Ms. Barker’s full-time mediation practice draws on over 25 years of experience in law and dispute resolution and hundreds of hours of specialized training. Since 1991, Ms. Barker has successfully mediated hundreds of cases in a wide-range of areas including commercial/business, employment, real estate, personal injury, insurance, probate, partnerships, and family/divorce. She has also served as an arbitrator, discovery referee, and neutral evaluator in numerous matters. Ms. Barker has served on mediation panels and/or provided services for the following courts, private organizations, and government agencies: United States District Court, Northern District; Court of Appeal, First Appellate District; San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo, and Contra Costa County Courts; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Forest Service; California Department of Fair Employment and Housing; Kaiser Permanente; University of California; National Association of Securities Dealers; and the Northern California Mediation Center. She has served in the following professional positions:
- Barker Mediation, Principal, 1991-present.
- Bianchi, Engel, Keegin & Talkington, Litigation Associate, San Rafael, 1991–1995.
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Commercial Litigation Associate, San Francisco, 1987-1990.
- U.S. Justice Department, Trial Attorney, Office of Consumer Litigation, Antitrust Division, Washington, D.C., 1979-1982.
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Clerkship, Honorable J. Walter Yeagley, Washington, D.C., 1978-79.
Since 1991, Ms. Barker has provided consulting services, facilitation, and custom-designed trainings on mediation, communications, and conflict resolution for a variety of schools, bar associations, and government agencies and has been a guest speaker at a number of law schools and universities, including Georgetown Law Center and Stanford Law School. In addition, she has taught at the following institutions:
- Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, Adjunct Faculty, Negotiation and Mediation, 2002-present.
- Hastings School of Law, University of California, San Francisco, Adjunct Faculty, Mediation, 2005.
- John F. Kennedy University, Adjunct Faculty, Conflict Resolution Certificate Program, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, 2002.
- Sonoma State University, Adjunct Faculty, Conflict Resolution Program, 1999-present.
- Dominican College, Commercial Mediation Training, 40-hour fundamental and advanced mediation training presented twice a year, 1996-2001.
EDUCATION
1978, Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
1975, Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, 1975 (Psychology), Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member of the California Bar (since 1986) and the Washington, D.C. Bar (since 1978)