Jury.

Through her work in judicial settlement conferences, Judge Wood discovered her distinct passion and talent for dispute resolution and made the decision to focus her career on alternative dispute resolution, bringing her nearly three decades of experience in the legal profession to the team of respected neutrals at ADR Services, Inc. She has quickly accumulated a successful track record of settlements in probate, family law, appeals, and a variety of civil matters, including employment, business, insurance coverage, construction defect, contract, and personal injury disputes. Clients regularly provide feedback that she puts in 100% effort and time to fully understand all of the issues in the case, that she is able to connect genuinely with even the most emotional parties, and that she has the tenacity to do what it takes to get her cases “to the finish line,” even when it requires diligent follow-up after the mediation.

Judge Wood also serves as an arbitrator, private judge, and discovery referee. Her decades of experience as a judicial research attorney and judicial officer, performing the legal research and writing for tentative rulings, orders, and opinions for civil law and motion, probate, and appellate matters, make her highly qualified for and effective in these roles. With a dedication to serving the community, she also offers her services as a panel mediator for the 6th District Court of Appeal, the Alameda County Superior Court, the San Francisco Superior Court Probate Division, and the Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Reflective of her passion for this work, Judge Wood also now serves as an adjunct professor teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution at UC Davis School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctorate degree in 1997. Her undergraduate degrees include a B.S. in Sociology and a B.A. in Spanish from Pacific Union College, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Judge Wood may be contacted through her Case Manager at ADR Services, Katy Jones, at [email protected] or (415)772-0900.