Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Our litigation attorneys have trial experience in the state and federal courts of California, as well as the courts of many other states. Our goal is to always provide our clients with the most efficient and effective method to resolve any problem. Most disputes should and do settle; some need to be tried. We take cases to trial when that is in our clients’ best interests. We are equally experienced in representing parties successfully in mediation, arbitration, and other forums of dispute resolution.
We represent business entities and individuals in a wide range of sophisticated and complicated disputes, with particular expertise in solving investment and financial disputes; trust and estate litigation; contractual and employment disputes; unfair competition claims; disputes between alcoholic beverage suppliers and their distributors and importers; and real estate matters. We truly have a “big firm” practice in a small firm setting. Our litigation attorneys have represented clients in such diverse matters as a nuclear power plant licensing lawsuit in state court; and claims under the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act in front of state and federal resource agencies.
Successes Include
- A defense verdict in a securities fraud jury trial spanning more than two weeks in federal court.
- Complete protection for a client faced with misappropriation of trade secrets and customer lists by a regional manager.
- A state court judgment affirming the viability of a disclaimer in protracted trust and estates litigation.
- Representation of a major utility in obtaining a new hydroelectric license from the Federal Energy Commission after negotiating and settling various natural resources issues with state and federal agencies.
- A defense verdict in a disability discrimination claim against a major local packaging plant.
- Dismissal of all claims pertaining to a tax shelter program in multi-state litigation in federal court.
- Defense verdicts, in arbitration and in Superior Court, for wineries accused of wrongfully terminating their distributors.