Mr. Finnegan is a trial lawyer who represents many leading corporations, banks and real estate companies. His practice focuses on complex real estate and commercial litigation including class actions, unfair business practice claims, banking, and real property matters. Mr. Finnegan is based in the firm's Los Angeles office but handles a wide variety of commercial matters on a statewide and national basis. He has represented a number of clients in significant commercial actions, including AT&T, Fidelity, Bank of America, Chevron, Union Bank of California, Health Net, Bank of the West, LAUSD, Ticketmaster, Allstate, BBVA Bancomer, S.A., Western Union, CB Commercial, The RrEEF Fund, Countrywide Funding, Biltmore Partners, CalPERS, Macerich, International Creative Management, California-Portland Cement and many others. Mr. Finnegan has served on the firm's national Managing Board and formerly led the firm's Los Angeles business litigation group.

Representative Matters:
Mr. Finnegan prevailed in a lengthy commercial litigation matter involving a runway adjacent aircraft manufacturing facility. After weeks of testimony on breach of contract issues, and expert analysis of facilities uses, Mr. Finnegan's client was awarded $26 million in damages.

Mr. Finnegan recently prevailed in a trial on behalf of California Grocers’ Association challenging a Los Angeles ordinance on constitutional grounds.

Mr. Finnegan successfully defended Allstate's Real Estate/Investment Division in a multi-million dollar real estate/contract action involving the sale of a Southern California shopping center. In addition to a defense judgment, Allstate was awarded its attorneys' fees.

Mr. Finnegan successfully tried a lengthy collateral and interference case brought against Credit Agricole Indosuez in Orange County. The jury awarded Credit Agricole a complete defense verdict.

Mr. Finnegan defended Kroger and Ralphs Grocery Company in twenty coordinated class action matters involving false advertising and unfair practices claims. Class representatives were seeking hundreds of millions in alleged damages. The matter was resolved favorably before trial.

Mr. Finnegan has represented a number of clients in statewide and nationwide class action matters including unfair business practices and contract claims. Mr. Finnegan successfully defended, among other clients: Bancomer Transfer Services, in three nationwide class action matters relating to foreign currency exchange transactions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in a class action relating to World War II claims; Union Bank of California in a class action matter concerning auto-financing; SBC in a $1 billion claim relating to the divestiture of AirTouch; Honda in a class action involving auto lending; and McDonald's Corporation in an employment class action matter.

Following two months of trial, Mr. Finnegan successfully resolved a $20 million dollar breach of contract and fraud claim brought against one of Spain and Mexico's largest banks, BBVA Bancomer, S.A.

Mr. Finnegan also successfully represented BBVA Bancomer in a class action venued in Chicago,.resulting in a nuisance value settlement.

Mr. Finnegan also prevailed in $32 million dollar contract/fraud claim brought against a consortium of foreign banks and their United States offices including, Credit Agricole Indosuez, Dresdner Bank, Mitsubishi Bank and San Paolo di Torino.

SBC Communications and The REEF Fund chose Mr. Finnegan to defend their interests in two related actions involving a shopping center development in Palm Springs, California. Claims brought by both the center's development/management agent and the center's tenants where both favorably resolved prior to trial.

Chevron also relied on Mr. Finnegan to prosecute two contract claims against the County of Santa Barbara involving Chevron's Point Arguello facility. Both actions resulted in substantial reductions in long-term contract payments.

Mr. Finnegan successfully defended and prosecuted two actions for California-Portland Cement which threatened to close its strategic Los Angeles Operations Plant.

In 1995, Mr. Finnegan was tapped to lead a portion of the real estate analysis of the RTC's "Whitewater" investigation in Arkansas and Washington, D.C.

Mr. Finnegan serves on the Board of Directors of Public Counsel, one of the nation's largest legal pro bono organizations. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Finnegan externed for the Honorable Judge James D. Ideman (U.S.D.C.).

Affiliations

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Los Angeles Business Trial Lawyers Association, American Arbitration Association, American Bar Association