About the Authors and Consultants
Stephen G. Blitch is a private neutral with ADR Services, Inc. He was formerly a partner in the Oakland and San Francisco offices of Reed Smith LLP, where he specialized in business litigation, including business torts, product liability, class actions, construction, real estate, financial services, and environmental litigation. Mr. Blitch lectures frequently on the subjects of trial evidence and trial practice, and has taught for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). Mr. Blitch is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is also an associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, a member of the Alameda County Bar Association and past chair of its Trial Practice Section, a member of the Litigation Section of the California State Bar Association, and a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, 2006–2010). He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design (Architecture), and received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Mr. Blitch is a contributing author of California Trial Objections (Cal CEB) and Jefferson’s California Evidence Benchbook (4th ed Cal CEB).
Michael C. Denison is a partner in the Los Angeles firm of Towle Denison & Maniscalco LLP. He is a civil trial lawyer who emphasizes the areas of civil litigation, commercial litigation, malicious prosecution, civil RICO, and insurance. Mr. Denison is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the Defense Research Institute, and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. He has written about and spoken on litigation issues for several years. He received his J.D. from Loyola Law School. Mr. Denison is a contributing author of Making and Opposing Special Motions to Strike Under the California Anti-SLAPP Statute (Cal CEB Action Guide).
James Neudecker is an associate in the San Francisco office of Reed Smith LLP. He is a civil litigator who focuses primarily on commercial litigation and product liability cases. Mr. Neudecker received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Marshall C. Wallace is a partner in the Oakland office of Reed Smith LLP. Mr. Wallace is a civil trial lawyer, focusing on complex business cases, including business tort, unfair competition, real estate, financial services, insurance, and land use litigation. He has handled dozens of jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, expedited injunction proceedings, and class actions. Mr. Wallace is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Trial Practice Section of the Alameda County Bar Association, and the Litigation Section of the California State Bar Association. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986, receiving a J.D. from the School of Law and an M.B.A. from the School of Business. Mr. Wallace is a contributing editor of California Trial Objections (Cal CEB).
Mary N. Abbott is a founding partner in the Los Angeles office of Nielson, Haley & Abbott LLP. She is an experienced litigator who specializes in litigation of cases involving personal injury, professional liability, premises liability, products liability, security services, and insurance bad faith, as well as civil appeals. Before joining in the formation of her firm and opening the Los Angeles office, Ms. Abbott spent more than 20 years as a member and managing partner of Stolpman, Krissman, Elber, Mandel & Katzman, a noted Long Beach tort litigation firm, primarily handling plaintiffs’ litigation. She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. Ms. Abbott received her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Valerie T. McGinty is a partner at Smith & McGinty, representing plaintiffs on appeal. Ms. McGinty practiced employment litigation at Lawless & Lawless, and externed for the Honorable John E. Munter of the San Francisco Superior Court and Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline of the Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two. Ms. McGinty received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Honorable Ronald S. Prager is a retired Judge of the San Diego Superior Court. He began his judicial service in 1988 and presided over a wide spectrum of civil cases, including complex matters such as the statewide coordinated tobacco class actions and the natural gas antitrust cases. He is a frequent panelist on civil litigation topics before various bar associations and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Judge Prager also serves as a judicial advisor to the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California and on the Judicial Advisory Board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Before being appointed to the bench, he worked as a prosecutor for the San Diego District Attorneys Office and the State of California Attorney General’s office. Judge Prager graduated from the University of Southern California Law School.
Roy G. Weatherup is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and is a member of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. He is a Certified Specialist in Appellate Law, certified by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. Mr. Weatherup has been responsible for more than 1500 briefs in over 1000 cases, resulting in over 200 published opinions. He has handled many cases at the trial court level that were resolved prior to trial and been sole or lead trial attorney in 13 cases tried to conclusion. Mr. Weatherup is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the Stanford Law Society, the Supreme Court Historical Society, the California Supreme Court Historical Society, and a sustaining member of the Product Liability Advisory Council. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, in Super Lawyers, in Who’s Who in America, and in Who’s Who in American Law. Mr. Weatherup is a contributing author of California Civil Appellate Practice (3d ed Cal CEB), Privacy Compliance and Litigation in California (Cal CEB), and Making and Opposing Summary Judgment Motions (Cal CEB Action Guide). He also served as a consultant for California Civil Procedure Before Trial (4th ed Cal CEB). Mr. Weatherup received his J.D. from Stanford University School of Law.
