by James D. CrosbyEpisode # 3 of Trial Call 10 with Bibi Fell!
Episode # 3 of Trial Call 10 with Bibi Fell of Fell Law is live on Spotify and Amazon. Trial Call 10 is about San Diego trial lawyers and their practices. Each episode, I ask a different SD trial attorney the same ten questions (the “Trial Call 10”) about their trial practices and experiences. Check it out, watch for new episodes, keep listening, and, if you like Trial Call 10, subscribe, share it, and spread the word to friends, lawyers, future lawyers. Thanks!
by James D. CrosbyTrial Call 10 Podcast Launched Today!
I’m excited to launch my new podcast today! It’s called “Trial Call 10” and can be found on Spotify, and Amazon Music and buzzsprout. It is about San Diego trial lawyers and their practices. The set-up is this: each episode, I ask a different SD trial attorney the same ten questions (the “Trial Call 10”) and hopefully give listeners insight into their practices and personalities. We will feature attorneys in all stages of their trial careers, across all trial practice areas, both sides, civil and criminal. I love talking to trial attorneys. As I finish my fortieth year of litigating and trying cases, I am still astounded by the intellect and talent of San Diego trial attorneys. Trial Call 10 gives me, and you, an opportunity to learn about their practices, trial work, and courtroom experiences. Two episodes of Trial Call 10 are published (links below) featuring trial lawyers Ben Coughlan and Deborah Wolfe. More episodes will be released each week. Again, Trial Call 10 can be found on Spotify, and Amazon Music and buzzsprout. Please check it out, watch for new episodes, keep listening, and, if you like Trial Call 10, subscribe, share it, and spread the word to friends, lawyers, future lawyers.
I hope you enjoy Trial Call 10! Thanks!
Episode 1 – Ben Coughlan
Spotify: bit.ly/40vjIH5
Amazon: bit.ly/42WX0cj
Episode 2 – Deborah Wolfe
Spotify: bit.ly/3JRU1t4
Amazon: bit.ly/40usfdi
by James D. Crosby$1M fee award in successful Housing Segregation Case!
Three years ago, poverty attorney Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi, civil rights attorney Bryan Pease, and I sued the San Diego Housing Commission alleging the Commission’s implementation of a Section 8 housing voucher program increased segregation in San Diego and trapped families in low income, low opportunity, high crime, neighborhoods. Our lawsuit detailed how the Commission had been setting voucher levels standards woefully low in high opportunity areas, and relatively lower than in low opportunity areas. Last May, after years of tough litigation and tactical delay, the Commission, facing a trial this summer, made a fundamental change to the manner in which it sets its voucher payment standards and aligned them with those issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Because the Commission’s payment standards had been so woefully low, this change constituted nothing short of leapfrogging over years of woefully inadequate voucher levels and was the largest one-year increase national fair housing experts had ever seen. This is a result we had fought hard for during three years of contentious litigation. It was a great result for our clients, for a lot of good San Diegans, and for the city of San Diego.
by James D. CrosbyEddy Line
Deep in the canyon. Late afternoon. Still hot. Shadows invading the spaces all day occupied by bright searing sunlight. Sharp distinct lines between sun and shadow on surrounding rock faces. Waist deep, stinging cold, darkening, water, straddling the eddy line, my frontside feeling edges of the strong pull of the river moving downstream, backside feeling the subtle flow of eddy water moving upstream. In front of me, the main river moving swiftly to right, behind me, the eddy moving slowly to my left. In front of me, deep, surging, powerful, swift, downstream, behind me, shallow, calm, lazy, smooth, upstream. Water, slightly swirling, bubbling, along the line. Trout, at my feet, lazily moving upstream, along the line, in the shade. Almost cold beer in hand. Jill and family behind me on beach built by the eddy, laughing, drinking whiskey, happy.
Late afternoon, standing in an eddy line, on the Colorado River, deep in the Grand Canyon. Perfect.
by James D. CrosbyVictory in Housing Segregation Case!
