Denis F. Shanagher

Denis Shanagher chairs the firm’s commercial, employment, insurance and real estate litigation practice groups in its San Francisco office, and has been actively in practice since 1981. Mr. Shanagher has handled jury trials, court trials, mediations and arbitrations in the western region of the United States throughout that period. His litigation practice includes general commercial contracts and disputes; employment; professional negligence (emphasizing real estate agents, attorneys, accountants and insurance brokers); directors’ and officers’ liability; and insurance coverage. He also has an active land use and related litigation practice, including CEQA litigation.

Recent Work / Representative Matters

ACE USA - Westchester Specialty Group; Archdiocese of San Francisco; Corestaff; City College of San Francisco; Costco Wholesale Corporation; Crescent Heights Inc.; Drew School; D.R. Horton Inc.; Environ International Corp.; Ework; Fidelity National Title Co; Glotel Inc.; Grosvenor Properties, Ltd., Grubb & Ellis Company; JPS Builders Inc.; Killarney Construction, Inc.; Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; McGuire Real Estate; Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.; Pell Development Company; Peralta Community College District; Prudential Insurance Group; RSUI Group Inc.; Tishman Speyer Properties.

• Representing brokerage firms in defense and prosecution of trade secret and unfair competition lawsuits.
• Representing insurers in the evaluation and litigation of complex insurance coverage disputes.
• Representing temporary employment and retail firms in various employment matters, including wage/hour class actions, wrongful termination and discrimination claims.
• Represented manufacturing firm in trade secrets and unfair competition claim arising from employees leaving firm and forming competing company.
• Represented national retailer (850 + stores in 26 states) in various commercial litigation matters, including trade secret and unfair competition litigation, and in wage/hour class action.
• Representing developers and school districts in land use matters, including CEQA litigation.

Memberships

American Bar Association: Litigation Section, Committee on Corporate Counsel; Business Section, Committee on Business and Corporate Litigation.

State Bar of California.

San Francisco Bar Association.

Barristers Club of San Francisco.

Defense Research Institute.

American Inns of Court.

San Francisco Superior Court Arbitrator (1989–present).

San Francisco Superior Court Settlement Conference panelist (1988–present).

San Francisco Superior Court judge pro tem (1991–present).

President - St. Francis Homes Association (1994-1996).

The Randall Museum Board of Directors (1998-2002).

The Drew School Board of Directors (2002-present).

President: San Francisco Little League (2006-2009).

Chairman: Stanford Rugby Foundation (2004-present).