Attorney Profiles

George Dowell joined Willoughby, Stuart & Bening in 2008 and represents businesses and individuals in transactions and litigation as well as insurance coverage disputes.  Mr. Dowell has particular expertise litigating environmental cases and advising clients on California regulatory and environmental issues such as Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”) compliance and defending related enforcement actions.

Prior to developing a practice defending Prop 65 lawsuits, Mr. Dowell represented plaintiffs and negotiated California's first injunction requiring defendants to post hazardous chemical warnings in foreign languages under the State's Safe Drinking Water Act. He also worked closely with the Attorney General's Office in a series of litigations that resulted in the assessment of more than $10 million in civil fines from the world's largest soda companies and the removal of lead from glass bottled sodas.

Recent representative successes include:

• Obtained insurance benefits for an auto dealership being sued for violation of Truth In Lending statutes and negotiated a favorable of resolution of the related class-action litigation.
  
• Won a judgment, including attorney’s fees, in favor of the buyer of a business where the seller committed fraud and failed to deliver trade secrets and intellectual property (Kitichatpayak v. Cayton, et al.).
  
• Successfully prevailed on motion for summary judgment to pierce the corporate veil and maintain personal liability of an owner/broker who failed to provide adequate insurance coverage, resulting in a favorable settlement of claims brought by the insured.
  
• Negotiated terms of a municipal redevelopment loan allowing a commercial client to construct a mixed-use building.

Mr. Dowell obtained an Economics degree from the University of Washington in Seattle where he was a member of the National Championship rowing team.  Prior to obtaining his J.D. from  Santa Clara University School of Law, Mr. Dowell worked as a treasury market analyst with a private bank in Seattle, and taught economics at The Gow School in New York, one of the world's preeminent boarding schools for boys with dyslexia.

Mr. Dowell lives in San Jose with his wife and two sons. When he's not in the office, he enjoys basketball and finding reasons to be golfing.