Employment Mediation is different from other forms of mediation in that many cases feature similar issues and interests, pushing the plaintiff and the defense into common "boxes" and arguments.  Jack Schaedel, whose decades of experience included both sides of the "v" will discuss the areas of misunderstanding that create barriers between employee counsel and employer counsel, and how these can be broken down for more efficient and effective employment mediations.

About Jack Schaedel

Jack has devoted his entire professional life to employment law.  From his childhood experiences hearing about his dad’s work as a negotiator for his teachers’ union, to joining a Community Mediation Clinic on Long Island as a teenager, to studying Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, to a 27-year career as a mediator and a litigator, Jack has the substantive knowledge and mediation skills to create the most satisfying employment law solutions.

Jack’s legal career began in 1995 after he graduated from UCLA School of Law.  After nine years of learning the ins and outs of advising and representing employers, he underwent a career change by earning a Certificate in “Mediating the Litigated Case” from Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute.  In 2004, Jack founded his own firm and mediated dozens of disputes in employment law and other areas, while continuing to practice employment law.  As a solo practitioner, then as a founding member of a boutique, Jack represented and advised employees and employers, while continuing to participate in mediation programs through LA Superior Court.  In 2013, Jack joined what was then the nation’s largest minority-owned law firm, practicing alongside some of LA’s first generation of civil rights attorneys.  During his 11-year period in Pasadena, Jack conceived and founded the Labor & Employment Section of the Pasadena Bar Association in 2012, chairing it for five years.  He organized and moderated over 40 MCLE luncheons and networking events, bringing together plaintiffs, defendants, and neutrals to build collegiality and expand knowledge of cutting edge L&E issues.

From 2015 to 2023, Jack practiced in Downtown Los Angeles at major employment law firms, then returned to his first love and passion, helping people resolve disputes.  With his extensive experience on both sides of “the v.”, his training and experience as a neutral, and his history as a small business owner, Jack is perfectly situated to understand and empathize with every participant in a mediation.  Jack is a marathoner who has completed a 42,000 piece puzzle.  He has the endurance, discipline, focus, and perseverance to bring out a deal where others might give up.

On the personal side, Jack lives in La Cañada Flintridge, where he has been actively involved in community organizations and city government for over 20 years.  His wife is a teacher at San Marino High School, and they have three kids, two grown and one a senior at La Cañada High School, heading to San Diego State University in Fall 2025.