Three years ago, lead attorney Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi, civil rights attorney Bryan Pease, and I sued the San Diego Housing Commission for our clients, the NAACP, San Diego Tenants Union, and Darlisa McDowell, alleging the Commission’s implementation of a Section 8 housing voucher program increased segregation in San Diego and trapped families in low income, low opportunity, high crime, neighborhoods. After years of tough litigation and tactical delay, the Commission, facing a trial this summer, changed the manner in which it sets its voucher payment standards to align with those issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is a result we have fought hard for since 2019 and, having achieved this fundamental change in the voucher program, we have concluded the litigation. (See link to NAACP Press Release below) I congratulate and thank my co-counsels Parisa and Bryan, two fine, committed San Diego attorneys, for this result. I am proud to be a part of this effort to bring about fundamental change to the voucher program and to have helped secure a result which will allow voucher families greater choice in where they live. This significant change in the voucher program will give thousands of San Diego families access to better neighborhoods and greater opportunities. It’s a great result for a lot of good people and for the city of San Diego.
by James D. CrosbyUpgrade to Firm Document Management & eDiscovery Infrastructure.
My practice is upgrading and expanding its document management and eDiscovery capacity. This is part of our ongoing effort to effectively work the complex business cases we are best suited to handle and to meet the high expectations of our clients. We have updated out document management and eDiscovery software to IPRO’s Discovery ][ Local suite. We have also increased our system speeds with SSD system drives and capacity with fault tolerant, big capacity storage drives for client and case documents. All client data and case documents are maintained in-house with redundant onsite, and offsite, back-up to insure against unexpected drive failure data loss. This upgrade to our firm infrastructure will further ensure that client data is secure and that we can meet the ever-increasing eDiscovery, traditional discovery, and courtroom demands of big document cases. We pride ourselves on our ability to go toe-to-toe with large firms in complex, high risk, document heavy cases. This infrastructure upgrade enhances our ability to meet that challenge. It also reflects our ongoing commitment to securing the best possible litigation and trial results for our clients and to providing focused, efficient, cost-effective legal services.
by James D. CrosbyTrial Call Tunes – April 1, 2022
Trial Call Tunes – April 1, 2022
Keep On Growing – Tedeschi Trucks Band
Cruisin to the Park – Durand Jones & The Indications
Carry You – The Teskey Brothers
What are you listening to? #TrialCallTunes
by James D. Crosby2022 San Diego Super Lawyer and Top 50!
Very happy to be named a 2022 San Diego Super Lawyer for Business Litigation and to the Top 50 list! Very cool.
by James D. CrosbyTrial Call Tunes – What are You Listening To?
One of the joys of life is Music.
Listening to, Sharing, Discovering/Rediscovering, and Seeing Live, Music.
So, I am going to try something new. Every Friday, I will post Trial Call Tunes – 3 songs – tunes on heavy rotation on my turntable or devices, songs I am currently taken with, music I am listening to. I will post the tunes here on Trial Call and on Facebook (facebook.com/crosbyattorney), Instagram (@crosbyattorney), and Twitter (@crosbyattorney, @Trial Call).
In response, post your own songs, 3 or less, as responses or comments here or on any the above – tunes on heavy rotation on your devices, songs you are currently taken with, music you are listening to! Any and all genres, new music, old music, any music, whatever you are listening to and want to share!
Let’s see what happens. Whenever I share music with friends, I always get back something I have never heard before or something I had forgotten about. So, let’s try this – here goes!
Trial Call Tunes – Friday, March 25, 2022
You Wreck Me – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Wildflowers
Fix It – Lady Blackbird. Back Acid Soul.
Little Ghetto Boy – Lalah Hathaway. Live.
What’s on your playlist?
by James D. CrosbySDCBA “Outstanding Attorney of the Year” for 2022!
I am incredibly honored and humbled to learn that the San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) has named me it’s “Outstanding Attorney of the Year” for 2022. This award is presented to one attorney annually, and is awarded “to an attorney who, over the course of their career, has demonstrated significant legal expertise, served as a model of civility and professionalism in the practice of law, and has made an outstanding contribution to the legal profession, the justice system, or the public.” The award will be presented at the SDCBA’s Celebration of Community Service on May 20. I’m blown away that I was selected, particularly because there are so many attorneys in our community who I respect and admire for their fine work and significant community service. I look forward to continuing to work with the tremendous attorneys in our San Diego community for years to come. This is truly a special honor for me from a profession and professional community that I love. Thanks to the SDCBA, its Board, and Awards Committee for this honor.