Attorneys
In Our Walnut Creek Office:
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Clifford Hirsch has more than thirty years of experience related to insurance litigation. He has provided coverage advice and litigation services to numerous insurers, claims professionals, brokers, and government agencies in complex coverage and catastrophic loss cases, including those arising from the Coalinga, Gilroy, Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes, the Oakland and Santa Barbara firestorms, the San Diego and San Bernardino wildfires, the Linda Levee Break and the Love Creek and La Honda mudslides.
He has been involved with first-party property insurance claims as diverse as destroyed powdered milk plants, celebrity’s automobile collections, and houses of worship. Mr. Hirsch has tried insurance bad-faith and other cases to successful verdicts. Recently, he represented a widow whose house was being foreclosed upon by a repair contractor. On the day of trial, instead of losing her house, the case settled for a $2 million payment to the firm’s client. Mr. Hirsch has also obtained other verdicts and settlements in excess of $ 1million for other homeowners.
Mr. Hirsch has also represented numerous construction and design professionals in litigation and disciplinary matters. Recently, Mr. Hirsch prevailed at trial on behalf of a fire alarm subcontractor against the general contractor, recovering not only the contract damages sought, but also a substantial attorneys fee award.
Mr. Hirsch has extensive experience counseling insurance carriers on all aspects of insurance policy interpretation and coverage evaluation under standard-ISO form and manuscript form contracts, including primary, excess and surplus lines insurers. He has also provided counsel to public agencies regarding their own self-insurance programs. In addition to defending complex insurance bad faith lawsuits, Mr. Hirsch also has experience in the investigation of suspected fraudulent claims including arson and theft. He represents carriers for Examinations Under Oath and policy appraisals.
Mr. Hirsch has appeared on the CBS network’s national news, spoken and published articles regarding insurance coverage and bad faith. He has conducted training seminars on claims handling, insurance coverage, and compliance with insurance regulations for both insurance trade organizations and the Consumer Attorneys of California. He has an AV® Rating with Martindale-Hubbell and is a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum ®.
Mr. Hirsch has been selected to the 2016 Northern California List of Super Lawyers for Insurance Coverage; and recently, he had a significant role in the Bikram Choudry litigation featured on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
Education
University of California, San Diego, B.A., magna cum laude, 1976
Syracuse University, J.D., M.B.A., 1980
Admitted
State Bar of California, 1981
U.S. Districts Courts of California (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit)
Reported Cases
Paterno v. State of Calif. (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 998.
Sweatman v. Department of Veterans Affairs (2001) 25 Cal.4th 62 (Counsel for amicus).
Valenzuela v. GAB Business Services (1999) 71 Cal. App.4th 935 (depublished).
County of San Mateo v. Berney (1988) 199 Cal.App.3d 1489.
Lakeland Village v. Great American Ins. Group, 727 F. Supp. 2d 887 (E.D. Cal. 2010)
Member
Contra Costa County Bar Association
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Barrett Braun grew up in Oregon and Utah. He completed his undergraduate studies at Utah State University and earned his law degree at the University of California, Davis School of Law. After law school, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves. He was admitted to the California State Bar in January 1989. He is also a member of the Utah State Bar.
Barrett starting practicing law in Sacramento at an insurance defense firm. He handled a variety of matters and tried personal injury, construction defect, and insurance coverage cases to verdict. In 1996 he joined Clifford Hirsch where he continues to maintain a thriving insurance coverage, insurance defense, and litigation practice. Over the last thirteen years at Clifford Hirsch,
Barrett has gained considerable trial and appellate experience, particularly in construction-related and personal injury matters.
In his spare time, Barrett is an avid runner and devoted hiking enthusiast.
Education
Utah State University, B.S., Finance, 1984
The University of California, Davis School of Law, J.D., 1987
Admitted
State Bar of California, 1989
State Bar of Utah, 1996
U.S. District Courts of California (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central)
Member
Contra Costa County Bar Association
In Our San Diego Office:
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Mr. Closson graduated from Shippensburg State College in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Western State University College of Law in 1986. Following graduation, he initially served as a multi-lines claims representative with the Travelers Companies in San Diego before entering private practice in 1987.
