Henry J. Bongiovi has over twenty years experience as a litigator in both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties, and is AV Rated (“5 out of 5”) by Martindale-Hubbell, as well as being rated Superb (“10 out of 10”) by AVVO. In 1998, Mr. Bongiovi became certified as a mediator after receiving formal mediation training. At that time he added mediation services to his thriving civil litigation practice. Thereafter, Mr. Bongiovi became a Special Settlement Master for the Santa Barbara Superior Court. Since its inception in 1999, Mr. Bongiovi has been a Santa Barbara Superior Court CADRe (Court Administered Dispute Resolution) Program Panelist as a mediator. Mr. Bongiovi was a member of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court’s first Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, and is currently a Santa Barbara Superior Court CMADRESS Facilitator and in that capacity acts as a mediator.
Mr. Bongiovi started practicing law in Los Angeles in 1990. His legal career began in general business and civil litigation, with an emphasis on construction defect litigation. In 1993, Mr. Bongiovi became a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney. At the end of 1995, Mr. Bongiovi moved his family to Santa Barbara and worked as an associate at a well-established employment law firm. In 1997, Mr. Bongiovi opened his own law practice, which emphasizes labor and employment law, as well as other areas of civil and business litigation, including real estate, personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. In his practice, Mr. Bongiovi has successfully negotiated several union contracts with public agencies.
Mr. Bongiovi received his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1990. While attending Loyola, Mr. Bongiovi was the co-founder and Chairman of the Loyola Law School Environmental Law Society. He was also a member of the Scott Moot Court Honors Program and interned for the Western Law Center for the Disabled.
Mr. Bongiovi received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at San Diego where his curriculum emphasized a strong science background, especially in the area of biochemistry. During his college years, and after college, Mr. Bongiovi worked in scientific laboratories conducting research in the areas of immunodiagnostic biomedical research, biochemistry, immunology, and marine biology.
Mr. Bongiovi is also a past Chairman of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association’s Employment Law Division. In addition, Mr. Bongiovi has served as the Chairman of the Conference of Delegates for the Santa Barbara Bar Association. Mr. Bongiovi is presently a Master of the William L. Gordon Inn of Court. He has also served on the Advisory Board of a local Santa Barbara charity.
Clients and mediation participants have often stated that Mr. Bongiovi ability to quickly analyze complex issues and break them down into their simplest components so that they can be resolved efficiently.