Resume

Debra Bogaards, Esq. has served as a private mediator for over six years, as well as a mandatory settlement conference officer in San Francisco for over five years and in Marin County for almost 30 years. Her extensive career highlights a remarkable track record of successfully mediating hundreds of cases, achieving a consistent settlement rate above 98%. Ms. Bogaards brings a distinct advantage to her role, offering a clear and balanced perspective derived from having represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout her 40-year career.

Ms. Bogaards’ subject matter expertise includes a wide range of employment issues in individual and multi-party cases involving wage and hour disputes, discrimination (across all protected classes), sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, whistleblowing, defamation, fraud, and reductions in workforce. Her expertise extends to personal injury matters including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, toxic tort, sexual abuse, and rideshare (Uber and Lyft) cases, elder neglect and abuse, as well as landlord-tenant disputes, including wrongful eviction and breaches of habitability like mold and carbon-monoxide exposure.

Ms. Bogaards brings nearly 25 years of experience managing two insurance defense firms and 7 years as an associate, providing her with a profound understanding of how claims representatives set reserves, evaluate cases to determine value, and negotiate settlements. With 15 years of plaintiff’s work overlapping her defense practice and over six years exclusively on the plaintiff’s side, she possesses a comprehensive perspective on personal injury cases. Ms. Bogaards is adept at calculating Howell medical specials, analyzing wage loss claims, reviewing life care plans, assessing economic damages, as well as discussing expert retention and trial budgets. Her experience, including almost 40 successful jury trials, enhances her effectiveness as a mediator in personal injury matters.

Ms. Bogaards embodies warmth, compassion, and empathy, while also maintaining a straightforward, direct, and no-nonsense approach. She adeptly discusses the strengths and weaknesses of a case with attorneys or parties directly, employing a polite, respectful, and professional manner. Her extensive experience earns the respect of seasoned trial attorneys, making them attentive to her insights. With grit, perseverance, and determination, Ms. Bogaards is committed to settling your case.

As a mediator, Ms. Bogaards has earned a reputation as a quick study capable of identifying the key issues in the heart of a dispute. The “secret” to her success lies in meticulous pre-mediation preparation, including a thorough review of all case materials. During the pre-mediation conference, expect a detailed discussion of your case’s strengths and weaknesses, potentially accompanied by additional homework. In the event that the case doesn’t settle at the hearing, Ms. Bogaards offers continued phone calls and follow-up at no extra cost until a resolution is achieved. Ms. Bogaards doesn't give up!

PERSONAL INJURY: motor vehicle accidents; bicycle and motorcycle accidents; pedestrian accidents; train accidents; public entity liability; premises liability; trip and fall; traumatic brain injury (TBI); sexual abuse; dog bite; product liability; wrongful death and catastrophic injury; psychological injury. 

LANDLORD/TENANT: habitability issues arising from noise, mold, vermin, heating, plumbing, roof leaks, and electrical; inadequate repairs; constructive evictions; multi-unit buildings.

EMPLOYMENT: sexual harassment; wrongful termination; retaliation; discrimination (across all protected classes); failure to accommodate.

SEXUAL ABUSE: by teachers and coaches in a school district; religious leaders in a church; peer on peer abuse in a residential home for teenage students.

ELDER NEGLECT AND ABUSE: failure to provide medication; failure to prevent bed sores leading to the death of the patient.

ADR Services, Inc.    2024-Present
Full-time mediator and arbitrator specializing in resolving Personal Injury, Landlord/Tenant, Employment, Sexual Abuse, and Elder Abuse disputes.

UC Law San Francisco’s Center for Negotiation & Dispute Resolution    2023-Present
Adjunct Faculty teaching “Negotiation and Settlement” class.

Bogaards Law    2017-2023
Solo practice on behalf of plaintiffs in personal injury, wrongful death, landlord/tenant, medical malpractice, sexual abuse, elder abuse, toxic tort and employment law.

Pave & Bogaards and Bogaards Davis    1994-2017
Managing Partner and Senior Trial Attorney handling insurance defense and plaintiffs’ work.

Associate with Various Insurance Defense Firms    1983-1993

Holman Fenwick (London) and Loeff & Van De Plufg (The Netherlands)    1982-1983
Post-J.D. law student in Salzburg, Austria as well as clerkships at two maritime firms.

• Harvard Advanced Mediation Training    2019
• Certificate of International Law, McGeorge School of Law, Salzburg, Austria    1983
• J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco    1981
• B.S. in Accounting & Finance, University of California at Berkeley    1978