About Val D.
Val D. Hornstein trained as a lawyer on the East Coast and built a career that spans courtroom work and alternative dispute resolution. He earned a B.A. in English from Colgate University in 1978 and received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 1984. Those two degrees set the stage for a practice that moves between litigation and settlement work.
Early in his career Hornstein took on roles that placed him inside the court system. In 1994 he served as a judge pro tem and sat as a settlement conference panelist for the California Superior Court. That experience exposed him to the mechanics of California civil procedure and to the practical pressures that push parties toward resolution. Over time he added formal dispute-resolution roles outside the courtroom.
By 2001 he was working as an arbitrator under the auspices of the State Bar of California. Three years later he accepted assignments from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as an arbitrator, handling cases that required understanding of securities disputes and industry rules. In 2011 a federal district court panel in Northern California appointed him to serve as a mediator. The mediator role broadened his work beyond adjudication. It also placed him in the center of complex settlement talks.
Hornstein is admitted to practice in several jurisdictions. His admissions include New York and California, and he is also admitted in the District of Columbia. He holds admissions to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit. Those credentials reflect a practice that can cross state and federal lines and appear in appellate and trial settings.
His work combines courtroom experience and neutral roles. He has stood in for judges as a pro tem, overseen settlement conferences, and acted as both arbitrator and mediator. That mix gives him a particular fluency in dispute resolution, whether a matter is heading toward trial or seeking a negotiated end. Colleagues and clients have noted the practical bent of his approach and his comfort moving between advocacy and neutral facilitation.
Hornstein practices through Hornstein Law Offices, Prof. Corp. The firm name appears on filings and in listings that document his activity as counsel and as a neutral. He remains active in ADR panels and continues to accept mediation and arbitration assignments, alongside civil litigation matters. He currently practices at Hornstein Law Offices, Prof. Corp., concentrating on mediation, arbitration, and civil litigation matters.
