Gordon M. Park

Experience

Mr. Park has been practicing insurance defense litigation since 1976 when he joined McCormick Barstow. He has represented clients in major civil litigation matters in state and federal courts in California and Nevada. He has successfully tried approximately 60 jury trials to verdict involving personal injury and wrongful death claims, substantial fire and property damage actions, construction defects, toxic mold injury claims, product liability, commercial torts, insurance coverage disputes, arson, insurance fraud and bad faith claims.

In addition to representation of insurance clients in trial, Mr. Park has personally taken over one thousand examinations under oath involving first party insurance claims, represented insureds and insurers in property appraisals and arbitrations, and been selected to serve as an impartial umpire, arbitrator and mediator to resolve coverage, appraisal and other civil disputes.

Mr. Park has qualified as an expert in California Superior Court and testified concerning property insurance law and the standard of care required for insurance companies to satisfy the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the handling of first party property insurance claims.

Mr. Park is admitted to practice law before all state and federal courts in California and Nevada, California Court of Appeal, Fifth District and U.S. Court of Appeal, Ninth Circuit.

Honors and Awards

Mr. Park was the recipient of the Angel Award for outstanding pro bono work from California Lawyer Magazine in 2007. He was selected for inclusion in the Northern California Super Lawyers list (2006-2011) for his primary area of practice in Insurance Coverage. He was a recipient Hon Blame Pettit Mentor of the Year award from the Fresno Bar Association in 2003. Mr. Park is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated with Martindale-Hubbell.

Professional Associations

Mr. Park is a member of the State Bar of California, Fresno County Bar Association, as well as Nevada State and Clark County Bar Associations. He is active in the American Bar Association Torts and Insurance Practice Section - Product Liability, Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation and Property Insurance Law Committees. He has served as National Vice Chair of the ABA Property Insurance Law Committee. He is an advocate with the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), San Joaquin Chapter since 1989. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California, Defense Research Institute (DRI), Northern California Fraud Investigators Association, California Conference of Arson Investigators, Property Claims Association of The Pacific, and PARMA (Association of Public Risk Managers). He has also served as a past officer for the Fresno County Young Lawyers Association, past president of the Fresno County Bar Association and was a California State Bar Delegate for eight years.

Publications & Lectures

Instructor and Demonstrator: Hastings College of Advanced Trial Advocacy, August 1989, 1990, March 1991, 1992 and 1993.

Instructor and Lecturer
“Examinations Under Oath: Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask and Insurance Fraud and Arson Reporting Requirements: Truth or consequences,” Western States Auto Theft Investigators (WSATI) Insurance Fraud Seminar. Monterey, California, September 26-27, 2005.

“Nevada Insurance Law Essentials: What Every Lawyer Should Know About Insurance Coverage--First Party Property Coverage and Issues,” Nevada State Bar CLE Seminar, Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, August 25-26, 2005.

“Advanced Civil Procedure Before Trial: Summary Judgment Motions,” Rutter Group, San Diego, January 29-30, 2005

“Civil Procedure Before Trial,” Rutter Group, Fresno, October 14-15, 1998, November 3-4, 1999, and March 12-14, 2002).

Lecturer and Author
“Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Dealing With Missing Records and Inadequate Proof, ABA Tips Section, Property Insurance Law Comm. Seminar on Handling Catastrophe Loss Claims,” St. Thomas, US. Vi. Isl. April 19, 2001; and New York City, November 5, 2001.

“How Do You Plead So You Won’t Get Burned? - - An Insurer’s Guide for Affirmative and Defensive Pleadings in a Civil Arson Action,” ABA Property Insurance Law Committee, ABA National Institute on Litigating a Civil Arson Case, New Orleans, March 1993.

“So You’re Going to be Deposed -- Preparing for and Testifying in Depositions,” Defense Research Institute, Insurance Claims Supervision Seminars - Atlanta, September 1991; New York, December 1991; and San Diego, March 1992.

Lecturer and Co-Author 
“Ethics and Experts: Best Uses of Consulting Experts in Property Claims,” ABA Tips Section, Property Ins. Law Comm. Mid-Year Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, April 15-16, 2005.

“Counsel for The Defense: Tarp v. E & W Associates Case Study, Clearing the Air: exposing and managing the real risk of toxic mold,” Active Communications Int’l, Dallas, TX, November 5-7, 2002.

“Trying The Damages Case: Mold Taking Over Life? Lifestyle injury/vocational rehabilitation,” Mold Litigation Conference on Preparing Your Case for Trial. Mealey’s Publications, West Palm Beach, FL., October 31, 2002.

“The Coverage Trigger In Environmental Contamination Property Claims: Who Gets Shot for the Loss,” ABA Property Insurance Law Committee, Mid-Year Meeting, 1989.

“Employment Practices Liability Policy: Real Cure or Costly Placebo?” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Mid-Winter meeting, Phoenix, 1998.

“Bad Faith Litigation in California”, National Business Institute, Inc., October 1996.

“Coverage Trigger Update: A Discussion of Prudential-LMI and Montrose Decisions,” ABA Property Insurance Law Committee Mid-Year Meeting, March 1996.

“Arming and Disarming the Expert Witness,” DRI Third Party Liability: Current Trends and Issues Seminar, San Diego, January 1996.

“Building the Circumstantial Case: Confronting the Claimant,” Mealey’s Insurance Fraud and Bad Faith Conference, Phoenix, February 1995.

“Fighting Fraud: A Team Effort; A Discussion of Several Topics Relevant to the Investigation and Litigation of Fraudulent Insurance Claims,” Northern California Fraud Investigators Association, Annual Training Seminar, Monterey, March 1994.

“Successful Strategies and Tactics in the Defense of a Bad Faith Action (or: How to Slay the Dragon),” Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California, Monterey Seminar, August 1990.

“The Insurance Agent: Friend or Foe,” ABA Property Insurance Law Committee, Mid-Year Meeting, 1990. 

Co-Author 
Regional Editor, First Supplement to Bad Faith and Punitive Damages: Annotations to First Party Insurance Cases, Statutes, and Regulations, published by A.B.A. Property Insurance Law Committee, 1989.

Co-Author and Trial Attorney: “A Mold Case Study: Tarp v. E&W Associates III, et al.,” Mealy’s Litigation Report: Mold, Vol. 1, Issue 2, February 2001. 

Guest Speaker
“How to Avoid Being Sued and How to Win If You Are,” Central Valley Insurance Agents and Brokers Association, Merced, January 2000

“Examinations Under Oath,” Sacramento Claims Adjusters Association, Sacramento, August 2006

“Examinations Under Oath,” East Bay Claims Adjusters Association, Pleasanton, April 2006

“The Year’s Hot Topics in Property Insurance Law,” Central California Adjusters Association and Fresno County Property Insurance Forum, luncheon meetings from 1983 through 2006.

Community Involvement

He also serves as an officer and director of several local school, church and civic organizations and has been an active youth soccer coach, referee, and elected Board Officer with local leagues of the California Youth Soccer Association. He currently serves as coach for the Buchanan High School Mock Trial Team and Fresno State University’s Mock Trial Team.

Education