Mr. Closson joined Clifford Hirsch, APLC in September 2008 as senior counsel.
He continues to concentrate his practice in insurance coverage litigation, “bad faith” litigation, coverage related matters, and appeals. His insurance practice has involved the property and casualty fields of commercial and personal lines policies with an emphasis on construction defect, intellectual property, business litigation and environmental claims. His clients have included insurers, contractor and trade associations, businesses, individuals and non-profit entities.
Mr. Closson is admitted to practice before the California state courts and the U.S. District courts for all of the Districts of California, the U.S. District court for the District of Colorado, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has litigated and acted as amicus curiae counsel in numerous cases, including numerous published decisions, as attached hereto. He has lectured locally and nationally on insurance issues including presentations on behalf of the PLRB, MC Consultants, Lorman Business Center, and the West Coast Casualty Seminar. He is a co-author of California Liability Insurance Claims and Practice: Claims & Litigation (Continuing Education of the Bar, 1993-present), Chapter 9, Investigating the Claim; and First Party Coverage in Miller’s California Construction Defect Litigation – Residential and Commercial (2d Ed. 1993 Wiley Publications).
Mr. Closson is a member of the California State Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association and the San Diego Defense Lawyers Association. He has an AV® Rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Education
Shippensburg State College, B.A., History, 1983
Western State University College of Law, J.D., 1986
Admitted
State Bar of California, 1986
U.S. District Courts of California (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central)
U.S. District Court of Colorado
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Reported Cases
Hensel Phelps Construction v. Superior Court [Smart Corner Owners Assn.], (4th DCA Cal. 2020) 2020 WL 370445 (Amicus)
McMillin Albany LLC v. Superior Court (2018) 4 Cal.4th 241 (Amicus)
Employers Mutual Cas. Co. v. Philadelphia Ins. (2008) 169 Cal.App.4th 340
Crawford v. Weather Shield Mfg. (2008) 44 Cal.4th 541 (amicus)
Safeco Ins. Co. of America v. Superior Court (Century Surety) (2006) 140 Cal.App.4th 874
Acosta et. al. v. Glenfed Development et. al. (2005) 128 Cal.App.4th 1278 (amicus)
Travelers Cas. & Surety Co. v Century Surety Co. (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 1156
SDR v AISLIC (S.D.Cal. 2004) 320 F.Supp.2d 1043
Rosen v. State Farm Gen. Ins. Co. (2003) 30 Cal.4th 107 (amicus)
Rice v. Safeco Property & Cas. Co. (9th Cir. 2003) 78 Fed.Appx. 641 (amicus)
Jimenez v. Superior Court (2002) 29 Cal.4th 473 (amicus)
Maryland Casualty Company v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (2000) 81 Cal.App.4th 1082
Alan O. Aas v. Superior Court (2000) 24 Cal.4th 627 (amicus)
Maryland Casualty Company v. Nationwide Insurance Company (1998) 65 Cal.App.4th 21
Maryland Casualty Company v. National American Insurance Company of California (1996) 48 Cal.App.4th 1822
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company v. Aetna Casualty (1990) 223 Cal.App.3d 1621
National American Insurance Company v. Coburn (1989) 209 Cal.App.3d 914
Member
San Diego County Bar Association
San Diego Defense Lawyers Association
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Mr. Hicks graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2014.
Prior to joining Hirsch Closson, APLC, Mr. Hicks worked as an associate with a San Diego coverage firm representing policyholders in the evaluation and litigation of insurance coverage matters, as well as contractors in various types of construction disputes. Such representation extended to all types of participants in the construction industry, from regional and national homebuilders to commercial and residential general contractors, specialty contractors, and design professionals. His work involved a wide variety of first- and third-party policies, including commercial general liability, excess and umbrella, builder’s risk and property, directors and officers, and professional liability policies.
