Online legal services part of changing landscape
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
Education
Law School: California Western School of Law
College: United States International University
Bar Admissions
California; Nebraska, U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California; U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit
Practice Areas
Personal Injury & Property Damage
Major Cases
H&H Cerritos v. U.S. Mineral Products, asbestos removal at a shopping center. $14.1 million jury verdict;
Sierra Motors, Inc. v. Honda of North America, 13 Honda dealers sue over kickbacks paid by other dealers to Honda management to divert proper allocations of autos;
Sierra Club of San Diego v. International Boundary and Water Commission, et al. Litigation to force environmental review of border sewage issues;
Shames v. City of San Diego: Class action to refund monies wrongfully collected from single family residences for sewage treatment;
Villa v. City of Chula Vista: Class action to recover tax monies improperly assessed on city cell phone users;
Renteria v. RWM Fiber Optics: Vocational student injured in fall in training;
Meze v. Stoltz: Dolphin trainer injured in car crash.
Professional Background
My early career was with Defenders Inc., as a public defender, I then went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney. I later chaired the Juvenile Justice Commission and worked as a Clinical Professor at University of San Diego Law School. In 1988, I joined Casey Gerry, where I have had the opportunity to handle numerous multimillion dollar cases, including representing 13 Honda dealers in a case described as "the largest commercial bribery case in U.S. history." I have also been involved in numerous class action lawsuits, including a case against the city of San Diego — an effort to help residents reclaim millions in damages allegedly mischarged for sewer services — settled for $40 million.
Over the past several years I have turned my attention to personal injury cases.
Professional Affiliations
On Board of Directors of the San Diego County Bar Association; past president of the Bar Association of North San Diego County; chair of its Personal Injury section; vice-chair ABA, (Torts and Insurance Practice Section) Trial Techniques committee as well as vice chair of its Products Liability committee; chair, Task Force on Plaintiff Involvement, chair, Bicycle Litigation Committee, American Association for Justice (AAJ). Formerly clinical professor and currently adjunct professor of Law at the University of San Diego Law School, teaching a jury trial practice course; Fellow, National College of Advocacy of AAJ and Fellow, American Bar Foundation (one-third of 1 percent of licensed attorneys).
A member of Lawyers Club of San Diego, San Diego County Bar Association; AAJ (formerly ATLA); ABA-Trial, Tort Insurance Practice Section; Consumer Attorneys of California; Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and Bar Association North San Diego County.
I am a frequent speaker at the National College of Trial Advocacy for AAJ, the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and at the University of San Diego Law School.
Personal Background
In my spare time, I enjoy photography, jogging and singing, and formerly played guitar in a popular local rock band.
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
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