Hon. Evelio M. Grillo
Judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County, (Ret.)
Mediator • Arbitrator • Referee
Hon. Evelio M. Grillo
Judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County, (Ret.)
Mediator • Arbitrator • Referee
About:
Hon. Evelio Grillo comes to ADR Services, Inc. with a strong background in mediation, settlement, and
arbitration. Prior to joining ADR Services, Inc., Judge Grillo served as the Alameda County Superior
Court’s primary settlement judge from 2012 to 2017 and as the court’s Supervising Settlement Judge from
2017 to 2019. As the first Supervising Settlement Judge, Judge Grillo spearheaded the formation of the
court’s Settlement Department, one of the first stand-alone dedicated settlement departments in the State
of California, and a concept deemed revolutionary at the time. Judge Grillo established the first protocols
and procedures for the Settlement Department, and introduced innovative settlement techniques such as
the use of double-blind mediators’ proposals, actuarial case evaluation and jury verdict analysis in judicial
settlement conferences. After leaving the Settlement Department for Civil Direct Calendar and Complex
Litigation, Judge Grillo, as the chair of the court’s ADR Committee, successfully advocated for the
replacement of the court’s judicial arbitration program with court mediation, a transformation welcomed by both the plaintiffs’ and the defense bars, and which opened up the court’s ADR processes to the
mediation community.
JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE:
Judge of the Superior Court, Alameda County Superior Court, 2003-2024
- Complex Litigation, 2021-2023
- Judicial Council assignment, Coordinating Trial Judge for JCCP cases filed in Northern California, 2021-2023
- Superior Court Appellate Panel, Supervising Judge, 2021
- Superior Court Appellate Panel, Member, 2019, 2020
- Civil Direct Calendar, 2018-2021
- Settlement Department, Supervising Judge, 2016-2017
- Civil Law & Motion and Writs & Receivers, 2012-2016
- Civil Direct Calendar, 2009-2011
- General Criminal Law, 2006-2008
- Family Law, 2003-2005
Judicial Committees and Activities
- Alameda County Superior Court, Executive Committee
- Alameda County Superior Court, Civil Committee
- Alameda County Superior Court, Personnel Committee
- Alameda County Superior Court, Self-Represented Litigants Sub-Committee
- Alameda County Superior Court, Access Committee
- Alameda County Superior Court, ADR Committee
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
- Business/Breach of Contract/Partnership Dissolution
- Civil Rights
- Class Actions
- Complex Litigation
- Elder Abuse
- Employment
- Landlord/Tenant
- Personal Injury
- Probate and Trust
- Real Estate
- Wage & Hour/PAGA
