Understanding the Role of Mediators and Attorneys After ABA Ethics Opinion 518

Joel Osman | Parker Shaffie LLP

Joel A. Osman is Partner/General Counsel at Parker Shaffie LLP. He concentrates his practice on litigation and trials. Prior to joining Parker Shaffie LLP in 2014, Mr. Osman was principal of Osman & Associates, a private law firm in South Pasadena. Prior to setting up his private practice, he managed a similarly named entity which was part of staff counsel to Travelers Indemnity Company. For Travelers, he was responsible for all aspects of managing its Southern California liability practice, its multi-million-dollar budget and 54 employees engaged in defense of Travelers insureds in all manner of general liability, auto, fire and subrogation matters.

Previously, Mr. Osman was a senior partner at Anderson, McPharlin & Conners LLP in Los Angeles. In his career, he has represented clients in cases involving professional liability, general liability, product liability, construction defects and commercial litigation, trying numerous jury trials to verdict. He has focused much of his interest on the defense of lawyers and legal ethics.

His current professional activities include membership in the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee (where he was the chairperson for the 2008-2009 year). He served on the State Bar’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct from 2015 through 2018.

Jeff Kichaven | Jeff Kichaven Commercial Mediation

Jeff Kichaven is one of America’s leading mediators. He’s “Ranked in Chambers – Band 1” on the USA Nationwide list of mediators, and Lexology (f/k/a Who’s Who Legal) has honored him as a Global Elite Thought Leader in Mediation. He has been a full-time mediator in private practice for 30 years, following 15 years as a business litigator and degrees from Harvard Law School (JD Cum Laude 1980) and the University of California, Berkeley (AB Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, 1977). He is an Elected Member of the American Law Institute, and his views on mediation have been cited in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He is a frequent writer on mediation topics and has trained mediators for the American Bar Association, Harvard Law School, Pepperdine Caruso School of law, and many other bar associations and law schools nationwide. He is also a co-host of The New Possibilities Hour weekly webinar, part of the #WillWorkForFood Project (www.willworkforfood.news), through which audiences have contributed nearly $1,000,000 to support food banks worldwide.

I. ABA Ethics Opinion 518 (announced November 2025) and why it has been described as a new age in the roles of mediators, attorneys, and their clients | 1:00pm – 1:15pm

II. How Opinion 518 affects the roles of mediators, attorneys, and their clients in mediation | 1:15pm – 1:30pm

III. The particular emphasis on how an attorney’s role in the mediator process is affected by this Ethics Opinion | 1:30pm – 1:45pm

IV. Practical takeaways for attorneys and mediators working with clients after Opinion 518 and what to do differently going forward | 1:45pm – 2:00pm