About The Authors

Gary A. Bresee, David J. McMahon and John S. "Jack" Pierce lead Barger & Wolen's Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis group.

About Gary A. Bresee

Gary Bresee is a partner in Barger & Wolen’s San Francisco office. Mr. Bresee is a trial attorney with more than 20 years litigation and trial experience in complex business litigation, insurance coverage, complex insurance litigation, bad faith, employment law, attorney fee disputes, appellate practice, and claims under California’s Unfair Business Practices statutes.

Mr. Bresee served as a defense expert in a case which decided the reasonableness of attorney fees, City of Los Angeles v. County of Kern, Case No. CV 06-5094 GAF (VBKx), (September 3, 2008). U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess found Mr. Bresee’s testimony highly persuasive and adopted the majority of his recommendations.

Practice Areas

  • Litigation
  • Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis

Professional Associations

  • The State Bar of California
  • The Bar Association of San Francisco

Education

  • University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, 1987
  • California State University at Sacramento, B.S., Phi Kappa Phi, 1984
  • American River College, A.A., 1981

Bar Admissions

  • California

About David J. McMahon

David McMahon is the Managing Partner in Barger & Wolen’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on large complex litigation. He has worked on numerous high-profile litigation matters involving life settlements, multi-million dollar insurance coverage disputes relating to intellectual property matters, wage and hour litigation, environmental claims, directors and officers liability insurance, maritime matters, and cases involving alleged insurer bad faith.


Practice Areas

  • Litigation
  • Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis

Education

  • Golden Gate University, J.D., with highest honors, 1985
  • University of Rhode Island, M.S. 1982
  • University of Rhode Island, B.S., 1979

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • New York
  • Hawaii

About John S. (Jack) Pierce

John Pierce is a senior litigation partner in the firm’s San Francisco office. Mr. Pierce’s litigation and trial experience includes a wide variation of complex national cases for insurance and non-insurance clients. He is a nationally recognized author and expert witness in the areas of legal fee disputes, fee and cost allocation, legal ethics, and issues related to legal and ethical responsibilities of lawyers that arise from the tripartite relationship between insurers, insureds and defense counsel.

Mr. Pierce also served as a consultant and expert in the litigation management of cases involving a wide range of issues, including intellectual property disputes, mass tort litigation, breast implant litigation, commercial disputes, environmental coverage disputes, recording royalty disputes and mass asbestos litigation.

Practice Areas

  • Litigation
  • Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis

Professional Associations

  • Council on Litigation Management
  • American Bar Association Torts and Insurance Practice Committee
  • The Fellows of the American Bar Association
  • American Bar Association International Law & Practice
  • Proctor, Maritime Law Association of the United States
  • Association of Marine Underwriters

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1976
  • University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1970

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • Washington, DC