Frank Bell, A Law Corporation

Law Firm Overview

Mr. Bell is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California and the Unites States District Court, the United States Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in San Francisco. Mr. Bell is in his thirty-eigth year of practice.

Mr. Bell has been attorney of record in cases at all levels of California and federal courts, including the United States and California Supreme Courts. He is a former Deputy Attorney General of California, Chief Assistant Federal Public Defender for Northern California and State Public Defender of California.

The primary focus of Mr. Bell's practice is complex white collar and criminal litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts. Such matters include corporate, commercial and individual white collar and criminal matters such a R.I.C.O., fraud on government agencies, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, procurement fraud, tax fraud, health care fraud, environmental offenses, securities matters, trade and customs violations, money laundering and financial structuring matters, homicide, three strikes, controlled substance (drug), domestic violence, theft, burglary, assault, arson and other complex criminal matters, including matters involving grand jury or trial witness representation.

Mr. Bell has taught at San Francisco Law School and has lectured on trial practice at various training programs sponsored by the Federal Judicial Center, the Administrative office of U.S. Courts and he was a faculty member of the National College for Criminal Defense.

Mr. Bell's practice involves the representation of persons or entities facing criminal or civil investigations, or involved in actual court proceedings, consultation or guidance of clients for education and policy-making, in the pre-investigation stage to avoid or minimize formal charges and consultation with attorneys and others regarding various legal, factual and tactical issues and jury selection.

As examples of his current cases, Mr. Bell, in association with the Nossaman firm's Sacramento office, represents a Bay Area medical doctor in an ongoing federal Medicare fraud investigation. Also, in association with the same firm, Mr. Bell represents a physician's assistant in an ongoing federal and state investigation concerning allegations of insurance fraud, controlled substance violations and unauthorized practice of medicine. Mr. Bell also represents a major Bay Area business in a federal investigation involving allegations of destruction of government property and associated environmental damage. Mr. Bell represents a senior financial officer of a Bay Area business in a mail fraud investigation out of an east coast federal prosecutor's office and a chief financial officer of another company in an investigation of SEC violations and fraud.

Finally, Mr. Bell is co-lead counsel of record in a multi-defendant federal R.I.C.O. prosecution in Northern California of alleged San Francisco Chinatown extortion and gambling violations involving numerous wire-taps and he is also counsel of record in extended and complex, multi-defendant Hobbs Act conspiracy cases in the San Jose Division of Northern California.

EXPERIENCE:

1990 - Present
Frank Bell, A Law Coporation, REDWOOD CITY 

• Complex federal and state criminal litigation (including United States v. Robert L. Boynton, et. al.- failure of National Bank of Carmel), R.I.C.O., white collar and commercial crimes, health care fraud, environmental crime, procurement fraud, fraud on federal and state agencies, Hobbs Act, computer chip theft, bank fraud, money laundering and financial structuring matters, tax fraud, conspiracy, capital murder, first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, solicitation of murder, major controlled substance violations, federal L.W.O.P. habeas corpus, grand jury and trial witness representation, etc. Civil litigation.

1989 - 1990
LAW OFFICES OF JEFFREY HARRISON, SAN FRANCISCO, OF COUNSEL

•  Complex white collar and criminal litigation in federal and state court. Complex commercial and civil litigation in state and federal courts involving the representation of an officer of Technical Equities Corporation in numerous state and federal lawsuits

1989 - 1989
OLIMPIA, WHELAN & LIVELY, SAN JOSE, OF COUNSEL

• Complex criminal and white collar litigation in federal and state court. Complex commercial and civil litigation, including title insurance defense, antitrust commercial litigation, real estate, wrongful termination, employment and labor law, defamation, assault and battery. Firm clients included insurance companies, large and small corporations and other businesses and individuals, as plaintiffs and defendants.

1984 - 1987
DIRECTOR, OFFICE STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER

• Appointed State Public Defender by Governor of California; confirmed by State Senate. Directed and managed a statewide agency, which handled serious and complex criminal appeals. The agency had 100 employees in three regional offices and a budget of $7 million.

1982 - 1984
PRIVATE PRACTICE, SAN FRANCISCO AND PALO ALTO

• Civil, commercial and criminal litigation in state and federal courts. Civil matters, including real estate development, real estate purchase and sale, commercial and residential landlord-tenant, general commercial litigation, general tort and family law. Criminal matters included complex federal and state litigation (including United States v. Roberto Gomez Soto - conspiracy to kill a United States District Judge and an Assistant United States Attorney).

1970 - 1982
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, SAN FRANCISCO, CHIEF ASSISTANT FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER

• Defense of complex and serious federal crimes (including United States v. Sara Jane Moore - attempt to kill President Gerald Ford and United States v. Larry Layton - conspiracy to kill, aiding and abetting the killing of Congressman Leo Ryan, capital murder on a federal reservation, murder on the high seas, other homicides) in U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, and U.S. Supreme Court.

1968 - 1970
PRIVATE PRACTICE IN SAN FRANCISCO

• General civil and criminal litigation practice. For one year, specialized in plaintiff personal injury and seaman's injury, and civil matters.

1966 - 1968
CALIFORNIA STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, SACRAMENTO, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL II

• Represented State of California in criminal writ and appellate matters in state and federal courts, vehicle forfeitures, advice to law enforcement.

 Publication

Beyond Rule 16: The Inherent Power of the Federal Court to Order Pretrial Discovery, 7 U.S.F. Law Review 233 (1973).

Miscellaneous

• Instructor, San Francisco Law School, Early 1970s
• Instructor, National College of Criminal Defense, Late 1970s
• Rated A.V., Martindale-Hubbell
• Listed in several Who's Who publications

Areas of Practice

• Arson
• Assault
• Attempted Murder
• Auto Theft
• Bank Fraud
• Battery
• Capital Murder
• Civil Litigation
• Computer Chip Theft
• Conspiracy
• Criminal Litigation
• Domestic Violence
• Driving Under the Influence
• Environmental Crime
• Federal Habeas Corpus
• Federal and State Criminal Appeals
• First Degree Murder
• Fraud on Federal and State Agencies
• Grand Jury and Trial Witness Representation
• Health Care Fraud
• Hobbs Act
• Major Controlled Substance Violations
• Manslaughter
• Money Laundering and Financial Structuring Matters
• Procurement Fraud
• R.I.C.O.
• Solicitation of Murder
• Tax Fraud
• Theft
• Three Strikes Matter
• White Collar and Commercial Crimes
• Criminal Law 100%
• DUI/DWI

Honors and Awards

• Rated A.V., Martindale-Hubbell
• "Who's Who" Publications

Published Works

• Beyond Rule 16: The Inherent Power of the Federal Court to Order Pre-Trial Discovery, 7 U.S.F. Law Review 233, 1973

Classes and Seminars

• Instructor, San Francisco Law School
• Instructor, National College of Criminal Defense

West Practice Categories

RICO Act, Constitutional Law, Grand Jury Proceedings, Search & Seizure Protections, Criminal Law, Criminal Fraud, DUI/DWI, Drug Violations, Federal, Felonies, Juvenile Crimes, Misdemeanor, Parole & Probation, Sex Offenses, White Collar Crimes, Domestic Violence & Neglect, Litigation & Appeals, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court, Assault & Battery -- Defense