Hon. Alfred Chiantelli
Case Manager: Erica Amos
Tel: (415) 772-0900 Ext. 12
E-Mail
A jurist with the rare combination of incredible intelligence and
progressive people skills, Judge Chiantelli has impressed counsel and
colleagues alike during his twenty-year judicial career. Businesslike
and professional, he worked hard on every case to read the supporting
material so he could fully grasp each issue in matters before him. This
proficiency was quite evident as he deftly handled the all-consuming
administrative duties of a Presiding Judge. Judge Chiantelli is most
admired however for his remarkable ability to work with people. His
style, charisma, and communication skills enable him to connect with
litigants and excel as a settlement judge, a role for which he is
universally well-regarded.
As a bench officer, Judge Chiantelli heard and resolved thousands of
matters. As a Presiding Judge, he developed extensive case management
and trial experience in numerous areas of complex litigation, including,
antitrust, asbestos, business law, class actions, commercial and
residential property, construction defects, contracts, defamation,
discrimination and harassment, employment, fraud (commercial and
consumer), insurance coverage and bad faith, Jones Act, labor,
landlord-tenant, malpractice, partnership dissolution, product
liability, personal injury, shareholder derivative suits, toxic torts,
and will contests.
JUDICIAL OFFICES
2001 – 2002 Complex civil trial litigation; Coordinator of asbestos
litigation
(1989–2002)
Jan – Aug 2001 Pro Tem Appellate Court Justice, District One, Division
Four
1999 – 2000 First Presiding Judge of the Unified Superior Court (elected
twice
by peers)
1993 – 1999 Civil trial court
1991 – 1992 Criminal Division Master Calendar Court Judge
1989 – 1991 Criminal Felony Trial Court
1988 – 1989 Asst. Presiding Judge of the Superior court Appellate
Department
1987 Juvenile Division Judge
1985 – 1987 Criminal Division Court Trials
PRE-JUDICIAL LEGAL EXPERIENCE
1970 – 1982 SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE
Advanced from trial attorney to Assistant Chief District Attorney (tried
126 jury
trials)
1967 – 1970 General Civil and Criminal Practice
HONORS AND AWARDS
2009 - 2012 Top 50 Neutral in California by the Daily Journal (leading legal
newspaper in CA)
2008 Top 40 Neutral in California by the Daily Journal (leading legal
newspaper in CA)
2007 Top 40 Neutral in California by the Daily Journal (leading legal
newspaper in CA)
2006 Mediator of the Year, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
2006 Top 30 Neutral in California by the Daily Journal (leading legal
newspaper in CA)
Former Association of Business Trial Lawyers, member of the Board of
Governors
(Northern)
Present California Judges Association, member
2001 Judge of the Year, Bar Association of San Francisco Barristers
2000 Consumer Attorneys of California Outstanding Judicial Achievement
of the Year
1995 Trial Judge of the Year, San Francisco Trial Lawyer's Association
1994 Marvin E. Lewis Award, San Francisco Law School, Most Inspirational
Instructor, graduating class 1994
1989, 1990 Golden Apple Award, San Francisco Law School
1991, 2000 (first year law student's award for outstanding instructor –
won award 4 times)
1983 Champion of the People, San Francisco District Attorneys’ Office
(awarded by peers in District Attorney’s Office)
EDUCATION
Lincoln University Law School
• Juris Doctor, 1967
University of San Francisco
• Bachelor of Arts, 1961
TEACHING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2010 Mediation Lecture with Algerian Representatives
May 2008 Speaker at the Low Ball & Lynch conference of insurance
adjusters and attorneys re: “Mediation Tactics”
March 2008 California Judges Association Retired Judges Conference
speaker on “Mediations”
2007 Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California together with
the San
Francisco Trial Lawyers Association panelist – “College of Hard Knocks:
Trial Tactics”
2007 Farmers Insurance conference speaker re: Settlement Tactics
2006 - 2010 Lecturer, University of San Francisco – “Mediation and
Settlements”
2002 American Conference Institute, Asbestos Litigation, panelist, San
Francisco and
New York
1999 – 2002 Hosted separate delegations of judges and lawyers in case
management and mediation discussions, Institute For the Study and
Development of Legal Systems: Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Jordan,
Malaysia, Morocco and Pakistan.
• Panelist, 11/99 – Case Management and Mediation, Amman, Jordan
• Panelist, 9/98 – Egyptian Legal Study Group, Cairo, Egypt
• Panelist, 9/02 – Case Management and Mediation, Sao Paulo and
Brasilia, Brazil
2000 Mealy’s Asbestos Conference, asbestos panelist, Chicago, Illinois
1989 – 2001 San Francisco Law School, Substantive Criminal Law,
Professor
1997 The Barrister's Club, Pre-trial and Trial Practice Tips, lecturer
1996 The Rutter Group, panelist, Trial Practice in S.F. Superior Court
1990 Litigation Section, The State Bar of California, panelist, "Ethical
Issues in Trial Practice."
1989 San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Lecturer, "Common
Evidentiary Issues
in Civil Trials."
SELECTED PUBLISHED OPINIONS
• Pro Tem Appellate Court Justice, District One, Division Four.
Concord Communities v. Concord (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 1407 (vacation of
Rental Boards' decision on what a fair return on mobile home parks would
be )
People v. Zangari (2002) 89 Cal.App.4th 1436 (meaning of "intent to
permanently deprive" approved by California Supreme Court and ordered
published in People v. Avery (2602) 27 Cal.4th 49.
• Civil Trial Court
Volkswagen of America, Inc. v. Superior Court (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 1407
(creation of a master pleading system for complaints in complex
litigation not preempted by California Rules of Court)
Gibbs v. American Airlines (1999) 74 Cal.App.4th 1 (emotional distress
claim tied to
California Family Rights Act)
Guiterrez v. Cassiar Mining Corp. (1998) 64 Cal.App.4th 148 (medical
monitoring damages and exclusion of non-disclosed witnesses)
Norman I. Krug Real Estate Investments Inc. v. Prasker (1993) 22
Cal.App.4th 1814 (action by real estate investment company against
brokerage agency and broker, no stipulated reversal allowed for
fraudulent broker)
• Criminal Felony Trial
People v. Lyons (1992) 10 Cal.App.4th 857 (kidnapping, forcible oral
copulation, former
testimony, 1291 Evidence Code and competency)
People v. Cliff St. Joseph (1990) 226 Cal.App.3d 289 (first degree
murder perpetrated by
torture during devil worship and human sacrifice)
People v. Morgan (1989) 207 Cal.App.3d 384 (racial murder and assault,
martial privilege not applicable to determination of probable cause to
arrest)
• As lawyer in civil cases:
Keithley v. Civil Service Board (1970) 11 Cal 3d 443 (coerced
resignation tantamount to
unlawful discharge)
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