Borrell named advocate of the year

Ventura Superior Court Commissioner Mark S. Borrell has been named Alternative Dispute Resolution Advocate of the Year by the Ventura County Bar Association's ADR Section and the Ventura Center for Dispute Settlement. He was honored last week at a dinner in recognition of his contributions at the Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo.

The keynote speaker was retired Justice Steven Stone of the California Court of Appeal, who discussed the future of alternative dispute resolution. Attorney Matthew P. Guasco was also honored as the recipient of the ADR Practitioner of the Year award.

"During 2007, and continuing through this year, Commissioner Borrell has been instrumental in promoting and expanding the new Small Claims Mediation Program that has been so effective in resolving many of the small claims matters through mediation," said Hal Kyle, chair of the bar association's ADR Section, in an article for an upcoming issue of the association's publication, Citations.

Borrell has been a member of the Ventura Superior Court bench since May 2005. Previously, he was an attorney/shareholder in the firm of Benton, Orr, Duval & Buckingham, as well as an attorney in Borrell & Borrell and its predecessor firms.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado and his juris doctorate degree from McGeorge School of Law.

He is a past president of the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association and the Ventura County Criminal Defense Bar Association.