LAW FIRM - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association President

Mr. Carter graduated from the California Western School of Law in 1990. He is currently licensed to practice in California State Courts and in the following Federal jurisdictions: Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Central District of California, Southern District of California, Southern District of Florida and the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. His focus is on representing accident victims, uninsured motorist claims, under insured motorist claims, products liability actions, mass torts, class actions and governmental liability. He also has previously practiced defense of business owners, manufacturers, and insurance companies. Cliff Carter is a past president of the Capitol City Trial Lawyers (CCTLA). Mr. Carter has held various officer roles with CCTLA, including being on the judicial counsel which interacts with local judges on issues impacting our clients. Cliff Carter started practicing in 1990 with the business litigation firm of Harmsen, Sidel, Carpenter and Olsen in San Diego California. In 1991 he moved to Sacramento to be closer to his family and went to work for Johnson, Pagliero and Schacter as an insurance defense attorney. Jim Pagliero and Cliff started their own firm and did insurance defense work until 1997. Pagliero and Carter did trial work and extensive work with State Farm's fraud units. This included doing examinations under oath of insureds, and doing bad faith defense work as well as representing many product manufacturers and small businesses. This time in Cliff's career led him to a great understanding of how insurance companies operate and "think." After 7 years of doing insurance defense, he left his defense practice to work on plaintiff work only. When Cliff started at the Arnold Law firm there were three attorneys. When he left it had grown to 15 lawyers. Cliff eventually started the mass torts and class action department along with Kirk Wolden. This resulted in many excellent mass tort results, including representing hundreds of clients in the Denture Cream, Vioxx, Depuy hip, Fosamax (both ONJ and Femur fractures), trans-vaginal mesh and Mirapex cases. This resulted in tens of millions of dollars in settlements. Cliff has been the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association President and has been a board member since 2003 and an officer since 2007. He has worn the hat of secretary, treasurer, vice president and president elect over the years for CCTLA. Cliff is licensed to practice in California and in the Federal jurisdictions of the Southern District of Florida and the Eastern, Southern, Northern and Central District of California.

Kirk Wolden was born in Modesto, California in 1962. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1984. While there, he was awarded the Presidents' Undergraduate Fellowship for his work in jury and courtroom dynamics. He graduated from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, CA in 1988. During this time, Kirk was the judicial Extern to Justice William Todd in the California Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Division One. After passing the California Bar in 1988, Kirk worked briefly in Stockton, California for Neumiller & Beardslee. In 2000, he moved to Australia where he practiced as a barrister and solicitor until 1994. Wolden returned to California in 1994. Kirk worked as an associate and then partner in one of two small complex litigation firms, and as trial attorney for a large plaintiff's firm, before opening his own firm in March 2013. Mr. Wolden and his wife of 27 years, Jennifer, reside in Roseville, California their three of their four children, Ingrid, Zara and William. The fourth, Bridget, attends Sydney University in Australia. Outside of work, his passions revolve around his family and guitars of the electric variety. Kirk admires soccer, tennis and baseball and those who play them well. Mr. Wolden has been a trial lawyer for 18 years, practicing mainly in the defense of personal injury, product defect and complex consumer litigation, including class actions. He has represented scores of plaintiffs in mass tort actions, one resulting in the record 4.85 billion dollar settlement in the Vioxx litigation. In his personal injury practice, he has a history of verdicts and settlements exceeding twenty five million dollars. Born in Modesto, California in 1962, he graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1984, then from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, CA in 1988. During this time, Mr. Wolden was the Judicial Extern to Justice William Todd in the California Court of Appeals. After passing the California Bar in December 1988, Mr. Wolden worked in Stockton California for Neumiller & Beardslee where he was second chair in the successful defense of his clients in the ten month federal trial in the noted case, FDIC v Main Hurdman, et al. in the Eastern District of CA. After 18 years as a trial lawyer practicing predominately in the defense of personal injury, product defect and complex consumer litigation, Kirk Wolden's desire to work exclusively for those seriously injured led him pursue a practice dedicated exclusively to the representation of plaintiffs. Starting in 2005, he was a trial attorney, and Class Action and Mass Torts Department lead attorney for a Sacramento plaintiffs' firm. In March 2013, Kirk established Carter Wolden Curtis, LLP, with Clifford Carter and Lance Curtis. Currently, Mr. Wolden represents plaintiffs in class actions, and in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases. AFFILIATIONS Capitol City Trial Lawyers Consumer Attorneys of California (State-wide Board Member 2010-2013) Public Justice American Association of Justice EDUCATION B.A. U.C. Santa Cruz (1984) J.D. Hastings College of the Law (1988) Post-J.D. international studies at University of Melbourne (1990-1991); University of Auckland (1991)

Job Titles:

• Member of the State Bar of California

Atty. Curtis represented insurance companies for 13 years. After seeing the abuses of the insurance industry, he became dissatisfied. He wanted to help people and see the hard work he put in actually make a difference. Now defending the "little guy" against the powerful insurance companies, his experience gives him a great advantage anticipating the defenses that are going to be raised, and preparing his client's case accordingly. Born in Hemet, California in 1970, Mr. Curtis attended Sonoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1992. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1998 after earning his Juris Doctorate from the Lincoln Law School of Sacramento. Atty. Curtis is a member of the State Bar of California, Consumer Attorneys of California and Capital City Trial Lawyers Association, and is admitted to practice in the state courts of California and the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. In 1996 and 1997, while attending law school, Lance worked for both the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office conducting several court and jury trials, as a District Attorney representative. In addition, he worked a six month internship in the State Attorney General's office in the licensing division, assisting in the filing and prosecuting various licensed professionals for misconduct through the Department of Consumer Affairs. In 1998, Lance went to work for the firm of McDonald, Saeltzer, Morris, Creegan and Waddock, a well respected civil insurance defense firm in Sacramento. While there, he defended a variety of claims including construction defect, homeowner, trucking, and auto. In 2000, he accepted an offer to work as staff counsel for California Casualty Insurance Company in Sacramento as a trial attorney. During the next 10 years, Lance defended primarily auto and homeowner claims all over Northern and Central California, conducting jury trials from Lassen to Fresno and Humboldt Counties. In those 10 years, Lance learned a tremendous amount of knowledge as to how insurance companies evaluate claims, handle potential loss exposure, and insurance protocol for minimizing settlements. In 2011, when Lance began a new chapter of his legal career representing injured parties and consumers at the Arnold Law Firm, his insurance defense background proved to be invaluable as to anticipating the actions and strategies of insurance company litigation adjustors and defense attorneys. Between 2011 and 2013, Lance tried several cases to verdict, including the trial of Nixon v. Snoke, with partner Kirk Wolden, which resulted in one of the largest personal injury awards in Stanislaus County at over $7.2 million in a vigorously contested liability case. During his time at Arnold Law Firm, Lance met Cliff Carter and Kirk Wolden with whom he shared similar ideas and philosophies about handling personal injury cases. The firm of Carter Wolden Curtis, LLP was then formed in March of 2013 with a practice focusing on class action, mass torts, personal injury and medical mal practice cases. Lance is currently serving on the board of the Capital City Trial Lawyers and is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California. He is admitted to practice in all state courts,and is admitted to practice in Federal Court for the Eastern District of California. Lance also believes in staying involved in his community and giving back his time. In 2010, Lance founded the Friends of Wilton Youth and was the group's president for two years. Friends of Wilton Youth is a local organization in his community which raises funds for youth groups, extracurricular clubs and teams needing financial assistance. In his off time, Lance enjoys spending time with his two daughters traveling, playing golf and the outdoors. Practice Areas Car Accidents