Established full-time mediator brings extensive dispute resolution experience, more than three decades of civil litigation insight, and an active approach to moving difficult cases toward settlement
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Signature Resolution is pleased to announce that Thomas Oesterreich has joined its panel of neutrals, where he will serve as a mediator. A full-time neutral since 2021, Tom brings extensive experience resolving civil disputes and a reputation for an active, highly engaged mediation style that keeps parties talking, tests assumptions, and creates movement when negotiations become difficult.
Tom's mediation practice is informed by experience in approximately 4,000 mediations and arbitrations as both an advocate and neutral, along with more than three decades representing plaintiffs and defendants. That breadth gives him a practical understanding of how differently parties can evaluate the same facts, risks, and potential outcomes, and how those competing perspectives can prevent a case from moving forward.
Tom does not take a passive approach to mediation. He comes prepared to engage with the facts and law, asks questions that get beneath stated positions, and works directly with parties and counsel to determine what is actually standing in the way of resolution. His outgoing style allows him to establish rapport quickly, while his litigation experience gives him the credibility to have direct conversations about weaknesses, exposure, and the realities of continued litigation when the circumstances require it.
"Every case has a point where the conversation can either stall or start to move," said Tom. "I stay engaged to recognize that moment. Sometimes the parties need a different way of looking at the problem, sometimes they need a direct assessment, and sometimes they simply need someone to keep the conversation productive. My job is to figure out what the case needs and keep working from there."
Before dedicating his practice exclusively to neutral work, Tom spent 21 years as a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP. His litigation practice encompassed personal injury, wrongful death, premises and product liability, transportation, professional negligence, business disputes, employment, trade secrets, and partnership dissolutions. He represented individuals, small businesses, executives, and Fortune 100 companies, giving him experience with disputes involving markedly different interests, resources, and approaches to risk.
That background now informs a broad mediation practice spanning business and commercial contracts, construction and construction defects, employment, insurance coverage, personal injury, premises liability, product liability, professional liability, real estate, transportation, and wrongful death matters. Across case types, Tom focuses on identifying where communication has broken down and determining what will help the parties evaluate their positions differently.
"Tom comes to Signature Resolution with an established mediation practice and an extraordinary amount of experience at the settlement table," said Dario Higuchi, Chief Executive Officer of Signature Resolution. "What distinguishes him is how actively he works a case. He understands the perspectives of plaintiffs and defendants, reads when a negotiation needs patience and when it needs a more direct assessment, and is willing to keep changing the conversation until he finds what can create movement. Parties can trust that Tom will come prepared, stay engaged, and put his experience to work toward getting the case resolved."
Tom has also served as a settlement officer for the Orange County Superior Court and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Orange County Chapter. He is a member of the Southern California Mediation Association and the Orange County Bar Association's Masters Lawyers Division and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. He completed Mediating the Litigated Case through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University.
Tom earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.
To learn more about Thomas Oesterreich, please visit: LINK
About Signature Resolution
Founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, Signature Resolution brings together a panel of distinguished neutrals from diverse backgrounds, including respected judges and trial attorneys with expertise across virtually every civil practice area. Signature Resolution is committed to providing attorneys and their clients with exceptional neutrals, personalized service, and the resources necessary to resolve even the most challenging legal matters. The firm continues to expand its presence across California and nationally. For more information about Signature Resolution'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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