Archer Norris announced today that partner Jeffrey M. Hamerling has been certified as a Franchise & Distribution Law specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. Franchise & Distribution Law certification is accorded to relatively few California lawyers; in fact, there are currently only two such certified specialists in Contra Costa County and 46 in the entire State.
The State Bar of California program for certifying legal specialists is a Supreme Court approved method of certifying attorneys as specialists in nine specialty areas: Appellate Law; Bankruptcy Law; Criminal Law; Estate Planning; Trust & Probate Law; Franchise & Distribution Law; Immigration & Nationality Law; Taxation Law; and Worker’s Compensation Law. Attorneys are certified through a process which includes successful passage of a written examination, completion of specific tasks in the specialty area, attendance at a prescribed number of approved education programs, and peer review. Certification is for a five-year period during which time specialists must continue to meet task and education and peer review requirements similar to those for certification.
“Jeff Hamerling’s franchise and distribution law certification further enhances his practice,” noted Managing Partner Gene Blackard. “This achievement highlights Jeff’s deep experience representing companies on commercial franchise matters. The growth of this aspect of our business practice is further testament to the strengths of Jeff and his team.”
Hamerling regularly advises and represents franchisors on commercial, franchise, regulatory, antitrust and litigation matters. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to petroleum companies, focusing on matters involving the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act and state franchise issues. Several of Hamerling’s cases established major precedents in the petroleum retail industry. He also represents a broad range of companies on environmental matters involving federal and state statutes, unfair business practice and antitrust claims, trademark and copyright matters and general litigation matters.
Prior to joining Archer Norris, Hamerling, who is AV Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell, was a partner at DLA Piper in San Francisco. He appears and speaks regularly at conferences involving the petroleum industry. His memberships include: Bar Association of San Francisco; American Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, Natural Resources subsection. He is Vice President and a director of Contra Costa Senior Legal Services.
Hamerling received his JD from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1979, Order of the Coif; he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with honors, in 1974.
About Archer Norris
Archer Norris, a Professional Law Corporation, is headquartered in Walnut Creek, with more than 100 attorneys and offices in Newport Beach, Los Angeles and Sacramento, California. The firm counsels clients in complex litigation, insurance coverage, bad faith litigation, business, health care, public entity, environmental, and real estate transactions.
For more information about the firm, please contact Jann Dudley at 925.952.5406 or visit the Archer Norris website at www.archernorris.com.