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Woolls & Peer, A Professional Corporation is a Los Angeles based law firm with a mission to provide the highest level of service in responding to the counseling and litigation needs of clients with whom we develop enduring relationships. Our attorneys have outstanding academic qualifications and extensive experience in a wide variety of commercial litigation to obtain superior results in trial and appellate court proceedings.
Paul Woolls Born in Bloomington, Indiana in 1954 Paul Woolls attended Wabash College where he received an A.B. degree in 1975. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1979, where he served as Articles Editor for the Law Review. Paul was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1979 and the California Bar in 1983. From 1979 to 1980, Paul served as law clerk to the Honorable Samuel J. Roberts, Associate Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Early in his career, Paul practiced with a large Philadelphia commercial litigation firm and with a Los Angeles litigation firm. Paul now is the President of Woolls & Peer, A Professional Corporation. He specializes in insurance coverage litigation, as well as the defense of insurance bad faith actions. Mr. Woolls also handles reinsurance disputes and regulatory matters relating to the acquisition of insurance companies. Paul has served as coverage counsel to insurance carriers on a variety of issues, emphasizing medical malpractice, environmental and construction defect coverage matters. For almost seven years, he coordinated the coverage position of carriers involved in the McMartin Preschool litigation. He also served as trial counsel in a case involving fraudulent practices in the sales of life insurance annuities to seniors. Paul frequently lectures for various organizations, including the Insurance Educational Association, CPCU chapters, broker and agent organizations, and risk managers for both private and public entities. He speaks on a number of topics including the duty to defend, environmental coverage, avoidance of bad faith, the Cumis doctrine, errors and omissions coverages, directors and officer policies, additional insured endorsements, construction defect coverage and litigation, as well as employment litigation issues. Paul remains a member of the California, Los Angeles County and Philadelphia Bar Associations, as well as the Conference of Insurance Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and the Tort and Insurance Practice Sections of several of those bar associations. A number of organizations have requested that Paul serve as an expert witness arbitrator or mediator of disputes involving insurance coverage, professional liability, fee allocations, employment and coverage issues. Over the last three decades, Paul has litigated dozens of major coverage actions, including: Jensen-Kelly Corp.; Varian; Texaco; Douglas Oil; Shell Oil; BKK; Foster-Gardner; Lockheed; RSR Quemetco, as well as representing the Farmers Insurance Exchanges in the anti-takeover efforts against Sir James Goldsmith and the Axa Insurance Group. Over the years Paul has advised insurers on hundreds of coverage matters involving directors and officers, life, professional liability, construction defects, advertising injury, employment, environmental, asbestos and other toxic tort claims. John E. Peer For the past twenty-five years, John’s practice has focused on complex insurance coverage litigation. John spent the first sixteen years of his career at Long & Levit, where he served as Managing Partner of its Los Angeles office. He then practiced briefly with Cummins & White LLP and the New York firm of Kroll, Rubin & Fiorella LLP before those firms dissolved. Since 1980, John has represented insurance companies, underwriters, claim analysts and other insurer employees in complex insurance coverage matters and in attendant reinsurance claims. From 1990 to 1996 until his departure from Long & Levit, he served as West Coast Regional Counsel for CNA’s Centralized Environmental and Asbestos Claims Department. For the past several years, John’s practice also has focused on complex construction defect coverage and litigation. He regularly represents insurers of owners, developers, general contractors and subcontractors and has been involved in many of the largest construction defect matters in Southern California. John has acted as lead counsel in a number of major actions that have proceeded to trial. In 1988, he served as lead trial counsel for the CNA Insurance Companies in the massive 14 month trial of Shell Oil Co. v. Accident & Casualty of Winterthur in San Bruno, California. He also was lead counsel in the Martin Marietta litigation in Los Angeles and for the significant products liability coverage action Silgan Corp. v. Federal Ins. Co., et al. John recently served as lead council for Yosemite Insurance Company in the State of California v. Allstate, et al. (Stringfellow) environmental coverage action. In addition to counseling clients on a wide variety of coverage matters, John also drafts general liability forms and endorsements and new insurance policy forms. John received a B.A. cum laude in History from Colorado State University in 1971 and an M.A. in History from Northern Illinois University in 1973. He received his J.D. cum laude in 1980 from the University of San Francisco, where he was a member of the Law Review and McAuliffe Honor Society. John frequently lectures on insurance coverage, litigation and claims handling issues and has authored numerous articles on insurance-related matters. He is admitted in all California state and federal courts, as well as the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Torts & Insurance Practice Section, as well as the California and Los County Bar Associations. H. Douglas Galt Born in Southern California in 1956, Doug Galt attended Stanford University where he received an A.B. degree in Economics in 1978 with honors and distinction. He earned his J.D. and an M.