David P. Dowling, J.D., MDR

Biography

David P. Dowling is the Judge Danny Weinstein Managing Director of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law. He is a professional mediator with more than fifteen years of experience mediating a wide range of disputes, including commercial, contract, restorative justice, employment, probate and trust, guardianship, family law, special education, public policy, healthcare, insurance, personal injury, and real property matters. He is the founder of Summit Mediation and serves on mediation panels for the Superior Courts of California in Riverside and Orange Counties. He also serves as an ADR Consultant and Mediator for the East Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).

In addition to his mediation practice, Dowling is an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University School of Law’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, where he teaches and contributes to training programs in mediation and conflict resolution. He is a frequent international guest lecturer, including long-standing engagements with the Law Society of Ireland, and has taught international mediation skills at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in Ukraine. From 2009 to 2018, he served as Director of the Mediation Clinic and Clinical Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law, where he also taught as an adjunct faculty member.

Dowling’s academic and professional work reflects a strong commitment to experiential education and practical training in dispute resolution. His teaching and mediation practice emphasize thoughtful process design, ethical decision-making, and human-centered conflict engagement across legal, institutional, and community contexts. He has been actively involved in court-connected mediation programs and special education dispute resolution, and has worked extensively with families, professionals, and public institutions to resolve complex and sensitive disputes.

Dowling holds a Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law and a Master’s degree in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. He also earned a Certificate in Teaching Law School ADR Classes from Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Brigham Young University, with a minor in Political Science.

Throughout his career, Dowling has been recognized for his practical, grounded, and compassionate approach to mediation and teaching. His work bridges theory and practice, with a focus on building durable agreements, restoring relationships where possible, and advancing the field of dispute resolution through education, service, and institutional leadership.