Irvine, Calif. – JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, is pleased to announce that Hon. Jonathan H. Cannon (Ret.), Hon. Linda L. Miller (Ret.), Hon. Sheila Prell Sonenshine (Ret.) and Hon. Judith Ryan (Ret.) were honored by the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) for their 50+ years in the legal profession.
Each year, the OCBA hosts a luncheon to recognize individuals with over five decades of experience in the legal profession. The event is produced by the OCBA Masters Division, which was founded in 2011 to serve the unique abilities, needs and agenda of practitioners with 25 years or more tenure in the practice of law. The Masters Division aims to uphold the honor and dignity of the legal profession, apply the knowledge and experience of its members to promote the public good, and cultivate social intercourse among its members.
These judges’ decades of service and distinguished accomplishments within the Orange County legal community have earned them the respect of their peers and parties they represent alike. We congratulate them on this well-deserved honor and are grateful to have them on our panel.
- Chris Poole, JAMS CEO
Judge Cannon served on the Orange County municipal and superior courts for two decades following nine years of service in local politics, including serving as mayor while he was working as a partner in private practice. As a neutral, he is recognized for his talent at assessing cases, quickly sizing up the needs and wants of the parties and effecting creative and equitable resolutions. A former accountant, Judge Cannon is also known among counsel for his strength in understanding and working through complex accounting and financial issues that can often arise during dispute resolution.
Judge Miller joined JAMS in 2019 after more than 30 years as a judge in Orange County. She spent 16 years handling a family law direct calendar and served for two years on an Orange County Superior Court appellate panel. Judge Miller established the first Children’s Chambers in Orange County, where children are cared for while their parents take care of court business. It subsequently became a model for courts all over the state. In her role at JAMS, she serves as an arbitrator and mediator in areas such as family law, business and commercial, employment, personal injury and real property.
Justice Sonenshine served on the Orange County Superior Court, where she was the presiding judge of the Family Law Panel. She was one of the original four justices appointed to the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, serving there for over 16 years. Additionally, she was the founder and managing partner of a successful law firm. With over 13 years of experience as a JAMS neutral, she is a sought-after mediator, arbitrator, judge pro tem and neutral evaluator in a broad range of practice areas, including business and commercial, family law, employment, real estate, probate and trusts, professional malpractice and appellate.
Judge Ryan has been a mediator and arbitrator since 1989 and has nearly a decade of experience as a judge in both the Orange County municipal and superior courts. During her distinguished career on the Orange County Superior Court, she handled complex litigation, presided over more than 500 settlement conferences and served as supervising judge of the Law and Motion Department for two years. She has over three decades of experience resolving civil disputes as a lawyer, judge and arbitrator through trials, arbitrations, mediations and voluntary settlement conferences.
The luncheon took place on May 12 at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. More information about the event can be found here.
About JAMS – Local Solutions. Global Reach.
Founded in 1979, JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. JAMS successfully resolves and manages business and legal disputes by providing efficient, cost-effective and impartial ways to overcome barriers at any stage of conflict. JAMS offers customized in-person, virtual and hybrid resolution services locally and globally through a combination of industry-specific experience, first-class client service, the latest technology and highly trained mediators and arbitrators.
With a roster of over 400 neutrals and 30 locations, JAMS resolves thousands of the world’s important cases every year. JAMS neutrals are adept at managing the resolution process whether they are conducting in-person, virtual or hybrid hearings.
More information is available at www.jamsadr.com, and you can connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and our JAMS ADR blog. To learn about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at JAMS, visit www.jamsadr.com/diversity/.