Craig Hartsuyker has an unparalleled depth of experience with settling large loss claims. Mr. Hartsuyker has managed law practices with more than 150 attorneys, and most recently was the Regional Head of Claims Litigation for all of California for one the major insurance carriers. During his tenure as a senior executive at one of the largest insurers in the United States, Mr. Hartsuyker oversaw literally thousands of large loss claims and litigated matters. You would be hard pressed to find a mediator with a better understanding of how to speak the language of litigators, litigants, and large loss insurance professionals than Craig Hartsuyker. In addition to his experience above, Mr. Hartsuyker has completed training for mediating litigated cases with the Pepperdine Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution.
Football fans may remember Craig Hartsuyker from his college years as an outside linebacker for the Trojans, receiving several Pac-10 defensive player of the week awards and the Most Valuable Lineman for the 1990 Sun Bowl his senior year. After USC, Mr. Hartsuyker played briefly for the Los Angeles Rams prior to the start of his law career. Mr. Hartsuyker's football history has taught him to be tenacious and fearless regardless of the challenge. Since graduating from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1995, Craig Hartsuyker has always been ambitious. He became a partner at a firm just a few years later in 1997 and a managing attorney by 2002.
Craig has had thorough experience with a variety of practice areas, including personal injury, construction defect, commercial general liability, environmental litigation, insurance defense, subrogation, and business and real estate litigation. Those who personally know Craig enthusiastically endorse his astounding level of emotional intelligence and his uncanny ability to communicate effectively in high pressure situations, making a naturally talented mediator.
Vivian Schwartz has had a distinguished 40-year career as a litigation attorney. Most recently, she was the Division Leader in the Los Angeles office of a major insurance carrier. She was managing law offices with attorneys who handled the most severe and high exposure cases in the company. Ms. Schwartz has tried many cases herself and mentored less experienced attorneys in their trial work. She has handled hundreds of arbitrations and mediations in her career.
Early in her practice, she volunteered as judge pro tem and more recently was an Administrative Hearing Officer for the Orange County Housing Authority. While raising a family, Ms. Schwartz finished college and attended law school. She began her legal practice in 1982 with a major insurance carrier and worked her way up to handling bad faith lawsuits against the company as well as coverage opinions. She then became the first woman managing attorney in the history of the company, and from there managed several of the company’s law offices. After a brief time handling personal injury cases as a plaintiff’s attorney, she was hired to manage a law office for the major insurance carrier from which she recently retired as Division Attorney.
Ms. Schwartz has many contacts within the legal community and is well respected by all. She has experience in personal injury, commercial, general liability, environmental litigation, insurance defense, as well as HOA litigation. Ms. Schwartz has a passion for bringing people together to resolve even the most difficult of issues. Her understanding of the law and her desire to promote resolution make her a perfect mediator for all types of cases.
HMS • (805)-807-9012 • CHARTSUYKER@HARTSUYKERMEDIATIONSERVICES.COM
Copyright © 2020 Hartsuyker Mediation Services - All Rights Reserved.