General
(415) 551 – 5737 or (415) 551 – 4000
Civil Division
(415) 551 – 3802
Civil Records
(415) 551 – 3806
Dept 302 – Court Clerk
(415) 551-3723
Dept 302 – Discovery Hearings
(415) 551 – 3688
General
(415) 551 – 5737 or (415) 551 – 4000
Civil Division
(415) 551 – 3802
Civil Records
(415) 551 – 3806
Dept 302 – Court Clerk
(415) 551-3723
Dept 302 – Discovery Hearings
(415) 551 – 3688
This is what I do:
As litigation counsel I represent parties in court that have been wrongfully sued or pulled into lawsuits that they should not be involved with.
Cases that I have handled include corporate defense, breach of contract, fraud, and intellectual property litigation.
I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in patent litigation matters. In patent matters, I work as a team with my colleagues at Ari Law Group.
I also serve as general counsel to a number of healthcare and technology companies in San Francisco and Silicon Valley and am experienced in licensing intellectual property including patents and SaaS technology.
I am interested in dispute resolution and experienced in handling the needs of small and medium size business owners and companies as their legal counsel.
The majority of my litigation cases are in the Superior Court for the State of California and the United States District Court (federal court). Some of the cases I have successfully handled include cases of fraud, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, and patent litigation.
1) Read Your Legal Papers Carefully. Usually a lawsuit is served with a summons and complaint. The summons should tell you where you will need to file a response and in what court. The complaint will explain the subject matter of your lawsuit. Read carefully all of the claims presented in the complaint and address them individually. You must address every item individually if you want to resolve your case as soon as possible.
2) Prepare to file some response with the court within 30 calendar days from the date you received the legal papers (or sooner). The clerk at the court should be able to tell you when your response to the complaint is due. Do not fail to respond to a lawsuit as you may get a default judgement entered against you. This may affect your credit score, or render you personally liable for a debt regardless of the merits of the lawsuit. All without having your side of the story or defense presented to the court.
If a default judgment is entered against you, you may need to file a motion to vacate entry of default and default judgment, which could cost you on average $2,500.00 or more in legal fees. Save yourself the cost, and fulfill your obligation to respond on time. Most courts will allow you to file an application for extension of time to respond to the complaint.
3) Learn Your Costs. In San Francisco Superior court, for example, it costs every party in an unlimited civil case $410.00 simply to file an answer or respond to a complaint if someone sues you. You should also have a clear understanding of your attorneys expectations in billing. Do not wait for a surprise bill from your attorney. Most attorneys in San Francisco and lawyers in San Jose or Alameda Superior Court are reasonable and will work with you to accommodate your legal budget for your lawsuit or small business lawyer needs.
4) Create a calendar. You should know your dates and what will be expected of you as a party appearing in the Superior Court of the State of California or the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. If you need help, ask an attorney.
While easier said than done, the legal journey of a lawsuit can be emotionally charged on both sides. But such emotions can be draining for both the client and lawyer, and can also cloud a line of logic that often needs to be constructed for effective litigation and mediation to occur.
Lawsuits can become emotional and spirited, but anger and resentment often get in the way of the legal process – which is based on fact, logic and process. Litigation is simply one form of dispute resolution. One way or another, the legal process will usually resolve and bring finality to your situation.
California Rules of Court require that 85% of unlimited civil cases should be resolved within 18 months after the date of filing.
Parties become involved in litigation that they did not previously expect to become involved with. Other times it is not such a surprise.
Although obligations can run personal and stakes palpably high, it is important to stay cool. Keeping a grip on yourself will help your attorney. Many of the important decisions to be made in a lawsuit will be your decisions, and your attorney will ultimately be relying on you to make them.
I once had a client who arrived at my office with voluminous docs as part of a large file, that were neatly organized. I was able to resolve her matter in less time and for less cost because she had performed much of the paperwork organization herself. And no one knew the history of those documents better than her.
Another time, a client showed up at my office with two (2) large bags of documents that were unorganized to say the least, including private and personal information, most of which was not relevant to his need for my service. Unfortunately, we had to bill him an additional $55.00 per hour (our paralegal rate) for 3.5 hours of time that was spent simply preparing the documents for use in court and redacting his personal and private financial information and data.
Clients should invest some time in preparing their case up front for the attorney. Practice your presentation to your attorney and organize all your paperwork. Investing time up front may reduce your legal expenses throughout the litigation, for example during the discovery phase.
Choose the proper content for the conversation
Lunch may not be the best time to bring a mountain of documents to go over. It is, however, a good time to get to know your attorney, and more importantly – to get them to know you. Business litigation is often emotional and elements of your case can have personal background information that can help your legal team craft a better strategy. Lunch is a good time to give your attorney information about your history of the case from a more personal standpoint. Come armed with a handful of questions you want answered as well, which means bring a notebook and pen.
Choose an inviting venue
While you shouldnt waste your money on a 4 star meal, do choose a moderately priced place close to the attorneys office. If its the type of place thats popular enough with the business lunch crowd to require reservations but doesnt have steep prices (youll find theres plenty of options, especially in metro areas) it fits the litmus test for an attorney-client lunch date. And while choosing a popular or trendy place may be more compelling to the lawyer you invite, you also want to be mindful of how noisy it is. Having strained conversations where one has to yell across the table makes sensitive conversations that much more difficult.
Pay the tab
People will remember who paid the bill. And for 45 minutes or so of an attorneys time that usually goes for anywhere from $160 – $320 an hour, its money well spent.