Meghan M. Baker

Associate

621 Capitol Mall
18th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814

Areas of Law:

Litigation

Admitted to Practice in:

California

Meghan Baker focuses her practice on commercial, employment, real estate and products liability litigation. Meghan routinely represents individual and corporate clients in litigation involving breach of contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, false advertising, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, non-compete covenants, officer and director liability, and shareholder claims. Her real estate litigation experience includes development disputes, non-disclosure allegations, easement and boundary line disputes, and landlord-tenant issues. Meghan also has extensive experience litigating products liability cases and complex class actions in state and federal court.

Meghan graduated first her in her class at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. During law school, she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of Barristers, a national honorary organization for excellence in oral and written advocacy. After law school, Meghan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Garland Burrell in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California.

Experience

Representative Commercial Litigation Experience

Defended manufacturer in lawsuit asserting strict products liability and negligence claims. Drafted numerous motions and other pleadings, propounded and responded to extensive discovery and managed complex document production issues. Action settled on favorable terms for client following meditation; settlement agreement included strict confidentiality provisions.

Represented client in litigation involving breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation; successfully opposed a motion to dismiss the complaint; negotiated favorable monetary settlement for client shortly after the court denied the motion to dismiss.

Drafted successful motion to stay action on behalf of a corporation facing significant damages claim for breach of contract and fraud; the action settled shortly thereafter for a nominal sum.

Assisted with the representation of shareholders in litigation under the Uniform Securities Act; drafted successful motion to disqualify counsel and motion for preliminary injunctive relief; action resulted in substantial settlement for clients.

Assisted with the defense of a consumer class action involving claims of unfair competition and fraud; drafted successful motion to disqualify class action counsel that ultimately resulted in dismissal of all class allegations against client.

Assisted with the defense of a consumer class action involving claims of unfair competition and violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act; drafted numerous motions and other pleadings, propounded and responded to extensive discovery and managed complex document production issues; assisted with drafting a successful motion to stay the class action proceedings.

Second chair trial counsel in partnership dispute involving real property ownership; action favorably settled on the first day of trial.

Drafted successful appellate brief in the California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, based on inadvertent mistake of former counsel.

Drafted successful writ of mandate to the California Court of Appeals, Third Appellate District; shortly thereafter the plaintiff agreed to voluntarily dismiss its case against client.

Representative Employment Experience

Represented clients in litigation instituted by their former employer for breach of contract, unfair competition, tortuous interference with prospective economic advantage, and breach of fiduciary duty; drafted comprehensive motion for summary judgment for clients; shortly thereafter the case settled for less than 1% of the damages sought by the former employer.

Represented client in litigation involving non-compete covenants and unfair competition; successfully opposed a motion to transfer the case out-of-state; action settled on favorable terms for client shortly thereafter.

Representative Real Estate Experience

Defended seller in an action by the purchaser for non-disclosure of mold and other alleged defects; after mediation, the case settled for less than 10% of the damages sought by purchaser.

Represented landowners in action against neighbors involving boundary line dispute, easements and adverse possession; after mediation, clients received desired easement to adjoining property.

Defended landowners in action by a prospective purchaser for breach of an option agreement and non-disclosure; the action settled for less than 15% of the damages sought by the prospective purchaser.

General
Former Law Clerk to Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr., United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California.

EDUCATION

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D., Order of the Coif, 2005)
University of California, Davis (B.A., With Honors, 2002)

PUBLICATIONS

McGeorge Law Review, Volume 36, Former Chief Comment Editor

McGeorge Law Review, Volume 35, Former Comment and Legislative Staff Member

35 McGeorge L. Rev. 445, “Leveling the Playing Field: Sex Equality in Athletics,” 2004, Author

CHARITABLE

McGeorge Mock Trial Competition Team, Coach