Full-time mediator and former San Diego Superior Court judge brings decades of settlement experience, judicial insight, and a persistent approach to resolving complex civil disputes
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Signature Resolution is pleased to announce that Hon. Timothy M. Casserly (Ret.) has joined its panel of neutrals, where he will serve as a mediator. A full-time neutral since 2021 and former San Diego Superior Court judge who spent 25 years on the bench, Judge Casserly brings extensive settlement experience and a practical understanding of what it takes to move difficult civil disputes toward resolution.
Settlement has been a defining focus of Judge Casserly's career. During more than a decade in the San Diego Superior Court's North County Civil Independent Calendar Department, he managed a substantial civil docket and conducted more than 300 judicial settlement conferences. Earlier, while serving six years in the North County Trial Department, he presided over civil trials and conducted settlement conferences every week. Since leaving the bench in 2021, he has devoted his practice exclusively to serving as a neutral.
Judge Casserly is particularly effective in matters where emotions are high, expectations are far apart, or meaningful progress requires more than a single mediation session. His approach combines patience and careful listening with candid assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, and practical realities of a case. He gives parties the opportunity to feel heard while helping them evaluate legal theories, damages, settlement positions, and the risks of continued litigation with greater clarity.
When negotiations reach an impasse, Judge Casserly is persistent. He is willing to change approaches, revisit difficult issues, and remain engaged when he believes a viable path to resolution remains. His decades on the bench also give him a valuable perspective on how disputes develop through litigation and how arguments and evidence may ultimately be received at trial.
"The cases that are hardest to settle are often the ones where people need to feel heard before they can really evaluate their options," said Judge Casserly. "I give parties that opportunity, but I'm also candid about the strengths, weaknesses, and realities of the case. When there is still a path to resolution, I'm willing to stay with it and keep working until we find it."
As a full-time mediator, Judge Casserly has handled matters ranging from emotionally charged personal injury and wrongful death claims to sophisticated disputes involving businesses, partnerships and shareholders, construction projects, employment, insurance, professional liability, real estate, and emerging technologies. His broad civil experience allows him to quickly understand complex facts while remaining focused on the people and interests driving the dispute.
"Judge Casserly has spent decades developing the judgment required to recognize when a difficult case still has a path to resolution, and the persistence to keep working until the parties find it," said Dario Higuchi, Chief Executive Officer of Signature Resolution. "His experience conducting hundreds of settlement conferences on the bench, followed by five years devoted exclusively to mediation, gives parties a neutral who understands both how cases are likely to unfold in court and what can move them toward settlement. He earns trust by listening carefully, speaking candidly, and staying engaged when the work becomes difficult."
Before his judicial career, Judge Casserly served for 15 years as a Deputy District Attorney in San Diego and Sacramento counties. He has also served as faculty for the Center for Judicial Education and Research's New Judge Orientation and is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Todd Inn of Court, and Lopardo Inn of Court. In 2021, he received the North County Bar Association's Judge Moon Award.
Judge Casserly earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Los Angeles. He has also completed Mediating the Litigated Case through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law.
To learn more about Hon. Timothy M. Casserly (Ret.), please visit: LINK
About Signature Resolution
Founded in 2017 in the heart of Los Angeles, Signature Resolution comprises a panel of distinguished neutrals hailing from diverse backgrounds, including respected judges and trial attorneys specializing in virtually every civil practice area. The founding partners inaugurated the organization with a vision of providing the highest level of service and convenience for attorneys and their clients. Signature Resolution's panelists offer unrivaled expertise and commitment to resolve even the most challenging legal matters. In addition to the Los Angeles location, Signature Resolution also has offices across California. For more information about the firm's mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution services, visit signatureresolution.com.
Media Contact
Katelyn Cummings, Signature Resolution, 1 6506447867, [email protected], Signature Resolution
SOURCE Signature Resolution
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