Hon. Richard S. Flier
Case Manager: Erica Amos
Tel: (415) 772-0900 Ext. 32
E-Mail
Hon. Richard S. Flier (Ret.) has settled or conducted trials dealing
with the full spectrum of legal issues during his twenty years as a
Superior Court Judge. His career included three separate tours as a
Civil Fast Track judge handling issue conferences and settlement
conferences as well as trials and summary judgment motions. Recognized
as a patient, courteous and perceptive judge who has a tremendous
capacity to quickly grasp issues, he is very effective in guiding
parties toward resolution.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
• Judge, Superior Court, County of Contra Costa. Elected June 5, 1984
(defeated Judge David E. Pesonen) for term commencing January 7, 1985.
Re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.
• Assignments included Civil Fast Track, General Trials, Family Law,
Criminal Calendar and Appellate Department.
• Committee Assignments included Budget Committee (Chair), Court
Reporters’ Committee, Criminal Law Judges, Fast Track Judges,
Recognition Committee and Social Committee.
• Deputy District Attorney, Contra Costa County, October 1973 – January
1985 (1977 set record for most Felony Trial Days in a year). Assignments
included Misdemeanor trials, Preliminary Examinations, Felony Trial
Team, Felony Expediter and Richmond Felony Filing Deputy.
• Hearing Examiner, California Office of Administrative Hearings, State
General Services
Administration, San Francisco, March 1972 – September 1973.
• Law Clerk, Law Firm of Parichan & Krebs, Fresno, California summer of
1968
Held numerous part-time non-legal jobs while attending high school
through law school. This included a multi-year stint as a cook, carhop,
soda jerk and dishwasher at the family restaurant, a sales clerk in
Men’s Clothing and a seasonal sales manager in Linens (Macy’s).
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
• Trial Judge of the Shell oil spill cases which tried to verdict, 1989
• Trial Judge of the Bank of the West case regarding the definition of
“advertising” coverage.
• Jones Act wrongful death to an engineer aboard a tanker.
• Sexual harassment claims involving employees of large corporations.
ADR EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Extensive settlement experience in a wide variety of complex legal
issues and problems from “slip and fall” to wrongful death, professional
malpractice, employment problems, eminent domain, real estate,
construction issues, insurance, business and commercial.
• Assigned exclusively to civil matters, 1988 – 1991, 1999 – 2000 and
2002
• Served as a judge in Bench-Bar Settlement Program.
• Regularly assigned additional settlement conferences and mediations
even while not on the Civil Bench.
• Noted for patience, persistence, inventive solutions and the ability
to resolve difficult cases involving difficult people.
• Conducted numerous bench trials involving attorney fee disputes,
sight-line property disputes, contract interpretation, inverse
condemnation, statutory interpretation, construction issues and
partnership dissolution.
MEDIATION TRAINING
• “Strategic Negotiation Skills” given in Woodstock, Vermont October
15-19, 2009 by Pepperdine University School of Law, 18 hours of
training.
• "Mediation Training" presented by Steven Rosenberg in Marin County,
March 2005. This was a 40 hour program over a period of two weeks.
• "Mediation & Conflict Resolution Seminar" presented by Ronald Kelly.
This was done through UC Berkeley Extension, Continuing Education Unit (CEU),
April 2005. This was also a 40 hour program
HONORS, MEMBERSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
• Member, California State Bar Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2011 -
• Judge of the Year, Italian American Bar Association, 2010
• California Judges’ Association, 1985 – present
• Robert G. McGrath American Inns of Court, 1999 – present
• Contra Costa County Trial Judge of the Year, 2000, ACCTLA
• Panelist, “Civil Case Management,” 1999, Contra Costa County Bar
Association
in conjunction with Superior Court ADR .
• Moderator, “Courtroom Conduct: Tactics, Ethics, Contempt and Common
Sense,” 1991, CEB
• Panelist, “Law and Motion Practice in the Bay Area,” 1990, Barristers’
Club of San Francisco
• Alumni Association, Hastings College of the Law
• Alumni Association, University of California
• Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill, (President 2004 – 2005)
• California Marching Band Alumni Association
TEACHING/LECTURERS/PANELISTS
• Moderator, CEB Program, “Courtroom Conduct: Tactics, Ethics, Contempt
and Common
Sense,” 1991
• Panelist, “Civil Case Management,” 1999 sponsored by Contra Costa
County Bar
Association – Litigation Section and the Alternative Dispute Resolution
Committee
• Diablo Valley College, Law Day Speaker, Liberty Bell Award
EDUCATION
J.D., 1971, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, Round Winner,
Moot Court Competition
B.A., 1967, University of California, Berkeley, Political Science
BAR MEMBERSHIPS
1972 admitted to the California Bar, U.S. District Court, Northern
District of California and
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Disclaimer: Please be advised that the contents of this web site and any other statements contained herein are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be represented as legal advice in any way.