Craig E. Farmer - Senior Partner Mr. Farmer began his legal career in 1974 in Sacramento with the defense firm of Fitzwilliams, Memering, Stumbos & Demers. In 1975, he joined the Sacramento defense firm of Bolling, Pothoven, Walter & Gawthrop, later becoming Bolling, Walter & Gawthrop. He was a partner in that firm from 1978 to 1994, focusing on insurance law-related litigation and counseling. In 1994, Mr. Farmer founded Farmer & Murphy, expanding to Farmer, Murphy, Smith & Alliston in 2000. Mr. Farmer and Blane A. Smith and their associates continue their focused legal practice now as Farmer Smith & Lane, LLP, located in Sacramento.

Mr. Farmer has contributed to California’s insurance law through many published cases. He also serves as coverage and Board counsel to various school, community college and municipal agency-based California joint powers insurance authorities. On insurance related matters, Mr. Farmer has also provided expert consultation and testimony and he provides services on request as an arbitrator and pro tem settlement conference judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Litigation Experience and Practice
Craig Farmer has over thirty years of service providing legal analysis, counseling, negotiation, litigation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution services to business, individual, insurer and joint powers clients. His expertise is in handling and trial of complex contract and tort disputes, insurance contracts of various types and public entity group self-insurance agreements. These cases frequently involve:

• Liability and Property Policies of all types
• Insurance Bad Faith and Punitive Damages
• Public Entity Self-Insurance Coverage Disputes
• Fraud, Rescission and Insurance Agent/Broker Error Liability
• Insurance Coverage Reservation and Reimbursement Disputes
• Personal Injury, Property Damage and Contractual Claims of all kinds
• Services as Independent Defense Counsel

Clients
In civil damages and insurance related lawsuits and trials through the years, Mr. Farmer has represented, among others:

• Corporations
• Building Contractors
• Commercial Apartment Owners and Managers
• Small business owners
• Homeowners
• Insurance Companies
• Insurance Agents & Brokers
• Motor Vehicle Owners and Operators
• Product Manufacturers

His cases have involved two party and multi-party, mass tort and class actions addressing insurance coverage and claims handling disputes, personal injury and property damage, premises and construction defects and products liability claims, mold, toxic and environmental contamination issues, punitive damages and statutory unfair competition and fraudulent business allegations, among others.

Ratings/Associations
“AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell
Member – American Bar Association
Member – Defense Research Institute
Member – Association of Defense Counsel Northern California (Board 1999-2001)
Member – Sacramento County Bar Association

Court Admissions
All California Trial and Appellate Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Ninth and Sixth Circuits, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern and Central Districts of California, and the Western District of Michigan.

Education and Teaching
B.A. – cum laude – University of California, Santa Barbara, 1970
J.D. – Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco, 1974

Seminars on insurance related matters for:

Sacramento County Superior Court
California Continuing Education of the Bar
Association of Northern and Southern California Defense Counsel
Joint Powers Insurance Authorities

 

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