Dana J. Dunwoody

Dana Dunwoody is a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group and the former Administrative Partner in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office. Dana is Leader of the Hospitality Industry Team.  

Areas of Practice

Since 1985, Dana's practice has focused on seven areas of complex litigation, arbitration and trial work: (1) disputes involving the hospitality industry; (2) disputes involving the financial services industry; (3) disputes involving the retail industry; (4) class action defense, including privacy, unfair business practices, false advertising, securities and independent contractor misclassification; (5) contract litigation primarily in the context of business or real estate disputes; (6) real property litigation, including CEQA and land use in addition to traditional disputes concerning development agreements, partition and purchase and sale issues; and (7) intra-corporate and partnership disputes in a wide variety of businesses, including energy producers, real property developers, financial service providers and hoteliers.

Respecting his hospitality practice, Dana is particularly experienced in disputes concerning hotels, resorts and golf courses, and he has represented international management companies, hotel owners and funding sources. Dana is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). 

Dana is a Team Leader of the firm's Hospitality Practice Group and has led the firm’s Class Action Retail Team.

Experience

Select Representative Clients

• InterContinental Hotels Group, Inc.
• Nordstrom
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Macy's
• JCPenney
• Hilton International
• Promus Hotels, Inc.
• Four Seasons Resort Owners Association
• Greystone Hospitality
• Eurohypo AG
• Platinum Equity
• Lennar
• Allied Waste
• NRG Energy, Inc.
• Morrison & Foerster, LLP
• Heritage Golf Group
• Barratt Developments PLC

Honors

Top Lawyer, San Diego Magazine, 2019

Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2017

San Diego Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2015-2022

Recognized by SD Metro as one of San Diego's Best Attorneys, 2014

Best Lawyers in America (in multiple categories, including real estate litigation and banking and finance litigation), Best Lawyers, 2011-2023

Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2007-2015

San Diego County Top Attorneys, San Diego Daily Transcript

Articles

• Overcoming Confusion For Franchisors, New York Law Journal, August 11, 2014
• Top Attorneys 2010, San Diego Daily Transcript, July 21, 2010
• One of three authors on the annual Lexis/Nexis publication called California Federal Civil Rules: With Local Practice Commentary
• 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" - Fourth Edition
• Edited portions of CEB's "Effective Use of ADR in California"
• Written numerous other articles on legal topics and topics affecting the hotel industry

Speaking Engagements

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

Memberships

Advisory Board, Hotel & Lodging Legal Summit

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 (ABTL) of San Diego.

Senior Trial Master, American Inns of Court.

Super Lawyers, Top Attorneys and Best Lawyers in America - peer review honors granted to only the very top of each legal specialty.