Mr. Hicks joined Hirsch Closson, APLC in July 2018 as an associate, where he concentrates in insurance coverage litigation, “bad faith” litigation, coverage related matters, and appeals.
Mr. Hicks is a member of the California State Bar, the Arizona State Bar, is a Board Member of Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, and the 2018 Chair of the Insurance/Bad Faith section of the San Diego County Bar Association.
Education
University of New Mexico, B.A., English (Pre-Law) & Psychology, 2011
The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, J.D., 2014
Admitted
State Bar of California, 2014
State Bar of Arizona, 2016
U.S. District Courts of California (Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern)
Member
San Diego County Bar Association (Insurance/Bad Faith 2020 Vice-Chair, 2018-2019 Chair)
Tom Homann LGBT Law Association (2020 Board Member)
Awards/Publications
Award: 2019 Rising Star Attorney – San Diego County Bar Association Insurance/Bad Faith
Publication: For the Record, The SDCBA Publication for New Lawyers, “Insurance Coverage Tips from a Young Lawyer and an Old(er) Lawyer,” September, 2019.
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Jodi Lambert grew up in Los Angeles, but left the warm weather behind in order to experience four “real” seasons at the University of Pennsylvania. She returned to California where she attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. She was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1993, and she has an AV® Rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Jodi has defended a variety of general liability matters, including product liability, professional liability, and construction defect cases. She has extensive first chair experience in both bench and jury trials. Since the late 1990’s, she has defended carriers in insurance coverage and “bad faith” matters. Jodi has argued in the California Court of Appeal and was instrumental in the successful argument of a statutory interpretation case before the California Supreme Court.
Jodi’s most recent trial victories include a defense verdict in a premises liability case where the plaintiff (a prospective real estate purchaser) was seriously injured while conducting an unscheduled inspection of Jodi’s client’s garage, and a plaintiff’s verdict in excess of $200,000 in a subrogation action against a general contractor stemming from a destructive house fire caused by the contractor’s defective construction of a barbecue enclosure attached to the house.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Communications, 1990
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1993
Admitted
State Bar of California, 1993
U.S. District Courts of California (Northern, Southern and Central)
Reported Cases
Elsner v. Uveges (2004) 34 Cal.4th 915
Member
San Diego County Bar Association
Lawyers Club of San Diego
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Ms. Shemonsky graduated from State University of New York at Oneonta in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego, CA in 1984. Ms. Shemonsky thereafter entered into private practice handling a wide variety of civil litigation matters including professional liability with a specialization in architectural and engineering malpractice claims, construction, construction defect, general liability, real estate, personal injury, insurance defense, and insurance coverage matters.
During this time, Ms. Shemonsky arbitrated and mediated well in excess of a hundred cases, tried multiple cases to jury verdict in the areas of construction defect litigation, personal injury, insurance bad faith, insurance coverage and business litigation as well as prepared and argued writs and appeals. In her professional capacity, Ms. Shemonsky has represented design professionals including civil, structural, mechanical and soils engineers as well as architects, developers, general contractors and subcontractors.
Ms. Shemonsky joined Hirsch Closson, APLC in January 2015 as senior counsel. She concentrates her current practice in insurance coverage litigation, “bad faith” litigation, coverage related matters and appeals. Her insurance practice involves evaluation and analysis of claims arising from bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury in the context of commercial general liability, business and personal lines policies. Her clients include insurers, businesses and individuals.
Ms. Shemonsky is admitted to practice before the California state courts and the U.S. District courts for the Districts of California. Ms. Shemonsky is a member of the California State Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association and the San Diego Defense Lawyers Association.
Education
State University of New York at Oneonta, 1980
California Western School of Law, J.D., 1984
Admitted
State Bar of California, 1984
U.S. District Courts of California (Northern, Southern and Central)
Reported Cases
Acosta et. al. v. Glenfed Development et. al. (2005) 128 Cal.App.4th 1278 (amicus)
Member
San Diego County Bar Association
San Diego Defense Lawyers Association