Current Employment Position(s)

Member

Lawyer Overview

Elliot L. Bien began specializing in appellate practice in 1982, after eight years of broad litigation experience in San Francisco and Chicago and three years as a law professor. He has briefed and argued cases in the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit and other federal appeals courts, and nearly every Court of Appeal in California. His success and wide recognition as an appellate specialist reflect a first-rate academic background; years of practical litigation experience; a simple, compelling style of writing; intimate familiarity with the appellate court system; and responsiveness to clients and referring attorneys.

Areas of Practice

• Appellate Practice
• Civil Appeals

West Practice Categories

Litigation & Appeals

Bar Admissions

• California, 1979
• Illinois, 1975
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1978

Certification/Specialties

• Appellate Law, California State Board of Legal Specialization, 1997

Professional Associations and Memberships

• California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 1987 - Present (Member)
• American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 1994 - Present (Fellow)
• American Bar Association (Appellate Practice Committee)
• Bar Association of San Francisco, 1985 - 1988 (Founder and Chair, Committee on Appellate Courts)
• Marin County Bar Association, 1999 - 2001 (Member, Board of Directors)

Honors and Awards

• Award of Merit for Public Service on Appellate Issues, Bar Association of San Francisco, 1989
• President,, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 2002 - 2003
• Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 1994 - Present

Classes and Seminars

• Part-time Instructor, Appellate Practice, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1985 - 1989
• Lecturer, Appellate Practice, Hastings College of Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Lecturer, Appellate Practice, California State Bar, Annual Meeting Seminars
• Lecturer, Appellate Practice, Sixth National American Bar Association Institute on Appellate Practice
• Lecturer, Appellate Practice, Law Seminars International
• Lecturer, Appellate Practice, Casualty Claims Association of San Francisco
• Panelist, Appellate Practice, California Continuing Education of the Bar, Federal Practice Institute
• Lecturer, Legal Writing, Hernand & Partners Signet Series, 1992
• Assistant Professor of Law, De Paul University

Pro Bono Activities

• Chair, Marin County Judicial Fairness Committee, 2000 - Present

Past Employment Positions

• Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, San Francisco, Chairman, Appellate Department, 1988 - 1990
• Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, San Francisco, Partner, Appellate Department, 1985
• Governor's Commission to Revise the Illinois Mental Health Code, Legal Counsel, 1974

Education

• Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1972
  LL.M., Master of Law(s)
• Columbia Law School, New York, New York, 1971
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• Columbia College, New York, New York, 1967
  A.B., Bachelor of Arts

Published Works

• Toward a Community of Professionalism, Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, Vol. 3/No. 2, 2001
• Legal Rules and Rule Making, Syracuse Law Review, 1975
• The Other Half of Appellate Practice, Barristers Law Quarterly, 1987
• A Swift and Sure Settlement Appeal, California Lawyer, 1988
• On Speed and Quality in Appellate Decision Making, The Recorder, Aug. 15, 1988
• Recoiling from Advance Sheets, California Lawyer, February, 1987

Address

23 Palomino Road
Novato, CA 94947

Phones

(415) 898-2900

Faxes

(415) 898-1922

Emails

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