Charles G. Miller

Experience:

Charles G. Miller is a shareholder and director of the firm, which he joined in 1983, after having spent fifteen years in the San Francisco office of a national law firm following a two-year clerkship with a federal district court judge in San Francisco. Chuck is a trial attorney, specializing in complex business litigation. Over the course of his career, he has handled a wide variety of matters, including class actions and multi-district litigation in various state and federal courts. Chuck has handled a number of franchise and distribution cases, and has spoken at the American Bar Association and International Franchise Association programs on these subjects.

In his early years of practice, Chuck was involved in a number of cases involving the thrift and banking industry as a result of joining a law firm specializing in representation of financial institutions. Chuck continued to handle litigation involving the finance industry after joining the Firm, and worked on a number of cases involving failed financial institutions. In recent years, he has been heavily involved in complex litigation in franchise and related industries, including a lengthy federal jury trial involving RICO and fraud claims. Recent matters also include the representation of the unsecured creditors committee as special litigation counsel in a large bankruptcy, the representation of a major automobile manufacturer in complex litigation, the representation of a major franchisor in several class actions brought by franchisees, and the representation of a publisher of automotive manuals engaged in litigation with its independent representatives throughout the United States.

Chuck is a strong believer in alternative dispute resolution and other methods to avoid or streamline litigation. He attempts to conduct litigation in an efficient manner, utilizing the resources of the firm in such a way as to minimize the costs and expenses to the client. He also acts as mediator and arbitrator, giving him greater insight into the ADR process, in addition to acting as an expert witness, largely in franchise disputes.