Hon. Franz E. Miller
Retired Judge of the Superior Court
Judge Franz Miller, who retired from the Orange County Superior Court in 2019, continues to serve the legal community through his arbitration-mediation-court reference work at JAMS. He enjoys helping lawyers and parties resolve their legal disputes in an efficient manner. Judge Miller continues to be active in the Orange County legal community, and enjoys competing in dog agility in his spare time. Educational & Employment History • BA from University of California, Los Angeles (1971) • J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles (1974) • Orange County deputy public defender (1976 to 1983) • Private practice (1983 to 1989) • Court of Appeal senior staff attorney (1989 to 2002) • Orange County Superior Court Judge (2002 to 2019) • Judicial Assignments: Family Law Panel (2002 to 2007 and 2015 to 2019); Unlimited Civil Panel (2007 to 2015); Supervising Judge, Civil Panel (2014 to 2015) • Arbitrator/mediator working through Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS) (2019 to present) • Adjunct Professor of law at Western State, Chapman, and Whittier Law Schools Achievements & Other Notable Experience • CEB Commentator on Civil Discovery • Orange County Bar Association president (1997) • OCBA Charitable Fund Individual Honoree (2021) • Robert Banyard Inn of Court president (2006 to 2008) • Judicial Civility Award (2012) • Orange County Women Lawyers Judge of the Year (2012) • Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County Judge of the Year (2004) • Orange County Asian American Bar Association Judge of the Year (2013) • Celtic Bar Association Judge of the Year (2006) • Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (2019 to present) • Judicial Excellence Award (2012)
Glen Michael Reiser
Judge
Judge Glen Reiser (Ret.) has worked with JAMS for more than six years as a trust, probate, and conservatorship mediator. Before becoming a judge, he worked for more than two decades as a trial and appellate litigation attorney, including complex trust and probate matters. (See, e.g. Burch v. George (1994) 7 Cal.4th 246.) As a trial judge for an additional two decades, Judge Reiser exclusively handled trust, probate, and conservatorship cases for the majority of that tenure. Significant cases affirmed from his court include Department of Child Support Services v. Brown (2004) 117 Cal.App.4th 144.; Kasperbauer v. Fairfield (2009) 170 Cal.App.4th 785; Christie v. Kimball (2012) 202 Cal.App.4th 1407; Conservatorship of Moore (2015) 240 Cal.App.4th 1101; and Aviles v. Swearingen (2017) 16 Cal.App.5th 485. As a mediator with JAMS, Judge Reiser managed the litigated resolution affirmed in Breslin v. Breslin (2021). 62 Cal.App.5th 801. For many years through 2022, he served as a judicial trainer for all judges in California assigned to hear trust, probate, and conservatorship matters. Judge Reiser now works extensively throughout California settling these legally and financially complex, high emotion, family wealth disputes. Judge Reiser graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1978. He worked as a prominent trial and appellate lawyer across all civil case types until appointment to the bench in 1998. Beyond trusts, probate, and conservatorships, Judge Reiser managed multiple trial assignments in the Superior Court, including civil trials and motions, criminal trials and motions, and family law. He also worked on the court's Appellate Division. Beyond courtroom responsibilities, Judge Reiser worked for many years with the Judicial Council's Court Technology Advisory Committee and its Center for Judicial Education and Research. Judge Reiser is a frequent speaker on various trust, probate, and conservatorship matters to local probate bars and estate planning councils across California. He continues to train state court judges upon their request on various matters of substantive and procedural interest, including probate court case management. Judge Reiser has authored a number of topically relevant articles and most recently co-authored "Breslin v. Breslin: Does the Seamless Fabric Need Tailoring?" in the Trusts & Estates Quarterly for The California Lawyers Association.
Shirish Gupta
Mediator & Arbitrator
Shirish Gupta is an award-winning neutral known for his legal acumen and economic prowess, which makes him particularly adept at diving into complex financial/technical disputes, including IP, securities and accounting, and class actions. He is sought out by Silicon Valley startups, as well as Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Gupta is an active, hands-on mediator who works with the parties until the matter is fully resolved; he once mediated a global settlement of all 36 pending and contemplated actions. Prior to joining JAMS, he practiced law with Mayer Brown, Howard Rice and Flashpoint Law. His practice focused on the areas he specializes in as neutral – commercial, securities, class actions, IP, founder disputes and employment. Educational & Employment History • Lecturer at UC Berkeley Law School • Adjunct Professor at UC Hastings (now UC Law San Francisco) • Currently an arbitrator, mediator, and neutral evaluator at JAMS • Principal, Flashpoint Mediation, San Mateo, Sacramento, and Irvine, CA (2010 to 2015) • Principal, Flashpoint Law, San Mateo and Irvine, CA, (2008 to 2015) • Senior Litigation Associate, Mayer Brown, Palo Alto, CA, (2002 to 2008) • Litigation Associate, Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin (now Arnold & Porter), San Francisco, CA (1999 to 2001) • J.D., University of Chicago Law School • BA, magna cum laude, Double Major: Economics and Legal Studies, UC Berkeley In 2013, Mr. Gupta’s mediation skills were recognized when he was recruited to mediate Superstorm Sandy insurance coverage claims in New York. In 2014, The Recorder conducted an extensive survey of Bay Area attorneys and named him the Best Independent Mediator. At his peak, Mr. Gupta was mediating and resolving four claims per day. In 2016 to 2018, he recognized the ongoing harm caused by Sandy and helped resolve homeowner flood insurance claims in New York and New Jersey, taking the time to learn the homeowner’s concerns and helping explain the intricacies of FEMA’s flood insurance policies. Mr. Gupta has been a leader in the majority and diverse bar associations. He served as Co-Chair of the California State Bar Council of Sections, President of the South Asian Bar of Northern California and Alternate Regional Governor of National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Mr. Gupta currently serves in the Intellectual Property Section of Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley.
