Experience

Farley J. Neuman, a founding partner at Goodman Neuman Hamilton LLP, has successfully mediated a wide range of cases, from medical malpractice to wage-and-hour cases. Mr. Neuman knows what distinguishes the best mediators from the ordinary mediators, what causes mediations to fail, and what causes mediations to succeed. (See “A Few Good Mediators” published in the Daily Journal.) As a mediator, he is known for his thorough preparation, his refusal to give up, and his ability to find avenues around impasses.

Clients and Practice

As a litigator, Mr. Neuman represented both plaintiffs and defendants. His clients included McKesson Corporation, United Airlines, River City Bank, Moss Adams LLP, Armanino LLP, Burr Pilger Mayer, CAMICO Mutual Insurance Company, Maxim Integrated Products, and Target Corporation. He also represented many individuals as plaintiffs, recovering tens of millions of dollars for them in cases involving employment disputes, insurance coverage, personal injuries, and unfair business practices.

Mr. Neuman tried numerous cases in state and federal courts throughout California, including “bet-the-company” cases seeking tens of millions of dollars of compensatory and punitive damages. And he has participated in many jury studies on behalf of his clients and on behalf of other law firms who retained him to play the role of the plaintiff’s attorney.

Mr. Neuman, a 1981 graduate of Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, was a CPA who began his career with a former “Big 8” accounting firm before commencing the practice of law. He is admitted to practice law in California and Illinois and has handled cases in Illinois, Virginia, Utah and throughout California. Mr. Neuman has repeatedly been named one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best lawyers by Super Lawyers magazine and San Francisco magazine. He has two grown children and lives with his wife near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Professional and Volunteer Activities

He has served: as a settlement attorney for the Santa Clara County Superior Courts; as an arbitrator and a pro tem judge for the San Francisco Superior Court; as a member of the panel of arbitrators for the New York Stock Exchange, the Pacific Stock Exchange and the American Arbitration Association; and as a judge for Stanford Law School’s appellate advocacy program.

He was the founder and president of The College Bound Foundation, a non-profit mentoring program for at-risk youth in San Francisco, and served on the Board of Trustees for Gateway Public Schools. He currently volunteers with Catholic Charities to handle immigration asylum cases.

Lectures and Publications

Mr. Neuman has lectured frequently on topics such as the fundamentals of trial practice and the use of expert witnesses. He has contributed to two books: as a consultant to the editors of Wrongful Employment Termination Practice (2d ed. CEB 1997); and as a contributing author of two editions of California Civil Discovery Practice (3d ed. CEB 1998 and 4th ed. CEB 2006). He also has published numerous legal articles, including “Jury Research: Can You Afford Not To Do It?,” “Analyzing Prejudgment Interest Issues in Tort Actions,” “Basic Filing Deadlines for California Employment Discrimination Cases,” “Conducting Discovery Beyond the Code,” “A Perspective on Economical Litigation,” “CPA Has No Liability to Third Parties for Review of Financial Statements,” “Accounting Issues in Litigation: A Referee Can Blow the Whistle,” and a comment on “Frame v. Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP.”