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For more than 30 years, Jim Barber has been involved in hundreds of civil litigation and arbitration matters including Insurance Coverage, Business Litigation, General Commercial, Aerospace and Products Liability.
Jim's litigation background includes litigating the case that decided the law in the Ninth Circuit for control person liability under Section 20(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. (Kersh v. General Council of Assemblies of God (9th Cir. 1986), 804 F. 2d 546). He also has litigated antitrust cases (Tripper Corp. v. Chrysler Corp. (N.D. Cal. 1980) 484 F. Supp. 507) and foreign exchange transaction matters (Spectra-Physics, Inc. v. Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (N.D. Cal. 1987) 654 F. Supp. 311). Most recently, he completed representation of the London aviation insurance market in a 12-year insurance coverage dispute and litigation matter concerning a major aircraft manufacturer. (Leslie Walpole Procter v. Lockheed Corp., Santa Clara Super. Ct. No. 731752). He also has testified as an expert witness and has written on topical litigation matters. Since 2005, he has mediated more than a dozen cases and been on the arbitration panel for several matters, one of which has gone to award. He was a member of his law firm's management committee from time to time and its finance partner for a decade. Presently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association and a founding member and director of the Gaucho Athletics Association. In June 2008, Jim was awarded the Graver Alumni Service Award for his work with the GAA and on the alumni board.
Jim has retired as an attorney, yet he still pursues working with the law. Having lived with the progressive neurodegenerative muscular disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) since 2006, he has collaborated closely with The ALS Association’s Greater Bay Area Chapter in helping in the initiative to pass two important state laws that can assist Californians living with what is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Jim, along with Steve Hall, a former water district lobbyist worked with representatives from the chapter and The Association’s Greater Los Angeles Chapter in advocating for the passage of two state bills, SB 1502 and SB 1503. Hall, who recently passed away from ALS, played a key part in selecting and retaining an advocacy professional, while Barber served as secretariat for the group and helped to draft one of the bills. In addition, both men testified at committee hearings in support of those bills, which Senate Majority Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, authored. In September 2008, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed these bills into law.
SB 1502 is the California state tax check-off bill that allows each California taxpayer to have the option to direct a portion of any tax refund to ALS research. SB 1503, the standard of care bill, gives ALS a foothold in statute, acknowledges The ALS Association’s Centers of Excellence as the gold standard for ALS care and treatment, and gives these Centers the designation of a "specialty care center" in the Health and Safety Code which ensures physician referrals to the Centers will be seamless. The mission of The Association’s Centers of Excellence Program is to define, establish, and support a national standard of care in the management of ALS, and the objective of the program is to encourage and provide that state-of-the-art care.
Aside from these impressive efforts,
Jim is a former veteran and has participated in other chapter-related events such as ALS Awareness Day in Sacramento in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and serves on The Association’s California ALS Advocacy Committee (CAAS), which helped to advance the passage of SB 1502 and SB 1503.
Jim was also one of the people with ALS chosen to stand on the field at AT&T Park in San Francisco on July 4th, 2009 for MLB’s 4ALS presentation. This annual event raises funds for research to find the causes and a cure for ALS along with monies for programs for people and their families living with the disease.
When not spreading awareness of ALS or advocating for others who live with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Jim and his wife Cheryl enjoy spending time with their two children and three grandchildren who reside in Southern California, daughter Sandie Chalk, son-in-law Chris Chalk, and granddaughters Krysia and Jessica Chalk and son David Barber, daughter-in-law Monica Barber, and granddaughter Anabella Barber.
Jim Barber will be honored with the prestigious 2010 Iron Horse Award at the ALS Association Greater Los Angeles Chapter's A Time to Care Gala which will take place on May 22, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California.