United States Magistrate Judge Louise LaMothe occupies a unique part-time judicial position in Santa Barbara for the Central District of California. She has served since 2014 and handles a wide variety of criminal duties as well as settlement conferences for the Court. She practiced as an arbitrator and mediator for 20 years in Santa Barbara before her appointment, and continues her private ADR practice in areas that do not conflict with her official duties. A Stanford Law School graduate and Martindale AV-rated litigator in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, she serves on the American Arbitration Association’s commercial, employment, international, class action and large complex case panels She is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and an International Mediation Institute-certified mediator. She is a former Chair of the ABA Section of Litigation, and a life member of the ALI and CWL. She has written and spoken throughout her career on gender equity, and has been named one of California’s Top 50 California Neutrals and a California Super Lawyer. Her website is www.dispute-solutions.com.