DON ERNST

Practice Concentration:
Civil Trial Litigation, Personal Injury, Insurance Bad Faith

Background:
Born in San Luis Obispo County, graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Economics 1971, and the University of San Diego School of Law in 1975. Admitted to the California Bar in 1975. Began practice in San Diego and moved to San Luis Obispo in 1976. Partner in Ernst and Mattison since 1980, specializing in civil litigation. Extensive trial experience. Tried over 100 cases to verdict. Member American Board of Trial Advocates, American Trial Lawyers Associaton, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, President and Founder of the Central Coast Trial Lawyers Association, 1990, San Luis Obispo County Bar Association President 2002-2003, Consumer Attorneys of California board of governors from 1990 to present, and currently President-elect. Taught over 30 CEB programs on tort and insurance law from 1988 to present. Authored articles for Forum and the California Bar Journal on torts and civil procedure. Adjunct professor Cal Poly State University 1978 through 92. Central Coast Trial Lawyer of the Year 1998, 2002. Martindale-Hubbell rated.

Practice Areas:
Personal Injury (60%); Insurance Bad Faith (40%)

Admitted:
1975, California and U.S. District Court, Southern District of California;
1985, U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Law School:
University of San Diego, J.D., 1975

College:
Stanford University, B.A., Economics, 1971

Member:
San Luis Obispo County Bar Association (President, 2001-2002); State Bar of California; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Trial Lawyers for Public Justice; Central Coast Trial Lawyer's Association (Founder and President, 1989-1990); Consumer Attorneys of California (Board of Governors, 1989-1999); American Board of Trial Advocates.

Biography:
Adjunct Professor and Sponsor of 8 Continuing Education Programs in Tort & Insurance Litigation, California State University, 1982-1989.

Awarded:
CCTLA Trial Lawyer of the Year, 1998, 2002.

Reported Cases:
Mariscal v. Old Republic Life Insurance Company, 42 Cal. App. 4th, 1617 (1996).

Born:
Atascadero, California, August 3, 1949

ISLN: 907572440

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RAYMOND E. MATTISON

Practice Concentration:
Representation of injured parties in all types of personal injury cases
Representation of consumers and policy holders in suits against insurance companies
Consumer Class Actions against insurance companies

Practicing Personal Injury and Insurance Law on the Central Coast since 1976

College:
B.A. University of California, Santa Barbara 1973

Teaching Fellowship Loyola University School of Law 1975-1976

Law School:
J.D. Loyola University School of Law at Los Angeles

Associate Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, San Luis Obispo office, 1976-1980

Partner, Ernst and Mattison, San Luis Obispo, 1980 to present

Extensive trial experience: more than 80 civil trials

Member American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)

Holds highest rating for ethics and skill from independent rating service

Won largest personal injury verdict in San Luis Obispo

Recovered over $200,000,000 in personal injury compensation for clients

Successfully prosecuted claims for policyholders against Blue Cross of California, HealthNet, State Farm, Allied, Progressive, GEICO, American Investors Life Insurance Company, Paul Revere, Unum-Provident, Conseco, Metropolitan Life, United Benefit Life, Old Republic, Banker's Life, Prudential, American International (AIG), Tenet Corporation and many others

Awarded:
Awarded "Trial Lawyer of the Year" (Central Coast Trial Lawyer's Ass'n) in 1998 for winning multi-million dollar award for brain damage victim

Awarded "Trial Lawyer of the Year" again in 2006 for winning a class action judgment of thousands of dollars each for 51 disabled public employees

Appointed class counsel in consumer class actions against State Farm, Tenet Corporation, Blue Cross of California, American Investor's Life, Allianz, Conseco, and United Benefit Life

Currently (2006) representing senior citizens and consumers in class actions at various stages of development against Allianz, National Western Life, American Investors Life, North American, Midland, and American Equity Investment Insurance Company

Member:
State Bar of California, American Board of Trial Advocates, Central Coast Trial Lawyer's Association (President 1992-1993), Consumer Attorney's of California,

American Trial Lawyer's Association, Trial Lawyer's for Public Justice

Sponsored or chaired over 50 continuing education courses in personal injury and insurance law - 10 year continuing faculty member "What's New in Tort & Trial"

Author of 10 practice articles in tort and insurance law

Born:
Oklahoma City 1951

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CHRIS D. EDGINGTON

Practice Concentration:
Insurance and Consumer Class Action Litigation, Insurance Bad Faith, Personal Injury, Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse

College:
B.S., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 1990
(Economics and Engineering & Applied Science)

Law School:
J.D., Hastings College of the Law, 1993

Admitted:
Admitted to California State Bar, 1994

Practicing on the Central Coast since 1999 and at Ernst and Mattison since 2001

Member:
State Bar of California, Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), American Trial Lawyer's Association (ATLA)

Concentrating in the prosecution of complex litigation, first in environmental cases, and since 2001 with Ernst and Mattison, principally in insurance cases, including against Blue Cross of California, American Investors Life Insurance Company, Metropolitan Life, United Benefit Life, and Tenet Corporation.

Active involvement in all of the firm's ongoing insurance and consumer class actions, including against National Western Life, American Equity Investment Insurance, Allianz, ReliaStar, and Union Security Life Insurance.

Extensive involvement in the firm's elder and dependent adult abuse files, and consumer class actions benefitting senior citizens and/or disabled adults, including nursing home abuse, annuity and other investment sales fraud, and wrongful denial of disability benefits cases.

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