Steven R. Disharoon

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Steven R. Disharoon: Attorney with Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP

Biography

The managing partner of WSHB’s Sonoma County office, Steve is an accomplished litigator and is certified by The State Bar of California as a Specialist in Appellate Law. His appellate work has included the handling of numerous appeals, writ petitions, and oral arguments in both state and federal court. He is known for his outstanding written work-product, analysis of legal issues, and oral advocacy. Steve also has published and taught about appellate practice and procedure.

In addition to his appellate work, Steve's skills extend to areas involving complex federal and state law, government and public entity issues, premises liability, intellectual property, technology, and transportation. He is adept at accurately assessing risk and recommending cost-effective strategies that best serve his clients’ interests. He prides himself on his communication skills, commitment to ethics, and high-quality legal work. Steve has successfully resolved innumerable cases, whether through dispositive motions (and successful appeals), trial, or settlement.

Steve is also experienced in transactional matters, having negotiated, drafted, and counseled clients regarding purchase/sale contracts, confidentiality agreements, and other complex agreements involving land use, environmental issues, employment, construction, bodily injury, civil rights issues, product liability, and intellectual property rights.

Whatever the legal issue, Steve is a diligent, passionate, and professional advocate who works tirelessly to obtain the best possible results for his clients.

Newsroom

News

•New Defined Equity Partners Celebrated at WSHB as 2023 Begins
Firm News, 1.9.23
•Managing Partner Steve Disharoon Achieves Distinguished Certification of Appellate Specialist from State Bar of California
Firm News, 9.6.22
•WSHB Expands in California: New Sonoma County Location
Newsroom, 6.26.20
•WSHB Names Eight New Partners
Newsroom, 1.29.18

Publications

•California Supreme Court Clarifies Arbitration Fee Payment Rules: Section 1281.98 Is Reconstrued to Survive FAA Challenge
Case Updates, 12.29.25
•Understanding Appellate Fee Awards in California Discovery After Baer v. Tedder
Case Updates, 12.12.25
•E-Service Gotchas: When a Single Filing Starts (or Stops) the Appeal Countdown
Case Updates, 9.16.25
•Driver’s ‘Offline’ Status Shields Uber from Liability in Late-Night Pedestrian Accident
Case Updates, 2.18.25
•California Supreme Court Declares Arbitration Agreement Unenforceable Based on Principles of Unconscionability and Declines Severance of Unfair Terms
Case Updates, 12.26.24
•California Court of Appeal Upholds Admissibility of Medicare Eligibility, in an Implicit Rebuke of Pebley v. Santa Clara Organics
Case Updates, 9.17.24
•Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Under Fire Once Again
Article, 5.31.24
•Empowering Defendants: Appellate Ruling Unveils Hospital Lien Act
Case Updates, 11.29.23
•Is Arbitration a Good Idea for Your Business?
Article, 11.7.23
•Court of Appeal Rules CCP Section 998 Applies after Stipulated Settlement
Case Updates, 8.31.23
•Landmark Ruling: Appeals Court Shakes Up Defense Community with Forced Disclosure of Test Data
Case Updates, 5.31.23
•Availability of Remote Testimony Does Not Control Venue Determination
Case Updates, 9.19.22
•Where the Legal Winds Are Blowing
Publications, Construction Claims, 6.15.18
•Taming the Flames, CLM Magazine, November 2023
•A Seismic Shift for Bodily Injury Claims, CLM Magazine, July 6, 2023
•The Life of an Appellate Case, Los Angeles Lawyer, March 2022
•Pebley v. Santa Clara Opens the Door in California to Inflated Medical Damages Claims, May 11, 2018
•Strategies for Restoring the Right to Repair Act by Challenging the Liberty Mutual and Burch Decisions, DRI Volume 18, Issue 4 (2014)
•Stafford Unified School District No. 1 v. Redding: a Missed Opportunity to Restore Fourth Amendment Rights to School Children, 44 U.S.F. L. Rev. 659 (2010)
•Author, California’s Broken Parole System: Flawed Standards and Insufficient Oversight Threaten the Rights of Prisoners, 44 U.S.F. L. Rev. 177 (2009)

In the News

•California Supreme Court Clarifies Arbitration Fee Payment Rules: Section 1281.98 Is Reconstrued to Survive FAA Challenge
•Understanding Appellate Fee Awards in California Discovery After Baer v. Tedder
•Appellate Court Directs Entry of Summary Judgment for WSHB in Multi-Million Dollar Dog Bite Lawsuit
•E-Service Gotchas: When a Single Filing Starts (or Stops) the Appeal Countdown

See more ›

Areas of Practice (10)

  • Appellate
  • Transportation
  • Public Entity Defense
  • Commercial and Business Litigation
  • Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
  • Environmental
  • Complex Tort and Casualty
  • Intellectual Property
  • Professional Liability
  • Legal Malpractice

Education & Credentials

University Attended:
University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., 2007
Law School Attended:
University of San Francisco School of Law, J.D., 2010
Year of First Admission:
2010
Admission:
California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; U.S. District Court, Central District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Reported Cases:
Experience: Hernandez v. Taihan Electric, USA, Ltd. (2024) 2d App. Dist., Case No. B333793; O'Toole v. Oceanview Cottages, LLC (2024) 4th App. Dist., Case No. D080948; Ortiz-Fernandez v. La Clinica (2023) 1st App. Dist., Case No. A162542; Lee v. Cardiff (2023) 94 Cal.App.5th 398; Robertson v. Larkspur Courts (2021) 1st App.Dist., Case No. A160942; Carter v. Clausen (2021) 4th App.Dist., Case No. G060213; Basile v. The Los Angeles Film School, LLC, et al. (9th Cir. 2020) 827 Fed.Appx. 649; Kinney v. Three Arch Bay Community Services District (9th Cir. 2020) 829 Fed.Appx. 273; Sazerac Company, Inc. v. Fetzer Vineyards, Inc. (9th Cir. 2019) 786 Fed.Appx. 662; Sawabeh International Group v. GenesisTP, Inc. (2019) 1st App. Dist., Case No. A151443; Robertson v. Larkspur Courts et al. (2018) 1st App. Dist., Case No. A152226; Sazerac Company, Inc. v. Fetzer Vineyards, Inc. (N.D. Cal. 2017) 265 F.Supp.3d 1013; Allen v. Amy's Kitchen (2016) 1st App. Dist., Case No. A148194; Lamb v. San Francisco Electric Tour Co. (2015) 1st App. Dist., Case No. A142888; Darling v. Superior Court (2012) 211 Cal.App.4th 69; Appellate Court Directs Entry of Summary Judgment for WSHB in Multi-Million Dollar Dog Bite Lawsuit; 12.10.25; Court of Appeal Upholds Dismissal of Multi-Million Dollar Claim; 12.4.24; WSHB Win in Complex Elder Abuse and Wrongful Death Suit; 8.30.23; WSHB Secures Landmark Victory in Published Appellate Decision; 8.11.23; Winery Prevails in High Stakes Trademark Trial; 10.10.17; California Court of Appeal Upholds Dismissal for Failure to Bring Case to Trial
ISLN:
922407414

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Contact Information:

310-861-9263  Phone

925-356-8250  Fax

www.wshblaw.com/attorney/steven-r-disharoon

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