Biography
Jeff is a shareholder and past chair of the firm's Litigation practice group. He practices in the areas of transportation, commercial litigation and tort defense. Jeff is rated AV® by Martindale-Hubbell®. The AZ Business magazine named him to the 2009 and 2010 "Top Lawyers List," for commercial litigation. Jeff was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2011, 2012 and 2013 in the field of Transportation Law. He was recently named to the inaugural group of Arizona's Finest Lawyers.
Business Related Disputes
Jeff represents clients in all types of business related disputes, including breach of contract, lender liability, trade secret litigation, intellectual property disputes, non-competition, employment benefits litigation, real estate, commercial-landlord tenant disputes, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation matters. He also represents clients in the defense of tort liability claims, including those involving toxic tort and premises liability. Jeff was one of the lead trial attorneys in Gutierrez v. Phelps Dodge, a toxic tort case, which the June 2008 Arizona Attorney magazine listed as one of the previous year's most significant defense verdicts.
Transportation Matters
Jeff's transportation practice is devoted to representing motor, rail, air and ocean carriers, brokers and intermediaries. He handles freight loss and damage claims and the collection of tariff and transportation charges. Jeff also negotiates and drafts transportation contracts and advises clients on regulatory issues. In addition, Jeff represents carriers in truck accident litigation. He is a past Chairman of the Conference of Freight Counsel (a national association of attorneys primarily representing air, motor, ocean and railroad carriers in transportation matters) and is an active member of the Transportation Lawyers Association and Trucking Industry Defense Association. With two decades of experience in this sector, Jeff has been named in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Transportation Law.
Reported Decisions
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Pacific Indemnity Co. v. Atlas Van Lines, 642 F.3d 702 (9th Cir. 2011)
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Pacific Indemnity Co. v. Pickens Kane Moving & Storage Co., et al., 655 F. Supp. 2d 1023 (D. Ariz. 2009)
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Gendler v. All Pro Van Lines, Inc., 464 F. Supp. 2d 925 (D. Ariz. 2005)
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Hath v. Alleghany Color Corp., 369 F. Supp. 2d 1116 (D. Ariz. 2005)
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Nichols v. Mayflower Transit, LLC, 368 F. Supp. 2d 1104 (D. Nev. 2003)
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Camelback Plaza Development, L.C. v. Hard Rock Café' Intern. (Phoenix), Inc., 200 Ariz. 206, 25 P.3d 8 (App. 2001)
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Ipec Planar v. Mach I Air Services, Inc., 129 F. Supp. 2d 1265 (D. Ariz. 2000)
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Enterprise Leasing Co. of Phoenix v. Ehmke, 197 Ariz. 144, 3 P.3d 1064 (App. 1999)
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Tayloe v. Kachina Moving & Storage, Inc., 16 F. Supp. 2d 1123 (D. Ariz. 1998)
Recognition and Awards
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America® (2011, 2012, 2013)
- 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award, The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law
- AZ Business Magazine "Top Lawyers List," Commercial Litigation (2009, 2010)
- Ranking Arizona: The Best of Arizona Attorneys, Commercial Litigation (2009, 2010, 2011)
- Listed, Arizona's Finest Lawyers
- 2010 LawDragon Top 3000
- State Bar of Arizona's Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year award (1996)
- State Bar of Arizona's Top 50 Pro Bono Attorneys of Arizona award (2001, 2007)