Distinguished Advocate, Joseph Cotchett will be speaking at Santa Clara University School of Law on Thursday, April 19, 2007. The schedule for the day is as follows:
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. "Career Retrospective" Bannan 127
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Reception for students, faculty and guests –Strong Common Room, Bergin Hall
Please RSVP for reception to jschuller@scu.edu by Monday April 16, 2007
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. –"The Ethics Gap in Our Profession" Panelli MootCourtRoom, Bergin Hall (one hour of MCLE Ethics credit is available)
Joseph W. Cotchett is a partner in the law firm of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy on the San Francisco Peninsula and Los Angeles. He is considered by plaintiffs’ and defense attorneys alike to be one of the Nation’s best trial lawyers and The National Law Journal has consistently called him one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.
In the 1970’s Mr. Cotchett brought early environmental lawsuits to save the California coast along with numerous consumer actions which were groundwork for many of our present consumer laws in California. In the 1980’s he won multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for investors in white-collar fraud cases, including consumer victims in the collapse of the Technical Equities Corp. In the 1990’s, Mr. Cotchett was the trial lawyer in the Lincoln Savings & Loan case – the savings and loan scandal involving Charles Keating. After a four month trial, he won he won one of the largest jury verdicts then recorded on behalf of 23,000 elderly customers of the savings and loan – $3.3 billion and $300 million in settlements from lawyers, accountants and other professionals who were defendants along with Keating.
His primary focus over the past several years has been financial fraud cases on behalf of shareholders and public pension funds. His book, the Ethics Gap written in 1990, was a precursor of today’s financial climate. He has taken on Wall Street firms for their role in Enron, Worldcom and other major financial frauds.
Mr. Cotchett has won numerous jury verdicts in major consumer anti-trust actions, securities fraud, qui tam suits, and business litigation. He has served as defense counsel, as well, in several cases, including the now famous Gallo Wine case, a major trade dress infringement case, as well as First Amendment cases, including defending Consumers Union in trials involving disparagement suits by Isuzu and Suzuki. He has tried over 100 cases to verdict in 41 years of practice and has lectured at numerous law schools around the country.
This event is presented by Santa Clara University School of Law and The Heafey Center for Trial and Appellate Advocacy
People with disabilities should feel free to contact Joanie Schuller at 408-554-5473 regarding any reasonable accommodations we may be able to provide.
