Donald Carlson, Guy Calladine and Robert Peterson, former senior partners of Long & Levit LLP in San Francisco, have formed a new firm, Carlson, Calladine and Peterson LLP, with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Joining them are former Long & Levit partners Joyce Wang, Michael Cooper, Randy Gimple and five associates.
Carlson, Calladine & Peterson will focus exclusively on litigation and trials of complex, high-exposure insurance and business disputes, including insurance bad faith, insurance subrogation, professional liability, partnership disputes and products liability. All six partners have extensive jury trial experience and the firm will requires trial experience as a condition for admission to partnership. The firm intends to remain small, with a maximum of 15 to 20 lawyers to preserve collegiality, teamwork and efficiency.
Carlson, an accomplished trial lawyer and member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, has more that 20 years experience trying insurance bad faith, professional liability and products liability cases. Recently, Carlson obtained defense verdicts in several high profile, widely publicized cases, including the "Super Dieters Tea" case.
Calladine's trial practice emphasizes legal malpractice, partnership disputes and large property subrogation matters. Recently, he litigated a protracted subrogation action arising out of a fire loss and obtained settlements of approximately $30 million.
In his 18 years at Long & Levit, Peterson tried many insurance bad faith and professional malpractice cases. Peterson also successfully represents plaintiffs and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocated Forum and chair of the Defense Research Institute Extra Contractual Liability Committee.
Wang emphasizes insurance and bad faith litigation. In 1996, following her successful defense of the California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act before the California Supreme Court, she was named by California Lawyer magazine as on the 25 most influential attorneys in the state.
Cooper's practice focuses on complex commercial and insurance bad faith litigation. He also has an active appellate practice and argues at the California Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal and the 9th Circuit.
Gimple built his reputation trying commercial property subrogation cases and handling arson, and insurance fraud matters. He is well known for his success in catastrophic loss litigation, including a 1998 verdict obtained on behalf of insurers and 250 other plaintiffs damaged by the 1995 Pajaro River Levee break.
