Superior Court Boot Camp (6th Annual): A Motion and Trial Practice Skills Program (CA) (2011)

Faculty:

Darci Burrell's dedication to advancing the rights of society's less powerful is equaled only by her devotion to the rule of law. An unyielding advocate for her clients, Ms. Burrell's innovative legal work has expanded the bounds of civil rights law. She is particularly noted for the novel application of "aiding and abetting" claims to employment discrimination cases, including one case against a psychiatrist who determined that an African American employee was unfit for duty because she kept raising claims of racial discrimination in the workplace.

Darci is a founding partner of Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP. Prior to that, she was a senior associate with the employment practice group of Boxer & Gerson LLP, where she successfully litigated and tried cases on behalf of women subjected to gender discrimination and sexual harassment, people subjected to racial discrimination and harassment, people with disabilities, whistleblowers, tradeswomen and other women in non‐traditional employment, and others, against both corporations and public entities.

Darci has practiced civil rights and public interest law since she graduated from UCLA Law School in 1995, beginning with a year serving as the Ruth Chance Law Fellow with Equal Rights Advocates, a women's employment law center in San Francisco. In that position, Darci represented women and girls in cases involving sexual harassment and gender‐based discrimination. She also advocated on behalf of women in non‐traditional employment, including tradeswomen and fire fighters.

Darci then joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as a staff attorney, litigating class action lawsuits on behalf of, among others, female police officers, African American probation officers, and residents of a largely-Latino neighborhood fighting a new freeway extension.

Darci returned to the Bay Area in 1998 to serve as a Civil Rights Attorney with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, enforcing laws against discrimination in education on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, gender and disability. Two years later, she joined Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian as a civil litigator involved in a variety of employment discrimination and wage and hour class action lawsuits.
 

Judge Duffy-Lewis began her legal career in private practice; a diverse practice, ranging from and emphasizing airline deregulation, aviation law, and family law. She later joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. While a deputy district attorney, Judge Duffy-Lewis prosecuted major felonies and while assigned to the San Fernando branch courthouse in the north San Fernando Valley, she prosecuted the case of People v. Daniel Jenkins. During the prosecution of this case, her investigating officer Detective Thomas C. Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department was executed by Jenkins (who was out on bail) in front of his child’s elementary school on Halloween Day 1985. This case was responsible for changing the bail laws in California. Daniel Jenkins is now on death row awaiting execution.

A native Angeleno and Eagle Rock high school graduate, Judge Duffy-Lewis earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California and her juris doctorate degree from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles. She was appointed to the Municipal Court bench on July 8, 1987 by then Governor George Deukemjian and was elected to the Superior Court bench, unopposed, in January 1996.

Prior to her legal career, the judge was an educator at the elementary and high school level and also was assistant to the Dean, Northrop University School of Law. Further, she has served on the Osteopathic Medical Licensing Board as a public member, appointed by the governor.

Since 2003, Judge Duffy-Lewis has been assigned to Dept. 38, Unlimited Jurisdiction, Fast Track, Stanley Mosk Civil Courthouse. She has handled a wide variety of cases.

Ms. Duggan was formerly a shareholder of Porter Scott prior to joining Palmer Kazanjian Wohl Hodson LLP.

Jennifer's legal practice focuses on business, real estate and employment litigation. She also provides general preventative advice to assist clients in avoiding litigation. Recently, Jennifer has worked on a number of cases involving unfair business practices and trade secrets.

Throughout her career Jennifer has represented a variety of private and public entity clients in a broad range of litigation matters in both state and federal courts; particularly in the areas of employment discrimination and harassment, wrongful termination, civil rights and governmental tort liability. Jennifer has also practiced in the areas of general negligence/personal injury work, auto liability, wrongful death, and ADA public accommodation and disability access law.

Jennifer has successfully argued before both the Third District Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit. From 2004 to 2009, Jennifer served as an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law where she taught Civil Pre-Trial Litigation. Jennifer has participated extensively as a moderator and panelist in a number of MCLE presentations, including CEB seminars. Since 2001, Jennifer has served as an arbitrator and settlement conference judge pro tem for the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Jennifer is the past president of the Barristers' Club of Sacramento and is a current member of the Northern California Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. She served as an advisory board member for the University of Oregon Center for Law and Entrepreneurship from 1997 until 2004.  Jennifer served on Sacramento's No Glass Ceiling Task Force and was a founding member of the Westlake Charter School.  She is currently on the board of directors for the Positive Coaching Alliance and the St. John’s Shelter for Women & Children and was recently honored by the Sacramento Business Journal with the Women Who Mean Business (2010) award. 

Ms. Duggan graduated in 1992 with a B.A. from the University of California at Davis. While at the University of Oregon School of Law, Jennifer served as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation and was awarded the Oregon State Bar Securities Regulation Scholarship. She graduated with an emphasis in Business Law in 1996.

David Hoffman is a trial lawyer in Warner Center, Woodland Hills, who litigates state-wide handling all aspects of catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, malicious prosecution and insurance bad faith claims.  He is a former firefighter EMT, attended UCLA (B.A., '84) and Southwestern University School of Law (J.D. '88).  David is an emeritus member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys Association (since '93), and has also served the Los Angeles County Bar Association with two terms on its Judicial Appointments Committee.

