Tad A. Devlin, Esq.
Partner
San Francisco, California
Tad A. Devlin focuses his practice in the areas of commercial and insurance litigation, ERISA/life, health and disability benefit disputes, including breach of fiduciary liability claims, profit sharing plan and employee stock plan disputes, real estate, financial services disputes, professional liability (lawyers, doctors, accountants, real estate, insurance agents, architects and engineers) and disciplinary defense, and white collar defense.
He counsels and advises on insurance matters of all types, including coverage issues, bad faith, and defense monitoring.  Mr. Devlin has first party insurance claim and benefit experience, including examinations under oath, and working with special investigation units and the Department of Insurance concerning insurance fraud. 
He has defended and counseled individuals and businesses in state and federal government enforcement actions in criminal and civil matters, professional liability matters, and financial services matters, lending and banking disputes, construction and contract disputes, landlord/tenant and real property disputes, corporate malfeasance, and enforcement of judgments and debts. Mr. Devlin has also defended and counseled corporate and individual clients concerning claims of food mislabeling, corporate bribery, improper kickbacks and embezzlement.
Mr. Devlin has extensive experience handling all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts, including trial, post-trial and appellate practice, as well as alternative dispute resolution. He also has experience with business and commercial contract review and drafting in a variety of settings, including review of and advice regarding ERISA and non-ERISA governed benefit plans (e.g., Pension, ESOP, PSP, life, health and disability, and AD&D), as well as consulting and advising businesses on risk management, claim and litigation avoidance. In addition, Mr. Devlin has handled bankruptcy court matters (Chapter 7, 11 and 13), including adversary proceedings, and stay relief. Mr. Devlin has handled numerous elder abuse cases, including conservatorship proceedings and claims of financial and physical abuse and neglect.
Prior to his civil practice, Mr. Devlin was a felony prosecutor with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, where he successfully prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor trials (as first chair), including violent and paper crimes, and matters involving banking and insurance fraud.
Mr. Devlin is also a sharing economy attorney, specializing in advice, counsel, risk management and litigation regarding the sharing economy (e.g., home-sharing, ride-sharing businesses) and related privacy, insurance, real property and tax issues.  He is a regular speaker, media source and author on these topics, serves on the PLUS Journal Editorial Board and is a leading contributor to the Bar Association of San Francisco, including its Justice and Diversity Center.
Representative Matters
Prevailed on summary judgment in Santa Clara County Superior Court for major financial institution and its life agents in professional liability dispute concerning complex IRC 412i plan, advice and funding case concerning alleged negligence in providing tax advice, recommendations and financial planning, in which plaintiffs claimed several millions of dollars in damages.
 Accomplished favorable settlement of business dispute concerning claims of business torts, unpaid loans and shareholder dispute as part of complex asset purchase agreement by a successor company.

Professional Memberships
The Bar Association of San Francisco - Justice and Diversity Center
PLUS Journal Editorial Board
Insurance Law360 - 2010 Editorial Advisory Board
Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
Peers - Legal Counsel for the Sharing Economy
Property Claims Association of the Pacific

Publications
Quoted, California Labor Commission Ruling, USA Today, Market Watch, E-Commerce Times
 (June 2015)
Co-author, Fitting a Square Peg Into Two Round Holes – Redefining the Employment Classification for Your Uber or Lyft Driver?, Professional Liability Underwriting Society Plus Journal
(June 22, 2015)
Quoted, Uber, Lyft Drivers' Wage Claims May Affect On-Demand Business Model, Attorneys Say, Bloomberg BNA (April 8, 2015)
AB 2293: Ride-sharing services must get covered, Daily Journal (January 6, 2015)
Insurance risk of easy medicine and doctorless doctoring, Daily Journal (November 12, 2014)
Quoted, HomeAway Sues S.F., Saying New Law Favors Airbnb, The Recorder (November 5, 2014)
Valuation of Social Media Content and Contacts, PLUS Journal (October 14, 2014)
Quoted, Airbnb Goes Legit in San Francisco: Progress for the Sharing Economy, MainStreet (October 9, 2014)
Ride-sharing insurance paves the way, Daily Journal (September 26, 2014)
Quoted, Uber, Lyft Face New Insurance Regs As Calif. Gov. Signs Law, Law360
(September 18, 2014)
Palm Springs Airbnb: a squatter's paradise, Daily Journal (August 4, 2014)
Using Airbnb? Get covered to rest easy, Daily Journal (May 22, 2014)
In Practice: It's My e-Rolodex, The Recorder (January 23, 2014)
California Federal Court Holds Insurer Required to Cover Employee Reimbursement and Wage Hour Claims and More Under EPLI Policy, E&O Prevention from Agents of America
(November 8, 2012)
KDV Alert: California Federal Court Holds Insurer Required to Cover Employee Reimbursement and Wage Hour Claims and More Under EPLI Policy (September 17, 2012)
California's Prohibition of Discretionary Review, ICA News
ERISA Claimant May Seek Attorney's Fees Even If Not a "Prevailing Party" Per Se, ICA News
Ninth Circuit Case Summaries of Recent ERISA Disability Benefit Decisions, ICA News
Professionalism, Politeness, and Persistence: Working with Government Agencies in White
Collar Law, Inside the Minds Series, Aspatore
Presentations
Guest Attorney, 91.7 KALW’s “Your Legal Rights: Landlord/Tenant laws and Disputes”
(January 23, 2014)
Panelist, LSAC Bay Area Forum, “What Do Lawyers Do?” (November 7, 2014)
Guest Attorney, 91.7 KALW’s “Your Legal Rights: Landlord/Tenant laws and issues” (July 23, 2014)
Guest Attorney, 91.7 KALW’s “Your Legal Rights: Real Property and Landlord/Tenant issues”
(March 27, 2012)
Guest Attorney, 91.7 KALW’s “Your Legal Rights: Call-a-Lawyer Night” (October 24, 2012)

Community Service
Hannukah Hoops - Advisory Board Member
KALW Call a Lawyer Night Fundraiser - Real Property Issues in the San Francisco Bay Area , including, but not limited to, home sharing (e.g., Homeaway, Airbnb), hoteling, and short term rental issues. (May 14, 2014)
 

Melissa Neis is Vice President of Parr Insurance Brokerage where she has spent the past nine years developing national programs in banking, high value home, and share economy sectors. Melissa has been featured in national publications such as Best’s Review, Insure.com, Worth Magazine, Insurance Journal and Claims Management Magazine. Melissa is also an MBA graduate from University of Notre Dame.
 

Amy K. Jensen is AVP Head of Staff Counsel Operations at the Hanover Insurance Group.  She previously worked for the Hanover and in private practice representing companies/employers in connection with employment-related matters and business disputes.  Amy received her J.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago John Marshall Law School, and also has an M.B.A. from Dominican University and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington.