Spotlight: Law Firm Managing Partners

Originally published March 2, 2015.

The Business Journal invited managing partners from law firms across the North Bay to answer a survey. Here are the responses.

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Anderson, Zeigler, Disharoon, Gallagher & Gray

Managing partner: Wendy Whitson

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: As a real estate transaction attorney, I don’t “prevail in cases” … rather, I successfully close complex deals. The transactions of which I am most proud are those in which my clients are able to achieve their life goals with my help. In the past three years I have aided clients in financing their dream retirement through the sale of real estate which had been in their family for decades, helped one of the Northbay’s top chef’s purchase a location for his flagship restaurant and participated in some of the largest and most complex commercial transaction in the county.

Best local attorney you know at another firm: Dawn Ross

Best local attorney you know under age 40: Allison McNeill

Most poignant lawyer joke you know: People who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either being made.

Favorite song you are likely to sing in shower or car: Ain’t Nobody Loves Me Better, by Chaka Khan

Favorite sport you play: Basketball

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Bradley, Curley, Asiano, Barrabee, Abel & Kowalski PC

Managing partner: Arthur W. Curley

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: Defended suit against Santa Rosa surgeon alleging negligent sinus surgery resulting in sinus disease and five surgeries. Plaintiff had nationally known expert from Alabama and local MD, DDS surgeon. We presented nationally recognized author and surgeon from Florida and local oral surgeon as experts. After five weeks of trial the jury voted 12-0 for a defense verdict.

Best local attorney you know at another firm: David Zeff

Best local attorney you know under age 40: Peter Finn

Most poignant lawyer joke you know: There are no lawyer jokes, they are all based upon true stories.

Favorite song you are likely to sing in shower or car: Happy

Favorite sport you play: Outrigger canoe racing

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Hanson Bridgett LLP

Managing partner: Andrew Giacomini

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: We successfully defended our shopping center landlord and property developer client in a six-month arbitration. The $300 million claims against our client concerned taxes and also breach of contract allegations regarding a proposed A’s baseball stadium in Fremont. The highlight was the great working relationship with our client. We strategized and attacked the issues together, and of course, had fun doing it. Our client witnesses were front and center in our case and we used creative demonstratives to show a clear defense in a very complicated case. I even wore different color A’s baseball hats when cross-examining the A’s owner, each one representing different perspectives regarding the stadium plans. Ultimately, I am most proud of obtaining for our client a clear and deserving victory.

Best local attorney you know at another firm: John Hullverson, Emison Hullverson LLP

Best local attorney you know under age 40: Mohammad Walizadeh, partner, Hanson Bridgett

Most poignant lawyer joke you know: What’s wrong with lawyer jokes? Lawyers don’t think they’re funny, and nobody else thinks they’re jokes.

Favorite song you are likely to sing in shower or car: “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed. I participated in a Family Music Hour back in December, and this was the song I sang.

Favorite sport you play: Basketball. I played on the Hanson Bridgett team in the BASF basketball league during the summer 2014 season. We came in first place.

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Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello Gross & Leoni LLP

Managing partner: James R. Parrinello

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: I represented several property owner groups in striking down a punitive San Francisco law violating their first amendment and property rights.

Best local attorney you know at another firm: James Nevin

Best local attorney you know under age 40: Chris Skelton

Favorite sport you play: Soccer, fly-fishing, golf

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Parton Sell Rhoades

Managing partner: James Sell

Case you are most proud of in past three years: I was retained by a commercial landlord to secure payment from a tenant that had defaulted on its lease. The tenant did not dispute that past and future rent was owed. The challenge was working out a payment plan that the tenant could realistically perform and then securing sufficient security from the tenant in the event the tenant stopped paying or filed for bankruptcy. The tenant performed the payment plan for almost a year until it was forced into bankruptcy by unsecured creditors. However, because of the work our firm performed on the front end, the tenant continued to pay the client during the course of the bankruptcy and the client was eventually paid in full, with interest, by the end of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Best local attorney you know at another firm: Matt White

Best local attorney you know under age 40: Matthew Haulk

Most poignant lawyer joke you know: Attorney meets with a client to go over the client’s will. At the end of the meeting, client asks the attorney how much he owes the attorney and the attorney says, “$100.” Client whips out his money clip, peels off a $100 bill, hands it to the attorney, thanks him, and walks out. As the attorney walks back to his desk, he realizes the client had actually handed him not one, but two $100 bills by mistake and is now faced with a daunting ethical question: Do I tell my partner?

Favorite song you are likely to sing in shower or car: “Cry Love” by John Hiatt

Favorite sport you play: Road biking when not refereeing youth rugby.

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Smith Dollar PC

Managing partner: Glenn Michael Smith

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: Our firm was selected as specialty counsel for the FDIC on mortgage malfeasance and fraud cases arising out of the largest bank failure in history. We coordinated all of the investigations arising out of this bank failure and were responsible for training other law firms and developing cases. It was a massive undertaking and we were very proud to be selected for and to successfully complete this engagement.

Best local attorney you know at another firm and under age 40: There are many talented attorneys in the North Bay – each excelling in their own individual practice area. Obviously, not one attorney can handle all of the different types of cases that come along. One of the challenges I face on a daily basis is finding qualified attorneys to take referrals of matters that my firm does not handle. I pride myself on finding the best referrals for potential clients when cases present issues outside our practice areas.

Favorite sport you play: Golf. Fortunately, I am a better lawyer than golfer as evidenced by the fact that I have been general counsel to the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club for the past 32 years.

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Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP

Managing partner: Gregory G. Spaulding

Case you are most proud of in past three years where you prevailed: I represented an antique shop, and the tenant next door amassed piles of garbage. My clients complained to the landlord for both properties, but the debris remained. A fire burned my clients’ merchandise. We prevailed against the neighbor and the landlord. It helped that, just before the fire, my clients told the landlord that the situation was a fire hazard, and his response was to go to Mexico for a two-week fishing trip. When asked about his later efforts to evict the bad tenant, he admitted he was “too late.” We won and were awarded attorneys’ fees.

Best Local attorney you know at another firm: Sonoma County is lucky to have many excellent attorneys. The best know who they are. I think Chris Andrian is a top criminal defense attorney.

Best local attorney you know under age 40: With many younger attorneys doing great work, it’s tough to choose, but I have been really impressed with Josh Meyers at Sonoma County Counsel’s office.

Most poignant lawyer joke you know: I am not a fan of lawyer jokes. We provide challenging services in an adversarial system and so we seem to be an easy target. Unfortunately, a few questionable attorneys can bring disgrace to our profession, and so I look to promote the lawyers who spend countless hours giving back to our community, through active leadership on nonprofit boards and generous donations.

Favorite song you are likely to sing in shower or car: I don’t sing in the shower. In the car, I sing everything! Anything by the Beatles, Tom Petty or Weezer or the over 5,000 rock-and-roll selections on my iPod.

Favorite sport you play: Tennis