James M. Treppa

James M. Treppa comes to Signature Resolution after an accomplished career in the courtroom, trying civil cases to verdict across Northern and Central California and representing insureds and businesses in landlord-tenant, real estate, homeowner association, and personal injury matters. As both a trial lawyer and the managing partner responsible for running his firm, Jim learned to evaluate a dispute from every angle: the advocate building the case, the counsel managing the client relationship, and the business leader who understands firsthand the cost of a prolonged dispute. Jim brings a full view of a conflict, and an earnest desire to help people reach resolution, to every case at the mediation table.

Jim’s approach starts with preparation, the foundation for an efficient mediation. In session, he listens closely for the motivations beneath positioning, and remembers what’s important to each participant, building the trust needed to move past a stalemate. Known on both sides of the bar for his care and candor, Jim works to balance the goals of those at the table with the realities of their case, stepping in with facts and law when needed, while helping parties feel in control of their negotiations. For Jim, a good mediation is when each party walks away feeling like they were a true part of the process, not bystanders to it, a distinction that is vital to a resolution that holds.

Jim joined Bledsoe, Diestel, Treppa & Crane LLP as a young attorney in January 1993, made partner in 1998, and later served as the firm’s managing partner from 2000-2019, growing his caseload to further include construction, products liability, and business and employment matters. While his practice was primarily focused on defense, Jim’s process was anchored in understanding the case from the other side first, a discipline that gave him working knowledge of both perspectives long before he became a neutral. Along the way, he argued before the California Courts of Appeal and took part in hundreds of mediations and arbitrations as an advocate. He also served a four-year term on the board of directors of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada, and has been repeatedly named a Northern California Super Lawyer for more than a decade, most recently in 2026.

After a career spent representing clients on one side of the table, Jim arrives with an eagerness to help both parties find their own way to settlement. Driven by a genuine interest in people, he wants everyone who sits across from him to feel seen and understood, not merely processed toward a conclusion. For attorneys and clients ready to meaningfully move a matter forward, Jim prepares, listens, and stays with a case until an agreement is reached together.