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981, where he was a John M. Olin Fellow and served as Primary Editor on the U.C.L.A. - Alaska Law Review. Doug became a member of the Bar of the State of California in 1981. For most of his career, Doug practiced with large national law firms headquartered in New York and Los Angeles. He is a founding shareholder of Woolls & Peer, A Professional Corporation. Although he has handled commercial litigation ranging from antitrust to lender liability, Doug’s practice in the last dozen years has centered on the litigation and counseling needs of insurance companies and insureds. He has experience with a variety of insurance products, including commercial general liability, directors and officers, errors and omissions, marine, property and fidelity policies. He advises insurance companies concerning, and defends them against suits seeking coverage for construction defect, pollution, malpractice, trademark and copyright infringement, employment, fire loss and other casualty claims. He frequently defends companies against bad faith claims. In addition, Doug has represented both insurers and insureds in indemnity and contribution actions, and has defended insureds against construction defect, pollution, legal and accounting malpractice, and other tort claims. On average, Doug takes at least two cases through trial each year. Doug has substantial experience pursuing appeals and writ proceedings in state and federal court. He has authored dozens of briefs and has argued before the Ninth Circuit and California’s Courts of Appeal. In just the last two years, Doug has handled six appeals in matters ranging from eminent domain, pollution coverage, first party bad faith and construction defect. Doug frequently writes on developments in tort and insurance law. He has been published in Mealey’s Litigation Reports, the Defense Research Institute Seminar Handbooks, and the U.C.L.A. - Alaska Law Review. His publications include:
Through the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, Doug has served as mediator in at least 100 matters. He has formal mediation training through a program offered by U.C.L.A. Gregory B. Scher A Los Angeles native, Gregory Scher attended the University of Hawaii, receiving a B.A degree in philosophy in 1984. Greg was elected to consecutive terms as President of the student union. In 1983, Greg interned with the Governor of Hawaii, acting as liaison between the Governor’s office and the American Samoa legislative committee charged with rewriting the territorial constitution. He returned to California and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California - Davis in 1988 and was admitted to the California Bar that same year. He practices before all state and federal courts in California, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Greg began his legal career in the construction arena, defending claims against surety bonds and representing subcontractors embroiled in contract and other job site disputes. Later, Greg’s practice grew to encompass representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in disputes involving personal injury, premises liability, construction defect, employment harassment and discrimination, wrongful death and other general liability claims. Greg also defends insurance carriers sued for bad faith. As a founding shareholder of Woolls & Peer, A Professional Corporation, Greg is an accomplished trial lawyer. He teaches trial techniques classes for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the American Trial Lawyers Association. He has tried many significant cases to jury verdict in state and federal courts throughout Southern California. Greg’s served as lead counsel in a six month trial in Los Angeles Superior Court brought by the State of California against our life insurer client alleging unlawful business practices and seeking $200,000,000 in restitution. Before trial, the client offered $30,000,000 to settle. The client deemed the resulting verdict, valued at less than $10,000,000, as an enormous victory. Greg also has successfully defended clients in a broad range of general and products liability claims arising from the operations of insureds and resulting in serious injury or death. Greg regularly defends businesses and property owners in construction defect and premises liability actions. Recent successes include a two week jury trial involving a plaintiff’s allegations of on the job sex harassment when her employer showed her pornographic materials. Greg’s versatility is best evidenced by his current trial calendar, which includes trials involving allegations of fraud, personal injury, racial discrimination and unfair business practices. Greg is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the American Trial lawyers Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Jo Ann Montoya Born in Los Angeles, California in 1962, Jo Ann Montoya attended UCLA where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984, graduating cum laude. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1987 and participated as a member of the Hastings Law Journal staff from 1985 to 1986. While in law school, she also externed for the Honorable Cynthia Holcomb Hall, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Jo Ann was admitted to the California Bar in 1987. Jo Ann specializes in insurance coverage, including research and writing opinions, reservation of rights and denial letters, advising insurance company clients with respect to their obligations under general liability policies, excess and umbrella policies, and representing insurance company clients in multi-party coverage litigation. Over the last decade, Jo Ann has authored hundreds of opinions analyzing a wide range of coverage issues presented under general liability policies, including whether the claim falls within the coverage clause; named and additional insured and other definitional issues; whether an exclusion applies, the applicable limit of liability, issues relating to whether a policy applies on a primary or excess basis, application of the “other insurance” clause and other policy conditions, and analyzing claims handling. Jo Ann also has analyzed hundreds of claims arising from environmental contamination, construction defects, personal and business disputes, professional negligence, and automobile accidents. She has drafted insurance policy language and been involved in appeals, reinsurance matters and auditing legal fees and costs. Her experience includes both first and third party claims, general liability policies, business auto policies, excess and umbrella policies, workers’ compensation and employers’ liability policies, professional liability policies, and personal lines automobile. Jo Ann is a member of the California State Bar. She is also a member of the United States District Court, Central District of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Jeffrey A. Dollinger Born in San Francisco, California in 1963, Jeffrey A. Dollinger attended UCLA where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1986. