Richard C. Wildman Attorney at Law

Mr. Wildman has been representing the interests of La Jollans for more than 40 years. Mr. Wildman provides a wide range of legal representation involving strong legal, technology, inter personal and/or negotiation skills. His areas of practice include:

Real Estate Law
Family & Domestic Law
Business Contract Law
Civil Litigation, Arbitration & Trial
Construction Defects & Land Use
Risk Analysis & Lawsuit Prevention


Strengths Summary

Complex Litigation Skills
High Stakes, high-profile and hotly-contested leading cases at trial and appellate levels

Corporate Experience
Business, contracts, real estate, personnel negotiations, senior management, sales

Consistent Community Involvement
Officer and Board membership on numerous community and charitable organizations

Insurance Defense Counsel
Insurance company panelist, multi-discipline professional liability defense

Strong Technology Orientation
Civil and electrical engineering background, computer literate

Frequent Public Speaker
Educational, informational, inspirational presentations to professionals and public


Professional Affiliations

Admitted to State Bar of California in 1977

U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals: 9th Circuit; U.S. District Courts of California: Northern, Central, Southern & Eastern District Courts

California Real Estate Broker’s license number 766988 (Inactive)

California District Attorneys Association, certificate number 12065444

California Department of Post-Secondary Education, Certified Law Instructor

California Community Colleges Instructor, Lifetime Credentials in Law and History, license Number 155712


Education

J.D. Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California.; Student Bar President; AmJur Award: Constitutional Law; Founder, Delta Theta Phi, John Paul Stephens Senate; Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges.

M.A. University of San Diego, San Diego, California; Asian History and Latin American Studies; Language: Spanish; 3.86 grade point; Phi Alpha Theta Award; Thesis: The Impotence of Office: Mr. Truman’s War, 327pp.

B.A. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado; Major: History; Minors: Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics; Language: Spanish.


Litigation

As panelist for the Home Insurance Company defended over 30 San Diego County real estate offices in hundreds cases involving an aggregate of hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate broker professional liability, construction defects and fraud claims. Tried dozens of jury trials. No fraud verdicts were returned.

Prosecuted, defended and settled or tried countless bench and jury cases in a vast array of fields including admiralty, asbestos, banking, bankruptcy, capital murder, class action, corporate acquisition, dental, employment discrimination, escrow, geotechnical, inverse condemnation, landlord-tenant, land use, land use, legal and medical malpractice, partnership, personal injury, probate, publishing, toxic mold, family law, land sales, international patent infringement, real estate development, securities, subsidence, water rights, and yacht brokerage.

In re J. David Dominelli: Served as sole attorney for committee of 5,000 creditors defrauded in a $200,000,000 international arbitrage and Ponzi scheme during a 9-year period, obtaining discovery which ultimately led to the recovery of $80,000,000 from culpable accountants and attorneys.

Ronald L. Barrett v. Bank of America: Represented plaintiff, SBA National “Small Businessman of the Year”, who invented “Entry Alert” — a home security device. Facts: The Bank funded Barrett’s SBA loan. Two weeks later the Bank declared the loan technically in default and forced merger and sale of Barrett’s corporation, conditioned on the Bank’s oral promise that Barrett would be released from his SBA loan guarantees. After the merger, the Bank then repudiated the agreement and foreclosed on Barrett’s home. Barrett sought damages in excess of $1,000,000. 6 years of litigation ended with a confidential settlement.

Republic of Korea v. William Brown; United States v. William Brown (1968); Obtained acquittals in Korean and U.X. Courts of African-American soldier wrongfully accused of rape and murder.


Appellate

Ronald L. Barrett v. Bank of America (1986) 183 Cal.App.3d 1362, Banking: Established “Doctrine of Barrett” defining a bank’s fiduciary duty to depositor and “preponderance of evidence” burden of proof for oral modification of written contracts.

In re J. David Dominelli (1986) 788 F.2d 584, Bankruptcy: Elucidated rule for professional compensation.

Petersen, et al., East Elliott Property Owners Association v. City of San Diego (2000) 77 Cal.App.4th 582, Inverse Condemnation, enunciated rule for landowner compensation for 1,000 acres of privately held land within the City of San Diego.

Wiener v. Wiener (2003) 105 Cal.App.4th 235. Family Law. Determined liability of professional spouse for pre-marital student loan, division of annual bonus, and Epstein credits.


Community

Past President, La Jolla Town Council
Secretary, La Jolla Historical Society
Past President, La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club & Foundation
Past President, La Jolla Business Improvement District
Past Trustee, San Diego Law Library Justice Foundation
Past President, La Jolla Bar Association
Past 1st Vice President, Acting President, St. Germaine Children’s Charity
Past Trustee, Scholarship Chair: San Diego Center for Children
Past Trustee, The Winston School
Past Board Member, San Diego, Inland Counties Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Past Board Member, Waynesville — Ft. Leonard Wood Board of Education


Recognition

2022— First Place as BEST Attorney; The 24th Annual La Jolla Light Reader’s Poll for the Best of La Jolla
2021— First Place as BEST Attorney; The 23rd Annual La Jolla Light Reader’s Poll for the Best of La Jolla
2020— First Place as BEST Attorney; The 22nd Annual La Jolla Light Reader’s Poll for the Best of La Jolla
2020— Honorable Mentions for Family Law, Real Estate, Litigation and Personal Injury; The Union Tribune 2020 Reader’s Poll
2019 — Best Real Estate Attorney in San Diego; The Union Tribune 2019 Reader’s Poll


Military

Captain, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, combat engineer; 44th Engineers; Author: “Materiel Requirements for Korean Base Development”; Commander, 177th Transportation Company (Amphibious).

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