FERGUSON LAW PC
Exceptional Representation. Outstanding Results.
Advocating for you.
Ferguson Law PC is a client-first boutique litigation firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our mission is to provide personalized, results-driven representation to each of our clients. We handle a range of disputes throughout the country on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, from commercial litigation and government transparency fights to employment disputes and more.
At Ferguson Law PC, we take only a handful of cases from the dozens that we screen, selecting matters that are a good fit for both us and our clients. Our areas of complex practice include class and civil RICO actions, corporate governance controversies, securities fraud cases and more . We have helped win 7- and 8- figure cases on behalf of individuals and consumers, and have successfully defended against similar-sized claims on behalf of businesses and technology startups. We are client first. We do not box ourselves in as a plaintiff-side or defense-side firm.
We offer a variety of fee arrangements to meet our clients' needs, including hourly engagements, full contingency arrangements, and hybrid models. Our goal is to ensure that our clients have access to quality legal representation to fit their economic circumstances.
If you're facing a legal dispute, contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can help you achieve a favorable outcome.
Contact Us
1816 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 548-9005
sam@fergusonlawpc.com
Areas of Practice
Business Litigation
Running a business is challenging. Don’t let legal disputes distract you. We have handled a wide variety of business matters, including breach of contract cases, shareholder disputes, corporate inspection demands, breach of fiduciary duty suits, employment matters, consumer claims, startup controversies amongst founders and intellectual property actions. We represent individual entrepreneurs, small business owners, startups and large companies. We have handled matters for employees, tech startup incubators, investors, financial institutions, shareholders, public companies, and family investment offices. Our reach extends to diverse industries, including cryptocurrency, communications, hospitality, tech startups, and more. We are here to find an efficient resolution for you.
Representative matters:
-In LC Investments 2010, LLC v. La Costa Investments, LLC, Sam Ferguson was part of a trial team that defeated claims for breach of contract and fraud brought by an affiliate of Omni Hotels against a condo hotel owner. Judge Maas of the San Diego Superior Court called Ferguson’s opening statement “spectacular” and “extraordinary,” remarking at the end of the trial that the trial team did “an outstanding job in what should have been a really boring, complex, exhausting trial and putting it on in a way that kept me involved.”
-In a confidential arbitration, Sam Ferguson drafted an opposition to an emergency motion by cross-claimants seeking $11 million of virtual assets frozen by a financial institution. After a favorable ruling on behalf of Ferguson’s client, the cross-claimants settled for 100 cents on the dollar prior to discovery.
-In a confidential arbitration, Sam Ferguson defeated claims for breach of contract, negligence, RICO and New York General Business Law section 349 after a seven-day hearing. The Plaintiff sought over $20 million, based on allegations that Ferguson’s client did not intervene to stop the Plaintiff from investing in a fraud. Weeks before the trial, the Plaintiff made a settlement demand for $5 million . The Plaintiff recovered nothing.
-In Steinberg v. Winklevoss Capital Fund, Sam Ferguson drafted a motion to dismiss for failure to join a necessary party on behalf of the Defendant who was sued for its alleged failure to abide by the terms of a letter of intent to purchase stock in the cannabis delivery app Eaze. The Plaintiff dropped his suit shortly thereafter.
-In a confidential arbitration, Sam Ferguson successfully defended a financial institution from an investor’s claims of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty related to the third-party theft of the investor’s assets. Ferguson obtained a complete victory against the investor after a three-day hearing.
-In Winklevoss Capital Fund v. Shrem, Sam Ferguson spearheaded a complex investigation into the alleged misappropriation of 5,000 bitcoin, worth approximately $60,000 at the time of the misappropriation and worth over $25,000,000 million at the time the suit was filed. Ferguson organized the service of nearly 100 third-party subpoenas to trace the movement of bitcoin on the blockchain over a five-year period. The suit reached a confidential settlement.
-In Startup Incubator v. Early Stage Company, Sam Ferguson represented a team of software engineers that provided engineering services for a startup in exchange for a 5% equity stake in the company, which subsequently refused to recognize the engineers’ ownership. Ferguson steered the case to a favorable pre-filing confidential settlement.
