Lawrence K. Rockwell Partner (510) 451-3300 lrockwell@donahue.com Download vCard LinkedIn

Lawrence K. Rockwell

Partner

(510) 451-3300

lrockwell@donahue.com

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Lawrence K. Rockwell is an experienced trial lawyer whose practice is focused upon trust and estate litigation, intellectual property litigation, and business litigation and includes advising business start-ups on corporate/business strategies. While maintaining a full-time law practice he served alternately as the Donahue firm’s Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer for the 25 years leading up to the Donahue Fitzgerald merger in 2014.

Trial practice: Lead trial attorney in high-profile and high-stakes litigation and trials for plaintiffs and defendants. The subject matters in lead trial counsel cases include:

• Trusts and Estates Litigation Trial Counsel:
  • Represent trustee in one of largest trust lawsuits in Contra Costa County, CA history in litigation against charity foundation to enforce settlor’s intent to protect family (>$40MM)
  • Represent executor in trial confirming contested Will terms
  • Represent individual and corporate trustees in varied lawsuits and trials defending against claims of breach of fiduciary duties, undue influence and elder abuse (multiple actions >$1-$10MM)
  • Represent beneficiaries to protect trust or estate interests (multiple actions >$5MM)
  • Represent corporate trustee in actions and to trial relating to trust administration, management and interpretation and performance of duties (multiple actions >$1-$20MM)
  • Represent trustees and beneficiaries in trust contest lawsuits and to trial (multiple actions >$1-10MM)
  • Represent property owners opposing claims brought by trustee seeking transfer of property ownership to trust (>$2MM)
  • Represent beneficiary in litigation opposing trustee’s claims of conversion of trust property (>$5MM)
  • Represent beneficiaries to oppose petitions to invalidate trust terms and achieve intestacy (>$5MM)
  • Represent beneficiaries of famed musician in trial determining music rights upon famed musician’s passing (>$2MM)
• Business Trial Counsel:
  • Represent business owner in complex litigation department trial to verdict confirming ownership of half of statewide solar installation business against claims seeking total divestment (>$20MM)
  • Represent national computer equipment/software seller in trial of business class action defending sales/training practices (>$5MM)
  • Multiple consumer class actions defending retailers against price-fixing claims in setting milk prices (>$200MM)
  • National enforcement to judgement; by trial and motion, of publically traded companies’ distribution agreements and license/resale rights of software (multiple actions >$5MM)
  • Represent publicly traded employer in trial of employment class actions alleging sex and race discrimination (multiple actions >$100MM)
  • Represent corporate executive alleging breach of fiduciary duties respecting unsuitable investment advice and management (>$1MM)
  • Represent education book content developer/publisher in national joint venture marketing/distribution dispute (>$1MM)
  • Represent publicly traded company in trial of distribution termination (>$5MM)
  • Represent managing general partner in trial of management performance and alleged breach of fiduciary duties respecting multiple housing properties/businesses (>$5MM)
  • Represent publicly traded company in trial regarding international telecommunication rights (>$10MM)
• Intellectual Property Litigation Trial Counsel:
  • Represent heirs of legendary musicians and heirs in licensing, product distribution, and business disputes to judgement throughout the United States (multiple actions >$1MM)
  • Represent publicly traded software publishers and trade associations in federal court actions and trials in more than a dozen states to halt software copyright infringements and obtain damages for software piracy (multiple actions >$1MM)
  • Represent publicly traded software companies in litigation to protect software intellectual property and license rights (multiple actions >$25MM)
  • Represent publically traded software company in shutting down multi-state multi-million dollar illegal software distribution network (>$15MM)

Representative Business and Intellectual Property Counseling Matters include: Advise clients on strategies, opportunities, and alternatives to accelerate business growth with particular focus on technology related startup businesses; counseling joint venture/development, funding structure, sales processes and guidelines, confidentiality and information exchange strategies, financing vehicles/terms/structures, reseller and distributions relationships/disputes, secured financing transactions and enforcement strategies.

Books

Team Mojo, Chapter 27, We Got Mojo!, Stories of Inspiration and Perspiration, chapter author, Xlibris, 2016