News Briefs
Nine Wilson Elser Attorneys Named to Northern California 2019 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
July 18, 2019
Ed Garson is a trial lawyer with experience in large, complex, high-exposure civil matters involving a wide range of issues, from professional liability and financial fraud to construction accidents and property damage.
A primary focus of Ed’s practice involves the defense of construction liability and defect matters, with particular experience representing steel erectors and crane companies in personal injury, property damage and impact claims. Ed also has a significant practice defending insurance brokers and agents, architects and engineers, financial advisors, lawyers, and real estate brokers and agents in professional malpractice litigation.
Ed’s litigation approach emphasizes early, cost-effective claims resolution, with the ability to go to trial if that strategy best serves the interests of the client. He has taken many cases to verdict, including trials lasting more than six months. He has appeared before California federal and state courts and argued appeals in the California Court of Appeals, California Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He also has been admitted pro hac vice in the Territory of Guam and the State of Washington in order to try major cases on behalf of clients.
Prior to joining Wilson Elser in 1987, Ed was a deputy attorney general for the Office of the Attorney General for the State of California, Torts and Condemnation Division.
Areas of Focus
Construction
Ed has handled all types of construction-related legal matters, from dispute resolution to contract negotiation. He has defended contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers and material suppliers in construction liability and defect cases. He has developed extensive experience defending construction matters involving injuries to ironworkers, as well as equipment suppliers such as cranes, scissor and aerial lifts. He also has handled environmental exposure cases involving silica, asbestos, ground and water pollution, and construction-related toxic releases. His knowledge extends to issues of construction contract terms and conditions, additional insured coverage, and contractual indemnity.
Professional Liability
In the professional liability area, Ed has defended insurance brokers and agents, architects and engineers, financial advisors, lawyers, and real estate brokers and agents in both trials and appeals. He is the co-coordinator of the firm’s insurance professionals group within the Specialty Professional Risks practice. The group is focused on the representation of insurance brokers and agents, as well as other types of insurance professionals such as MGAs, TPAs, actuaries, investigators, program administrators and loss control/risk management consultants, in the defense of errors and omissions claims.
- Golden Gate University School of Law (J.D., with highest honors, 1980)
- Golden Gate Law Review, editor
- State University of New York at Buffalo (M.A., 1976)
- Cornell University (B.S., 1975)
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- State Bar of California, Litigation Section
- Selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers, 2018-2019