MICHAEL J. ABBOTT

Partner

Mr. Abbott has extensive trial and appellate experience with complex litigation and business litigation, including class action litigation, Unfair Competition (Bus & Prof. Code §17200) and false advertising law litigation, securities broker-dealer litigation, commercial and residential real estate litigation, and other general contract and business tort litigation. In addition, Mr. Abbott has extensive experience in representing clients in various forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including private mediation and arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). In his securities and business litigation practice Mr. Abbott has represented Wachovia Corporation, The Black & Decker Corporation, Kwikset Corporation, Leatherman Tool Group, Inc., Smith Barney, TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, Peregrine Financial Group, Inc., Morgan Stanley, UBS PaineWebber, and Citigroup.

Mr. Abbott was born in Madison, Wisconsin on July 26, 1944. Mr. Abbott graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in 1966. Mr. Abbott earned his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1972. Mr. Abbott was admitted to the California Bar in 1972, United States District Court, Central District of California in 1973, United States Court Of Appeals, Ninth Circuit in 1974, and the United States Supreme Court in 1976.

As an author, Mr. Abbott has written "Discovery and Evidentiary Issues in NASD Arbitrations" for the Los Angeles County Bar and United States Securities & Exchange Commission 31st Annual Securities Regulation Seminar in 1998, and "Informal Discovery - What Works? What is Ethical?" for the California Litigation, the Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of California in 2000.

Mr. Abbott has participated as a Judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court since 1985. Mr. Abbott has participated as an Arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulation Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and for the National Futures Association (NFA) from 1989 to the present.

Mr. Abbott is a member of the Los Angeles County and American (Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Court Annexed Rules of the ADR Committee, Litigation Section) Bar Associations, a member of the State Bar of California, a member of The Association of Business Trial Lawyers; a member the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association-Compliance & Legal Division.