Dean A. Christopherson

Dean A. Christopherson

5.0
Rating: 8.5

Licensed for 40 years

Banking Lawyer at Walnut Creek, CA
Practice Areas: Banking, Business, Debt Collection

1350 Treat Boulevard, Suite 420, Walnut Creek, CA

About Dean

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Banking 60%

Coming from an early background as an in-house attorney for Wells Fargo Bank, he has developed a successful litigation practice in the area of commercial and consumer lending. His experience extends into both the fields of real estate secured lending (including defense of claims for wrongful foreclosure, equitable subordination, partition, eminent domain, and mechanic’s liens) and personal property loans and leases.

60%
Business 20%

Represent business clients in disputes involving contract interpretation and enforcement, trade secrets, real estate disputes, and the like.

20%
Debt Collection 20%

Mr. Christopherson is skilled both at recovering collateral and collecting money from commercial and consumer debtors. His expertise extends to prejudgment writs of possession (i.e., replevin) or attachment (i.e., imposing a prejudgment lien to secure previously unsecured obligations). Furthermore, contempt proceedings are sometimes filed against judgment debtors who ignore, at their peril, a judgment requiring that they redeliver collateral to his clients.

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 300-400 per hour

Contingency

25%-40%


Payment Methods

  • Check

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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 39 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 1986

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in California for 40 years

State: California

Acquired: 1985

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Dawe & Christopherson LLP

1350 Treat Boulevard, Suite 420, Walnut Creek, CA, 94597-2133

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Dean A. Christopherson's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

6 Client Reviews

5 star (6)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by anonymous | April 27, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Case Finally Resolved

My initial divorce proceedings took 18 months outside of California. And the subsequent matters of transfer of judgement and repeated attempts to resolve matters from the original divorce took an additional 12 years. With my first attorney in California nearing retirement, he personally recommended... Dean Christopherson to take over my case. It still took over a year, but with a brilliant strategy and with diligence this case finally closed after 12.5 years. Working with Dean, I always felt reassured that he was fighting for me, he was always available to discuss the case, and he worked tirelessly to close all the loopholes being utilized by the other party. I am incredibly grateful that he was literally by my side. We won the case and were able to recover both the original payments and 100% of the accrued interest. His office was always thorough, punctual, and kind. As you can glean from above, I would wholeheartedly recommend Dean Christopherson.

Posted by Alda | January 1, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

The "Best"

We had a nightmare attorney who was suspended and did not disclose it and misled us into a hole we could not climb out of. Dean used the law to give us leverage and turn a hopeless situation around. What more can you ask? His attention to detail and his knowledge was simply masterful. I found him... to be a clear communicator and a kind human being. I honestly think Deans ability to settle our issues favorably was exceptional. Without his capabilities I think it could have been a very different outcome. I am so grateful to him and recommend him with no reservations.

Posted by Hollis | June 28, 2017 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Thorough and honest!

I got Dean's contact info as a recommendation because my situation sounded so egregious that the real estate attorney I spoke to felt I should at least consult with an attorney with this area of expertise. Dean returned my call on his vacation and then told me to email him the details, so he could re...view them and get back to me when he returned. He was so thorough, honest and caring that I wanted to give him a review, so people knew he was one of the good guys! He laid out the pros and cons meticulously and recommended that I follow up with him if I wanted to pursue my complaints with the seller and lender after the closing if I decide to go through with the purchase. I wouldn't hesitate to hire him if I decide to go through with it!

Posted by Heather | April 24, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Litigation

I have been working with Dean for over 15 years. He has represented my company on countless collection litigation matters with great success. Dean is not only extremely knowledgeable, but is also an excellent communicator. He is always honest and straight forward with his opinions and assessments,... and conveys updates and developments in a timely manner. Dean has an extremely pleasant demeanor, and conducts himself with the utmost professionalism at all times. I would highly recommend Dean for litigation and other matters!

Posted by Barbara | April 17, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Knowledgable Strategic Reliable Trustworthy & Good Guy

I've worked with a lot of attorneys in my professional life but didn't have experience needing an attorney for personal matters, so it was pretty stressful finding myself in a conflict with my lender where I needed legal help to get it resolved. I was referred to Dean by an attorney friend who had w...orked with Dean in the past and couldn't have been happier that I was able to hire him to represent me. Dean has a lot of knowledge about banking practices and credit laws which was invaluable in my case because it turns out that my lender had been breaking some rules that Dean was able to quickly identify and this changed the conversation that had been ongoing to that point to my favor. I also appreciated Dean's practical approach to the situation, he understood that the situation was stressful and helped strategize and guide me to the best solution for me and I felt like he sincerely represented my best interests. Dean was also sensitive to costs and was clear about what costs would be, and I felt like his rates were fair and the work he did was high quality and got results. Like a lot of people I've heard horror stories of people being unhappy with the work an attorney did for them and count myself really lucky to have found such a knowledgeable, strategic, reliable, trustworthy good guy to represent me as my attorney. I have no hesitation recommending his services to others and would hire him again myself.

See All Client Reviews

Dean A. Christopherson's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Dean
David C. Erb headshot
David Erb

Banking lawyer | Apr 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Dean has an excellent reputation for being knowledgeable in his areas of legal practice and providing his clients with sound advice with the highest degree of professionalism. I would not hesitate to recommend Dean to any of my family and/or friends."

Candice Ellen Stoddard headshot
Candice Stoddard

Banking lawyer | May 02

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known Dean Christopherson for nearly 20 years. I know him to be a highly competent commercial litigator, particularly in the banking world where he has practiced for more than 25 years. As a mediator myself, I can attest that, with his calming temperament and quick insight, Dean is in a wonderful position to develop a very successful mediation practice particularly in cases involving in secured transactions and banking litigation. I endorse him without reservation."

View All Endorsements
Candice Ellen Stoddard headshot
Candice Stoddard

Litigation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.5 (Excellent)

Honors

2015

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

1996 - Present

Attorney and Mediator, Dawe & Christopherson LLP

2013 - 2013

Discovery Facilitator, Contra Costa County Superior Court

2013 - 2013

Mediator, Contra Costa County Superior Court

1989 - 1996

Attorney, McCabe, Schwartz, Evans, Levy & Dawe

1988 - 1989

Associate, Frandzel & Share, L.C.

1986 - 1988

Associate Counsel, Wells Fargo Bank

1983 - 1985

Litigation Law Clerk, Wells Fargo Bank

Associations

2014 - Present

Contra Costa County Bar Association, Real Estate Section

Board of Directors

2014 - Present

Alamo Improvement Association

Board of Directors

2010 - Present

Contra Costa County Bar Association

Member

2010 - Present

Contra Costa County Bar Association, Litigation Section

Master

2006 - Present

WorldLink for Law

Member

1990 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Carson v. Wells Fargo

Defense judgment, affirmed on appeal

See More Legal Cases

Education

2013

Rosenberg Mediation

Mediator Certificate

1985

University of San Francisco School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1981

University of Washington

undergraduate

Speaking Engagements

2015

Private client presentation

Equitable Subrogation (what is it and why do you care?)

2014

Contra Costa Bar Association Real Estate Section

Glaski v. Bank of America -- Mortgage Securitization and Impact on Deeds of Trust

2007

WorldLink for Law Annual Conference (Boston)

Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments and Arbitration Awards in the United States

Publications

1999

California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) Enforcing Security Interests in Personal Property

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
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  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
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