Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer, P.C.

Firm Phone:

(510) 832-5411

Gary Gwilliam is considered one of the best consumer trial attorneys in the state. His reputation and skill in representing seriously injured plaintiffs is well known. He has tried 150 jury cases, of which more than 100 were personal injury cases. He has handled major cases in every area of consumer law, including serious automobile and construction accidents, products liability, medical malpractice, bad faith insurance, civil rights (including police misconduct), wrongful termination and employment discrimination.

His results on behalf of his clients include:
A $6.1 million jury verdict for a 29-year-old man who suffered quadriplegic injuries when the roof of his Corvette was crushed in a roll-over accident. This was the largest single injury verdict in Contra Costa County history.

A multi-million dollar settlement for 80 plaintiffs in their insurance bad faith suit against their automobile insurance company for failure to pay medical benefits covered by the plaintiffs’ policies.

A $5.5 million jury verdict for a 19-year-old man who suffered severe hand injuries caused by a press machine at his place of work. This was the largest hand injury verdict in the United States and the largest single injury verdict in Alameda County history.

A $4 million jury verdict for the family of a man who was killed by police officers when he was threatening suicide. This was the largest police shooting misconduct verdict in Northern California history.
Gary is a former president of the Consumer Attorneys of California and was nominated Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1995 and 1996 by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Gary is also a recipient 2001 of the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for employment law. A noted lecturer and motivational speaker, he has conducted seminars and workshops around California and the United States for many years. His ethics seminar, “How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life,” won him a Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award in 1994. He is the author of numerous articles on California consumer law and is frequently called upon to serve as an expert witness on the standard of care for lawyers’ conduct.

Areas of Practice:

Personal Injury
Consumer Law
Serious Motor Vehicle and Construction Accidents
Product Liability
Medical Malpractice
Bad Faith Insurance
Civil Rights (Including Police Misconduct)
Wrongful Termination and Employment Discrimination
Premises Liability
Civil Rights and Discrimination
Litigation Percentage
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certified Legal Specialties
Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1982
Product Liability, Personal Injury, Professional Negligence, Consumer Attorneys of California

Bar Admissions
California, 1963
Education
University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California
LL.B. – 1962
Honors: Phi Delta Phi
Honors: Member, Boalt Hall Moot Court Board, (1961-1962)
Honors: Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, (1995-1996)
Pomona College, Pomona, California, USA
B.A. – 1959
Major: Psychology

Published Works
Trial By Fear
Lessons from Losing, San Francisco Daily Journal, Verdicts and Settlements Section, Winter, 1999
Are Trial Lawyers Becoming Extinct? A Look at Civil Litigation in the Next Millennium, American Board of Trial Advocates, Voir Dire, Winter, 1999
An Historical Perspective of Consumer Attorneys of California and Me, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, December, 1999
Scott Morris v. Weibel Wineries, Inc. – From Client to Friend, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine, February/March, 2000
Peak Performance in Litigation Through Relaxation Techniques, Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, 1999-2000
Techniques for Arguing Damages to a Jury, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA), April, 1999
The Art of Losing, American Board of Trial Advocates, ATLA, November, 1998
The Art of Losing, Trial Magazine (under Reflections), May, 1998
The Art of Losing, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1999
How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life (The Soul of a Trial Lawyer), American Board of Trial Advocates, Voire Dire Vol. IV, Issue 4, Fall, 1997
How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life (The Soul of a Trial Lawyer), Institute of Noetic Sciences, Connections Magazine, No. 6, January, 1999
Go Easy on Yourself, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA) Page 84, November, 1998
In Memory of Bob Beloud, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1998
A Practical Presentation of the Use of Jury Consultants in Trial Preparation In Trial, (With Karen Jo Koonan), Consumer Attorneys of California, 36th Annual Convention Syllabus, 1997
How to Argue a Hand Injury Case, Consumer Attorneys of California, 35th Annual Convention Syllabus, 1996
CSAA Made to Pay, Verdict, Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, June, 1995
CSAA Made to Pay, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum Magazine, 1995
Holistic View of Witness Creditability, National Employment Lawyers Association, June, 1995
Punitive Damages in Wrongful Termination Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, 29th Annual Tahoe Seminar Syllabus, April, 1994
Ethics-How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, 27th & 28th Annual Tahoe Seminars Syllabuses, 1992 and 1993
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Fiji Law Society Syllabus, July, 1993
Arguing Damages: Turning Emotion Into Money, California Trial Lawyers Association Syllabus, December, 1991
Power Anticipation, Trial Excellence, Vol. 2, No. 6, June, 1990
Power Anticipation, Republished in Top Courtroom Performance
How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, Forum Vol. 20, No. 7, September, 1990
Power Anticipation, (Forward to Book by James Scott Bell), Compendium Press, Woodland Hills California, 1994
Proposition 51: The Effect of the Abolition of Joint and Several Liability, California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XVI, No. 3, April, 1986
Dental Malpractice, Who Cares? (Fundamentals of Dental Practice), California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XV, No. 3, April, 1985
Liens for Medical Expenses in Personal Injury Actions, California Continuing Education of the Bar Program Material, March/April, 1980
Personal Injury Liens for Medical Expenses, California Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. L6, #2, 1977
Commitment to Justice, The History of the Consumer Attorneys of California, (Editor and Interviewee), 1999
Representative Clients
Representing Plaintiffs in Every Aspect of Civil Litigation
Classes/Seminars
Stress Management, (How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life), PLI, 2000 – 2002
Faculty Member, Hastings College of Trial Advocacy, 1981
Honors and Awards
Consumer Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) for Employment, 2002
Trial Lawyer of the Year, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, 1995 – 1996
California Lawyer Attorney of the Year for Employment Law, 2001
Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award, 1994
Super Lawyers: 2004 – 2005, 2007 – 2009
Professional Associations and Memberships
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), President, 1988
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), President-Elect, 1987
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Parliamentarian, 1986
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Member, Board of Governors, 1983 – Present
California Trial Lawyers Association, Chairman, Political Action Committee, 1986
Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1974 – 1975
Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors, 1970 – Present
Alameda County Lawyers Club (Lawyer of the year), Member, 1985 – 1986
American Arbitration Association, Member, Panel of Arbitrators
American Bar Association, Member
American Board of Trial Advocates, Diplomat, 1976
American Association for Justice
National Board of Trial Advocacy
National Employment Lawyers Association
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Member, Board of Directors, 1996 – Present
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Executive Committee, 1999
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Secretary, 2000
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Vice President, 2002
The State Bar of California, Member
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Chairman, Long Range Planning Committee, 1990 – 1994
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Treasurer, 2001
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, President-Elect, 2002 – 2003
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, President, 2003 – 2004
Past Employment Positions
Nichols, Williams, Morgan & Digardi, Partner, 1966 – 1978
District Attorney’s Office, Ventura County, CA, Chief Trial Deputy, 1962 – 1966
Pro Bono Activities
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Fraternities/Sororities
Phi Delta Phi
Kappa Delta

Main Practice Area:

Personal Injury

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