Sommers & Schwartz LLP is a firm of effective trial lawyers serving California and national clients with complex commercial litigation needs. Sommers & Schwartz LLP partners have extensive trial experience and practice before all California courts and tribunals, including Federal District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts. In addition, the firm appears before the NASD arbitration panels, the American Arbitration Association and International Chamber of Commerce in arbitration matters. We have a particular strength in clarifying complex or technical issues for lay juries and state-of-the art trial presentation, as demonstrated through our work as clinical instructors for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Sommers & Schwartz LLP has also had exceptional success at court and private mediations, using this tool to settle even seemingly intractable cases after basic discovery is over, but before very expensive pre-trial preparation work begins. Sommers & Schwartz LLP offers absolutely state-of-the-art electronic evidence presentations at very little cost and makes regular use of an excellent group of jury consultants, when appropriate strategically and financially.

Sommers & Schwartz LLP handles many types of cases, but we particularly specialize in:

• General litigation of business disputes
• Corporate and partnership break-up litigation
• Copyright, trademark and patent cases
• Corporate acquisition litigation
• Special investigations for corporate boards and bankruptcy creditor committees
• Legal malpractice litigation
• Defense of NIH-accredited national health research institutes in duty to inform cases
• Executive wrongful termination and securities commission cases
• Outside general counsel work for moderate sized businesses
• Emergency trial work at the last minute -- when there has exists a bona fide reason for change of counsel

Sommers & Schwartz LLP also specializes in crafting workable mixed fee arrangements for small to medium sized companies with good plaintiff’s cases. Discount fee arrangements, tied to lower contingency fee percentages, monthly payment limits, and a litigation strategy focused on taking on as few pretrial battles and unnecessary tasks as possible and any potential for early, reasonable settlements. See Andrew Schwartz’ article in “The Marin Lawyer” entitled “Helping Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Gain Access to Civil Courts” by choosing Publications above.

Mr. Sommers is known for his trial skills and the ability to prepare a case for trial quickly and win. Mr. Sommers is also known for seamless and effective use of multi-media trial presentations, and is generally recognized as an expert in the field. Frank speaks German, Russian and French and has handled matters for Russian-speaking clients in the Bay Area.

Mr. Schwartz is known for his preparation of complex cases for jury trials through discovery and motion practice, enabling the firm to arrive before the jury in a position of advantage, ensuring exceptional results. Mr. Schwartz’ twenty year experience on massive, complex litigation as representing as Senior Litigation Counsel for Bank of America and for private corporations throughout his practice allows him to cut to the core of the most complex cases and to explain them clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators and mediators.

To enable us to handle the full range of cases, we have developed relationships with select, high-quality litigation boutiques. This allows us to field broader top-flight teams whenever more depth is needed for larger matters, while controlling our overhead to gain a competitive edge. Sommers & Schwartz LLP leverages these capabilities through state-of-the-art litigation and trial presentation systems. This maximizes our effectiveness with judges and juries, who now demand sophisticated demonstrative presentations in all cases.

We recognize that our clients need solutions, not reasons why the litigation process is often expensive and time consuming. With Sommers & Schwarz, you can be assured that your dispute-related costs are being managed with the same stringency that you apply to your core businesses. Put your troubles in our hands and let us deal with them so that you can concentrate on running your business.