I have been a practicing attorney in San Diego for nearly forty years. During that period of time I have handled literally thousands of legal cases, including personal injury (both plaintiff as well as defense), workers compensation, landlord tenant, civil litigation (plaintiff and defense), business litigation, family law and criminal defense. Many of these matters were able to be resolved by means of alternate dispute resolution. This process saved my clients time, money and much aggravation.
As a participant in scores of mediations, I came to realize that there is no “one size fits all” with respect to alternate dispute resolution. People are different; their legal claims are different; and the mediator must take this into account. I decided to pursue mediations as a career change, and to this end completed the intensive Pepperdine Law School mediation course in 2014. I am now handling mediations in my offices which are located in downtown San Diego.
Areas of Mediation
- Personal Injury
- Civil Litigation
- Business Litigation
- Aircrash Litigation
- Landlord – Tenant
Bar Admissions
- California, 1977
Education
- University of California, San Diego, 1970
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 1977
- Pepperdine University, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, 2014
Published Works
- “The Law and Mr. Finnegan”, Consulting Editor, State Bar of California, September, 1991
- “California Practice Guide: Law Practice Management”, Consulting Editor, The Rutter Group, November, 1992
- “The Real Truth About Air Crash Litigation”, Dicta Magazine, San Diego County Bar Association, June & July, 1993
Classes/Seminars
- Speaker, Law Practice Management Seminar, State Bar of California, San Diego, 1990
- Speaker, Client Relations Seminar, State Bar of California, San Francisco, 1991
- Speaker, Law Practice Management Seminar, State Bar of California, Anaheim, 1991
- Speaker, Client Relations Seminar, San Diego Legal Secretaries Association, San Diego, 1992
- Program Chair, Lawyer Pilots Bar Association Aviation Symposium, San Diego, 1993
- Speaker, Client Relations Seminar, State Bar of California, Los Angeles, 1993
- Speaker, Aviation Law Seminar, San Diego County Bar Association Aviation Law Section, San Diego, 1993
- Speaker, Client Relations Seminar, California Western University School of Law, San Diego, 1993
- Speaker, Aviation Law Seminar, Orange County Bar Association, 1994
- Program Co-Chair, Orange County and San Diego County Bar Associations Aviation Law Symposium, Palm Springs, 1994
- Program Co-Chair, Southwest Regional Aviation and Space Law Symposium, Palm Springs, 1995
- Program Co-Chair, Southwest Regional Aviation and Space Law Symposium, Palm Springs, 1996
- Program Co-Chair, Southwest Regional Aviation and Space Law Symposium, Palm Springs, 1997
- Speaker, Aviation Law and Insurance Symposium, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, 1998
- Program Co-Chair and Speaker, Southwest Regional Aviation and Space Law Symposium, Palm Springs, CA, 1998
- Speaker, 26th Annual Pacific Northwest Aviation Law Seminar, King County, Washington Bar Association Aviation Section, 1998
- Speaker, Seminar on Civil Trial Practice, San Diego Inn of Court, 2002
- Speaker, Seminar on Civil Trial Practice, San Diego Inn of Court, 2003
- Speaker, Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association FAA Demonstration Trial, Whistler, British Columbia, 2002
- Presenter, San Diego Inn of Court Evidence Seminar, San Diego, CA, 2005
- Speaker, Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, Mackinac Island, MI, 2005
- Presenter, NTSB Bar Association/Blue Angels Seminar, Pensacola, FL, 2006
- Instructor, San Diego Inn of Court, San Diego, CA, 2007- Present
Honors and Awards
- Member, United States Registry of Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans, 1994
- Finalist, San Diego County “Top Attorneys,” The Daily Transcript, 2009
Professional Associations and Memberships
- California Young Lawyers’ Association, Former Vice President
- California State Bar Board of Governors, Former Member
- San Diego County Bar Association, Current Member
- Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, Former Board Member
- Lawyer’s Club of San Diego, Current Member
- State Bar of California, Law Practice Management Section, Past Chair, Executive Committee
- San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association, Member
- San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Club, Member
- San Diego County Bar Association, Aviation Law Section, Co-Founder and Past Chair
- Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, Past President
- San Diego Municipal Court, Judge Pro Tempore
- Downtown YMCA Board of Management, Former Member
- San Diego Inn of Court, Member, Board of Directors
- Member, San Diego Family Law Bar Association