Robert brings over two decades of civil litigation and appellate experience in the private sector to the California Public Utilities Commission as Commissioner Simon's Legal Advisor. He has extensive experience in successfully representing various public entities throughout California, as well as Fortune 500 companies, in complex, document-intensive litigation matters such as environmental, natural disasters, products liability, human resources, construction, intellectual property, and insurance recovery for policyholders. Robert has also built a winning track record in arguing numerous cases before the California Supreme Court, the California Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prior to joining the PUC, Robert worked at Bergman & Dacey, Inc. from 1989 to 2007, where he held the positions of associate, shareholder, and of counsel, respectively. His areas of expertise included complex civil litigation, products liability, environmental, insurance litigation, and civil appeals. From 1986 to 1989, Robert was an associate with Cotkin, Collins & Franscell, where he specialized in representing corporations involved in securing insurance coverage to pay for the cost of remediating hazardous waste sites. From 1985 to 1986, Robert was an associate with Daniels Baratta & Fine, where he represented clients in insurance defense matters. In 1984 and 1985, Robert worked as an independent contractor with Farbstein & Brown, where he analyzed and the legal positions taken by various asbestos manufacturers and their insurance carriers in the massive In Re Asbestos Insurance Cases that were tried in San Francisco.
A native of San Francisco, Robert graduated from Saint Ignatius College Prep., earned a B.A. in English Literature from the Honors Program at the University of Santa Clara, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis. While at U.C. Davis, Robert was a member of the Honor's Moot Court Board, a participant in Honor's Moot Court Program, and was a research and writing instructor. Most recently, Robert has been admitted into graduate school at Stanford University where he will pursue his Masters of Liberal Arts on a part-time basis starting in the Fall of 2007.
Contact:
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 5212
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: 415-703-1826