Karen P. Kimmey is a partner in the firm's Business Litigation and Intellectual Property and Technology Groups.  She represents both large and small businesses, as well as individuals, in a wide range of commercial disputes, with a particular emphasis on class actions, unfair competition claims (including claims under Section 17200), shareholder litigation, and copyright, trademark and patent disputes.

Ms. Kimmey is a seasoned trial lawyer who has successfully handled numerous bench and jury trials. 

Ms. Kimmey is a two-time national champion in speech and debate and was chosen as the top oral advocate at the Traynor moot court competition.

Judge Kleinberg is currently one of the four civil case managers in the Superior Court and sits in San Jose. His assignment includes law and motion, case management, trial settings, and settlement conferences. Prior to his appointment to the bench by Governor Davis in 2002, Judge Kleinberg was a civil litigator with over 34 years' experience handling and trying complex commercial disputes including contracts, intellectual property, securities, and unfair competition disputes. After graduation from the University of Michigan Law School in 1967, Judge Kleinberg was a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, in San Francisco for two years. Judge Kleinberg was listed as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" for over 10 years before his appointment to the bench. He was active in local, state and national bar associations, and currently serves as an Advisor to the Executive Committee, Section of Litigation, State Bar of California.

He was a senior litigation partner resident in the Silicon Valley office of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, LLP, one of the largest law firms in California and the United States during which he litigated intellectual property disputes involving products as diverse as internet web sites, semiconductors, security systems for automated teller machines, computer disk drives, and market research studies. Judge Kleinberg’s securities litigation practice has included the defense of directors, officers, underwriters and accountants, and appearances before the Securities and Exchange Commission. His clients have included Big Five accounting firms, international insurance companies, the National Football League, and computer hardware and software companies.

Judge Kleinberg has been a panelist on numerous continuing education panels and CEB's federal practice institutes, was Chair of the California State Bar's Committee on Federal Courts, and is presently chair of the Subcommittee on Public Offering Litigation of the Securities Committee of the ABA Litigation Section. He has lectured and written nationally on intellectual property and federal practice issues, served as a lawyer representative and executive committee member of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, served as a member of the Northern California Civil Justice Advisory Group and an Early Neutral Evaluator for the Northern District of California, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has written and spoken in the field of alternative dispute resolution, and served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Elizabeth Mann is a partner of Mayer Brown based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Elizabeth concentrates her practice on trying complex cases. She has tried large cases involving real estate, investment finance, health care, entertainment and anti-trust problems. These trials have resulted in multi-million dollar plaintiffs’ verdicts. She has also obtained a number of defense verdicts in high exposure cases. Where appropriate, Elizabeth has also been instrumental in securing high-value, low dollar, settlements often involving ongoing business arrangements. Elizabeth’s clients report that they have been very satisfied with the litigation outcomes she has delivered. They attribute this success to her mature sense of risk assessment, allowing her to give “odds beating” advice when it comes to strategic decisions involving how hard to push a case, whether to try it, and when, and under what circumstances, to settle. Many of Elizabeth’s clients report that over time she had become a valuable member of their management team, having developed a strong understanding of their business needs and imperatives. Elizabeth’s clients often refer her services to their colleagues.

Elizabeth’s ability to deliver practical results is exemplified by a representation she handled for a major financial institution. The bank was sued for RICO and fraud after the bank’s trust company clients lost more than $50 million in trust assets as a result of a ponzi scheme perpetrated by a swindler who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term. The plaintiffs alleged that the bank caused these losses (and a related additional $500 million in losses) because its trust company failed to follow required oversight procedures and because that the lead trust officer had a personal relationship with the architect of the ponzi scheme. Combining a very aggressive litigation posture with an aggressive settlement strategy, Elizabeth’s client obtained a full releases from both private plaintiffs and government regulators by the payment of a de minimus settlement.

Elizabeth has developed unique experience representing highly regulated entities in litigation involving illegal and unfair regulatory systems and orders.  She has particular experience representing managed care entities and alcohol concerns regarding every aspect of their regulatory lives – from substantive regulations to tax problems. Elizabeth has assisted numerous clients in both domestic and international disputes involving distribution systems. For example, she has represented a worldwide media company in numerous domestic and international disputes concerning distributor terminations.

Elizabeth is very active in the Los Angeles legal community. She serves as the Chair Elect to the Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. In this capacity she regularly interacts with prominent Los Angeles judges and attorneys.  Elizabeth was recently named by the Daily Journal as one of the top 100 women litigators in California. Elizabeth was instrumental in securing the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’s 2007 Pro Bono Partner of the Year award for a prior firm. Elizabeth is also a member of the Board of Directors of MLA Partner Schools. MLA is a non-profit that partners with Los Angeles Unified School District to manage two inner city high schools.  MLA is part of a growing trend toward public-private partnerships designed to enhance the performance of troubled schools increasing educational opportunities in diverse and often blighted neighborhoods.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law, JD, 1982 and Pomona College, BA, 1979.

Kevin J. Murphy is a recently retired Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County having been appointed to that position in July of 1989.  

He now serves as a Mediator for ADR Services.  He can be reached at (415) 772-0900 Ext. 10 and his case manager at ADR is Dorene Kanoh.

Prior to appointment to the Superior Court, Judge Murphy served on the Santa Clara Municipal Court for six and one half years.  He was elected to that post following a nine year position as a Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County.  During his time on the bench, he has twice held the position of Supervising Criminal Judge and during 2008 was the Supervising Civil Judge.  As a Judge he has handled complex civil and criminal cases and has sat as a Special Master on Appointment by the California Supreme Court.

Judge Murphy received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1973.  He obtained a B.A. from the University of Redlands, summa cum laude in 1970.  He began teaching in 1977 at De Anza Community College where he remains presently as a faculty member.

Judge Murphy has taught various law classes for over 30 years and recently completed 10 years as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law specializing in teaching ethics and civil remedies.  He has been an adjunct member of the Santa Clara University School of Law since January 1999.

Steven Ragland has extensive experience in a broad range of criminal defense and complex civil litigation matters. Mr. Ragland has represented individuals and companies facing criminal allegations ranging from securities, mail, and wire fraud to drug and terrorism offenses. In the civil realm, he has successfully represented clients in breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, legal malpractice, defamation, trade secret misappropriation, contract interference, unfair business practice, and civil rights matters.

Mr. Ragland has litigated criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts throughout California, as well as Arizona, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. His significant appellate experience includes cases in the California Courts of Appeal, the Supreme Court of California, the Ninth and Eleventh Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Ragland has also represented individuals and companies before investigative agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, State Attorney General, United States Attorney’s Offices, and District Attorney enforcement units.

Judge James Robertson has been a San Francisco Superior Court judge since 1995. He is currently serving as trial judge.

After graduating from Stanford University in 1960 with a Masters Degree in Economics, Judge Robertson was on active duty with the U.S. Navy for three years. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1965 and clerked for The Hon. Charles M. Merrill on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 1966 Judge Robertson joined the San Francisco firm of Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Robertson, Falk & Rabkin, where he specialized in complex civil litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in numerous national class action cases until his appointment to the bench.

Judge Robertson is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the American Law Institute (since 1978), the McFetridge American Inn of Court, and the Center for Dispute Resolution (New York City). Judge Robertson has lectured extensively to attorneys and judges in the U.S. and Australia on antitrust, class actions, civil trial law and alternative dispute resolution. He has been a speaker at the annual meeting of California Judges (Bus. & Prof. Code - 17200 et.seq.). He is chair of the Saint Francis Hospital Foundation board in San Francisco.
 

Mark Salzberg has worked as a Research Attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2000. As a research attorney, Mark’s responsibilities include review and analysis of all law and motion briefs and a submitted summary and recommendation on motions to his two judges. Knowing that law and motion is only one aspect in the litigation big picture, Mark also takes a role in case management.

Mark Salzberg received a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Cornell University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego in 1990. While in law school, Mark interned at the Bronx District Attorney's Office and externed with the San Diego Superior Court.

From 1990 through 1997, Mark worked at Harrington, Foxx, Dubrow and
Canter, specializing in Product Liability defense and is the only attorney to work in all four offices of that firm. Representative clients include Kraft, Navistar International Transportation Corp, Sears, The Raymond Corporation and Clark Equipment Company.

Leaving litigation to experience other aspects of life, Mark participated in 5 long-distance, multi-day, fund raising bicycling events in the summer of 1997 and then went to work for the company that produced those events. Hardly a career attorney, Mark uses the flexibility afforded him to travel extensively, read fanatically and compete in triathlons.

Frank Scollan is partner in the Los Angeles office of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, LLP. His practice centers on real estate litigation, business disputes, CEQA litigation, construction defect cases and land subsidence matters. Frank has represented numerous developers, from individuals to national corporations, in disputes involving CEQA, government approvals, partnership and business disputes, construction matters, environmental issues and related real estate issues including purchase and sales disputes. He has brought and defended a wide variety of writ of mandate proceedings, including CEQA actions. Frank has represented homeowners and developers in cases involving land subsidence, and published an article on recovering landslide damages under homeowners’ policies. Frank has also represented federal equity receivers appointed in SEC actions to recover assets for defrauded investors. Frank has extensive trial experience, including a five week trial for a national developer to recover government fees.
Mr. Scollan obtained his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California.

Judge Michael Stern is primarily a business litigator and has focused on trademark infringement since 1984. He worked for 13 years in the U.S. Department of Justice, handling criminal cases across the country.  He has also served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

“As I worked in the judicial system, I thought I could make some positive contributions to the improvement of the system as a judge,” Stern said.  “Wherever they send me, I’ll go, and I’ll improve the administration of justice.”

Judge Stern earned his law degree from Harvard Law School after graduating from Stanford University.  He also holds an LL.M. degree from Boalt Hall School of Law.  He filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas P. Allen Jr.