J. Gary Gwilliam Attorney

First Admitted: 1963, California

Professional Webpage: https://giccb.com/attorneys/j-gary-gwilliam/

Bar/Professional Activity:

Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Parliamentarian, 1986
The State Bar of California, Member
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Member, Board of Governors, 1983 - Present
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, President-Elect, 2002 - 2003
American Board of Trial Advocates, Diplomat, 1976
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Secretary, 2000
Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors, 1970 - Present
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, President, 2003 - 2004
Member, Boalt Hall Moot Court Board, 1961-1962
Faculty Member, Hastings College of Trial Advocacy, 1981
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), Chairman, Long Range Planning Committee, 1990 - 1994
California Trial Lawyers Association, Chairman, Political Action Committee, 1986
American Association for Justice
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Vice President, 2002
American Board of Trial Advocates
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Member, Board of Directors, 1996 - Present
American Arbitration Association, Member, Panel of Arbitrators
National Board of Trial Advocacy
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), President-Elect, 1987
American Arbitration Association, Member, Panel of Arbitrators
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), President, 1988
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Treasurer, 2001
American Bar Association, Member
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, Executive Committee, 1999
Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1974 - 1975
National Employment Lawyers Association
California, 1963

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

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
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 $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
$5 million jury verdict for the family of a man who was killed by police officers when he was threatening suicide

Videos:

Meet Gary Gwilliam, Founding Partner of Gwilliam Ivary Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer. , Meet Gary Gwilliam, Plaintiffs, Employment Law, Civil Litigation,, 2019

Special Licenses/Certifications:

Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1982

Pro bono/Community Service:

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

Honors/Awards:

J. Gary Gwilliam and Randall E. Strauss Colombo, et al. vs. BNC Mortgage, Inc., et al.JUSTICE FOR WOMEN WHO BLEW THE WHISTLE ON FRAUDULENT LENDINGSix women who worked at the Sacramento branch of BNC Mortgage, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lehman Brothers that specialized in sub-prime mortgages, eachcomplained to their 770 L STREET, SUITE1200, SACRAMENTO CA 95814916-442-6902915-442-7734 FAXWWW.CAOC.COMsuperiors about fraudulent lending practices in 2005. Each of them was told to look the other way and when they persisted in expressing their concerns, these women were subjected to retaliation, sexual harassment and other forms of abuse that was designed to force them to quit. The sexual harassment was inflicted by a supervisor as a direct response to their whistleblowing about fraudulent loan packages and was sanctionedby company officials as a way to force the women either to resign or to approve falsified loans in order to get the harassment to stop. These women were sounding an alarm that went unheeded. Lax and fraudulent underwriting packages led to the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market, helping to precipitate the downfall of Lehman Brothers and with it the worldwide economy. Rather than being lauded as heroes for reporting practices that ultimately led to financial ruin for many thousands of Americans, each of these women were instead victimized by the company they were trying to protect. BNC closed its doors and Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in January 2008. After nearly 14years of litigation, with bankruptcy imposing a threat that no compensation would be possible, these six womenreceived a significant settlement. Each of them would say that they battled this corporate behemoth for so many years because of the harm caused to the public by BNC and Lehman Brothers’ actions.This case vindicated the rights of whistleblowers who were forced to resign after shedding light on corporate greed and wrongdoing, upheld the rights of sexual harassment victims in the workplace, and shed light on the fraudulent lending practices of one of the largest financial institutions in the world., CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year Finalist, https://s3.amazonaws.com/membercentralcdn/sitedocuments/ca/ca/0312/1716312.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIHKD6NT2OL2HNPMQ&Expires=1602200014&Signature=4mVo5uchNZ%2FDy88GjGbu0KlP2F0%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D%22Award%20fin, 2020
1-23-2025 Gwilliam Ivary Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer was selected as the Law Firm of the Year by the Alameda County Bar Association. The firm supports the bar association, participates as section leaders and beyond committee involvement partnered and hosted the first Mocktail Mix & Mingle social event. This alcohol-free event was a huge success., Alameda County Bar Association: Distinguished Service Award- Law firm of the year, Alameda County Bar Association, 2025
1-16-2025 The Alameda Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association awarded Gary Gwilliam the first ever, "Legend of the Law" Lifetime achievement award for his exceptional advocacy for the industry, his clients and his track record at trial. , Lifetime Achievement Award, "Legend of the Law, Alameda Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, 2025
Esteemed Lawyers of America, 2014
Trial Lawyer of the Year, Finalist, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, 1995 - 1996
California Lawyer Attorney of the Year for Employment Law, 2001
Alameda County Lawyers Club, Lawyer of the Year Award, 1986
Public Justice, Champion of Justice, 2009
Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award, 1994
Northern California Super Lawyers, 2004-Present
Consumer Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) for Employment, 2001 - 2002
Super Lawyers: 2004 - 2005, 2007 - Present

