Profile
A director in Murphy Pearson’s San Francisco office, Jonathan maintains an active trial and appellate practice focused on representing and protecting businesses and professionals from all manner of civil liability. His practice includes defense of malpractice, business, employment, and personal injury claims; as well as offering advice for strategic planning, business formation and corporate governance, contract negotiations, and risk management. He is recognized by the State Bar of California as a Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice Law.
Adept at helping clients find early resolution to their disputes, sometimes avoiding litigation all together, Jonathan has resolved millions of dollars’ worth of claims at all stages of litigation, ranging from pre-filing to trial. With cases on subjects ranging from legal malpractice to employment and construction disputes, his impressive track record includes favorable defense judgments in multi-million dollar claims and an unanimous jury verdict. In addition, he has represented clients in a wide range of commercial disputes covering areas such as technology, real estate, and ethics matters.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Defense judgment after trial against a $3 million complaint arising out of employee embezzlement and prevailed on indemnity cross-complaint for defense fees and costs.
- Dismissal of million-dollar legal malpractice complaint on demurrer.
- 12-0 defense jury verdict after trial of wrongful termination/whistleblower retaliation complaint.
- Resolved construction and design defect cases with tens of millions of dollars in potential exposure.
Published Appellate Decisions
- Riggs v. Prober & Raphael, 681 F.3d 1097, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, June 8, 2012 — published opinion interpreting provision of Federal Debt Collection Reporting Act regulating debt collector’s initial communications with debtor.
Unpublished Appellate Decisions
- Lico v. Prioste, et al., California Court of Appeal, First District (2017) – Defeated appeal of summary judgment dismissing legal malpractice complaint on statute of limitations grounds.
- Ruch v. Ackerman, Court of Appeals of California, First District, Division Five, August 31, 2011 – successfully appealed denial of motion to dismiss malicious prosecution case against attorney defendants.
- Jardine v. Twin Creeks, California Court of Appeal, First District, November 24, 2010 – defeated appeal of Homeowners’ Association’s nonsuit judgment arising out of HOA member’s CC&R dispute.
Affiliations
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- Legal Malpractice Section Committee
Publications
- “Navigating the Black Hole of California’s Mediation Confidentiality Statutes,” co-authored with Timothy J. Halloran, San Francisco Attorney, Fall 2018
- “Wading through Actual Injury and the Discovery Rule in the Wake of Shifren v. Spiro,” Riding the E&O Line, Defense Research Institute, 2012
- “9th Circ. OKs Debt Notices Implying Disputes Must Be Written,” law360.com, June 2012 (quoted source in article)
- “Take a Deep Breath: With Planning, Landlords Can Assure That Their Property Investments Don’t Disappear in a Cloud of Smoke,” The Registry, 2010
Presentations
- “A Powerful Tool: Section 998 Offers to Compromise,” Bar Association of San Francisco, September 21, 2017
- “Potential Medi-Cal Pitfalls in Estate Practice and How to Avoid Them,” Bar Association of San Francisco, co-presented with Peter L. Weber, December 2014
Recognitions
- Selected for inclusion to the “Northern California Rising Star” list by Super Lawyers magazine seven times since 2013
Education
J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law
B.A., University of Richmond; Leadership Studies, minors in Political Science and Economics