James C. Buttery
Jim has tried more than 50 cases and takes equal pride in the hundreds of disputes he has resolved without a trial.
His common sense approach to conflict resolution makes him the attorney of choice for legions of California Central Coast business, real property and construction industry owners who place their trust—and their companies—in his capable hands.
Full Resume Follows
James C. Buttery chaired Andre, Morris & Buttery’s Civil Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the firm's Environmental and Land Use Practice Group. Jim's practice focuses on dispute resolution in a wide range of areas of the law, including real property, construction and business litigation. In addition to trial work, he assists clients in all stages of disputes, often providing counsel on how to avoid litigation, or, when trial is inevitable, developing a strategy that positions the client for a winning litigation. Jim is available to participate in mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Education & Background
Jim is a California native who graduated from Occidental College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. His major in Political Science with an emphasis in Urban Studies provided a solid background for the many land use issues he has addressed in his legal career. Jim obtained his J.D. degree from Cornell Law School in 1973.
He joined the Los Angeles law firm of Jackson and Goodstein as an associate, specializing in securities defense and real estate fraud. While at Jackson and Goodstein he was mentored by the Honorable H. Walter Croskey, who currently sits as Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal.
Jim moved to the California Central Coast to join the Andre, Morris & Buttery law firm in 1977. He has tried more than 50 civil cases to conclusion, including 20 civil jury cases. The litigation matters that Jim has handled cover a wide spectrum and include complex toxic tort litigation, boundary disputes, easement questions, judicial foreclosures, partnership disputes, real estate fraud, corporate succession and liquidation matters, mobile home rent control, unlawful detainers, failure to disclose and failure to maintain disputes.
Case Work
The following is a representative selection of the significant cases Jim has handled, either alone or with the support of other members of the firm:
- Successfully prosecuted a judicial foreclosure in a complex series of cases which resulted in a deficiency judgment for his client in excess of $58 million, and then assisted lawyers from the firm's Business Transactions and Real Estate Practice Group to accomplish the smooth transfer of ownership and sale of the assets acquired from the judgment debtor, including resort property in the Palm Springs area.
- Coordinated the successful defense of a class action suit filed by residents alleging health injuries from a state-ordered clean up of an oil pipeline.
- Successfully defended a five month jury trial of claims of unfair business practices brought by a large group of tenants against the owner of a mobile home park and obtained a complete defense verdict, recovering over a half million dollars for the client in reimbursement of attorneys fees.
- Succeeded in limiting damages in an alleged $5 million oil leak lawsuit to just $50,000 total after a three-week jury trial.
- Successfully represented developer in a CEQA action filed by neighbors to a proposed hotel project. Minor deficiencies in the City's process were ordered to be remedied administratively, and the hotel is currently under construction.
- Sought review of a County's demand for information in connection with a rent review application that resulted in a published Court of Appeal decision now frequently cited as precedence against government intrusion in personal financial affairs. See King v. Mobile Home Rent Review Board of San Luis Obispo County (1989) 216 Cal. App. 3d 1532.
Business & Community
Jim is admitted to practice in all of the courts of the State of California as well as the Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California of the United States District Courts as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is an associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Jim has been a member of the San Luis Obispo City Personnel Board and served as its chairman. He has served on the board of directors and been legal counsel for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce; a member of San Luis Obispo County YMCA Board of Directors, a member of the board of directors of the Private Industry Council, the Workforce Investment Board of the Private Industry Council, the Santa Maria Valley Economic Development Association and the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum. He is an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at California Polytechnic State University.
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