Educational Background:

Pomona College, Pomona, California, USA B.A. - 1959 Major: Psychology

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

CSAA Made to Pay, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum Magazine, 1995
CSAA Made to Pay, Verdict, Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, June, 1995
How to Argue a Hand Injury Case, Consumer Attorneys of California, 35th Annual Convention Syllabus, 1996
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
In Memory of Bob Beloud, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1998
Go Easy on Yourself, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA) Page 84, November, 1998
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
How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life (The Soul of a Trial Lawyer), American Board of Trial Advocates, Voir Dire Vol. IV, Issue 4, Fall, 1997
The Art of Losing, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1999
The Art of Losing, Trial Magazine (under Reflections), May, 1998
The Art of Losing, American Board of Trial Advocates, ATLA, November, 1998
San Mateo Bar CLE, 2015
Techniques for Arguing Damages to a Jury, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA), April, 1999
McGeorge Annual Alumni MCLE, 2015
Peak Performance in Litigation Through Relaxation Techniques, Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, 1999-2000
ABOTA Civility Matters Presentation, 2014
An Historical Perspective of Consumer Attorneys of California and Me, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, December, 1999
CAOC Specialty Credits Presentation, 2014
Ethics CLE, 2014
Are Trial Lawyers Becoming Extinct? A Look at Civil Litigation in the Next Millennium, American Board of Trial Advocates, Voir Dire, Winter, 1999
Trial Techniques in Employment Litigation, 2014
Lessons from Losing, San Francisco Daily Journal, Verdicts and Settlements Section, Winter, 1999
Frequent Presenter for Attorney Credits, Continuing Education Your Way: “Ethical Advice from a Trial Lawyer”, CLE Program
Commitment to Justice, The History of the Consumer Attorneys of California, (Editor and Interviewee), 1999
Frequent Presenter for Attorney Credits, Continuing Education Your Way: “Inebriation, Intervention and Insight: A Trial Lawyer Finds His Soul”, CLE Program
Scott Morris v. Weibel Wineries, Inc. – From Client to Friend, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine, February/March, 2000
Stress Management, “How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life” PLI, 2000 – 2002
Am I Drinking too Much is a Rhetorical Question!, 2008
Personal Injury Liens for Medical Expenses, California Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. L6, #2, 1977
Lessons from losing: How to beat defeat, 2008
Liens for Medical Expenses in Personal Injury Actions, California Continuing Education of the Bar Program Material, March/April, 1980
Old Warriors, 2009
“Professional Stress- Inebriation, Intervention and Insight, 2009
Dental Malpractice, Who Cares? (Fundamentals of Dental Practice), California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XV, No. 3, April, 1985
Getting a Winning Verdict in My Personal Life: A Trial Lawyer Finds His Soul, Pavior Publishing, 2007
Proposition 51: The Effect of the Abolition of Joint and Several Liability, California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XVI, No. 3, April, 1986
Power Anticipation, (Forward to Book by James Scott Bell), Compendium Press, Woodland Hills California, 1994
How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, Forum Vol. 20, No. 7, September, 1990
Power Anticipation, Republished in Top Courtroom Performance
Power Anticipation, Trial Excellence, Vol. 2, No. 6, June, 1990
Arguing Damages: Turning Emotion Into Money, California Trial Lawyers Association Syllabus, December, 1991
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Fiji Law Society Syllabus, July, 1993
Ethics-How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, 27th & 28th Annual Tahoe Seminars Syllabuses, 1992 and 1993
Punitive Damages in Wrongful Termination Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, 29th Annual Tahoe Seminar Syllabus, April, 1994
Holistic View of Witness Creditability, National Employment Lawyers Association, June, 1995

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