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Practice Focus
Founding and managing partner Mark E. Ellis is a trial lawyer whose practice embraces civil litigation in both state and federal courts. He has tried over 60 cases to verdict, judgment or binding award. Many of Mr. Ellis' trials have lasted weeks. Several trials have lasted months.
Mr. Ellis believes there is an important distinction between a "trial attorney" and a so-called "litigator." For discerning clients who understand the distinction, this makes all the difference.
Mr. Ellis defends professionals sued for malpractice, malicious prosecution, ethics violations, and other professional wrongdoing. Mr. Ellis has defended hundreds of such cases. As of Spring 2011, Mr. Ellis has represented lawyers and/or law firms in more than 40 trials, winning virtually every case that reached a final decision by verdict or judgment.
Mr. Ellis handles financial institution, business and commercial litigation, including complex litigation involving class actions under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 and under California's Unfair Competition Law, Business and Professions Code, Section 17200. His practice includes commercial and consumer litigation in state and federal courts related to the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), as well as their state equivalents. Mr. Ellis, and the Firm, have successfully tried several of these cases over the last few years.
 Every year since 2004, and again in 2011, Mr. Ellis has been chosen by other attorneys as one of the top 5 percent of lawyers practicing in Northern California, and he has been named a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in Law & Politics Magazine. Mr. Ellis is also listed under the specialty of Legal Malpractice Law in the 2012 edition of Best Lawyers in America®. This is the third consecutive year he has been honored by this publication, which names the nation’s premiere attorneys based on a survey of 3.9 million lawyers.
Mr. Ellis' practice includes the regular representation of clients before the appellate courts. A former appellate law clerk, Mr. Ellis has successfully handled scores of appeals before state and federal appellate courts. In February 2006, he was one of the winning attorneys in Rusheen v. Cohen (2006) 37 Cal.4th 1048, a decision by the California Supreme Court. In 2009, Mr. Ellis participated in drafting and filing in the United States Supreme Court an Amicus Curiae brief on behalf of the California Association of Collectors (CAC) in the case of Jerman v. Carlisle.
Mr. Ellis' practice also includes the representation of plaintiffs in serious personal injury actions.
Mr. Ellis has participated in dozens of jury trials, bench trials, and/or binding arbitrations. He has won over 90 percent of those trials or arbitrations that reached decision.
Mr. Ellis is licensed to practice in the State of California, in the State of Washington, before the United States Supreme Court, before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and before all the Federal District Courts of California as well as several other federal district courts throughout the country. | 
