Hoge Fenton Alumnus Appointed to the Bench

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel is pleased to announce that former shareholder James E. Towery has been appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the bench in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, with swearing-in expected in December.

“I have been blessed during my career to work with some outstanding trial lawyers and wonderful colleagues, such as those at Hoge Fenton as well as my present firm of Rossi Hamerslough. Both firms have a real commitment to public service which I greatly value.”

Towery, a renowned expert in legal ethics, has a decades-long history of commitment to the legal profession. He recently served as Chief Trial Counsel to the State Bar of California, was President of the State Bar in 1995-96, chaired the Board of Governors Discipline Committee in 1994, served on the California Chief Justice’s Commission on Multi-Jurisdictional Practice, and chaired its Task Force on Insurance Disclosure. In 2008 he was selected as a Lawyer Representative to the federal Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Towery also served in the American Bar Association House of Delegates for many years and has been selected to the American Board of Trial Advocates.

In his 21 years at Hoge Fenton, Towery demonstrated a similar commitment to leadership, serving on the firm’s Executive Committee, acting as its risk management counsel, and chairing its litigation practice group. He acted as a mentor to young litigators and was instrumental in ensuring that the firm’s associates were afforded a high level of ongoing training in trial advocacy skills.

Daniel W. Ballesteros, a shareholder and member of Hoge Fenton’s Executive Committee, commented, “Jim exemplifies Hoge Fenton’s commitment to the legal profession and to serving our community. He joins a very distinguished class of Hoge Fenton alumni who have been so honored to serve, and we could not be more proud of his appointment. We wish him the very best in this next phase of his career.”

Towery said, “I have been blessed during my career to work with some outstanding trial lawyers and wonderful colleagues, such as those at Hoge Fenton as well as my present firm of Rossi Hamerslough. Both firms have a real commitment to public service which I greatly value.”

About Hoge Fenton:

For many clients, we are the smart alternative to “big law.” We are a mid-sized, multi-service law firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. In continuous existence for 60 years, Hoge Fenton enjoys a stellar reputation in the legal community, with nine alumni having gone on to serve on the bench in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Monterey County Superior Court, California Court of Appeal and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Offering focused expertise in state and federal litigation (alternative dispute resolution, trial, appellate), real estate and land use development, business formation and transactions, finance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, labor and employment law, high net worth estate and wealth planning, and complex family law.