Profile
A Director practicing out of Murphy Pearson’s San Francisco office, Alston represents businesses and individuals in all phases of business and civil litigation, with particular focus on matters related to business law, professional liability, and insurance defense.
Alston’s litigation background includes work on a wide range of matter types, including construction defect; trade secret, trademark and copyright disputes; class actions; product liability; toxic tort; privacy; personal injury; insurance defense; and bad faith insurance claims. He has also helped to defend clients related to federal government (DOJ and BSEE) subpoenas for possible regulatory and criminal violations. He has assisted with internal corporate investigations, which included corporate interviews with employees for governmental compliance.
Previously, while practicing with a law firm focused exclusively on the needs of the mortgage banking industry, Alston worked on business-related contractual disputes defending origination lenders and banks that sold residential mortgage loans to either the federal government or larger lenders and banks on the secondary real estate market. While there, he worked on breach of contract and indemnification claims resulting from these sale of mortgage loans.
Alston worked as a research attorney and law clerk for the Honorable Judge Stuart Hing in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, and as staff litigation counsel for an insurance carrier.
During his time away from the office, Alston enjoys continuing to explore his hometown of San Francisco and traveling to other cities and countries.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Obtained a complete defense verdict in a binding arbitration in an insurance claim utilizing accident reconstruction expert testimony.
- Filed several dispositive motions in both state and federal courts that resulted in either the complete dismissal of clients from cases or withdrawals by plaintiffs of various causes of action or claims for damage
Unpublished Appellate Decisions
- M-J SF Investment, LLC, et al. v. Andrew Kenny, Geraldine Quiney. First District Court of Appeal No. A160675. San Francisco Superior Court, Colby Lam v. Andrew Kenny, et al., Case No. CGC16553275.
Affiliations
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
- Insurance Committee
- Mass Torts and Class Action Committee
- Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF)
- Pro Bono Committee, former member
- Judicial Reception Committee, former member
- Subcommittee that provided input to the State Bar of California on statistics concerning diversity and the role of minority attorneys within the legal profession
- Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA)
- Newsletter Committee, former co-chair
- Solo/Small Firm Committee, member
- Community Service Committee, member
- Wellness Committee, member
- Mentorship and Mentee Committee, member
- Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC)
- Foundation Scholarship Committee, member
- Asian Law Caucus (ALC), nonprofit organization created to provide legal access and services for minority communities
- Fundraising Committee, Annual Gala (2010-2019)
- Asian American Insurance Network
- Allyship Committee, member
Presentations
- “Recent Ethics Developments in Bankruptcy and Litigation (a discussion of ethical disclosures in bankruptcy cases and concerning the use of Artificial Intelligence during the course of litigation), co-presenter, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA), Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), webinar, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY, February 28, 2024.
- “How To Become Insurance Panel Counsel & Tips on Ethical Issues Arising in Representing Clients,” co-presenter, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) in Austin, TX, on November 8, 2019
Publications
- “Are Noncompete Laws Like California’s Coming to Washington State?,” co-author, SHRM, April 16, 2019
Recognitions
- Selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2021, 2022)
Education
J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law
B.A., University of San Francisco