Ellie Vilendrer is an AV-rated attorney and Southern California Super Lawyer in ADR. Ellie is an active arbitrator, mediator, and neutral on various prestigious panels, including the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals, the American Arbitration Association (AAA)’s Commercial, Technology, Healthcare, and Consumer Arbitration panels, National Arbitration and Mediation, the FINRA Arbitration Panel, and the mediation panels of the United States District Court, Central District of California, AAA, the Orange County Superior Court, and the Minnesota Dept of Human Rights.
With extensive experience working with healthcare, software, and technology companies, spanning from startups to publicly traded enterprises, Ellie has held pivotal roles such as outside general counsel, intellectual property counsel, and privacy counsel. She also holds the distinguished title of Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and is a co-author of the privacy law chapter in the Representing the Ongoing Business Deskbook, 3rd Edition. In 2014, Ellie co-founded a tech company that pioneered an Artificial Intelligence-powered platform that provided predictive insights for app features and marketing campaigns. Her journey into dispute resolution began with becoming an expert negotiator, achieving the highest value outcome in a scored negotiation among 60 professional negotiators from around the world in 2015.
Ellie holds appointed leadership positions within the ABA Dispute Resolution Section, as EDR Committee Co-Chair (2020-2024), Committee on Committee Development and Oversight, and Mediation Week Co-Chair, recognized as the Best Program of the Year in 2022. Additionally, she is an appointed Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and actively contributes to the Orange County Bar Association’s Legislative Resolutions Committee.
Outside of her legal career, Ellie’s family has produced award-winning short films. “Nurturing the Seeds of Peace,” was broadcast at the United Nations in New York on November 6, 2019, and was also featured as an Official Selection at the International Peace & Film Festival in January 2020. Their short film on human rights, “Justice for All,” was broadcast at the United Nations on December 15, 2020, in celebration of the UN’s 75th anniversary.
I hold pre-mediation calls and request briefs in advance of the mediation, ensuring all parties are thoroughly prepared for the session. During the mediation, I actively listen to all perspectives, carefully evaluate party dynamics, and establish rapport, creating a conducive environment for resolving disputes. I take care to understand the details and provide candid and insightful observations when appropriate.
Possessing a deep understanding of complex legal and financial issues, I am able to offer valuable assistance to parties in assessing risk and identifying motivations for settlement. I skillfully pursue creative and collaborative solutions that serve mutual interests and promote ongoing relationships.
My mediation approach focuses on establishing trust among all parties, ensuring that each participant feels heard and that the process is fair. I exhaustively explore all reasonable prospects for settlement. I firmly believe that the end goal for disputants should not be limited to resolving their immediate dispute, but rather making decisions that lead to optimal long term outcomes.
With this mindset, I guide parties to think outside the box, seek synergies, and create value to arrive at meaningful, valuable, and lasting resolutions.
I demonstrate exceptional skill in navigating high-emotion, guiding the parties to focus on the core issues so that the mediation productively progresses. My energy, optimism, and unwavering focus on results set me apart in the field of mediation, tireless working to help parties achieve the best possible outcomes.
J.D. from Brigham Young University 2007; attended UCLA School of Law as a visiting student from 2006-2007
B.S. in Business Administration, Emphasis in Corporate Finance from University of Southern California, 2004
Certified Information Privacy Professional/US
B.A. in French from USC, 2004
Certificate – Advanced Negotiation Masterclass from Harvard, 2015
Certificate – Power & Influence from Carlson School of Management, 2021
Contact Nikki Safavi at (949) 620-2929 for fee information.
