Practice Overview

James E. Towery is chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, and serves as Ethics and Risk Management Partner for the firm.  He specializes in civil litigation, with an emphasis on professional liability and business litigation.  Mr. Towery has over 25 years’ experience litigating both legal and medical malpractice cases.  He has served as primary defense counsel for two local hospitals.  Mr. Towery represents a range of clients, including law firms and individual lawyers, public entities, health care professionals, manufacturers and other business entities.

Mr. Towery also specializes in matters relating to legal ethics.  He serves as Adjunct Professor of Professional Responsibility at Lincoln Law School in San Jose.  He is a former chair of the State Bar Discipline Committee, and has spoken and written widely on issues relating to legal ethics, the attorney-client relationship and attorneys’ fees.  Mr. Towery serves as counsel to lawyers and law firms, and has served frequently as an expert witness,  regarding ethics issues.

Recent Matters

• Represents a large San Francisco law firm in defense of a legal malpractice claim from a failed internet start-up company in which the principal issue is negligent securities advice.
  

• Served as an expert witness on behalf of the National Football League regarding an issue related to attorneys’ fees.
  

• Represented an out-of-state manufacturer in a lengthy jury trial in federal court in a matter alleging unfair competition.
  

• Served as co-counsel for the County of Santa Clara in successfully resolving a claim based upon attempted suicide in its Juvenile Hall, resulting in a catastrophic injury to the minor.
  

• Successfully defended a disqualification motion brought against a large Oakland law firm.

• Represents a local university in defending a retaliation claim from a
  faculty member.
  

• Successfully defended a former county coroner from disciplinary charges brought by the Medical Board of California.
  

Professional Activities

Mr. Towery is a distinguished leader of the California Bar.  He served as President of the State Bar of California in 1995-96.  He currently chairs the State Bar of California Task Force on Insurance Disclosure, and recently served on the California Chief Justice’s Commission on Multi-Jurisdictional Practice.  He served in the ABA House of Delegates for ten years, and chaired the ABA ’s Standing Committee on Client Protection.  Mr. Towery is also a former President of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.  He presently serves as Vice Chair of the CEB Governing Committee, is a member of the William Ingram Inns of Court, and has been elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).  Mr. Towery 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.

Mr. Towery is active in a broad variety of community activities.  He was co-founder, former Chair and current Treasurer of the Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services, which has raised and distributed over a million dollars in the last three years to local legal service agencies.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Board of History San Jose.  Mr. Towery serves on, and formerly chaired, the Valley Medical Center Foundation and the Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens Boards.  He served for fifteen years as attorney coach for the Lincoln High School Mock Trial team, helping to lead that team to two consecutive state championships.

Admissions

Mr. Towery is admitted to practice in all California State courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.  He received his A.B. degree from Princeton University, and his J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law.