Introduction
Since his retirement from the Orange County Superior Court in May of 1999, following 23 years on the bench, Judge Polis has become one of the most requested Private Judges in Southern California. Known for his humanistic approach to justice, he is now handling a busy calendar balanced with mediations, arbitrations, and private judging assignments, while maintaining his calm, gentle, courteous, and gracious attitude toward the people he meets on each case. Attorneys who appear before him, from the neighborhood sole practitioner to the senior partners of the most prestigious firms, all compliment him for his "scholarly" but gentle "manner," his knowledge of the law in such a wide variety of practice areas, innovative skills and commitment to fairness. Comments include, "His decisions are clear and concise and very detailed," and "He is one of the all-time best, fair, even-tempered, hardworking and thorough neutrals." Another client commented "...any case, any time, any client, is when I recommend this Judge."
Practice Areas
Experience Summary
Below is a sampling of the various matters Hon. Robert J. Polis, Ret. presided over on the bench, tried as an attorney, or handled as a neutral.
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Hobbies & Interests
Travel, bicycle riding and touring, digital photography and cooking. An aviation enthusiast, he was a former pilot and owned a plane.
Testimonials
"I greatly appreciated how Judge Polis took the time to help explain the matter to my clients
and also took the time to show a fairly new practitioner some "tricks of the trade."
I am looking forward to working with him again on the next proceeding."
- Plaintiff Attorney, Newport Beach, CA
"Judge Polis made the ADR process easy for my client to understand and participate in. He was fair and worked diligently to bring the parties together. We will use him again."
- Attorney on a Real Property/Landlord-Tenant case
"Did an excellent job juggling at least five separate mediation interests."
- Attorney on a real property/fraud dispute
"My clients were very happy with Judge Polis and his reasoned valuation of
the case helped get it settled. We were impressed with his experience and fairness,
and I have no hesitation in requesting Judge Polis in my next case."
- Attorney, Orange County, CA
"Mediator was great not only at recognizing the issues with the case itself, but with the parties and assisting/solidifying trust by my client in my recommendations and counsel."
- Attorney on a HOA Dispute
"Judge Polis was incredible. Very hard-working, knowledgeable, and reviewed everything prior. Well prepared and knew the law."
- Attorney on a Real Property/Property Damage case
"Impossible task with opposing counsel, patiently worked towards resolution."
- Attorney on a Fraud & Embezzlement Matter
