Biography

Randall Block represents businesses in real estate, commercial, and insurance coverage and bad faith disputes. He has successfully prosecuted and defended big ticket cases where more is at stake than the dispute itself.  Mr. Block has appeared on behalf of his clients in state and federal courts from California to Delaware. His practice includes arbitration, mediation and workout of disputes in addition to more traditional litigation.

Representative Matters

Mr. Block's representative matters include:

• Representation of clients in all manner of condemnation proceedings, including successful handling of motions for possession in furtherance of condemnation proceedings,
• successful representation of software company in an international breach of contract dispute,
• representation of lending institution in a foreclosure action resulting in a $9.1 million judgment for Sedgwick’s client,
• defense of real estate brokerage company in alleged action for theft of trade secrets
• defense of software rights on behalf of a major international computer company 
• defense of an information supplier in an international licensing dispute
• representation of a real estate company in multimillion dollar dispute over claim of ownership of more than 600 acres in Sonoma County
• representation of a multinational drug company in an international patent and trade secret case
• prosecution of a large commercial fraud case resulting in a favorable settlement of over $100 million paid to Sedgwick's client
• prosecution of an action for trademark infringement against a former officer turned competitor
• defense and dismissal of a major California corporation in three class action cases involving over $400 million in damages
• favorable resolution on behalf of a large insurer of a complex coverage dispute with potential exposure of $5 billion
• representation of insurers in numerous other coverage and bad faith disputes

Mr. Block has also handled real estate matters ranging from ownership disputes to eminent domain proceedings, from judicial foreclosure actions to commercial landlord-tenant disputes, and from land-use matters to complex homeowners association claims.

Publications and Presentations

“ADR:  Wave of the Future or Splash of the Past,” co-author, (published in the California Real Property Journal, September 2012).
“RDA's: Last Hope or Last Gasp,” co-author, (published in Sedgwick’s Dirt Report, May 2011).
• “Protecting the Landlord in a Difficult Leasing Market,” co-author, (published in the Real Estate Finance Journal, Summer 2010). 
• “To Have and Have Not:  A New California Appellate Court Ruling Finds that Non-Refundable Deposits Are in Fact Refundable,” author, (published in The Registry, April 2010).
• “Constructive Trusts: Can Income in the Hands of Third Parties Be Recovered?” co-author, (published in California Real Property Journal, Spring 2010).
• “Protecting the Landlord in a Difficult Leasing Market,” co-author, (published in Sedgwick’s Real Estate Newsletter, September 2009).
• "Expropriation and the Public Use Clause: The Legislature's Eminent Domain," (published in Sedgwick's Real Estate Newsletter, Spring 2009).
• “June Election: Results Are In” co-author, The Registry (August 2008).
• “Arbitration in Real Property Transactions: Efficient, Cost Effective, Fair or None of the Above,” (published in California Real Property Journal, Spring 2008).
• "Bound in Bankruptcy," (published in Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine , February 2007).
• "Public Use, Private Power," (published in Real Estate Finance Journal , January 2007).
• “The Case of the Vanishing Sublease,” (published in California Real Property Journal, Winter 2007).
• "Class Action Litigation" (book chapter, published in "Perchlorate: A Scientific, Legal and Economic Assessment" by Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, Inc., January 2006).
• "Disqualifying Expert Witnesses," (published in the IP and Technology Law Journal , April 2005).
• "Consider the Business Side of Pro Bono programs," (published in The National Law Journal , January 2005).
• "New Developments in California's Unfair Business Practices Act" (MCLE presentation, December 2004).
• "Section 2025(d)(6) Depositions" (book chapter, published in "Dunne on Depositions," The Expert Series, Bancroft-Whitney, 2003 ed.).
• "New Developments in California Law:  Judgments," (article published in the California State Bar Litigation in Review , 2002 ed.).
• "The Calamitous Case of the Non-Class Class and the Unfair Competition Claim:  A Settlement Primer for Hybrid Class Litigation," (article published in program materials for the "9th Annual Litigation and Resolution of Complex Class-Actions," presented at the Legalworks Seminar, San Francisco, California, 1999).

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Block is the past Editor-in-Chief of the California Real Property Journal, a publication of the State Bar of California, Real Property Section.  Recently, he was appointed to a 3-year term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar. He is the editor of Sedgwick’s The Dirt Report which encompasses news in the Real Estate, Land Use, Construction, and Environmental Practices.  In addition to his work as an advocate, he has served as an arbitrator for the San Francisco Bar Association Fee Dispute program.

Mr. Block also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the East Bay Agency for Children.  Mr. Block co-chaired the firm’s Pro Bono Committee for many years and has a long-standing relationship with Legal Services for Children, a San Francisco Bay Area pro bono organization, which awarded him their 2008 Pro Bono Advocate Award.

While attending law school, he was a member and articles editor of the Law Review, a member of the Jessup International Moot Court Team, and a law clerk/extern for Justice Bablitch of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Other Distinctions

Mr. Block spent a year in Germany at the Philipps-Universität as a Fulbright Scholar.