About Your Mediator, Carol Kingsley

Carol M. Kingsley is an attorney mediator with over 25 years of experience. She works exclusively as a mediator, specializing in the areas of business disputes, real estate/construction and estate/trust conflicts.

Carol brings to mediation her substantial experience as a business and tax lawyer: negotiating transactions; facilitating business formations, mergers, acquisitions, and dissolutions; estate planning; creating trusts; handling real estate and construction matters; and advising on general corporate, partnership, securities, consumer, intellectual property, tax and employment law.

She earned a JD with MBA in Taxation as well as a National Association of Securities Dealers license. She has had an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell for more than 25 years. She has mediated hundreds of cases and has approximately 300 hours of mediation and other dispute resolution training.

Carol uses a flexible solutions-oriented approach to mediation employing methods and various techniques as appropriate to suit the nature of the dispute and involved parties. She favors facilitating discussion among conflicting parties until they reach resolutions based on their respective interests and mutual understanding.  However, Carol also assists parties in traditional negotiations where resolution is based solely on money, and when requested by all parties to the dispute, evaluates the conflict and possible solutions.

She understands that to be an effective mediator, you need to be a good listener and assist parties in conflict to continue to dialogue through challenges. Over the years, her unique approach to mediation has been extraordinarily successful in helping parties in conflict reach agreement.

In addition to her private practice as an independent mediator, Carol has mediated cases for non-profit and government entities including: Congress of Neutrals where she supervises mediators, Contra Costa Courts, The Bar Association of San Francisco, and Marin Mediation Services.

Work History

• Kingsley Mediation Services, mediation practice evolved from law practice.
• Dodd, Futterman & Dupree, LLP
• Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP, Partner.
• Bancroft & McAllister, Principal.
• Hendrickson, Higbie & Cole, a Law Corporation, Principal, Director & Associate.
• Tuckman, Sussman, Rose & Kalish, Associate.
• Sutro & Company, Inc., Legal Counsel and Portfolio Manager of Tax Shelter Investments.
• Law clerkships include: Bank of America, U.S. Attorney’s Office Tax Division, National and Economic Development and Law Center.
• Previous professional experience in health care: Administrator, Department of Health and Public Hygiene of State of Maryland, and Instructor at University of Maryland.

Experience

Independent neutral specializing in the resolution of disputes, including business, securities, commercial, consumer,  contract, insurance, intellectual property, employment, estates and trusts, and real estate matters. In addition to private practice as independent mediator,  mediates cases for organizations such as,  Congress of Neutrals, Contra Costa Courts, San Francisco Superior Court ADR Project, Bar Association of San Francisco, U.S. Northern District Court, FINRA, California Department of Insurance and Marin Mediation Services. Supervise mediators at Congress of Neutrals. Over 20 years experience as a general business, corporate and tax attorney.

Substantial experience negotiating business transactions, and facilitating business formations, mergers, acquisitions, and dissolutions. Led law firm tax practice, engaged in tax analysis and planning, formation of estate trusts, and successfully resolved numerous tax disputes before federal, state and local taxing authorities. Negotiated real estate transactions and construction matters. Experience with securities laws and regulatory compliance. Trademark, intellectual property rights, licensing and distribution rights, employment, leases, financing and, equipment leasing are some of other areas of experience.

Boards, Commissions & Committees

Professional Affiliations