William C. Pate

Partner

Shareholder and founding member of the firm, partner William (“Bill”) Pate has continued his family history of service to the legal profession. Since 2000, Bill has represented public and private construction industry, real estate, and business clients. Bill has served as general counsel on billions of dollars’ worth of public work. His legal expertise covers the full spectrum from planning, proposals, bidding, and contract documents, to design and delivery options, construction, close-out, suretyship, claims and litigation.

In addition to development and capital improvements, Bill handles many other matters, including land use, environmental, suretyship and guarantors, dangerous conditions and injury claims, false claims and illegal use of public funds, public finance, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, public private partnerships, leaseholds, public records, privacy and sensitive security, surplus property and equipment, water and green energy, facilities and procurement, class action wholesale rate disputes, and prevailing wages and labor disputes.

Bill has tried more than ten cases before a jury, judge, arbitrators and administrative tribunals such as the OAH Public Works Contract Arbitration Program, the Department of Industrial Relations and the Division of Labor Standards. His appellate work includes a victorious precedent setting decision before the California Supreme Court, which restricted the use of so-called “revival statutes” against public entities. (Shirk v. Vista Unified School District (2007) 42 Cal.4th 201.)

Bill resides in Coronado with his wife, son and daughter. He enjoys the mountains and deserts of Southern California, and Baja, Mexico, and coaches’ youth baseball.

Areas of Practice
  • Public Entity
  • General Tort Litigation
  • Corporate
  • Municipal Law/Government Relations
  • Construction Law
Published Cases
  • California 4th District Court of Appeals, Eskeland v. City of Del Mar (2014) 224 Cal. App.4th
  • California Supreme Court, Shirk v. Vista Unified School District (2007) 42 Cal.4th
  • Federal Court, Southern District, Pirouzian v. Sallie Mae, Inc. (2005) 396 F.Supp.2d 1124.
  • California 4th District Court of Appeals, Ramona Unified School District v. Neighborhood Alliance for Safe Ramona Schools et al. (2005) 135 Cal.App.4th
Education
  • California Western School of Law, J.D., 1999
  • Claremont McKenna College, B.A., Economics, 1993
Bar Admissions
  • California
  • Federal Court, Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California
Honors/Affiliations
  • Presenter, Subs for Subs, Center City Development Corp. (2011)
  • Publication, Public Law Journal, Vol. 34, Summer 2011, “The Squeeze Play”
  • Member, California League of Cities
  • Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
  • Member, San Diego Defense Lawyers
  • Member, Community College Facility Coalition
  • Certified, Public Service Ethics
  • Member, San Diego County Bar Association
  • Delegate, State Bar of California Conference of Delegates (2004)
  • Member, California Coalition for Adequate School Housing
  • Past Member, American Bar Association
  • Licensed Broker, California Department of Real Estate
  • Presenter, California Coalition for Adequate School Housing (2007)
  • Certified, National Institute of Trial Advocacy (October 2006)

Email Attorney