Attorneys

John F. Domingue

Partner

Business Litigation; Alternative Dispute Resolution

Prior to entering law school, Mr. Domingue worked in management with several businesses, including his own, and possesses experience in resolving real-world business problems and issues.  In addition to his business background, Mr. Domingue has a broad range of legal experience.

He began his legal practice in employment law, and has a working understanding of employer-employee issues.  Early in his legal career, Mr. Domingue also worked in our business department and has experience reviewing and drafting agreements.

His primary experience, and where he has practiced for over ten years, is in the business litigation department.  He has notable deposition, law and motion, and trial experience, as well as experience in negotiating settlements without litigation.  Mr. Domingue’s broad range of business and legal experience assists him in anticipating the needs of his clients and the potential issues they may face, as well as arriving at pragmatic solutions.

While Mr. Domingue has successfully handled disputes and cases in a variety of areas, he has particular expertise in contract, business, and real estate matters.  He has handled a number of adjoining landowner, construction defect, and sales representative lawsuits.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience
For nearly ten years, Mr. Domingue has served as an alternative dispute provider (arbitration/mediation) for the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the Santa Clara County Superior Court.  Mr. Domingue has experience adjudicating cases as a binding arbitrator or assisting parties in reaching an informal settlement of their dispute. 

As an arbitrator, Mr. Domingue is able to use his litigation and business experience to quickly understand the essence of the dispute, fairly hear the evidence and render a reasoned decision.  In several instances, litigants have accepted his findings as a final resolution of their case even though the process was non-binding.  As a mediator, Mr. Domingue favors an evaluative approach (where the parties receive an assessment as to the strengths and weaknesses of their case) but uses his case analysis in a facilitative way to help the parties arrive at an acceptable resolution.

Education/Honors

  • Western Seminary, M.A., Theological Studies, June, 2011
  • Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1997
  • San Jose State University, B.S., magna cum laude, 1993
  • American Jurisprudence Awards in Employment Law, Corporations, and Debtor and Creditor Rights

Professional Admissions

  • State Bar of California, 1997 - present

Presentations

  • The Northern District of California Practice Program, Speaker, "Tutorial on Evidence Presentation Technology," May 1998
  • Institute for Paralegal Education, Speaker, "Advanced Civil Discovery for the Litigation Paralegal in California," October 2001

Articles/Publications

  • A feature article on Judge William Martin including several quotes by Mr. Domingue

Activities/Memberships

  • Santa Clara County Bar Association, Fee Arbitrator, 2000 - present

Personal

  • Born in Burlington, Vermont, June 16, 1968
  • Married to Sandi since 1988
  • Two children in middle school
  • Plays ice hockey for the Flakes Hockey team (what Mr. Domingue labels the best men’s league team “on the planet”)
  • Plays guitar for church and the law firm’s band, pbB – Partners Behaving Badly, made up of five Berliner Cohen law partners (what Mr. Domingue labels the best lawyer band “on the planet”)