Education
Law School: University of California Hastings College of the Law College: University of California Irvine, B.A. social ecology, with honors
Major Cases
• Represented a claimant in a securities and investment fraud lawsuit and helped obtain a highly favorable settlement on his behalf.
• Defended an independent physicians association through trial in lawsuit brought by a pharmacy concerning responsibility to pay for injectable medications, resulting in judgment significantly below amounts sought by the pharmacy.
• Prosecuted lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty on behalf of a partner in a construction company against former partner, and helped obtain a very significant monetary settlement.
• Defended counsel to United States Bankruptcy trustee special representative against claims by former-debtor, resulting in dismissal of the case by the bankruptcy court, affirmation of the dismissal by the Federal District Court, and affirmation by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (In re Harris, 590 F.3d 730).
• Represented national bank in action to defend title to property located in San Diego, and obtained a highly favorable settlement resulting in substantial payment to bank from title insurer.
• Defended mortgage brokers against breach of contract and fraud action by a mortgage lender to recoup foreclosed loans, resulting in settlement at mediation for a small fraction of the amount that was sought by the lender.
Professional Background
I formed my law firm in September 2011. Our focus is business and civil litigation on behalf of midmarket businesses and their executives, as well as individuals. Our typical areas of practice include contract cases, partnership disputes; disputes amongst shareholders; executive employment matters, trade secrets, fraud, and injury to business interests. We handle cases throughout Southern California.
I hold an AV Pre-eminent rating from Martindale-Hubbel. From 1996 to 2011, I was an attorney with the law firm Coughlan, Semmer & Lipman LLP in San Diego. There, I worked on complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal matters. My practice focused on the representation of professionals in liability matters. I also handled a variety of business litigation matters, such as contract disputes in state and federal court, embezzlement cases on behalf of both victims and defendants, fraud matters, and partnership disputes, just to name a few examples.
Early in my career at Coughlan, Semmer & Lipman LLP, I participated in the defense of individuals charged with various state and federal white collar crimes. This high-stakes work included handling large scale internal investigations, and sentencing matters.
Professional Affiliations
In addition to my admission before all courts of the state of California, I am admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Central Districts of California, and the Southern District of California, U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
• San Diego County Bar Association (member);
• State Bar of California (admitted in December 1995);
• Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court (Barrister, Alumnus);
• The Hon. J. Clifford Wallace American Inn of Court (Barrister, Alumnus).
Personal Affiliations
• La Jolla YMCA Adventure Guides (member and Circle Chief);
• Board member and past president, San Raphael Homeowners Association, San Diego;
• Board member, Beth El Synagogue, La Jolla.
Personal Background
I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I am from a family of lawyers. I drew my inspiration to enter the practice of law from my grandfather, who practiced law in New York, and my parents, who practiced together for many years as Kaplan & Kaplan in Northern California representing medical professionals.
I moved to San Diego in 1996, and have been practicing law in this community since then. My wife, an architect, was raised in San Diego. We have three children who attend elementary school in Carmel Valley. We enjoy spending time with extended family, supporting our children in their various sports and artistic activities, and camping. I have been an avid mountain biker for many years and enjoy reading about history.
View our Top Attorneys Emeritus, attorneys who have been named finalists four years or more from 2009 through 2013.
Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to recognize your peers or congratulate attorneys from your firm. Highlight your firm's expertise by advertising or sponsoring Top Attorneys 2014. Call 619-232-4381, email contact@sddt.com, or see our flyer for more information today!
| Nominations Open | February 10 |
| Nominations Close | April 11 |
| Sponsorship/Advertising Close | July 19 |
| Publication Date | July 30 |
| Reception | August 13 |
Under the leadership of Top Attorney Courtney Miklusak, the Career and Professional Development Office at California Western School of Law draws upon its counselor attorneys’ collective 65 years of legal experience to match highly qualified candidates with law clerk and attorney opportunities both within and beyond the San Diego market.
Boutique plaintiff’s litigation firm Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield LLP relishes the tough cases. Senior partner David Casey, Jr. explains: “We are one of the few plaintiff’s firms with the resources to aggressively litigate high profile, complicated cases all the way from pre-filing discovery through appeals.”
The Damiani Law Group APC congratulates Associate Andrew Hillier for his recent selection by The Daily Transcript as one of San Diego’s top attorneys for 2014. In its July 30 edition, SDDT recognized Mr. Hillier for his outstanding work in the criminal defense field. Annually, the Transcript organizes a peer-voting process to determine the best lawyers in private, corporate, academic and government practice in San Diego County.
Fidelity National Title’s National Commercial Services Division provides a one-stop shop for national title and closing services. With more than 165 years of experience, our highly skilled underwriters and in-house counsel have the knowledge and capability to handle title and closing/settlement transactions across the nation.
Growing up in rural Kansas, the youngest of seven, Roger Denning enjoyed science and debate. One day, as a junior in high school, he decided he should become a patent trial lawyer.
Employers in San Diego and across the country are being flooded with interns this summer looking for work experience and that first “foot in the door” in competitive industries. For many interns and employers, payment tends to come in the form of academic credit or “life experience.” Few question this long-established practice. However, is it legal under federal or state wage and hour laws, or does the title of “intern” bestow upon it an exception?
If your marriage has hit a crossroads and you’re contemplating divorce, your first thought may be to try a separation from your spouse first.
Downtown San Diego law firm Kirby Noonan Lance & Hoge has stayed small yet strong on purpose, with skilled attorneys who are attentive and dedicated to clients of all sizes. The firm practices a variety of specialties, including real estate, intellectual property and professional liability litigation.
The first patent application or applications filed by a company can be the only opportunity to claim the most broad embodiments of a platform technology. To define the scope of what is invented, functional language often is employed in the claims, particularly where the invention is of pioneering nature, such that there is no prior art barring patentability. Such claiming strategy had been successfully employed for many years, but functional language no longer is accepted by patent offices in many jurisdictions. In the United States, such claims recently have been rejected or invalidated as not adequately described and/or not enabled. In other jurisdictions, claims are rejected as claiming by a result to be achieved.
Ronson Shamoun of RJS Law is not your typical attorney. With 15 years of tax experience, including 10 years in legal practice, he has helped thousands of clients find solutions to their civil and criminal tax matters with kindness and compassion at the center of his practice.
Sometimes the first year of law school takes students by surprise. They were successful in college and expected success in law school.
Shustak & Partners PC is an AV-rated law firm with offices in downtown San Diego, Irvine, San Francisco and New York. We are known for our extensive experience in securities and business litigation and arbitration. We represent broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, brokers, publicly traded companies, local businesses and high-net-worth individuals in a wide variety of securities and financial disputes, including securities and financial fraud claims, breach of contract claims and complex employment disputes.
On June 19, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its long-awaited decision in Alice Corporation Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank International, et al. The Court held that patent claims that are directed to an abstract idea are not patentable under 35 USC 101. Those in the software field will be relieved to know that software as a whole is still eligible for patent protection.
The legal profession can be challenging and demanding. Your time is limited and you need to make important financial decisions that affect you, your family, and the success of your practice.
Before taking on the ocean or opposing counsel, Thomas Frost arrives prepared.
Aug. 13, 2014 -- Reporter Doug Sherwin speaks with attorney Randy Kay, partner with Jones Day and a 2014 Top Attorney, about why there's a surge in trade secrets litigation.
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