About Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas Goforth built a legal foundation at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1973. He later completed his Juris Doctor at Western State University College of Law in 1978. Those years set the stage for a long career in California courts.
He joined the California State Bar in 1979 and has maintained an active membership ever since. Early in his practice he became involved in local bar activities and, in 1985, joined the Contra Costa County Bar Association. Over the decades he has combined private practice with service to the courts and the bar.
Goforth is the owner of the Goforth & Lucas Law partnership. In that role he handled a range of civil matters while expanding his work as a mediator and arbitrator. His private practice provided a platform to accept court panel appointments and to work directly with parties seeking alternative dispute resolution.
Beginning in 2007 he was added to the Alameda County Superior Court panel as a mediator and arbitrator. Solano County appointed him as a mediator the following year, in 2009. From 2010 onward he has served on panels for several additional Northern California courts, including Sacramento, San Francisco and Marin counties. He is also listed as a panel mediator for Contra Costa County Superior Court.
Those panel assignments reflect the next phase of his professional life. He has worked on mediation panels for multiple counties and served in arbitrator roles where appointed. The work has included civil disputes of varied types and required coordination with court staff, counsel and litigants to move matters toward resolution.
Outside of court appointments he has remained connected to the local legal community. His long-standing membership in the Contra Costa County Bar Association has kept him engaged with peers and local legal issues. The combination of courtroom experience and panel mediation work has led to a practice that often shifts between representing clients and helping them resolve disputes outside trial.
Goforth’s career spans litigation, client counseling and alternative dispute resolution. He continues to accept panel mediator appointments and to operate his practice through the Goforth & Lucas Law partnership. He currently focuses on mediation and civil dispute resolution.
