Carl McConnell handles civil trials and appeals in state and federal courts.  With over thirty-five years of diverse experience in private practice, teaching and public interest law, and as an arbitrator, mediator and temporary judge, Mr. McConnell delivers high quality counsel on business, real property and public law issues.  His clients range from individuals to major corporations, and from public interest groups to public officials.

Recent Matters

• Obtained judgment after a court trial in favor of a major utility against class-action claims of alleged fraud and breach of the utility’s franchise agreements and alleged underpayment of fees owed to the class members; appeal filed but dismissed with a waiver of costs.
  
  
• Recovered judgment after a jury trial for approximately $800,000 in damages, attorney fees and costs for a commercial landlord against a tenant who terminated its lease on a pretext; appeal filed but dismissed with payment of all sums owed.
  
  
• Negotiated a favorable settlement of a licensee’s lawsuit claiming ownership of intellectual property rights in computer peripheral products developed by our client, including a permanent injunction against the licensee’s use of our client’s intellectual property or its confidential business information.
  
  
• Received a favorable judgment after a court trial in a stock repurchase lawsuit among the shareholders of a closely held corporation.
  
  
• Negotiated a favorable settlement of our lawsuit to enforce a stock repurchase agreement on behalf of a minority shareholder in a silicon wafer manufacturing company; settlement also resolved claims of unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets.
  
  
• Secured favorable judgments for our public entity client in related state and federal court lawsuits involving land use and civil rights issues; relief included a permanent injunction against building code and zoning violations and dismissal of all federal claims; affirmed on appeal.
  
  
• Recovered a favorable judgment after a court trial on behalf of a major corporation, enforcing an option to purchase in a sale-leaseback transaction, and awarding fees and costs totaling approximately $400,000; favorably settled after appeal.
  
  
• Achieved a favorable judgment after a court trial for a public entity sued for alleged CEQA violations and other wrongdoing in regulating a quarry; affirmed on appeal.
  
  
• Following a court trial, secured judgment upholding the right of our client, a private water company, to expand its water main and upgrade its system; favorably settled with appeal pending.
  
  
• Secured an award of over $700,000 for fees and interest owed for consulting services provided by our client to a major eyeglass services provider; provider’s counterclaim for $1.6 million was withdrawn during the arbitration.
  
  
• Served as local counsel in a state court lawsuit on behalf of an out-of-state software company to enforce a forum-selection clause in the client’s software licensing agreement; secured a favorable settlement.
  
  
• Served as local counsel in several federal lawsuits regarding intellectual property claims and electronic discovery issues.

Professional Activities

Mr. McConnell is admitted to practice in all California courts and in federal court, including the United States District Court for Northern California of California , the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.  He received his law degree from Yale Law School .  He also holds a Master of Science degree in geology from Yale Graduate School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lehigh University , where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Active in professional and community work, Mr. McConnell has served as President of the Palo Alto Area Bar Association and is a member of the Santa Clara County , San Mateo County and Palo Alto Area Bar Associations.  He serves on the faculty for the annual Advocacy Skills Workshop at Stanford Law School.  Mr. McConnell was named a 2007 “Northern California Super Lawyer,” as chosen by his peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics and San Francisco Magazine.