Focus of Practice

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Legal Experience

Partner in the firm Culp, Dwyer, Guterson & Grader, 1975 - 1987; managing partner from 1978 - 1983; King County Superior Court, 1987-1990; Private Arbitrator/Mediator, 1990 - present. Certified Neutral on the American Arbitration Association Commercial Panel of Arbitrators.

Court Admissions

Judge, King County Superior Court, 1987 1990; Judge Pro Tem and Arbitrator in the King County District and Superior Courts.

Education

B.A., Economics, University of Washington, 1966; J.D., Willamette University College of Law, 1970

Professional Associations

University District Food Bank Board of Directors; Past: Chair, King County Judges Local Rules Committee; Outstanding Service Award, Western Washington Federal Bar Association for service as a mediator in civil litigation; Lawyer delegate to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference; Member, Ninth Circuit Task Force on ADR; President, Western Washington Federal Bar Association; Girls High School Basketball Referee; Member Board of Directors Fortune Bank 2008 to present; Member Board of Directors King County Bar Foundation, President 2009; Member Board of Directors Broadmoor Golf Club 2010 - 2013, President 2013 - 2014

ADR Training

Judge Burdell participated in the implementation of CR 39.1. He has attended and taught numerous ADR training sessions and seminars. He serves as a certified Neutral on the American Arbitration Association Commercial Panel of Arbitrators, completing the Arbitration Fundamentals and Best Practices for New AAA Arbitrators training in May, 2013. In October 2015 he completed the AAA ACE 01 Award Writing course for CLE credit and also attended the AAA Roundtable: Substance Abuse & the Twinkie Defense for one CLE credit. In 2016 he taught mediation classes at the University of Washington and Seattle University law schools for a total of 8 hours. He taught a class on mediation at Seattle University in April of 2017 (8 hours). February 2022 AAA Roundtable Brown Bag Series;Jim Madison and Paul Dubow present the 2021 Annual ADR Case Update; (1.5 hours); August 2021 ACE21 Impartiality: Do You Know Where Your Biases Are August 2021 (1 hour); July 2020 ACE20 Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility (1 hour); July 2020 AAA Roundtable Brown Bag Series Litigation Funding Challenges Faced By Arbitrators and Mediators (1.5 hours); June 2019 AAA ACE19 Case Finances: What Arbitrators Need to Know (1 hour); December 2019 AAA Roundtable Brown Bag Series; Best Case Management Practices for Arbitrators Brownbag (1.5 hours).

ADR Experience

Judge Burdell became a full-time mediator and arbitrator in 1990. Since that time he has conducted more than 2000 mediations and arbitrations in cases involving many areas of law such as complex business litigation, construction, marriage dissolution, personal injury, professional liability, product liability, environmental issues and employment. While practicing law, he specialized in complex civil litigation, dissolutions and antitrust cases and participated in the implementation of the Civil Rule 39.1 mediation program in the US District Court. He was frequently asked by other attorneys to serve as their 39.1 mediator and settled many cases, including one Native American water rights case which had been pending in the Federal Courts for over 16 years. As a King County Superior Court Judge, he conducted hundreds of settlement conferences.

ADR Practice Areas

Admiralty/Maritime, Contracts, Environment, Product Liability, Professional Negligence, Torts