Dana J. Dunwoody

Mr. Dunwoody is a partner in the San Diego office of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton's Business Trial Practice Group and head of the San Diego office.

Areas of Practice

Since 1985, Mr. Dunwoody's practice has focused on three areas of complex litigation and trial work: business, including class action defense; real property, including CEQA and land use; and intra-corporate and partnership disputes.  Mr. Dunwoody chairs the firm's Class Action Retail Team, co-chairs the Hospitality Practice Group and is a member of the Global Climate Change Practice Group.  Additionally, Mr. Dunwoody has developed significant expertise in disputes concerning hotels, resorts, and golf courses and represents international management companies and hotel owners. Mr. Dunwoody is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC).

Education

• J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall, 1985, Associate Editor for the Industrial Relations Law Journal
• B.A., University of California, San Diego, 1981

Clerkships

• Judicial Extern for the Honorable Laughlin E. Waters of the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Mr. Dunwoody worked for 15 years in a boutique trial firm he founded in San Diego known as Mazzarella, Dunwoody & Caldarelli LLP. Prior to that, Mr. Dunwoody was associated with the San Diego office of Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble & Mallory, San Diego's Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, and Los Angeles's Cox, Castle & Nicholson.

Representative Clients

The Ryness Company; Nordstrom; Countrywide Home Loans; Hilton International; Promus Hotels, Inc.; NRG Energy, Inc.; Greystone Hospitality; US Grant Hotel; Hotel Teatro; Cheeca Lodge and Spa; Morrison & Foerster, LLP; Sharper Image; ST Microelectronics; Jimsair; Maxim Integrated Products; The Henry Schein Companies; Heritage Golf Group; and others.

Memberships

• Former Chair, Executive Committee of the then 12,000 member Litigation Section of the California State Bar.
• Editor-In-Chief, Litigation Section's newsletter, 1990-1994.
• Board member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers of San Diego.
• Trial Master, American Inns of Court.
• Super Lawyer - a peer review honor granted to the top 5% of one's specialty.

Articles

• One of three consultants on the Lexis/Nexis publication called Matthew Bender® Practice Guide: California Contract Litigation originally published in 2005, and still in current publication.
• One of Eight members of the LexisNexis California Advisory Board for Legal Publications.
• Served as a Consulting Editor for CEB's "Action Guide" series.
• Co-authored a chapter on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation and Arbitration of hospitality disputes in "Hotel Investments: Issues & Perspectives"- 4th Edition.
• Edited portions of CEB's "Effective Use of ADR in California"
• Written numerous other articles on legal topics.

Speeches

• Frequent lecturer and panelist in continuing education programs sponsored by the California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and other organizations, where he has taught classes on trial and deposition techniques and strategies