Honors and Awards:

• Southern California Super Lawyer, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.Daily Journal's 2006 Top Women Litigators.Los Angeles Superior Court Awardee in Mediation - 2008.Associate Editor CAALA Advocate journal 2007-Present.Member California Academy of Distinguished Neutrals 2008-Present. Named to the American Arbitration Association's panel of Arbitrators.  Named as a Member by the US Army War College to their National Security Seminar as their guest., US Army War College, 2011

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Admitted to the State Bar of California (1987). AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell.Member, American, Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations.Member, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.Member, Organization of Women Executives, 1996-Present.Member, Southern California Mediation Association(SCMA), 2006-Present, Editor CAALA Advocate ADR issue, Speaker at Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) conferences 2007,2008,2009,2010.

Pro bono/Community Service:

• Member of the LASC Pro Bono Mediators Panel, Member Board of Advisors, University of Michigan Rackham School  

Scholarly Lectures and Writings:

• Note, An Empirical Study of Six- and Twelve-member Jury Decision-making Processes, 6 U. of Mich. J. L. Ref. 712 (1973) (CITED IN) Colgrove v. Battin 413 U.S. 149, 159 (1973); Georgia v. Ballew 435 U.S. 223, 238, 242 (1978). Kessler, A Content Analytic Comparison of the Six- and Twelve-member Jury Decision-making Process. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan (1973). Kessler, The Social Psychology of Jury Deliberation, in R. J. Simon (Ed.), The Jury System in America, A Critical Overview, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications (1975).Kessler, Karnes & Follert, "The Effect of Juror Sex on the Decision-making of Student and Actual Jurors in a Simulated Civil Case," S C A convention paper, Houston (1975). Kulka & Kessler, "Is Justice Really Blind? -- The Influence of Litigant Physical Attractiveness on Juridical Judgment," 8 Journal of Applied Social Psychology 366 (1978). Kessler, "Use of Videotape for the Expert Witness," 28 Journal of the American Academy of Forensic Science (April, 1983).  Benson and Kessler, "Legalese v. Plain English: An Empirical Study of Persuasion and Credibility in Appellate Brief Writing," 20 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review (January, 1987).  Kessler, "The Lawyer's Intercultural Communication Problems with Clients from Diverse Cultures," Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business 64 (Spring, 1988).  Kessler, "Are Lender Liability Actions Alive and Well?" Western Independent Bankers Newsline (October, 1989).  University of Michigan, Rackham School, Alumni Magazine, 2005, article, page 10. Moderator, Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles seminar "Get a Life and Stay Successful - Balancing Work, Life, and Family" (May, 2006). Moderator, Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles seminar "Communication Strategies In Dispute Resolution: How To Have A Successful Mediation - And Make The Settlement Stick" (April, 2007). Kessler, "Beyond the Golden Rule: Successful Intercultural Mediations" Volume 34, Number 10, Advocate (October, 2007).  Kessler, "Cross-Cultural Communication in Mediations" Southern California Mediation Association Annual Conference (November, 2007). "Mediator Draws on Her Multifaceted Careers", Los Angeles Daily Journal (April 18, 2008). Kessler, "Mediation Roadmap: The Mediation Brief - Plain English Trumps Legalese" Volume 35, Number 10, Advocate (October, 2008). Moderator, Southern California Mediation Association 20th Annual Mediation Conference "Solution Focused Mediation: Using Concepts from Quantum Mechanics and Neuroscience to Resolve Conflict (November, 2008). Kessler, "The Mediation Isn’t Successful if the Settlement Doesn’t Stick", Volume 36, Number 10, Advocate (October, 2009).  Speaker, Southern California Mediation Association 21st Annual Mediation Conference “Negotiating in the Female Voice: What We Can Learn From Our Women Colleagues (Not For Women ONLY)” (November, 2009).  Kessler, "Key Elements of the Successful Mediation", Volume 37, Number 9, Advocate (September, 2010).  Speaker, Southern California Mediation Association 22nd Annual Mediation Conference “Public Relations for Mediators” (November, 2010).

Educational Background:

• Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA - J.D. 1986; Chief Articles Editor, Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law JournalUniversity of Michigan, Ph.D. Speech Communication, 1973University of California, Los Angeles, M.A. Speech Communication, 1969• University of Michigan, A.B. English, 1967