Photo

Charles W. Reese

Senior Principal

  • Telephone: (510) 835-9100
  • Facsimile: (510) 451-2170
  • Email: creese [at] wulfslaw [dot] com

Biography

Charles W. Reese is a senior principal and President of the Firm, chairman of the Business and Environmental Department, and a member of the Executive Committee. Mr. Reese’s over thirty-five years of legal practice include significant litigation experience at both the trial and appellate levels on behalf of both local public entities and private businesses. He has been actively involved with regulatory compliance and cost recovery litigation at many environmentally contaminated sites throughout the western United States, and with numerous transactions involving the acquisition, sale, and environmental regulation of businesses and real property.

Mr. Reese’s background includes litigation and transactional experience in the mining, engineering, chemical and construction industries and in representing public entities. He is experienced with compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and with air, water, and hazardous substance regulations.  He has successfully represented major corporations and numerous public entities in significant cases at both the state and federal trial and appellate levels.

In addition, Mr. Reese is an experienced negotiator and advisor for both public and private entities. He has served on the board of directors of several national environmental engineering and manufacturing corporations.

Education

  • B.A., Washington & Lee University, 1966, cum laude.
  • J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, 1969.

Affiliations

  • Member of the California Bar, 1970.
  • Admitted to practice before all state and federal trial and appellate courts in the state of California and before the United States Supreme Court.
  • Forum Committee on the Construction Industry.
  • American Bar Association, Sections on Construction Industry, Business Law, Environment, Energy and Resources, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, and Taxation.
  • Bar Association of San Francisco; Alameda County Bar Association.

Professional Experience

Litigation

  • Favorable unanimous decision of California Supreme Court, expanding the applicability of Government Code pre-litigation claims requirement against local public entities to contract claims, and defeating $22 million in claims against our Central Valley city client.
  • Victory before Ninth Circuit in decision clarifying scope and process of federal court post-judgment reorganizations, removing and surcharging federal court appointed Special Master, and saving our Bay Area city client over $39 million.
  • Victory on behalf of major Bay Area Port in connection with over $5 million in contractor’s claims in complex litigation with subcontractors and sureties, in which we obtained terminating sanctions against all claims by the subcontractor.
  • Successfully represented major Bay Area airport in complex contract litigation with major tenant, including recovery of $125,000 in attorney fees for our client.
  • Successfully obtained Court dismissal of major Central Valley city in multi-party federal court litigation challenging police towing operations, involving complex anti-trust and First Amendment issues. 
  • Successfully represented major national chemical manufacturer in complex multi-party federal court litigation involving six-acre industrial property and adjoining area in Oakland, California which was site of a series of industrial users since the 1860’s.

Environmental

Represent owners of major contaminated sites in California in regulatory and litigation matters, including:

  • Owner of two former copper mines in Redding, California concerning acid mine drainage in Lake Shasta, under jurisdiction of the Regional Water Board.
  • Multi-national chemical company former owner of contaminated site on which the Los Angeles Unified School District has constructed a $54 million middle school, in responding to California Department of Toxic Substances Control requirements and multi-party litigation.
  • Major manufacturer in responding to soil and groundwater contamination from its former aircraft parts facility in Burbank, California involving complex multi-party EPA consent decree and various Water Board clean up orders.
  • Former manufacturer of landing gear assemblies in defending complex litigation involving contribution of contaminated waste to former landfill and municipal incinerator site in Pomona, California. 

Real Estate and Business

  • Represented developer and manufacturer of laser scanning systems and modeling software products in $78 million merger with publicly traded Swiss corporation.
  • Represented local redevelopment agency in successful remediation and redevelopment of slag contaminated 66 acre former steel mill site into homes and townhouses, involving close interaction with California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and which completed project received California Redevelopment Association’s “Award of Excellence”. 
  • Represented subsidiary of major international cement company in acquiring, expanding and later disposing of its lightweight aggregate manufacturing operations in California for over $15 million.
  • Represented fiduciaries owning over $100 million of Southern California real property concerning environmental and land use approvals and eventual resale for residential development. Included multiple foreclosures, and complex title and regulatory issues.
  • Represented management group of major regional real estate brokerage company in their successful leveraged buyout for a cash price in excess of $5 million.
  • Represented national fabric distributor in connection with stock sale for over $13 million.

Relevant Reported Decisions:

  • City of Stockton et al. v. The Superior Court of Sacramento County (Civic Partners Stockton LLC) (California Supreme Court, December 3.2007), 42 Cal. 4th 730 (2007). 
  • Cordoza v. Pacific States Steel Corp., 320 F.3d 989, 1076 (9th Cir.Cal. 2003).

Lecturer in Certified Continuing Education Program

  • Dynagroup, Inc., Current Developments in Product Liability

Professional Listings:

  • “The Best Lawyers in the Bay Area” (Business and Corporate) Bay Area Lawyer Magazine
  • “Northern California Super Lawyers”, in Northern California Super Lawyers Magazine
  • Who’s Who in American Law