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1989. While in law school, he served as a Note Editor on the American Journal of Law and Medicine. While earning his law degree, Jeff completed all course-work for a Masters in Mass Communication at the Boston University school of Communication. Jeff taught multiple graduate and undergraduate seminars on the application First Amendment principals to print and electronic media. Jeff was admitted to the California Bar in 1990. Jeff’s specialty in business litigation dates back to 1990 when he became actively involved in multi-party complex insurance coverage litigation. His experience spans all aspects of this type of litigation, including motion practice, development of case strategy and taking and defending depositions and trial. Jeff has litigated many issues including, but not limited to, entertainment, First Amendment, equine law, and civil workers’ compensation issues, including conspiracy and anti-trust allegations. Through personal experience, Jeff has obtained considerable franchise business law experience. He has incorporated multiple businesses and has engaged in analysis of liability and tax issues in determining proper business structure and form. He has obtained expertise in negotiating and drafting management contracts, member and shareholder agreements, and commercial leases. Jeff is constantly troubleshooting business management issues, including compliance with OSHA regulations and the California Health and Labor codes. Jeff has analyzed franchise uniform offering circulars and has advised both franchisers and franchisees as to their respective rights and obligations under franchise agreements. Jeff has substantial experience in analyzing insurance coverage issues, including research and writing opinions, reservations of rights and denial letters, advising insurance company clients as to their rights and obligations under general liability policies, excess and umbrella policies. Jeff has authored many coverage opinions concerning environmental and construction related claims. Sean B. Dean Sean Dean was born in Fullerton, California in 1960. He attended California State University Long Beach, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Creative Writing in 1992, graduating cum laude. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from UCLA in 1996. While at UCLA he participated in moot court competition, and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Family Law. Sean was admitted to the California State Bar in 1996. Sean is a litigator, specializing in insurance defense and insurance cases. He has been responsible for all aspects of litigation, including discovery, negotiation, arbitration, pre-trial motions, and trial preparation in federal and state court. He also has experience in preparing federal and state appellate briefs. Sean is a member of the California State Bar. He is also a member of the United States District Court, Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Donna M. Davis Donna Davis earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1984 from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. After a 12 year career in pharmaceutical sales, she returned to academia, earning her Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University in 2003. Donna graduated with honors in the top third of her graduating class. The California State Bar admitted her in 2003. After two years practicing Medical Malpractice defense, Donna joined Woolls & Peer in November 2005. She has been responsible for all aspects of trial and arbitration preparation, including case analysis, expert witness preparation, written discovery, depositions, dispositive motions, pretrial motions and trial briefs. She also has prepared dispositive motions in the appellate courts. Donna is a member of the California State Bar. She is also a member of the United States District Court, Central District of California. Lisa Darling-Alderton Lisa Darling-Alderton is an Iowa native who earned a B.S. in Psychology, with minors in Political Science, Religion, and Women’s Studies, from the University of Iowa in 1999. She moved to California to accept a full tuition scholarship to Chapman University School of Law. At Chapman, she served as the President of the Women’s Law Forum, earned a spot on the mock trial team, was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Practice and Evidence, and served as the Copy Editor of the Law Review. During law school, Lisa had the opportunity to work as an extern for the Honorable Stephen Rheinhardt on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she participated in all aspects of the legal analysis and decision making process. She completed her J.D. studies in 2002 in the top 25% of her class, and was admitted to the bar in California later that year. The first four years of Lisa’s practice were spent defending physicians and other healthcare practitioners in civil malpractice cases and administrative disciplinary proceedings before the various California licensing boards. She has been responsible for all aspects of trials, arbitrations, and administrative hearings, including discovery, expert witness preparation, depositions, arguing dispositive motions, settlement conferences, direct and cross-examinations, and closing arguments. She also has experience preparing writs of administrative mandamus and federal and state appellate briefs. Lisa joined Woolls & Peer in 2006. She is admitted to practice by the California State Bar and the United States District Court, Central District of California.
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