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Overview

Tad A. Devlin serves as the managing partner of our Northern California offices. With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Devlin manages clients’ complex business legal matters in insurance coverage and litigation, employment law, professional liability, cannabis, general liability, commercial and property litigation, financial services, fiduciary liability, and gig economy cases.

In his employment law work, Mr. Devlin litigates complex matters in arbitration and litigation, including PAGA and class action defense, and in claims of discrimination and harassment. He also advises employers in several employment practice matters, and conducts workplace investigations. Mr. Devlin defends insurance carriers in allegations of bad faith, breached duties and fair dealings. He represents clients in coverage disputes and provides counsel for avoidance of high-exposure claims. Mr. Devlin  represents international, national, and regional insurance carriers across a full spectrum of insurance lines.  This includes underwriting assistance, subrogation, and litigating fraud claims against underwriters. He works with special investigation units and the California Department of Insurance in defending clients, and has experience handling insurance coverage and defense assignments for high exposure nursing home matters, product liability cases involving asbestos (Flintkote litigation), consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and neutraceuticals.

In Mr. Devlin’s professional liability practice, he defends against disciplinary actions for lawyers, doctors, accountants, insurance agents, and insurance brokers, and provides counsel and defense litigation in real estate transactions and disputes. He has managed general liability defense construction defect litigation, including design, structural, build, and workmanship claims, as represents property owners, developers, general contractors, construction managers, trade/subcontractors, architects, engineers, material suppliers and surety companies. Mr. Devlin is also experienced in defending various clients in homeowners’ association (HOA) disputes including those of multi-unit, common interest, and condominium matters. He has represented homeowners’, boards, officers and directors in a variety of settings through arbitration, litigation and mediation.

In utilizing his criminal law background as a felony prosecutor,  Mr. Devlin’s financial services practice includes counsel to business, and their officers and directors, in state and federal government enforcement actions in criminal and civil matters including RICO, bribery/kickbacks, and in privacy violation allegations of illegal recordings, wiretapping, eavesdropping and hacking. He also advises clients regarding privacy, data breach, monitoring and surveillance, virtual meetings and related media securitization, risk management and best practices related to HIPAA, financial data privacy, insurance privacy, electronic fraud, cyber identity theft, and hacking.

Mr. Devlin has assisted clients in litigation related to California’s Proposition 65, including advice, counsel and defense of manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and large utility vendors in the electricity sector, as well as false advertising and labeling claims, and those arising under the Unfair Business Practices Act. Mr. Devlin has extensive business law experience including acting in the role of outside general counsel for large and small companies. He has handled all aspects of contract law, corporate legal work, and transactions in various established and emerging industries.

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court
    • Eastern District of California
    • Northern District of California
    • Central District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals
    • Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court
    • Northern District of California

Education

  • Pacific McGeorge School of Law,  J.D. with honors
  • University of California, Davis, B.A.

Professional Memberships

  • The Bar Association of San Francisco, Justice and Diversity Center
  • PLUS Journal Editorial Board
  • Insurance Law360 – 2010 Editorial Advisory Board
  • Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
  • Peers – Legal Counsel for the Sharing Economy
  • Property Claims Association of the Pacific

Representative Matters

  • Prevailed on summary judgment in Santa Clara County Superior Court for a major financial institution and its life agents in professional liability dispute concerning complex IRC 412i plan, advice and funding case concerning alleged negligence in providing tax advice, recommendations and financial planning, in which the plaintiffs claimed several millions of dollars in damages.
  • Accomplished favorable settlement of a business dispute concerning claims of business torts, unpaid loans and shareholder dispute as part of a complex asset purchase agreement by a successor company.

Community Service

  • Hannukah Hoops, Advisory Board Member
  • KALW Call a Lawyer Night Fundraiser

Publications

Awards & Honors

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Mansfield Rule Certified 2023 Super Lawyers Super Lawyers Best Law Firms 2024 Martindale Hubbel AV Preeminent Law 360