Geoff brings more than 25 years of experience to his litigation practice, which focuses on environmental and commercial disputes from the investigation stage through settlement, trial, and appeal. He has represented clients in hazardous waste enforcement, cleanup disputes, environmental citizen suits, and water and other natural resources matters. He is one of only a handful of California lawyers who have taken state hazardous waste “dumpster diving” investigations to court. Geoff has also litigated complex antitrust, patent, and trade secret cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts. He is a member of the firm’s General Litigation and Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment practices.
Geoff’s clients span a wide range of industries and include retailers, health care companies, real estate developers and trusts, semiconductor manufacturers and related technology companies, transportation companies, utilities, startups, and consumer products manufacturers.
With an eye toward avoiding litigation whenever possible, he adopts sound, cost-effective strategies that focus on achieving clients’ business goals through settlement or in court.
- Successfully litigated the termination of a hazardous waste injunction against a major retailer
- Litigated and settled state hazardous waste enforcement action against a major transportation company
- Litigated and negotiated with prosecutors in a number of California hazardous and medical waste enforcement investigations
- Defended real estate developers and manufacturers in toxic tort and environmental contamination litigation
- Litigated numerous federal and state law cost recovery lawsuits in federal and state courts on behalf of landowners, manufacturers, a major railroad, and energy companies
- Defended and counseled clients facing Proposition 65 claims, including clients in the airline, consumer products, furniture, retail, home products, construction, and dry cleaning industries
- Successfully defended major bank through appeal and recovered attorneys’ fees in a dispute with a developer over contaminated commercial real estate
- Successfully defended California petroleum company through appeal against a Clean Water Act citizen suit
- Represented major utility in natural resource litigation
- Represented renewable energy company and dry cleaner franchise in administrative proceedings before the South Coast Air Quality Management District
- Represented a large, multinational semiconductor manufacturer in multiple patent and antitrust actions against a high-profile computer memory interface technology firm
- Tried a patent infringement case and obtained a favorable jury verdict and a permanent injunction on behalf of major EDA company against its primary competitor
- Successfully defended petroleum distributor and its employee against allegations of trade secret theft, obtaining dismissal on summary judgment
- Defended a price fixing antitrust suit against major semiconductor manufacturer through a 4-month long state court jury trial that resulted in a complete defense verdict
- Defended a large, multinational consumer electronics manufacturer in patent litigation through settlement on the eve of trial
- Litigated and settled international arbitration for software development firm following acquisition of Canadian software development partnership
- Litigated and settled software development contract dispute between software engineering consulting firm and its client
- Helped numerous Silicon Valley technology startups to resolve IP and contract disputes out of court
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Education
- Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., 1991: cum laude; Emery Scholar
- University of California at Berkeley, B.A., 1987
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers® for Litigation - Environmental in San Francisco, CA (2023-2024); Geoff has been listed in Best Lawyers® since 2023
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for State Attorneys General (2023)
Professional Activities
Extern
- California Supreme Court (1990)
Member
- San Francisco Bar Association
Adjunct Professor
- University of California, Hastings College of Law (1998)
Editorial Board
- Environmental Liability, Enforcement and Penalties Reporter (2000-2008)