Mitigation and litigation cases resolved
· Mediation - Home additions/neighbor dispute. Mr. Yates mediated a settlement between two neighbors regarding a second story addition. Mr. Yates was able to get the parties to work together to redesign the stairway and fencing plans to satisfy both parties concerns regarding design, views, and privacy.
· Mediation - Boundary Dispute/permit violation. Mr. Yates negotiated several boundary disputes between property owners of extremely high end real estate. In those cases, issues of permit violations, views, shade and design were addressed and extremely expensive drawn out litigation between neighbors was avoided.
· Successful Brown Act Litigation. Mr. Yates was the lead litigator in a Brown Act case regarding public notice where his client prevailed on all counts.
· Successful Land Use/CEQA Litigation. Mr. Yates was the lead litigator in the largest land use law suit in Santa Barbara County history, a case that included complex zoning and planning, CEQA, Coastal Act and development agreement legal issues. Ed’s client prevailed on all issues.
· Successful Contract Litigation. Mr. Yates litigated a difficult lawsuit in Marin County Superior Court in 2011 that included arcane legal issues, including fiduciary duties, Marvin v. Marvin palimony and conversion issues. Ed was able to boil it down for the Court to what was mainly a breach of contract issue for which Ed’s client prevailed.
· Successful Probate Litigation. Mr. Yates obtained guardianship status for a grandmother whose daughter was no longer able to care for the four year old child. Mr. Yates worked with all parties to get the necessary approvals and voluminous documentation and succeeded in convincing the probate court to grant guardianship.
· Pro Bono Work in Court. Mr. Yates also has used his experience to gain favorable results for pro bono clients, including: 1) assisting low income women obtain temporary restraining orders in domestic violence cases, and 2) obtaining refugee status for a Central American girl who was threatened by her brother’s murderers.
· Mediation - Boundary Dispute/permit violation. Mr. Yates negotiated several boundary disputes between property owners of extremely high end real estate. In those cases, issues of permit violations, views, shade and design were addressed and extremely expensive drawn out litigation between neighbors was avoided.
· Successful Brown Act Litigation. Mr. Yates was the lead litigator in a Brown Act case regarding public notice where his client prevailed on all counts.
· Successful Land Use/CEQA Litigation. Mr. Yates was the lead litigator in the largest land use law suit in Santa Barbara County history, a case that included complex zoning and planning, CEQA, Coastal Act and development agreement legal issues. Ed’s client prevailed on all issues.
· Successful Contract Litigation. Mr. Yates litigated a difficult lawsuit in Marin County Superior Court in 2011 that included arcane legal issues, including fiduciary duties, Marvin v. Marvin palimony and conversion issues. Ed was able to boil it down for the Court to what was mainly a breach of contract issue for which Ed’s client prevailed.
· Successful Probate Litigation. Mr. Yates obtained guardianship status for a grandmother whose daughter was no longer able to care for the four year old child. Mr. Yates worked with all parties to get the necessary approvals and voluminous documentation and succeeded in convincing the probate court to grant guardianship.
· Pro Bono Work in Court. Mr. Yates also has used his experience to gain favorable results for pro bono clients, including: 1) assisting low income women obtain temporary restraining orders in domestic violence cases, and 2) obtaining refugee status for a Central American girl who was threatened by her brother’s murderers.
