Kristin Rizzo is a full-time neutral who believes that parties seeking to resolve a dispute through mediation deserve a partner in resolution – a mediator who is dedicated to the needs and goals of the parties and has a command of the details of the case and the underlying laws involved. Passionate about dispute resolution, Kristin uses her strong work ethic, empathy, and tenacity to help parties resolve their disputes in creative and meaningful ways.
Kristin mediates a variety of civil claims, specializing in employment mediation, from pre-litigated and post-investigative disputes to single-plaintiff, complex multi-party, and representative litigated matters. She also mediates business, contract, housing discrimination, ADA access, personal injury, medical malpractice, and emotionally charged/high-impact matters.
As a mediator, Kristin combines her varied legal background with her extensive leadership and organizational knowledge to bring a multi-faceted approach to every mediation. Kristin’s prior legal experience includes representing individuals, employees, and businesses in a wide range of civil and employment law matters, including giving high-level strategic advice and counsel and performing neutral workplace investigations. Her extensive leadership background includes high-level positions in both the San Diego legal community and the community at large, working collaboratively with boards and professionals of numerous disciplines. Honored multiple times as a San Diego Super Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Kristin recognizes that a knowledgeable and collaborative presence can assist the parties in building consensus and feel confident that the correct resolution has been reached.
Below is a sampling of the various matters Kristin Rizzo, Esq. handled as a practicing attorney or neutral.
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Kristin is a native of San Diego and lives in Poway with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, paddle boarding and boating at their lake house, coaching youth soccer, and snowboarding. Kristin has lived abroad in Madrid, Spain, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe.
"Kristin Rizzo is a great addition to your panel of mediators!"
- Partner at a Prestigious Orange County Law FIrm
"Kristin Rizzo was a natural choice for our employment law dispute. With her experience on both sides of the aisle, she brought unique insight, knowledge, and practical considerations to help facilitate a settlement where the parties had been at a standstill for over a year. She was prepared on the facts and the law, empathetic to my client, and went the extra mile to ensure her mediator’s proposal addressed potential issues with the settlement terms and payment. She’s a wonderful addition to Judicate West."
- Partner at a Prominent San Diego Employment Law Firm
"Kristin understood the core issues of the case and was able to quickly find the gaps the parties needed to overcome in order to come to a resolution. She carefully listened to our arguments, identified weaknesses in our case, and conveyed our strengths to the other side in a manner that made the client and myself satisfied with the ultimate outcome. "
- Management Side Employment Litigator from one of Orange County’s Largest Law Firms
"Kristin went above and beyond in working with three different defendants, each in a different situation, toward a global settlement. When that wasn't in the cards at that particular time, she pivoted effectively and accomplished what she could in a wise way. She did a great job of quickly learning the relevant facts and being knowledgeable about the law in a way that made settlement possible. I look forward to working with her again and soon."
- Employment and Business Litigation Partner
601 S. Figueroa
Ste 3400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213.223.1113
Fax : 213.223.1114
980 9th Street
Suite 2200
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916.394.8490
Fax : 916.394.8495
402 W. Broadway
Ste 2400
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619.814.1966
Fax : 619.814.1967
1851 East First Street
Ste 1600
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714.834.1340
Fax : 714.834.1344
1925 Century Park East
Suite 1700
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: 800.488.8805
Fax :
2023.6.1.2rt