-In FaceCake Marketting Technologies v. Fisher, Sam Ferguson represents a Defendant and Cross-Petitioner seeking corporate records. Ferguson recently obtained sanctions against the Plaintiff for its bad faith discovery tactics, including an award of monetary sanctions of over $43,000. The dispute remains active.
-In a confidential arbitration, Sam Ferguson lead the investigation into an ex-employees’ claims of retaliation. Evidence uncovered by Ferguson through public records requests helped lead to a complete victory for the company and an order awarding return of over $5 million advanced to the employee under an indemnity provision on account of the employees’ gross negligence and fraud.
Plaintiff Litigation
At Ferguson Law PC, we fight for individuals, businesses and groups who have been wronged, providing representation on a contingency basis. With years of experience handling complex cases, our attorneys have successfully pursued 7- and 8- figure claims. We have filed throughout California and across the United States under consumer protection laws, employment laws, RICO and state-RICO equivalents, and more. We often work with co-counsel on large cases, leveraging our investigative and research skills. We handle traditional plaintiff side litigation, but also represent businesses who prefer that their attorneys have equal skin in the game. Our success is your success, plain and simple.
Representative Matters:
-In Beaver v. Omni Hotels Management Corporation, Ferguson Law PC represents a certified class of condo hotel owners against Omni Hotels and several affiliates. The class alleges Omni has run a years-long scheme to self-deal through abusive management of a rental management program at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. Plaintiffs’ claims under RICO, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and the California UCL survived a motion to dismiss.
-In a series of cases throughout the country, Sam Ferguson was part of the legal team that brought cases on behalf of purchasers of “fractional interest” units in the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club who were injured when Ritz’s parent company, Marriott Vacation Club, affiliated its down market Marriott points program with the Ritz to the detriment of legacy Ritz owners. Several of the cases reached confidential resolutions which have been reported by Marriott Vacation Club in public filings with the SEC in the 7- and 8- figure range.
-In a pre-filing employment dispute, Sam Ferguson represented an employee who was laid off and offered an unacceptable severance package. After demanding waiting time penalties, Ferguson was able to secure for the client four times the amount of severance that her company had originally offered.
Government Transparency
Our team was recognized with the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for our work in promoting government and police transparency under the California Public Records Act. If you’re looking to uncover government secrets — financial malfeasance, corruption, misconduct — we’re here to for you.
Representative matters:
-In BondGraham v. City of Oakland, Ferguson Law PC represented Darwin BondGraham and Ali Winston, two journalists who have written the definitive history of the Oakland Police Department. Their Book, The Riders Come Out at Night, is based in large part on tens of thousands of pages that were released as a result of a suit under California’s new transparency law, SB 1421, which reversed decades of secrecy protecting certain police misconduct records.
-In Morris v. City of Oakland, Ferguson Law PC brought the first class action under the California Public Records Act, resulting in a favorable settlement and meaningful reform that has reversed decades of poor records management in the Oakland Police Department. At the time the suit was filed the Oakland Police Department had over 5,000 public records act requests in its backlog. Ferguson Law was awarded the James Madison Freedom of Information Award following this suit.
-In Morris v. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Sam Ferguson brought suit under AB 748 , forcing disclosure of security footage from inside Santa Rita jail capturing the death of a mentally unstable inmate who was chained by guards to his door without supervision. A lieutenant was fired from his job for his involvement in the incident but the Sheriff’s office refused to release the video of this heinous act. Ferguson secured release of the video on behalf of Scott Morris, a local journalist covering the story.
-In The Citizen, et al. v. Peralta Community College District, Ferguson Law PC filed the first known Public Records Act case on behalf of a student newspaper. The lawsuit has resulted in the release of numerous documents reflecting financial malfeasance at the District. The Citizen newspaper has received numerous accolades for its in-depth and hard-hitting investigative reporting.
OUR MOTTO IS SIMPLE:
“Turn Every Page.”
We take pride in digging into each and every case we handle. Great law is made first and foremost on great facts.
We scrutinize your case and understand every angle to tell the best story.