Previous Law Firm Name

• Field, Richardson & Wilhelmy, Managing Partner, December 31, 1999
• Field, Baker & Richardson, Managing Partner, December 31, 1994
• Stark, Wells, Rahl, Field & Schwartz & predecessor firms, December 31, 1990
• Regents of University of California, Assistant Counsel, November 30, 1963

Law Firm Overview

Experience

Full time neutral since 2001.  General civil litigator 1961-2000, primarily in commercial, construction, professional liabilityof architects/engineers, property damage, and real estate matters in trial and appellate courts. eighty percent of practice was in construction law, property damage, and professional liability, representing design professionals, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers for both public and private works. Handled mechanic's liens and bond claims, design defects, and contract disputes such as delays, extras, and changed conditions. Also represented  parties to disputes involving landslides and subsidence; real estate transactions; commercial leasing; and commercial transactions involving sales, commercial paper, letters of credit, documents of title and secured transactions. 

Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience

Member of AAA California Advisory Counsel for Large Complex Case Program, Northern California Advisory Council, and Construction Advisory Committee. AAA commercial and construction arbitrator since 1969 and mediator since 1984. Served as arbitrator, panel chair, or mediator in over 100 cases. Appointed as special master/referee in disputes by Alameda County and Contra Costa County Superior Court and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Served as counsel, in arbitration or mediation in a variety of cases including contracts, leases, partnerships, construction, professional liability, bond claims and public claims. Representative cases as a neutral include alleged breach of warranties and misrepresentation in sale of business; alleged violation of covenants, conditions, and restrictions in real estate; alleged failure to disclosure material defects on sale of improved real property; claims of additional compensation for extra work, delay, and disruption of construction; alleged design and construction defects in a major sports stadium; alleged defective design and fraud in construction of power plant; alleged breaches of contract and warranty in construction of cogeneration facility; determination of rights and obligations under law partnership dissolution agreement; alleged securities fraud in marketing of limited partnerships by broker; alleged violation of securities laws, fraud, and churning in discretionary brokerage accounts; and disputed enforcement of international standby letter of credit. Selected as AAA Northern California Commercial Arbitrator of the Year, 1988.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Training

Arbitration Training included:  completetion of AAA Basic & Advanced Arbitrator Training and specialized courses dealing with delay,drating awards, case management, control of the hearing and acting as panel chair; served as faculty on 16 AAA arbitrator training courses and 2 National Institutes on Arbitration Advocacy; selected as AAA Northern California Commercial Arbitrator of the Year in 1988.

Mediation Training included: completion of AAAMediatorTraining and several mediation seminars; completion of Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution courses on Advanced Mediation Skills and Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy; attended 10 mediation seminars and served as faculty at 3 other mediation seminars.

Areas of Practice

• Arbitrator
• Mediator
• Special Master
• Mini Trial Neutral Advisor
• Construction
• Professional Liability of Architects/Engineers
• Real Estate
• Commercial
• Contracts
• Public Claims
• Banking
• Securities
• International

Honors and Awards

• Order of the Coif, Thurston Honor Society, Harrison Sholarship, Hastings Law Journal
• American Arbitration Association Commercial Arbitrator or the Year for Northern California, 1988

Published Works

• "Arbitration" (Co-Author)California Const ruction Contracts and Disputes, 3rd ed.,, Calif. Continuing Education of the Bar, 2002
• "The Decision to Arbitrate," Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Guide,, Thomson- West, 2006
• "The Hearing," Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Guide, Thomson- West, 2006
• American Business Law, Communications Actives, France, 1990
• American Commercial Law, Communications Actives, France, 1986
• "Waiver of Claim Causes", Construction Law Manual, Associated General Contractors of California, 1976
• "Mechanic's Liens, Stop Notices and Payment Bonds", Construction Law Manual, Associated General Contractors of California, 1977

Classes and Seminars

• Instructor-Business, Commercial & Constructon Law, University of California Extension, September 20, 1961 - November 30, 1995
• Visiting Professor-Business Law, American Universityof Paris, France, October 1, 1978 - June 20, 1979
• Instructor-Construction Law, Calif. State University, San Francisco, September 20, 1980 - June 19, 1981
• Instructor-Construction Law, Calif. State University, East Bay, September 18, 1989 - June 20, 1990
• Over 50 seminars on construction, real property & dispute resolution, AGC,ABC,CMA, NBI & Local Bar Assns., January 29, 1970 - Present

West Practice Categories

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, International Dispute Resolution, Mediation, Mini-trials, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Unfair Competition, Business & Commercial Law, Collections & Repossessions, Contracts, Debtor/Creditor, Joint Ventures, Secured Transactions, Uniform Commercial Code, Warranties, Collections, Construction Law, Construction Contracts, Construction Liens, Government Construction Contracts, Housing & Construction Defects, Government Contracts, State & Municipal Contracts, Insurance Law, Commercial Insurance, Fidelity, Guarantee & Surety, Insurance Subrogation, Property & Casualty, Title Insurance, International Law, International Arbitration, Professional Malpractice Law, Other Professionals Malpractice, Real Estate Law, Commercial Leasing, Commercial Real Estate, Condemnation, Eminent Domain, Residential Real Estate, Securities Law, Securities Fraud & Insider Trading, Securities Regulation