Fred M. Blum

Biography

Fred M. Blum is a founding partner who has been litigating cases for more than 30 years. His practice is concentrated in the areas of complex litigation, including: environmental, employment, and constitutional law. Fred also devotes large parts of his practice to business litigation, civil rights, and product liability. He has tried numerous cases in a wide variety of areas, including anti-trust, mass toxic torts, civil rights, and toxic property contamination. Representing individuals, government entities, or Fortune 500 companies, Fred has been uniquely successful whether acting on behalf of plaintiffs or defendants. He has obtained defense verdicts in mass toxic torts and property contamination cases as well as plaintiff verdicts in the multi-million-dollar range. Additionally, he has successfully litigated environmental matters ranging from CERCLA to RCRA, as well as trademark, unfair competition, and white-collar crimes. He has participated in numerous cases with national significance, including cases in firearm manufacture liability and church-state relations. Fred has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer in Environmental Law since 2004 and more recently in the fields of Business Litigation, Employment, and Labor Law.  Fred frequently shares his knowledge through speaking engagements and published articles.  His most recent article appeared in the Environmental Claims Journal and was focused on disputes over attorneys’ fees in environmental cases.

Adding to his extensive litigation experience, Fred has specialized knowledge in the billing practices considered acceptable by insurers, insureds, individuals, and corporate clients. He has reviewed thousands of bills to determine whether they meet clients’ requirements and keeps himself educated on the latest literature regarding proper billing practices. Fred also frequently serves as an expert in litigation where the fees of other counsel have been at issue.

Fred also has significant appellate experience. He has been lead counsel in hundreds of matters, including cases involving environmental, product liability, employment, and constitutional law. He has filed briefs before all federal and state courts as well as argued before most federal and state courts, including an en banc hearing before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Fred is admitted to practice in the State of California, and all federal district courts in California. He is also admitted to practice in United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Fred is a 1978 graduate of the University of California, Davis and received his J.D. in 1981 from Whittier College School of Law.

Fred is also an accomplished photographer whose pictures can be viewed at www.fmblum-photography.com. He was recently featured in an article by Leslie Gordon about attorneys who nurture their creative side in SF Attorney Magazine.

Practice Areas

• Billing Practices and Legal Fee Analysis
• Employment Law
• Environmental Law
• Product Liability
• Toxic Tort
• Trucking and Transportation