Presenters
Debbie Bau Nakazato
Debbie Bau Nakazato was married to the late Honorable Arthur Nakazato. During their time together, they supported each other’s passions for their respective professions — Art’s devotion to the law and Debbie’s love of aviation and international travel. Debbie’s lifelong respect for the legal profession was influenced early on by her father, Lawrence Bau, a corporate attorney in the Chicago area. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University with a major in Telecommunications and a minor in Computer Science, Debbie began her career as a software engineer, concentrating on animation and graphics. She developed educational software for Scott Foresman Publishing Company and programmed arcade games for Mylstar Electronics. Unexpectedly, when a friend submitted her resume to Continental Airlines without her knowledge, Debbie was invited to interview and was offered a position as a flight attendant. Although aviation was not a career she had initially considered, she embraced the opportunity — and over four decades later, she continues to fly internationally for a major airline, still finding joy in her work. Throughout their marriage, Judge Nakazato often traveled alongside Debbie, allowing them to explore much of the world together, sharing many adventures, while blending their professional lives with treasured personal experiences.
Christopher Chan (Emcee)
Christopher Chan is a Certified Structured Settlement Consultant who began his career with Ringler in 2013, following a brief tenure in Shanghai, China, where he worked in hospitality management. As a settlement advisor, Chris helps plaintiffs maximize the long-term value of their settlements by leveraging structured settlement annuities, trust solutions, and other financial tools tailored to their future needs. Chris specializes in resolving claims involving Workers' Compensation, Employment Discrimination, General Liability, and Personal Injury. He is also highly experienced in the use of attorney fee deferral strategies to help legal professionals manage and spread out their tax liability. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Security and Conflict Resolution, with an emphasis in Environmental Security, from San Diego State University. While at SDSU, he served as president of his student organization and was actively involved in campus affairs. Chris holds a California Life, Accident & Health License and the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC) designation from the University of Notre Dame. Outside of the settlement world, Chris is also a professional MC and DJ. He is one of the select few entertainers authorized to perform at Disneyland events, and has hosted corporate engagements for companies such as HP Communications, QSC, Judicate West, NATLE, AAJ, Disney, and Knotts Berry Farms.
Suzy Lee
Suzy Lee is General Counsel at Themes East, Inc. Previously she was General Counsel at Otis Elevator Korea, VP & General Counsel at ITT Cannon, and VP & General Counsel at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. She is a graduate of Cornell University, Fordham University School of Law, and Phillips Exeter Academy.
Hon. Franz E. Miller (Ret.)
Hon. Franz E. Miller (Ret.) joined JAMS after 16 years of service on the Orange County Superior Court. His tenure at the court was equally divided between the Family Law Panel and the Civil Law Panel, where he was supervising judge during the last two years of that assignment. Judge Miller handled thousands of matters, tried more than 500 contested cases and settled many cases that were destined for trial. He served as settlement officer on highly contested matters. The Superior Court’s settlement program afforded him the ability to focus on case dynamics and to resolve cases that might otherwise have moved on to lengthy, expensive trials. Judge Miller came to the bench with vast and varied legal experience, including more than 13 years of litigation involving more than 30 jury trials and 13 years as a senior staff attorney at the Court of Appeal. He taught in local law schools as an adjunct professor for over 20 years. During his legal career, Judge Miller was very active in the Orange County legal community, serving as president of the Orange County Bar Association in 1997, and in his local community, where he was a planning commissioner.