STEVEN S. DAVIS Partner Phone: (310) 407-4538 Fax: (310) 277-2133 E-mail: sdavis@gwwe.com

Steve has been a partner of the firm since its founding in 1988. Steve's practice emphasizes complex business disputes, including commercial/UCC, employment, entertainment, franchise, real estate, and trademark.

Education:
Dartmouth College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1974) Phi Beta Kappa; Varsity Tennis.
University of California at Los Angeles (J.D., 1977); U.C.L.A. Law Review.

Publications:
Co-Author: "Binding Arbitration Agreements With Clients: What You Should Know," Association of Business Trial Lawyers, ABTL Report Volume XX, No. 2 (January 1998).
Co-Author: "Toward the Regulation of Anticompetitive Insurance Mergers," The Forum, Section of Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Law, American Bar Association, Vol. XIII, No. 4 (Summer 1978).

Professional Affiliations:
Extern to the Honorable David W. Williams, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1977.
Member: Association of Business Trial Lawyers; Century City Bar Association; State Bar of California.

Admitted to Practice:
State of California; Federal District Court; Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Personal:
Married with three children.
Board of Trustees, Temple Beth Am.
Chair, Education Director Search Committee, Pressman Academy.

Representative Areas of Practice:

Commercial - UCC
Steve represents clients in a variety of commercial litigation. In one case, Steve persuaded the court to dismiss an action brought against Steve's out-of-state client who plaintiff alleged had refused to honor a contract valued in excess of $13,000,000 for the purchase of a raw commodity.

Employment
Steve represents clients in the defense of employment actions. Such cases have included claims of breach of employment contract, wrongful termination, violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, and violation of California public policy. In one case, Steve's Fortune 150 client received a defense jury verdict on a claim of retaliation in violation of California public policy in which the client's former employee alleged lost compensation in excess of $700,000.

Entertainment
Steve has represented a variety of clients in the entertainment industry. Steve successfully defended a major studio in a $20 million profit participation case in which Steve's client was also awarded attorneys' fees in excess of $1,500,000. Steve also successfully defended the home video division of a television studio in a case alleging misappropriation of plaintiff's method of doing business. Steve has also litigated royalty disputes and Guild arbitrations.

Franchise
Steve has represented franchisees in lawsuits against franchisors for violations of Federal and California franchise laws. In one action, the firm's client recovered several million dollars against a national car rental franchisor.

Real Estate
Steve has represented clients in a variety of real estate disputes, including breach of contract against design professionals, easement disputes, breach of partnership agreements, and land lease disputes.

Tax
Steve has represented taxpayers in disputes with the IRS. Such matters have included successfully defending individual taxpayers in tax deficiency litigation. In one action, the Tax Court rendered a landmark decision in which the Tax Court enforced the terms of the taxpayers' conditional consent to extend the statute of limitations. As a result, the claims of the IRS against Steve's clients were dismissed.

Trademark
Steve represents plaintiffs and defendants in trademark disputes. In one case, Steve successfully defended a national credit union against a claim of trademark infringement by a major credit card company. In another matter, Steve successfully brought an action to enjoin the infringement of a trademark belonging to Steve's client, a manufacturer of automotive lighting products.

For a more detailed description of Steve's cases, see Representative Cases elsewhere on this website.