Linda R. Singer, Esq., is a pioneer in the field of ADR, with a particular expertise in Complex Employment, Sexual Harassment, and Class Action cases. Ms. Singer is nationally known for settling class actions alleging discrimination in employment, housing, education, and consumer transactions. She has over 40 years of dispute resolution experience as a mediator, arbitrator, civil litigator, and neutral evaluator. Ms. Singer has served as a special master to the U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., and has been appointed as a mediator by numerous federal and state courts. Ms. Singer pioneered the development of mediation as a practice, training fellow mediators and lawyers throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Ms. Singer has resolved matters in all types of civil matters, including complex commercial, securities fraud, high-tech, insurance coverage, bankruptcy, products liability, antitrust, employment, civil rights, international, and environmental. Many of these cases have involved aggregate values in the hundreds of millions. Ms. Singer has handled numerous class action, mass tort, and allocation matters throughout her career as a neutral and is well-known for her thoughtful and effective process design. She has designed ADR processes for private companies, court systems, and government agencies.

Going forward, Ms. Singer is focusing her practice on mediation. She is described by attorneys who bring cases to her as “calm, tenacious, practical, and intelligent, with a talent for settling cases that no one else can.”

Ms. Singer currently is serving as the court-appointed mediator in the U.S.A. vs. Philip Morris case, in which is responsible for facilitating informal resolution of issues during Working Group meetings and breaking tie votes.

