Hon. Vivian L. Medinilla (Ret.)
Profile
Vivian L. Medinilla, a former Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, has joined Weiss, Saville, Medinilla & Houser, PA, where her practice focuses on alternative dispute resolution and litigation. In 2013, she was nominated by then-Governor Jack A. Markell, and confirmed by the Senate, as the first Latina appointed to the Superior Court. Vivian is bilingual in English and Spanish with over three decades of legal experience, both on Delaware’s highest court of general jurisdiction and in private practice.
During her 12-year term on the Court, she presided over hundreds of jury and non-jury trials and served on the Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Division, which is dedicated to the adjudication of business disputes. She managed dockets that included mass torts, asbestos, product liability, medical negligence, and other civil litigation matters.
As a professional neutral, before and during her judicial career, Vivian has obtained certifications specializing in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) from the Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law, as well as the National Judicial College and the Superior Court of Delaware. Vivian has mediated complex matters while on the bench and is now a Fellow of the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals (ACAN).
Before her judicial appointment, Vivian served the Markell Administration as the Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families, where she led the State agency on efforts to improve the child welfare, juvenile justice, and child mental health systems. Prior to that, she was a trial lawyer with Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP, and president and owner of the state’s first multi-lingual civil litigation law firm.
Vivian sits on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, the Board of Trustees for Ursuline Academy, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA). She previously sat on the Boards for Salesianum School, Westside Family Healthcare, St. Francis Hospital Trinity Health, and the Latin American Community Center.
She was an adjunct professor at the Delaware Law School. She served as Chair of the National Conference of State Trial Judges of the Judicial Division for the American Bar Association (ABA). She currently serves as Vice President of District Directors for the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) and its former representative to the House of Delegates for the ABA.
Vivian received DSBA’s Women’s Leadership Award in 2020. She was inducted into the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012. She was the recipient of The Strong, Smart & Bold Award from Girls, Inc. in 2012, the Distinguished Hispanic Delawarean Award in 2010, and the Haskell/Wyeth Award from Delaware Futures in 2009. In 2014, she received the Angela Boyle Service Award from her alma mater, Ursuline Academy.
Vivian has three adult children, a plant named Thirsty Howell III, and lives in Wilmington.
Vivian L. Medinilla, previamente jueza del Tribunal Superior de Delaware, se ha unido a Weiss, Saville, Medinilla & Houser, PA, en donde su práctica se ha enfocado en resolución alternativa de disputas y litigación. En 2013, fue nominada y confirmada como la primera Latina elegida para el Tribunal Superior. Vivian es bilingüe en inglés y español con más de tres décadas de experiencia legal, tanto en el tribunal de más nivel de jurisdicción general en Delaware como en la práctica privada.
Durante sus 12 años en el tribunal, ha presidió centenares de juicios con y sin jurado, y servido en la División de Litigación Comercial Compleja, que está a cargo de la resolución de disputas entre compañías. Manejó expedientes que incluían agravios masivos, asbestos, responsabilidad civil de productos, negligencia médica y otros asuntos de litigio civil.
Como profesional mediador, antes y durante su carrera judicial, Vivian ha obtenido certificaciones especializadas en Resolución Alternativa de Disputas (ADR) de la Escuela de Leyes Caruso de la Universidad Pepperdine, así como el Colegio Judicial Nacional y el Tribunal Superior de Delaware. Vivian ha mediado en asuntos complejos mientras estuvo en el tribunal y ahora es Miembro de la Academia de Mediadores Designados por el Tribunal (ACAN).
Antes de su nombramiento judicial, Vivian sirvió en la administración de Markell como secretaria del Departamento de Servicios para la Niñez, la Juventud y sus Familias, donde lideró la agencia estatal en iniciativas para mejorar el bienestar infantil, la justicia juvenil y la atención infantil. Anteriormente, era un abogado especializado en litigios en el juzgado con Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP, y presidente y dueña de la primera firma de litigación civil multilingüe de abogados del estado.
Vivian es miembro de la Junta Directiva de los Boys & Girls Clubs de Delaware, de la Junta Directiva de la Academia Ursulina y forma parte del Comité Ejecutivo del Colegio de Abogados del Estado de Delaware (DSBA). Anteriormente formó parte de las juntas directivas de Salesianum School, Westside Family Healthcare, St. Francis Hospital, Trinity Health y el Centro Latinoamericano de Wilmington.
Fue profesora adjunta en la Facultad de Derecho de Delaware. Se desempeñó como presidenta de la Conferencia Nacional de Jueces Estatales de Primera Instancia de la División Judicial de la Asociación Americana de Abogados (ABA). Actualmente se desempeña como Vicepresidenta de Directores de Distrito de la Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Juezas (NAWJ) y fue representante ante la Cámara de Delegados de la ABA.
Vivian recibió el Premio al Liderazgo Femenino de DSBA en 2020. Fue incluida en el Salón de la Fama de las Mujeres de Delaware en 2012. Recibió el Premio Strong, Smart & Bold de Girls, Inc. en 2012, el Premio Hispano Distinguido de Delaware en 2010 y el Premio Haskell/Wyeth de Delaware Futures en 2009. En 2014, recibió el Premio al Servicio Angela Boyle de su alma mater, Ursuline Academy.
Vivian tiene tres hijos adultos, una planta llamada Thirsty Howell III, y vive en Wilmington.
Presentations, Panels and Presiding Matters
Notable Judicial Experience
Presided over Asbestos Docket and Mass Tort matters, including Monsanto and Zantac claims filed in Delaware.
Small Firms & Solo Practitioners ADR and Family Law Conference
Wilmington, DE
Panelist for Preparing for Mediation
Walsh Rubenstein Seminar on Ethics and Professionalism
Wilmington, DE
Panelist for Trends in Mediation and Arbitration
Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) Conference
Las Vegas, NV
Panelist for The Role of the Judiciary and Timely Views from the Bench
Delaware Law School
Wilmington, DE
Latin American Law Student Association (LASLA) Keynote
Presenter: Mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Delaware Civil Practice
Wilmington University School of Law
Wilmington, DE
Delaware Living History: Agents of Change
Panelist for the Civil Rights and Social Justice Symposium
The Impact of Collaboration and Advocacy
Annual MDL Judicial Summit
Aspen, CO
Panelist for Exit Strategies, Resolution Options and Dealing with the “Tail”
Honors
Recipient of the 2020 Women’s Leadership Award, Delaware State Bar Association
December 2021
Inducted into the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame
May 2012
Recipient of the Angela Boyle ’53 Award for Service, Ursuline Academy
May 2014
Recipient of the Strong, Smart & Bold Award, Girls, Inc.
June 2012
Distinguished Hispanic Delawarean Award, Latin American Community Center
October 2010
Recipient of the Haskell/Wyeth Award by Delaware Futures
April 2009
Featured as one of the “Latinos to Watch” by Delaware Today Magazine
November 2006
Featured in article entitled “100% Latino Firm” in Working Mother Magazine
October 2005
Selected as one of Delaware’s Top 100 Attorneys by Delaware Today Magazine
October 2001