ROBINSON & ROBINSON - Key Persons
Biography
Mr. Patterson brings a client-centered focus to his legal practice.
He represents clients in both litigation and transactional matters, including contract disputes, corporate and partnership matters, commercial and residential landlord/tenant disputes, civil restraining orders, judgment liens and third party claims, real property issues, trademark and copyright matters, and other commercial or business matters. He has appeared on behalf of clients in both state and federal court, as well as out-of-court alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
Mr. Patterson was born and raised in Long Beach, CA and has been a resident of southern California his entire life. He is a pet lover and a supporter of organizations that provide animal rescue and adoption services.
Mr. Patterson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006, where he double majored in History and Political Theory. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Patterson was an executive officer in UCLA's local chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honors Society.
Mr. Patterson received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in 2015, where he focused on commercial and environmental law. He earned the Dean's Award in International Business Transactions and Business Associations. Mr. Patterson began his legal career as a law clerk at Robinson & Robinson, LLP, and has continued to do excellent work as an attorney for the Firm. Mr. Patterson holds a Certificate of Completion from the Orange County Bar Association College of Trial Advocacy (Civil). Prior to practicing law, Mr. Patterson worked at the Rosenfeld Management Library at the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management as a supervising circulation coordinator.
Education
University of California, Irvine School of Law, Irvine, California
Juris Doctor - 2015
Biography
Mr. Higham has retired as Of Counsel to the firm.
Biography
Mr. Higham's legal practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions, formation of business entities, general corporate and business governance, commercial real estate (sales, acquisitions and leasing arrangements), and venture capital and other financing transactions.
Mr. Higham is passionate about providing creative, results-driven and cost-effective legal counsel, specifically tailored to each individual client.
Mr. Higham was raised in Southern California and, except for brief stints outside of California to complete his undergraduate studies and to serve a volunteer church mission in Argentina, has lived in California ever since. Prior to joining Robinson & Robinson, LLP, Mr. Higham practiced law in the corporate/M&A/real estate department at the prominent Inland Empire law firm of Varner & Brandt LLP.
Education
Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California
Juris Doctor - 2006
University of Utah
Bachelor of Arts degree - 2001
Biography
Mr. Robinson has more than 35 years experience as a practicing attorney in Orange County and Los Angeles County, California. He focuses on business and real estate litigation, as well as advising clients in corporate and commercial matters.
He has handled an extensive spectrum of commercial litigation, including disputed commercial contracts, uniform commercial code claims, corporate co-ownership disputes, construction, securities, commercial lease disputes, and other matters. From a transactional perspective, Mr. Robinson has advised clients on business sales and acquisitions, commercial and real estate finance, real estate sales, and other matters.
Prior to founding the Firm, Mr. Robinson received excellent legal training at Smith & Hilbig, of Torrance, California from 1984-1987, including business deals, trial and appellate work. That firm's founding partner, Milan D. Smith, Jr. was appointed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Robinson relocated to Orange County in 1987 and joined the midsize firm of Drummy, Garrett, King & Harrison. From 1987 to 1994, he worked on commercial transactions, primarily real estate and finance-related. He left to found Groh, Carroll, Stern & Robinson in Irvine in 1994, where he continued his transactional practice and also handled litigation matters. Mr. Robinson left that firm to bring his business law expertise to the Firm as a founding partner in 1997.
Mr. Robinson is a past Chair of the Business and Corporate Section of the Orange County Bar Association. He has served as an instructor/panelist for the California Continuing Education of the Bar ("CEB"). He has successfully qualified and testified as an expert witness in the California Superior Court.
Education
University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City, Utah
Juris Doctor
Biography
Mr. Robinson focuses on business litigation matters in state and federal courts.
His work has covered a wide variety of clients, issues and industries, including: contract disputes, breach of warranty claims, fraud claims, commercial lease matters, eminent domain, receiverships, insurance disputes, regulatory challenges, partnership disputes, corporate governance issues, real property matters and many others. Mr. Robinson also assists clients with out-of-court dispute resolution. Mr. Robinson advises clients on pre-litigation disputes, commercial contracts, and commercial business transactions.
Mr. Robinson is a native of California and has lived in Orange County for more than 25 years. Prior to founding Robinson & Robinson, LLP, Mr. Robinson had extensive experience working for one of the nation's largest law firms, as well as an Orange County litigation boutique, his own law practice, and prominent law clerkships.
Mr. Robinson graduated first in his law school class (J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University) in 1983. From 1983-1984, he worked as a law clerk for Judge Malcolm R. Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit at a time when that court issued opinions in such diverse and complex matters as Laker Airways Ltd. v. Sabena, Belgian World Airlines, (1984) 731 F. 2d 909 (international anti-suit injunction); Mendaro v. The World Bank (1983) 717 F. 2d 610 (immunity of World Bank from harassment lawsuits); Victor Broadcasting, Inc. v. FCC (dissent), (1983) 722 F. 2d 756 (FCC license renewal), Ramirez v. Weinberger, (1984) 725 F. 2d 1500 (foreign taking of US citizen's property); Glass Packaging Institute v. Regan, (1984) 737 F. 2d 1083; National Ass'n of Regulatory Utility Commissioners v. FCC & USA, (1984) 737 F. 2d 1095 (interstate telephone regulation). From 1985 to 1987, Mr. Robinson served as legal adviser to Judge Charles N. Brower at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. During this time, the Tribunal heard and resolved numerous cases involving international contract disputes.
Mr. Robinson worked with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C. and Newport Beach, California from 1984-1985, 1987-1990. He worked on various transactional and litigation matters, including the legal issues surrounding the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, and challenges to state regulation of commercial milk pricing. Recruited to join a litigation boutique law firm in Irvine, (Chapman, Fuller & Bollard, where he became a partner in 1992), Mr. Robinson handled commercial litigation and arbitration matters.
Mr. Robinson worked in sole practice (1993-1997) before co-founding Robinson & Robinson, LLP in 1997. He has worked on various published cases, including Snyder & Associates v. United States (9th Cir. 2017) 859 F.3d 1152 (Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuit against IRS); Snyder & Associates v. United States (U.S. Ct. Fed. Claims 2017) 133 Fed. Cl. 120 (unconstitutional taking of property; contract claim against U.S. government; settled while on appeal); Rebmann v. Rohde (2011), 196 Cal. App. 4th 1283 (enforcement of arbitration award); Wong v. Thomas Bros. Restaurant Corp., (1994) 840 F. Supp. 727 (defense of employer sued by former employee for alleged securities fraud arising out of stock buy-back agreement); Golden Cheese Co. of California v. Voss, (1991) 230 Cal. App. 3d 547 (challenge to regulation of wholesale minimum milk prices); Golden Cheese Co. of California, (1991) 230 Cal. App. 3d 727 (inverse condemnation by regulation).
Education
Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Provo, Utah
J.D. - 1983
Honors: Graduated First In His Law School Class