Firmwide Managing Partner Dion Cominos has been with GRSM since 1987 and has consistently been recognized as an outstanding practitioner by virtually every leading industry publication including Best Lawyers in America©, Martindale-Hubbell (where he has been distinguished as a top-rated, AV Preeminent lawyer) and being named a Super Lawyer® in California for each year of that program’s existence.
Litigation
Mr. Cominos specializes in defending businesses and individuals in a wide variety of claims involving commercial disputes and professional liability matters including:
He has also handled a broad variety of other claims involving construction, environmental site contamination/bodily injury, product liability, employment and insurance, and has arbitration and trial experience in numerous civil and administrative proceedings in federal districts and state counties throughout California. In the arena of data privacy/security claims, Mr. Cominos has defended businesses and individuals in connection with numerous claims involving pretexting, identity theft, database hacking, improper dissemination of private information, and alleged violations of various state and federal statutes including the TCPA, the “Can-Spam” Act, California Business & Professions Code §17529, et seq., and many others.
- Commercial/Business/Real Estate/Construction Litigation
- Errors & Omissions Claims (including accountants, attorneys, financial planners, tax advisors, teachers, architects, engineers, etc.)
- D&O Litigation
- Unfair Competition/Unfair Debt Collection-FDCPA Claims/§17200 Lawsuits
- Misappropriation/Trade Secret Matters
- Securities Litigation
- Commercial Contract/Business Torts
- Consumer Class Actions
- Franchise and Related Contractual Disputes
- First Amendment/Media/Defamation Actions
- Technology/Data Privacy/Security Claims
Appellate/ADR/Administrative Matters
In addition to his trial and arbitration work, Mr. Cominos has also successfully handled appellate cases before the California Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the California State Court of Appeal, and reported decisions include Winston Square Homeowner’s Assn. v. Centex West, Inc. (1988) 213 Cal.App.3d 282, and Wells v. One2One Learning Foundation (2006) 39 Cal.4th 1164. Mr. Cominos also has extensive experience in all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations both in California and abroad, has served as both a mediator and arbitrator, and has represented clients before administrative bodies such as planning commissions, city councils, boards of supervisors, health departments, OSHA, WCAB, HUD, DFEH, BAAQMD and various other disciplinary and professional boards.
In addition to being published in a number of legal journals and periodicals, Dion has spoken as a guest panelist at annual meetings of the American Bar Association, the Association of Defense Counsel, the DRI and PLUS.
Presentations
- AI DIY: A Guide to Avoiding Employment Pitfalls in the Workplace, GRSM Legal Education Conference, San Francisco, CA, September 2024
- AI DIY: A Guide to Avoiding Employment Pitfalls in the Workplace, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Los Angeles, CA, June 2024
- AI DIY: A Guide to Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls with Artificial Intelligence, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York, NY, May 2024
- AI DIY: A Guide to Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls with Artificial Intelligence, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Hartford, CT, April 2024
- AI FYI: Cutting Edge Technological Issues Impacting Employers, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Los Angeles, CA, June 2023
- Hashtag Ethics: Navigating Social Media Legal Ethics in 2023, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York, NY, May 2023
- Hashtag Ethics: Navigating Social Media Legal Ethics in 2023, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Hartford, CT, May 2023
- Don’t Let the Bytes Bite You: Ethics in the Digital Age, GRSM Legal Education Conference, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Hartford, October 2019
- Reframing the Psychology of Victory in the Realm of Civil Litigation, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Los Angeles, June 2019
- Handling “Tag Along” Employment Claims, Best Practices for Defending Against Ancillary Causes of Action Increasingly Included in EPL Lawsuits, GRSM Legal Education Conference, San Francisco and Los Angeles, 2018
- ETHICS – Successfully Navigating Through Ethical Minefields, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York and Hartford, May 2018
Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Courts, California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Memberships
- Defense Research Institute – Professional Liability Section
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society – Northern California Chapter
- Association of Defense Counsel – Northern California Construction Practice Chapter
- American Bar Association
- Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance
- Tort and Insurance Practice Section
- State Bar of California
- Business Law Practice Section
Community Involvement
Dion has been actively involved with the San Francisco charitable Foodbank program, and previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco.
Education
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law
– Twice received the American Jurisprudence award for academic excellence - B.A., University of California, Berkeley
Honors
- Top Rated Lawyer-AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Construction Law (2021-2025)
- Super Lawyers® distinction in Civil Litigation Defense and Business Litigation (2004-2019, 2022-2024)