Representative Matters

• Civil Rights
• Mediated a dispute brought by parents of children with autism and other neurological disabilities against a county school board for the mistreatment of the parents’ children 
• Settled disputes between the U.S. Department of Justice and the owners of stadium theaters and hotel franchisors over accessibility under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Mediated a dispute against a national residential real estate brokerage service brought by several fair housing groups throughout the country alleging racial discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act 
• Mediated a number of disputes among real estate developers, contractors, and residents of multifamily units regarding construction defects that resulted in a purported failure to accommodate people with disabilities
• Mediated claims of sexual harassment by a former professor of law students  
• Settled an eight-year-old race discrimination class action against a large financial services company and held hearings to distribute the settlement fund among class members
• Mediated a class action against a real estate investment trust for violations of the Fair Housing Act in addition to breach of contract and implied warranty of habitability
• Mediated a class action brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act on behalf of 300,000 people whose adverse information concerning criminal records was provided to potential employers
• Mediated class actions alleging racial discrimination against major utilities, food services, brokerage firms, and technology companies
• Mediated class actions involving charges of racial and national origin discrimination against a telecommunications provider
• Mediated disability class action against a national delivery service, in which the parties developed a process for the post-settlement resolution of individual claims
• Multiple arbitrations under the settlement of a class action between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and African American and Native American farmers under the Equal Credit Opportunities Act
• Served as Special Master in a U.S. District Court class action against a New York state prison
• Business/Commercial
• Mediated and arbitrated various types of partnership dissolutions 
• Arbitrated partnership dispute between a major international law firm and a terminated partner
• Mediated a dispute between two competing organizations working for the same political party, including issues of trade secrets and disclosure of proprietary information
• Arbitrated putative consumer class actions over alleged anti-competitive conduct by leading telecommunications companies in the long-distance telephone market
• Arbitrated claims of unfair competition between health insurers
• Mediated claims of unfair competition and theft of trade secrets among high-tech and pharmaceutical former joint venturers and competitors
• Settled antitrust dispute among telecommunications companies over internet telephone directories
• Mediated and settled multi-party contractual dispute over the relocation of thousands of employees
• Settled contract dispute between U.S. chemical supplier and Pakistani drug manufacturer, involving conflicts between U.S. and Pakistani law
• Arbitrated claims of interference with first amendment rights and breach of settlement agreement against legacy airline
• Conducted successful mediations between franchisors and franchisees in the food, retail, employment agency, and hotel industries 
• Arbitrated breach of contract claims between franchisors and franchisees
• Mediated allocation of assets and liabilities on sale of business
• Settled multiple actions against banks and savings and loan associations brought by the FDIC, including the restructuring of multi-million-dollar loans
• Arbitrated disputes pursuant to long-term agreements between sales representatives and suppliers
• Served as neutral chair of an arbitration panel to adjudicate the rights of leading Fortune 500 technology firms in long-term contracts for internet advertising
• Served as neutral chair of panel and resolved disputes over electronic discovery against major brokerage company and a former employee
• Mediated and settled a class action in bankruptcy for securities fraud against creditors of purchaser of multiple family businesses
• Settled tax refund class action against a major hospital system
• Settled fraud and contract claims among 13 health insurers, reinsurers, and brokers
• Mediated class action for securities fraud against creditors of purchaser of multiple family businesses
• Mediated stockholders’ class action alleging securities fraud against a recently merged conglomerate
• Arbitrated putative consumer class actions over alleged anti-competitive conduct by leading telecommunications companies in the long-distance telephone market
• Mediated consumer class actions alleging illegal charges, hidden fees, deceptive sales and lending practices, and credit discrimination 
• Designed and supervised the implementation of procedures to resolve hundreds of individual claims against major manufacturers and utilities, which resulted when federal courts declined to certify classes
• Environmental
• Facilitated the agreement among a historic producer of uranium, the EPA, and the Enforcement and Defense Sections of the Justice Department for a historic cleanup of multiple uranium mines on Navajo lands
• Mediated a dispute between federal agencies and a U.S. Territory involving the cleanup of a landfill
• Resolved numerous multi-party cases involving the allocation of responsibility among federal, state, and municipal governments; parent companies and subsidiaries; and hundreds of private parties for cleaning up hazardous waste sites throughout the country. Matters involved recovery of past and future costs, site remediation, technical impracticability, and natural resources damage
• Resolved numerous cases brought by state or federal environmental agencies in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, New Hampshire, and Minnesota for the recovery of past and future costs of removing hazardous wastes from private manufacturing plants, defense facilities, and private and municipal landfills
• Co-mediated the allocation of liability for past costs and ongoing operation and maintenance of the Kramer Landfill in New Jersey. Parties included approximately 230 private manufacturers and transporters of waste, the City of Philadelphia, most Southern New Jersey municipalities, and federal and state environmental and enforcement agencies
• Co-mediated the appropriateness of existing remedies, plans for ongoing remediation, and cost recovery at the BROS Superfund Site in New Jersey. Parties included several U.S. and state agencies, as both plaintiffs and defendants, and approximately 80 private parties
• Resolved the federal and state governments’ cost recovery action against 10 private defendants in Houston, Texas, together with the allocation of responsibility among the defendants
• Co-mediated the modification of a groundwater treatment methodology and compensation to affected landowners and municipalities in Maine. Parties involved federal, state and local governments; local water authorities; electric utilities; businesses; churches and school districts; and environmental advocacy groups
• Settled dispute over reopeners concerning the remediation of the New Bedford, Massachusetts Harbor 
• Employment Law
• Class Actions 
• Mediated separate class actions against various federal agencies, all of which resolved allegations of racial discrimination in promotions and hiring
• Arbitrated individual job relief claims under a class action settlement of racial discrimination claims in the utilities industry
• Mediated federal and state class and collective class actions involving claims of wage and hour violations, against major retail, insurance, financial, and brokerage companies and universities
• Mediated a collective action against the architect of the Capitol involving claims of unequal pay
• Arbitrated alleged violations of ERISA involving the pension plans of a major pharmaceutical company
• Mediated a class action by female brokers against major financial services company
• Served as a member of panels established by major financial services companies for resolving the claims of female brokers pursuant to the settlement of class actions. Handled the claims of named plaintiffs and large producers
• Mediated a class action by female engineers against large radio network
• Mediated separate class actions brought by managers and unionized workers, which resolved claims of racial harassment and discrimination in hiring, training, and discipline against national railroad company
• Arbitrated multiple claims for job relief pursuant to the settlement of a race discrimination class action against a public utility 
• Mediated a class action wage and hour dispute brought by delivery drivers against the franchise owner of over 1000 pizza chains
• Mediated a wage and hour MDL involving 19 states brough by managers regarding off-the-clock tasks required for store openings and closings, as well as smartphone communications against a large home-improvement retail chain 
• Mediated a class action brought by bartenders, servers, and bussers against a restaurant group for violations of FLSA and state wage and hour statues 
• Sexual Harassment
• Mediated a sexual harassment action brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against an urban hospital
• Mediated sexual harassment claim between a factory worker and a major aircraft company
• Mediated sexual harassment complaints by restaurant workers against franchisees and chains
• Mediated claims of sexual assault by employees against executives of international Fortune 500 companies
• Mediated numerous sexual harassment complaints against executives and coworkers
• Individual and Collective Disputes Involving Discrimination, Wrongful Discharge, Retaliation, Wage & Hour
• Assisted the parties in designing and implementing procedures to resolve hundreds of individual claims when federal courts declined to certify classes or as part of the settlement of class actions
• Supervised the design and implementation of the pilot mediation programs now operated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Government Accountability Office, the Office of Congressional Compliance, and the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights 
• Mediated gender and pregnancy discrimination cases brought by female employees against employers including credit card companies, law firms, defense contractors, investment banks, international public relations company, global media company, and technology companies
• Mediated many age, sexual harassment, race, religion, and disability discrimination cases brought against employers, including law firms, technology companies, and universities
• Co-mediated allegations of race discrimination by a former minister against a church
• Mediated tenure disputes between professors and their universities 
• Arbitrated claims of discrimination and breach of fiduciary obligations between an international law firm and a former partner
• Settled an age discrimination and wrongful termination claim against a financial trade industry group
• Arbitrated claims of disability discrimination against defense contractor
• Mediated a disability discrimination claim against a health insurer
• Mediated race and sex discrimination claims between on-air radio and television personalities, local stations, and networks
• Arbitrated racial and religious discrimination claims against a major oil refinery
• Mediated many hostile work environment and wrongful termination claims against employers such as an architecture and construction company and a wealth management company
• Mediated numerous claims of retaliation by whistleblowers against their employers
• Mediated a wage and hour dispute involving employees of three Washington D.C. locations of a national salon chain
• Mediated a wage and hour matter involving bank loan officers, who allegedly were misclassified and owed overtime pay
• Breach of Employment Contract
• Mediated and arbitrated employment contracts involving non-competes, non-solicitation and theft of trade secrets
• Mediated disputes between a financial services firm and its general counsel and associate general counsel 
• Breach of contract and discrimination claims between a national non-profit association and its former executive director
• Arbitrated allegations of defamation and breach of contract under executives’ and physicians’ employment contracts
• Insurance
• Mediated many disputes that involved employment practice liability insurance (EPLI) 
• Resolved insurance coverage disputes, which involved environmental, product liability, libel, and employment-related issues
• Arbitrated insurance claims by injured athletes against major league sports franchise
• Settled claims of redlining brought by housing discrimination organizations against a major insurance carrier
• Resolved post-arbitration dispute over payment of a multi-million dollar liability among French and American manufacturers, insurers, and reinsurers

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships & Affiliations

Selected Awards & Honors

Selected Publications

Background and Education

• Principal, ADR Associates, LLC
• President, non-profit Center for Dispute Settlement
• Partner, Lichtman, Trister, Singer & Ross, Washington, D.C.
• Partner, Goldfarb and Singer
• Faculty, Harvard's Program of Instruction for Lawyers at the Program on Negotiation
• J.D., with highest honors, George Washington University Law School
• B.A., magna cum laude, Harvard University