Practice Overview

Alison Buchanan is a Shareholder in the firm’s San Jose office, where she focuses on business litigation, professional liability/professional malpractice, and legal ethics. Her additional experience in securities and real estate litigation makes her a valued resource for her clients.

Representative Matters

• Currently represents several law firms in various actions alleging professional malpractice and provides advice and counsel to law firms and lawyers on ethics issues

• Currently represents several financial institutions defending unfair business practice and wrongful foreclosure claims

• Recently negotiated a favorable outcome on a misappropriation of trade secrets claim against a corporate client’s former employee

• Briefed and argued matter involving civil rights violations before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Served as trail counsel in a week-long jury trial in federal court involving allegations of unfair competition and false advertising

• Served as trial counsel in a seven-day jury trial defending allegations of employment discrimination. Obtained a defense verdict on all claims

• Served as trial counsel in binding arbitration before a National Association of Securities Dealers panel in a securities litigation matter involving a major international brokerage firm

• Obtained a favorable ruling on summary judgment for a hospital client seeking to collect medical costs for care to an indigent patient from a municipal entity

• Obtained a favorable ruling for a corporate client in a DLSE hearing involving allegations of unpaid wages and commissions

Representative Matters

• ConnectU, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Facebook, Inc.
• The City of San Jose
• U.S. Bank
• Valin Corporation
• Valleycare Health System

Professional Activities

Ms. Buchanan is an active member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, serving on its Civil Practice and Business Law/Corporate Counsel Committees (2010 Chair). Ms. Buchanan has also previously served on the Finance, Law Related Education (2008 Chair) and Barristers Committees. She is also a past co-chair of the Amicus Committee for the Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services. Ms. Buchanan teaches Professional Responsibility and Legal Malpractice courses at Lincoln Law School in San Jose. Ms. Buchanan is also a member of APRL (Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers).

Community Involvement

Ms. Buchanan is a graduate of the Community Leadership San Jose-Silicon Valley Class of 2008. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Cambrian Center, a nonprofit independent living facility for the elderly and disabled.

Speaking Engagements and Publications

• Speaker, Ethics & Hot Topics, Presented by the Santa Clara County Bar Association Women Lawyers Section, December 8, 2009

• Speaker, Ethics & Hot Topics, Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel Brown Bag, December 1, 2009

• Speaker, Associates and Ethics: Examining the “Subordinate Lawyer’s” Dilemma, Presented by the Santa Clara County Bar Association Barristers Committee, November 4, 2009

• Panelist, Career Discovery Days, Summer Search San Francisco, August 12, 2009

• Panelist, Santa Clara University Make a Difference Week, September 24, 2008

• Speaker, Attorney Advertising: How the Ethics Rules Apply to Marketing Your Practice on the Internet and Beyond, Presented by the Santa Clara County Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Section, July 16, 2008

• Speaker, Dealing with a Difficult Adversary, Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel Brown Bag, June 30, 2008

• Speaker, 2008 Ethics Update, Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel Brown Bag, January 31, 2008

• Speaker, 2007 Ethics Update, Presented by the East Alameda County Bar Association, October 26, 2007

• Co-Author, Time to Give Your Fee Agreement a Check-up?, CEB’s Telephone Topic Newsletter for the Continuing Education of the Bar, Volume 25

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