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August 15, 2018 – Irvine, Calif. – Payne & Fears LLP is pleased to announce that seven of the firm’s attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019 edition. Their names are: Jeffrey K. Brown, Daniel F. Fears, Daniel M. Livingston, James L. Payne, Eric C. Sohlgren, Thomas L. Vincent and Kelby Van Patten.
Additionally, Daniel F. Fears has been named as “Lawyer of the Year” in Orange County in the Litigation – Labor & Employment Practice area. Only a single lawyer in a specific practice area and location is honored with a “Lawyer of the Year” designation.
Learn more about the recognized attorneys:
Jeffrey K. Brown defends employers against class actions and individual cases brought under California and federal employment laws. Jeff brings a strong track record of litigation wins at every level, in every forum, to his engagements.
Daniel F. Fears is a founding partner at Payne & Fears LLP. He represents companies in all aspects of employment law and related civil litigation, including employment law class actions, wrongful termination litigation and preventive advice, employment and housing discrimination, labor-management relations and arbitrations, civil rights, trade secrets and other employment law litigation. Dan serves as litigation counsel for Fortune 500 companies in class action and multi-plaintiff litigation, and represents employers in aerospace, national defense, retail, entertainment, banking, hospitality, health care, housing and other industries.
Daniel M. Livingston focuses on business and real estate litigation. He has successfully handled hundreds of civil litigation matters involving a wide range of commercial issues, and has tried numerous cases to verdict, judgment or arbitration award, including nearly $10 million jury verdict for a financial institution against a major homebuilder in San Diego County.
James L. Payne is a founding partner at Payne & Fears LLP, where he represents companies in all aspects of employment law and related civil litigation, including wage-and-hour litigation and consulting, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, labor management relations and union arbitrations.
Eric C. Sohlgren has developed a reputation for calm persistence, depth of knowledge, responsive service, efficiency, and vigorous advocacy. For 25 years, he has represented companies, managers and employee benefit plans in employment litigation matters in state and federal courts, and in administrative proceedings.
Thomas L. Vincent concentrates on business, real estate and construction litigation, including trial and appeal and construction transactions. He is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Tom’s construction and real estate practice includes the representation of developers, owners, suppliers, contractors, consultants, and brokers in a wide range of real estate, development, and construction matters, including construction transactional matters, ownership and management disputes, landlord/tenant, defective construction, real estate sales and broker disputes, payment, bond and lien claims, fee and title disputes, and breach of contract matters.
Kelby Van Patten represents policyholders in a broad variety of insurance coverage disputes in federal and state courts across the country, and he has obtained significant published appellate decisions favorable to policyholders. Kelby also counsels policyholders on insurance coverage issues and assists policyholders in negotiating with their insurers. Kelby has handled over 60 lawsuits over the right to independent counsel, and he has handled over 40 lawsuits over Buss reimbursement claims. He is the Chair of the firm’s Insurance Law Group.
About Best Lawyers
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.
Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional experience, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.