First Admitted: 1997, California

Professional Webpage: https://www.fmglaw.com/lawyers/william-a-munoz/

Bar/Professional Activity:

State of California
Chair for the Legal Malpractice Law Advisory Commission for the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Member of the California State Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (“COPRAC”)
California Third District Court of Appeal Mediator
Judge Pro Tem Sacramento County Superior Court
Dispute Resolution Conference Judge for El Dorado County Superior Court
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
State of Nevada

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

Williams v. Sacramento River City Baseball Club, LLC (2019) 40 Cal.App.5th 280 – holding that there is no Tameny wrongful refusal to hire claim based upon race
Riley v. Giguiere, et al., 631 F.Supp.2d 1295, United States District Court, E.D. California, June 19, 2009 — Partial summary judgment granted on claims against attorney for alleged violations of Fair Debt Collections Practices Act Compassion for the Parties. Dedication to the Process. Investment in the Outcome. Academic Distinctions
Seabright Insurance Company v. US Airways, Inc., 52 Cal.4th 590, 129 Cal.Rptr.3d 601, Supreme Court of California, August 22, 2011 — amicus curiae Air Transport Association, Inc. on behalf of Respondent U.S. Airways
Brazill v. California North state College of Pharmacy, LLC, 949 F.Supp.2d 1011, United States District Court, E.D. California, June 5, 2013 — Motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P 12(b)(6) granted on Plaintiff’s False Claims Act
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians v. Crosby, et al. 2016 WL 6094468 (E.D.Cal. Oct. 19, 2016) – Motion to dismiss complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) granted with prejudice for clients

Special Licenses/Certifications:

Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, 2011

Pro bono/Community Service:

Pro Temp Settlement Conference Judge Sacramento County Superior Court, 2019
California Third District Court of Appeal Mediator, 2021

Honors/Awards:

Listed as a Northern California Super Lawyer every year from 2012 through 2022
Recognized in Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyer List in 2016 and 2019 as the sole attorney under Professional Malpractice and one of six attorneys recognized under Legal Malpractice
Recognized in Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyer List in 2017 under Insurance

Educational Background:

B.S. Chemistry, University of California, Davis - 1991 J.D., cum laude, Hamline University School of Law -1997
National Conflict Resolution Center – 40 hours mediation training
Pepperdine School of Law – Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution - 40 Hours mediation training

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

The article discusses the importance of communicating with the client about significant developments and documenting the same., Author, Getting Back to the Basics, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2020, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2020
This seminar discusses successive and concurrent representation and what lawyers must do in order to comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Speaker, Ethical Traps for the Unwary Practitioner: Successive and Concurrent Representation, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada Annual Meeting December 10, 2021, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2021
This seminar discusses how attorneys uphold their ethical obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct when dealing with difficult or deceptive clients through the use of hypothetical and real life examples., Speaker, Encountering Difficult or Deceptive Clients: What are My Options?, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, California Lawyers, 2022
Managing editor of the Hamline Law Review at Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, MN
Continuing Education of the Bar Committee, in presentations such as Discovery: Planning, Strategy & Dealing with Abusive Discovery Tactics, July 2008, and Getting the Most out of Discovery, July 2009
The Do’s and Don’ts of Reductions in Force, co-presented for the CalSAE addressing best practices with reductions in force in the workplace, 2011
Legal Issues with Background Screening, webinar presented by Strafford Publishing's Security Teleconference addressing the implications of the Fair Credit Reporting Act in pre-employment screening and background checks, 2011
Understanding Cyber Risk and Your LMIC Policy, Co-presented with Simone McCormick, sponsored by Lawyers’ Mutual Insurance Company, Burbank, CA, July 2015
Preserving the Intrafirm Privilege in a Subsequent Legal Malpractice Action, presented to the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys annual conference, San Francisco, CA, 2015
Trying a Case and Strategies for Handling Legal Malpractice Cases: Emerging Trial Issues, New Defenses and Novel Ideas, and a Brief Examination of Circumstances under which It Can Be Appropriate to Admit Negligence? Presented at American Conference Institute’s Advanced Forum on LPL/Legal Malpractice, New York, NY, October 24-25, 2016
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 2016 Professional Liability in Review, Presented at Defense Research institute Professional Liability Conference, New York, NY, December 8-9, 2016
Presented seminars for the Sacramento County Law Library and the San Joaquin County Bar Association Family Law Committee on practical ways to avoid malpractice claims and other ethical issues
Enforceability of Advance Conflict Waivers, Presented at Argo Pro Lawyers’ Professional Liability Conference, Las Vegas, NV, June 28 – 29, 2017
Conflicts of Interest: Navigating the Perils of Joint Representation, copresented with Alison Buchanan, sponsored by Lawyers’ Mutual Insurance Company, October 2017 Compassion for the Parties. Dedication to the Process. Investment in the Outcome
Understanding Human Resources Role in a Lawsuit, Co-Presented with Nathan T. Jackson, Webinar for Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), August 29, 2018
Is this a Conflict? Ethical Traps That Could Surprise You, webcast presented with Alison Buchanan, sponsored by ALI CLE, January 10, 2019
How Far May a State Labor Law Reach?, In-House Defense Quarterly for the Defense Research Institute, Winter 2012. Selected Presentations
California’s Rules of Professional Conduct Makeover, published in The Lawyer’s Lawyer section of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 33, No. 3, Fall 2018
The article compares California and Nevada legal malpractice law, Author, "Defending Legal Malpractice Claims in California and Nevada - A Day at the Beach or Stranded in the Desert?", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 30, No. 1, Spring 2015, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2015
The article addresses issues confronting attorneys in determining whether to take on a client., Author, "To Accept or Not to Accept a New Client", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 32, No. 2, Spring 2017, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2017
The article discusses client intake issues and formalizing the attorney-client relationship, Author, "You Have Landed the Client, Now What? Formulating the Attorney-Client Relationship", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 2017, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2017
The article discusses when conflict waivers are needed and what the lawyer must do to comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct in drafting a conflict waiver, Author, "Conflict Waivers – Why Do We Need Them?", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 2018, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2018
The article focuses on steps lawyers must take to effectively terminate the attorney-client relationship to comport with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Author, "Disengagement Letters – Ending the Relationship", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer 2018, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2018
The article discusses the revisions to California Rules of Professional Conduct in 2018, Author, "California’s Rules of Professional Conduct Makeover", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 33, No. 3, Fall 2018, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2018
The article discusses implications of California Rules of Professional Conduct, rule 1.7, and what the lawyer must do to comply with this rule in representing multiple defendants, Author, Getting Back to the Basics –"Ethical Implications of Representing Multiple Defendants", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 34, No. 2, Summer 2019, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2019
Business transactions with clients and the steps needed for the lawyer to comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Author, "Business Transactions with Clients – A Trap for the Unwary Practitioner", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment, Vol. 34, No. 3, Fall 2019, Association Of Defense Counsel For Northern California And Nevada, 2019
Author, "Cassel v. Superior Court - The California Supreme Court Rejects Attorney Malpractice Exception to Mediation Confidentiality", September 2011 Volume of Westlaw Journal Professional Liability and Defense Research Institute Professional Liability Committee Riding the E&O Line, 2011
Author, "A Golden Opportunity to Further Limit Employer Liability in Injury Cases", Risk & Insurance Online, 2011

Industry Groups:

American Bar Association
California Lawyers Association
Defense Research Institute Professional Liability Committee

William A. Munoz