Kenneth J. Adelson is senior counsel in Cooley's Litigation department and resident in the San Francisco office. He joined the Firm in 1976, was chair of the Litigation department for five years until 1998, and was partner in charge of the San Francisco office for seven years until 2006.
Mr. Adelson specializes in business litigation, with a particular emphasis on real estate litigation and disputes involving partnership and corporate governance issues. His experience includes claims related to the interpretation and enforcement of contracts, partnership agreements, corporate documents, commercial leases, and real estate purchase and sale agreements. He is also well versed in handling design and construction defect claims; CC&Rs, easements and boundary disputes; partition actions; and commercial property and liability insurance coverage issues.
A veteran of both jury and non-jury trials, Mr. Adelson has represented clients in a variety of legal arenas: federal and state trial and appellate courts, arbitration panels, and alternative dispute resolution forums—including extensive, successful experience in nonbinding mediation. His clients include Athletics Investment Group LLC (Oakland Athletics); PETsMART; Basic Vegetable Products; Selway Machine Tool Company; Menlo Equities; Mobius Venture Capital; Main Plaza, LLC; BRIDGE Housing Corporation; and Gerson Bakar & Associates.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Adelson served as law clerk to Justice James R. Agee and Justice Robert F. Kane, California Court of Appeal, from 1969 to 1971 and practiced law in San Francisco for nearly four years.
He is the author of "Good Faith Settlement: A Bar to All Indemnity Claims?" Litigation in Brief, Spring 1985 and "ADR: A Special Report, Education of Clients," California Law Business, The Daily Journal, September 1991.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a Bachelor's degree in 1966 and Boalt Hall School of Law, where he was invited to join the law review and received a J.D. degree in 1969.
Mr. Adelson is a member of the litigation and real estate sections of the State Bar of California and the litigation section of the American Bar Association.
