Stephen J. Tully

steve tullyMr. Stephen J. Tully is an experienced litigator with a broad base of litigation expertise and significant trial experience.

His practice focuses on business litigation, with a particular emphasis in legal malpractice and accountants' liability cases, where he has been at the forefront of major cases and developments.

He has litigated hundreds of business cases involving a variety of issues, including purchases and sales, corporate, business, taxation, bankruptcy, shareholder disputes, and lending.

He has tried many cases to verdict, and has successfully obtained judgments in favor of his clients by way of other procedures, including a number of summary judgments on such issues as the statute of limitations, duty, the statute of frauds, and privilege.

steve tully Mr. Tully has also handled dozens of appeals before the Courts of Appeal, Supreme Court of California, and other jurisdictions.


Areas of Practice:

  • Complex Business Litigation
  • Professional Liability
  • Accountants' Liability
  • Legal Malpractice

Bar Admissions:

  • California
  • New York
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

Education:

  • Southwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1983)
  • California State University at Northridge (B.A., 1978)

Publications & Presentations:

  • "Defending Accountant Malpractice Claims", DRI Professional Liability Webcast Series, Chicago, Illinois, November 19, 2013
  • "Risk Management and the Litigation Mindset", AICPA Major Firms Group Meeting, Dana Point, California, July 29, 2010
  • "Best Practices/Malpractice Avoidance/Quality Control" AICPA National Forensic Accounting Conference on Fraud & Litigation Services, Las Vegas, Nevada, September, 2008
  • Featured speaker on Presentation and Trial of Defense Cases at the 2003 AICPA
    National Business Valuation Conference.
  • "Key to Victory: Turning the Table", Los Angeles Daily Journal, November 17, 2000
  • "Accountants Escape from Investment-Advice Claim", Los Angeles Daily Journal, March 5, 1999
  • "Fraud and Negligent Misrepresentation", Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 3, 1998
  • AON Risk Summit, May 22, 2019
  • AICPA Major Firm Group COO Meeting, July 24, 2019

Representative Cases:

  • Smith v. Commonwealth, (1986) 177 Cal.App.3d 626
  • In re: Torrez, (1991) 132 B.R. 924 (E.D. Cal.)
  • Scott v. Schrader, (1992) 8 Cal.App.4th 1679
  • International Engine Parts, Inc. v. Fedderson & Co., (1995) 9 Cal.4th 606
  • International Engine Parts, Inc. v. Fedderson & Co., (1998) 64 Cal.App.4th 345
  • Curtis v. Kellogg & Andelson, (1999) 73 Cal.App.4th 492
  • Neu-Visions Sports, Inc., et al. v. Soren/McAdam/Bartells, et al., (2000) 86 Cal.App.4th 303
  • Czajkowski v. Haskell & White, (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 166
  • Mosier v. Stonefield Josephson, Inc. (2016) 815. F.3d 1161

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • American Bar Association
    • (Member: Sections on Litigation, Real Property, Probate & Trust Law, Tort and Insurance Practice, and General Practice)
  • State Bar of California
    • (Real Property Section)
    • (Business Law Section)
    • (Litigation Section)
    • (Evaluation Subcommittee for Accreditation of Specialty Certification Program for Attorneys in Professional Liability/Accounting Law 1997) (volunteer)
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
    • (Real Property Section)
  • Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
  • New York State Bar Association

Stephen J. Tully was voted as a 2004-2022 Southern California Super Lawyer by his peers after a voting procedure sponsored by Law & Politics and Los Angeles magazines.

Mr. Tully has an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell.