Hon. Frank Ochoa

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…”

His university teaching involved instruction in aspects of immigration law, education law, and a variety of civil rights related issues. As a Law Professor, Ochoa has taught Legal Method and Process, Statutory Law, and Professional Ethics courses.

Judge Ochoa is a panelist on the American Arbitration Association’s roster of arbitrators and mediators, and is a panelist for Resolute Systems, LLC. He is an approved member of the Santa Barbara Superior Court’s panels for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Neutral Case Evaluators, and is a panelist for the Ventura County Superior Court’s mediation programs.