Hon. Dana Henry (Ret.)

T: 310.203.8200
F: 310.203.8211

EDUCATION:

(1972) J.D., University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California
(1969) B.A., Political Science, California State University of Northridge, Northridge, California

JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE:

(1983-1992) Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court, serving in the Family Law Department for the last three years, recognized for hearings in non-traditional custody
(1982-1983) Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown, Jr., served as Trial Judge and Master Calendar Judge, primarily for criminal matters
(1979-1982) Judge, San Bernardino Municipal Court, served as Trial Judge and Master Calendar Judge, primarily for criminal matters

LEGAL CAREER:

(1979) Assistant to Deputy Director and Chief Counsel, Legal Division of CALTRANS
(1977-1979) Assistant District Director, Department of Transportation
(1976-1977) Special Representative, California Conservation Corporation
(1973-1976) Deputy Attorney, Department of Transportation, Legal Division (handling personal injury, condemnation, and design defect cases)
(1972-1973) Deputy City Attorney, San Diego Criminal Division
(1972) Senior Legal Intern, City of San Diego, Civil Division
(1970-1972) Law Clerk, Wikle, Atkinson, Boller & Falls (emphasizing on Environmental Class Action Litigation)

ADR EXPERIENCE:

(1993-Present) Arbitrator, Mediator, Private Judge, Special Master, Discovery Referee, Settlement Conference Officer, and Neutral Fact Finder in California, Nevada and Utah
(1993-1996) National Director of Family Law Division Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS)
Developed and implemented effective alternative solutions to traditional court litigation for family proceedings and designing creative solutions in child custody hearings.
Independent Mediator, Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) ADR Unit, Hearing matters in several states.
(1988-Present) American Arbitration Association of Utah
Worked with major corporations to formulate and implement more efficient and economical methods of handling lawsuits. Served as an independent fact finder and retained as an expert witness in Federal and State Court matters.

EMPLOYMENT LAW DISPUTE RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE:

Sexual Discrimination: Resolved high profile cases involving talent agency, major corporations, and local business restaurants with issues concerning hostile work environment.
Age Discrimination: A major corporation and a mid-level manager
Gender and Race Discrimination: Developed and implemented affirmative action programs and standards for fair and equitable recruitment and advancement of minorities and women. Developed grievance procedures between management and labor union. Developed a comprehensive review of recruitment training, promotion and discipline policies with police and fire departments to insure that the procedures were gender and race neutral. Created policy to allow women to compete for fire fighter positions. Worked with police and fire departments in creating policies to insure gender neutral environments. Created innovative programs in community colleges to train people to develop skills for non-traditional careers. Conducted hearing and neutral evaluations in matters alleging constructive discharge, denial of promotion and other benefits because of alleged racial bias.
Race Discrimination: Country club sued for national origin discrimination. EEOC was one of the parties to the proceeding. Radio station sued by disc jockey.
Whistleblower Claims: Termination of a long-term employee claiming retaliation by major harbor company for reporting alleged violation to federal government.
Disability Claims: Mediator in claim involving major book company and Center for Law and the Handicapped.
Also handled matters involving religious discrimination and sexual orientation discrimination.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Employment Law, Family Law, Probate, Business and Commercial matters, Elder Care, Personal Injury, Products Liability, Partnerships, and Partnership matters

HONORS / AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS / AFFILIATIONS:

Speaker, The American Bar Association convention on family law issues and ADR; The Rutter Group Family Law Update (1992); The Rutter Group Gender Bias (1992); Los Angeles County Bar Family Law Symposium updates (1991, 1992); California Judges Association Family Law Committee (1990); "National Humanitarian Award", American- Israel Fellowship Society (1990); "Community Service" California State Assembly; "Career Explorations 84" Los Angeles City/County Consolidation Commission (1978-1979)
Consultant for The Rutter Group “Alternative Dispute Resolution” California Practice Guide
Committee Chair, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Services, Executive Committee and Employment Law Section (1977-1978)
Vice-President, California Trial Lawyers Association (1976-1977)
Member, Los Angeles City/County Emergency Preparedness Commission (1975-1977) City of Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners (1975-1977); California Women Lawyers Association; National Association of Women Judges; California Judges Association; Women Lawyers of Los Angeles; SPAC (Crime Prevention Advisory Counsel-DARE); The Buckley Schools; Resolution for City of Los Angeles; Resolution from Board of Fire Commissioners, City of Los Angeles; State Bar of California Family Law Custody Committee and Labor Committee
Awards for Distinguished Achievement, International Association of Fire Fighters
Award for Service, Los Angeles City Fire Department; Commendation Emergency Preparedness Commission for County and City of Los Angeles
Certificate of Appreciation Los Angeles County Commission on the Status of Women; Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities; Who’s Who in Law Enforcement; Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women.

INTERESTS:

Spending time outdoors, skiing, horseback riding, hiking, golf and playing tennis

AVAILABLE:

Throughout California, Nevada and Utah

Download Judge Dana Henry's Profile (PDF)