Law Practice
- Admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in California
- Recognized as “AV Preeminent” rated by professional reporting company Martindale-Hubbell® (highest rating)
- Regularly representing business interests in all respects including litigation, business counseling, formation, contract negotiation and dispute resolution
- Formally Administrative Hearing Officer for the City of Huntington Beach, California (pop. 195,000)
- Served as settlement neutral for Superior Court
- Currently Member of State Bar sanctioned attorney/client fee
- Served as small claims neutral for Superior Court
arbitration panel
International Consultancy and Representation
- Legal and judicial reform consultancy, long term and short term
- Management of international development projects as country director and chief of party
- Development project evaluations, mid-term and final
- Counseling and representation of foreign business interests abroad
- Tribunal representation in international arbitration proceedings
- Tender proposal preparation and quality review
Special Skills
- Area specialist Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, EU
- Fluent French and dialectal Arabic
Education
- McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento
J.D., Order of the Coif (top 10%), American Jurisprudence Award in Conflict of
Laws, law review editor - University of Arizona, Tucson
M.A., Arabic Linguistics and Teaching English as Foreign Language - University of California, Berkeley
B.A., Social Welfare, Administrative Advocacy - University of Bologna, Italy
Certificate, Monitoring and Evaluation of International Development Programs
Representative Publications
- Access to Justice In Iraq: From Baghdad to Orange County [PDF], Orange County Lawyer Magazine October 2013
- Are Mobile Legal Clinics The Solution? One Tiny African Country Thinks So [PDF], Orange County Lawyer Magazine December 2016
- “The Institutionalization of Commercial Dispute Mediation in Morocco: A Preliminary Needs Assessment” [PDF], World Bank IFC-PEP MENA, August 2007
- “International Career Alternatives: An Orange County Lawyer in Morocco,” [PDF] Orange County Lawyer, January 2007
- Interview: “Le Grand Bazar, Tribunaux de Commerce Une Machine Enrayée”, Moroccan monthly Economie et Entreprises, May 2006
- “How to Avoid Debt by Reincorporating After Bankruptcy…NOT,” [PDF] Orange County Lawyer, September 2002
- “Domain Registration of Celebrity Names: Boom or Bust?” [PDF] WWWiz Magazine, March 2000
- “Avoiding an Intellectual Property Rights Quagmire: Come Back with My Idea!” [PDF] The Zone News, February 2000
- “The Use of Trademarks in Web Site Development,” [PDF] WWWiz Magazine, April 1999
- “New Law Limits ISP Liability for Copyright Infringement,” [PDF] The Orange County Lawyer, March 1999
- “UCC to Govern Internet Transactions: A Survey of Proposed Changes,” [PDF] The Orange County Lawyer, December 1997
- “ISP Liability: What You Know May Hurt You,” [PDF] WWWiz Magazine, November 1997
- “Virtual Contracts: Don’t Point and Click Your Way into a Lawsuit,” [PDF] WWWiz Magazine, October 1997
- “Supreme Court Strikes Down Decency Act in Defense of Internet ‘Chaos’,” [PDF] WWWiz Magazine, September 1997
- “Preferred Communications v. City of Los Angeles: First Amendment Rights and Cable Television Franchise Procedures,” 17 Pac. L.J. 965, 1986
- “Learning Arabic Sounds: A Guide to the Pronunciation of Arabic Phonemes for Native Speakers of English,” ERIC Reports, 1980
Speaking Engagements
- “Access to Justice Issues in West Africa” Orange County Bar Association (MCLE) Newport Beach, California February 27, 2017
- “Tripartite Judicial Systems in West Africa: Post-Project Report on Enforcing Contracts in The Gambia,” Orange County Bar Association (MCLE) Newport
Beach, California November 19, 2012 - “Commercial Arbitration and Mediation in Emerging Countries”, 27th Annual International Law Symposium, Whittier Law School (MCLE), Costa Mesa, California April 16, 2010
- “Doing Business in Emerging Countries: Legal and Practical Considerations,” Orange County Bar Association (MCLE), Newport Beach, California March 15, 2010.
- “Real Estate Investment in Emerging Countries: Risks, Rewards and Practical Considerations,” Orange County Bar Association (MCLE), Newport Beach,
California November 25, 2009 - Moderator, Conference on Piracy of Copyrighted Goods and Trademarks in Morocco, Mohammed V University School of Law, Rabat Morocco April 17, 2007
- “The Anti-Cybersquatting Act and the Registration of Trademarked Domain Names,” American Chamber of Commerce of Morocco (AMCHAM), Casablanca Hyatt Regency Hotel January 17, 2006
- “Advanced Course on Intellectual Property Litigation,” Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB-MCLE), Anaheim Sheraton Hotel February 6, 2003
- “The New UCC and Internet Transactions,” Orange County Bar Association (MCLE), Newport-Sheraton Hotel November 20, 2002
Affiliations
- Public Law Center
- Capistrano Community Mariachi Program
- Orange County Fashion Association
- Orange County On Track
- Of counsel to Callahan & Blaine
- State Bar of California
- Orange County Bar Association
- Lex Romana, Orange County Affiliate Bar
- Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO)
- U.S. Peace Corps
- Founding chair Grand Central Art Forum