Michael R. Halvorsen
Special Counsel

Michael R. Halvorsen is Special Counsel to Ruben & Sjolander, and is a member of the firm’s Product Liability, Commercial, Business, and Real Estate Litigation groups.   The focus of Mr. Halvorsen’s practice is the resolution of complex, individual and representative consumer actions involving alleged violations of state and federal consumer protection statutes, including California’s Unfair Business Act (B&P Code Section 17200 and 17500), the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, as well as implementation of corresponding rules under the state and federal codes of regulations. Representative clients include General Motors Corporation, Hyundai Motor America, Spartan Chassis, Inc., State Farm Insurance and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Prior to associating with Ruben & Sjolander, Mr. Halvorsen served as national outside defense counsel for a leading automobile manufacturer in the complex areas of vehicle dynamics, handling & stability, rollovers and supplemental restraints.  Mr. Halvorsen continues to represent automobile, truck and component manufacturers in complex product liability matters involving death and permanent disability.

Representative matters include defense of a domestic automobile manufacturer in a complex rollover accident wherein the plaintiff claimed that the subject vehicle was defectively designed because it was prone to rolling over and failed to retain its occupants inside the cabin during the rollover, defense of a foreign distributor of automobiles in an action where plaintiff claimed it made it a pattern and practice to violate several consumer statutes, and defense of a national heat gun manufacturer against allegations that a design defect caused a major fire at a Beverly Hills business. 

While in law school, Mr. Halvorsen was the Executive Articles Editor of the Maritime Law Journal, a pupil in the U.S.F. Inns of Court, Quarter-Finalist in the Judge John R. Brown Moot Court Competition in New Orleans, and Finalist in the San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Mock Trial Competition. He also authored Citation and Precedent: A Practitioner’s Guide to Citation and Precedent Value of Opinions Published in AMC under the Ninth, Fifth, Eleventh, and Second Circuit’s Rules, 199 U.S.F. MLJ 199.

Practice Areas:

1. Commercial Litigation
2. Consumer Litigation
3. Product Liability Litigation
4. Real Property Litigation
5. Landlord-Tenant Litigation
6. Insurance Defense

Education:

1. University of San Francisco School of Law J.D., 2003
2. University of California, Santa Barbara B.A., English, 1999

Admissions:

1. California, 2003
2. USDC, Northern, 2006
3. USDC, Central, 2006
4. USDC, Southern, 2007

Associations:

1. American Bar Association
2. Los Angeles County Bar Association
3. Southern California Association of Defense Counsel
4. U.S.F. Inns of Court

 

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