Hon. Frank Ochoa

Complex Commercial Mediator

Mediator / Retired Judge · Bar Admission: California

Hon. Frank Ochoa has served as a private mediator, arbitrator, referee, special master and hearing officer since he retired in 2015 after more than three decades of service on the superior and municipal courts. He heard the full range of civil, family and probate cases, including complex, high-profile matters, on the Santa Barbara Superior Court (1997-2015). Impelled by his Legal Aid experience and a realization that the traditional litigation forum was not the best way to resolve some of the cases in court, Judge Ochoa implemented the CADRe (Court Administered Appropriate Dispute Resolution) “ADR” Program. Judge Ochoa developed a reputation as one of the primary settlement judges on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Judicial colleagues would often send difficult cases to him for a “final” settlement conference. In a Los Angeles Daily Journal “Judicial Profile” published on July 17, 2008, it was said of Ochoa, He is “a patient, compassionate, intelligent judge….a leader in Santa Barbara’s legal community…Ochoa excels in settlement negotiations…”