Education
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
MBA, University of California, Berkeley
B.S., summa cum laude, Princeton University
Bar Admissions
California
Industries
Memberships
Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Northern California Chapter - Board of Governors Member
Marshall C. Wallace
Partner
With more than three decades of experience litigating the most complex cases, Marshall has amassed a compelling record of victories in high-stakes business disputes in jury trials, bench trials, dispositive motions, arbitrations, expedited injunctive proceedings and appeals. He has successfully disposed of hundreds of challenging real property, unfair competition, business tort, contract, fraud, fiduciary duty, insurance and corporate matters in California and federal trial and appellate courts. Several clients rely on Marshall's broad experience to utilize him as their outside general counsel.
Industry Experience
While Marshall’s work has touched many industries, he has particularly deep experience in the financial services, real estate, and surface mining sectors. This focus gives him an astute understanding of complex issues and the most efficient paths to resolutions.
Real estate. Commercial and residential landowners, title insurers, lenders, landlords, tenants, lenders, property managers, and real estate investors and brokers engage Marshall to handle their sophisticated disputes related to contracts, financing, eminent domain, real property valuation, condemnation, land use, and adjoining property ownership disputes.
Surface mining. Marshall holds a preeminent position in the California surface mining sector, having represented multiple companies in all legal aspects of sand and gravel mining and fill disputes, regulation and transactions, pursuant to SMARA and related Surface Mining Ordinances. Marshall serves as outside general counsel to a major landowner in Northern California, and recently favorably resolved a putative class action against a Southern California mining company.
Financial services. Mortgage lenders, title insurers, and settlement service providers are among Marshall’s clients in the financial services industry. He defends clients against putative class actions and unfair business practice cases, including defense of unfair and deceptive business practice allegations, RESPA, and similar claims. He has obtained dismissal and summary judgment in dozens of putative class actions and repeatedly beat class certification attempts.
Technology. Marshall advises and represents entrepreneurial, rapidly growing business-to-consumer and business-to-business pre-IPO technology companies in litigation that ranges from unfair competition and false advertising to fraud and breach of contract disputes. His clients include some of the most recognized players in Silicon Valley.
Professional Involvement and Service
Marshall is the editor of California’s Continuing Education at the Bar (CEB) California Trial Objections and authored the CEB Summary Judgment manual.
Marshall is on the Board of Governors of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.
Marshall serves actively on the Board of Legal Access Alameda, the pro bono arm of the Alameda County Bar Association.
Accolades
- Selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers (2012 - 2018)
- Selected by Benchmark: Plaintiff as a Local Litigation Star (2013, 2024)
Industry Experience
While Marshall’s work has touched many industries, he has particularly deep experience in the financial services, real estate, and surface mining sectors. This focus gives him an astute understanding of complex issues and the most efficient paths to resolutions.
Real estate. Commercial and residential landowners, title insurers, lenders, landlords, tenants, lenders, property managers, and real estate investors and brokers engage Marshall to handle their sophisticated disputes related to contracts, financing, eminent domain, real property valuation, condemnation, land use, and adjoining property ownership disputes.
Surface mining. Marshall holds a preeminent position in the California surface mining sector, having represented multiple companies in all legal aspects of sand and gravel mining and fill disputes, regulation and transactions, pursuant to SMARA and related Surface Mining Ordinances. Marshall serves as outside general counsel to a major landowner in Northern California, and recently favorably resolved a putative class action against a Southern California mining company.
Financial services. Mortgage lenders, title insurers, and settlement service providers are among Marshall’s clients in the financial services industry. He defends clients against putative class actions and unfair business practice cases, including defense of unfair and deceptive business practice allegations, RESPA, and similar claims. He has obtained dismissal and summary judgment in dozens of putative class actions and repeatedly beat class certification attempts.
Technology. Marshall advises and represents entrepreneurial, rapidly growing business-to-consumer and business-to-business pre-IPO technology companies in litigation that ranges from unfair competition and false advertising to fraud and breach of contract disputes. His clients include some of the most recognized players in Silicon Valley.
Professional Involvement and Service
Marshall is the editor of California’s Continuing Education at the Bar (CEB) California Trial Objections and authored the CEB Summary Judgment manual.
Marshall is on the Board of Governors of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.
Marshall serves actively on the Board of Legal Access Alameda, the pro bono arm of the Alameda County Bar Association.
Accolades
- Selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers (2012 - 2018)
- Selected by Benchmark: Plaintiff as a Local Litigation Star (2013, 2024)
- Common Interest Development Victory. Marshall recently won a complex arbitration for a multifamily owner in a claim against a condominium association, winning a 100% client victory and recovery of attorneys’ fees.
- Appellate Wins. Marshall has repeatedly won affirmance and reversal of appeals of orders seeking to confirm and vacate arbitration awards.
- Elimination of Putative Class Actions. Marshall has eliminated putative class actions against technology companies, multifamily landlords, title insurers, lenders and escrow companies, usually with creative and effective insurance coverage representation to maximize the use of liability insurer funds to achieve favorable resolutions for clients.
- My Home Rights Cases. Marshall vigorously defended a group of cases brought simultaneously alleging UCL violations by a disclosure reporting company, resulting in full dismissals with prejudice with Plaintiffs agreeing to pay all of Defendant's attorneys' fees.
- Defense of Mass Actions: Marshall and his Allen Matkins team responded to three mass actions involving hundreds of plaintiffs suing a major mortgage lender. The aggressive response led to full dismissals, plus Plaintiffs' counsel's agreement to pay an amount in excess of the lender's defense expenses.
- Bar-K, Inc. v. First American Title Insurance Company (Alameda County Superior Court). Complete trial victory in a complex breach of commercial escrow and title insurance case – zeroed all of plaintiff secured lender's claims and obtained an affirmative recovery for client title insurer against the insured hard money lender. The keys to the victory: Proving the hard money lender had orchestrated a "scam" against the title insurer, and demonstrating its key witnesses were not credible.
- Confidential Client (Alameda County Superior Court). Client trustee had invested trust funds in real estate secured loans brokered by his own hard money lending business. The client trustee admitted breaching fiduciary duties, but Marshall convinced the court the trust had suffered no damages from the trustee's conflicted investments, and won a complete victory.
- Simon Property Group v. First American Title Insurance Company. Won summary judgment of a $75 million title insurance bad faith claim by a major shopping center developer. After the developer suffered an unfavorable arbitration ruling on a rent escalation dispute, it sued First American Title Insurance Company alleging a title claim. Marshall proved there was no coverage and persuaded the San Francisco Superior Court to throw out the case on summary judgment.
Allen Matkins Receives Top Rankings from Benchmark Litigation US 2025
Seven Lawyers Receive Individual Rankings
Press Release
10.09.24
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