William A. Muñoz

520 Capitol Mall
Suite 250
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916.565.0300
Fax: 916.565.1636

wmunoz@mpbf.com
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Primary Practice Areas

Catastrophic Injury

Civil Litigation

Employment Law

Professional Liability

Real Estate

Admissions

All State and Federal courts in the State of California
All State and Federal courts in the State of Nevada
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Dispute Resolution Conference Judge for El Dorado County Superior Court

Education

J.D., Hamline University, School of Law in St. Paul, MN, cum laude
B.S., Chemistry, University of California, Davis
Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, Mediating the Litigated Case, 40 Hours mediation training

William A. Muñoz

Shareholder

Mr. Muñoz is the managing shareholder of the firm's Sacramento office and is licensed to practice in California and Nevada. He practices in state and federal court, primarily focusing on the defense of professionals, including attorneys, real estate agents/brokers, real estate appraisers, and insurance brokers.

Mr. Muñoz also advises and counsels employers on employment related issues including employee handbooks, offer letters, separation agreements, sexual harassment training, workplace investigations, and defends employers in wrongful termination/harassment, wage and hour and discrimination claims.

Mr. Muñoz also acts as a mediator in professional liability, employment and personal injury case, and serves as an expert witness on ethical issues and standard of care issues in legal malpractice cases and attorney-client fee disputes.

Highlights

Mr. Muñoz is a certified specialist in Legal Malpractice Law by the California State Board of Specialization.
Mr. Muñoz has been listed as a Northern California Super Lawyer every year from 2012 through 2019.
Recognized in Sacramento Magazine's Top Lawyer List again in 2019 under Insurance.
Recognized in Sacramento Magazine's Top Lawyer List in 2016 as the sole attorney under Professional Malpractice and one of six attorneys recognized under Legal Malpractice.

Professional and Community Contributions

Mr. Muñoz previously served as the Chairman for the Legal Malpractice Law Advisory Commission for the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization responsible for preparing and grading the legal malpractice legal specialization examination as well as assessing the qualifications of potential applicants seeking the legal malpractice specialization designation. He presents locally and nationally on issues of legal malpractice, conflicts of interests and legal ethics and currently has a quarterly column in the Association of Defense Counsel for Northern California and Nevada's Defense Comment entitled "The Lawyer's Lawyer" addressing issues of legal malpractice avoidance and legal ethics.

Mr. Muñoz has also presented and co-authored on employment-related issues for the Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), such as workplace investigations. He also appeared at Strafford Publishing's Security Teleconference, speaking on the subject "Legal Issues with Background Screening" in which he addressed the implications of the Fair Credit Reporting Act in pre-employment screening and background checks. His article How Far May a State Labor Law Reach? was published in the Winter 2012 In-House Defense Quarterly for the Defense Research Institute.

Mr. Muñoz is a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, and of the American Bar Association Professional Liability Litigation and Employment and Labor Relations Law Committees. He also a member of the Defense Research Institute Professional Liability Committee.

Selected Publications

Navigating Advance Conflict Waivers, Heather A. Barnes and William A. Muñoz, published in the April 2019 edition of the Defense Research Institute's For the Defense magazine
Conflict Waivers - Why Do We Need Them? , published in The Lawyer's Lawyer section of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada's Defense Comment, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 2018.
You Have Landed the Client, Now What? Formulating the Attorney-Client Relationship, published in the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada's Defense Comment, Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 2017.
To Accept or Not to Accept a New Client, published in the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada's Defense Comment, Vol. 32, No. 1, Spring 2017.
Defending Legal Malpractice Claims in California and Nevada - A Day at the Beach or Stranded in the Desert?, published in the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada's Defense Comment, Spring 2015.
Cassel v. Superior Court - The California Supreme Court Rejects Attorney Malpractice Exception to Mediation Confidentiality published in the March 14, 2011 edition of the Defense Research Institute's Professional Liability Committee quarterly electronic newsletter Riding the E & O Line, and Westlaw Journal, Professional Liability, Volume 21, Issue A (September 2011).
How Far May a State Labor Law Reach?, In-House Defense Quarterly for the Defense Research Institute, Winter 2012.

Selected Presentations

Is this a Conflict? Ethical Traps That Could Surprise You, webcast presented with Alison Buchanan, sponsored by ALI CLE, January 10, 2019
Understanding Human Resources Role in a Lawsuit, Co-Presented with Nathan T. Jackson, Webinar for Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), August 29, 2018
Conflicts of Interest: Navigating the Perils of Joint Representation, co-presented with Alison Buchanan, sponsored by Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, October 2017
Enforceability of Advance Conflict Waivers, Presented at Argo Pro Lawyers' Professional Liability Conference, Las Vegas, NV, June 28 – 29, 2017
Mr. Muñoz has presented seminars for the Sacramento County Law Library and the San Joaquin County Bar Association Family Law Committee on practical ways to avoid malpractice claims and other ethical issues.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 2016 Professional Liability in Review, Presented at Defense Research institute Professional Liability Conference, New York, NY, December 8-9, 2016
Trying a Case and Strategies for Handling Legal Malpractice Cases: Emerging Trial Issues, New Defenses and Novel Ideas, and a Brief Examination of Circumstances under which It Can Be Appropriate to Admit Negligence?, Presented at American Conference Institute's Advanced Forum on LPL/Legal Malpractice, New York, NY, October 24-25, 2016
Mr. Muñoz has also presented and co-authored on employment-related issues for the Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), such as workplace investigations. He also appeared at Strafford Publishing's Security Teleconference, speaking on the subject "Pre-Employment Screening - Effective Policies and Best Practices" in which he addressed the implications of the Fair Credit Reporting Act in pre-employment screening and background checks. His article How Far May a State Labor Law Reach? was published in the Winter 2012 In-House Defense Quarterly for the Defense Research Institute.
Additionally, Mr. Muñoz has discussed discovery issues before the Continuing Education of the Bar Committee, in presentations such as, Discovery: Planning, Strategy & Dealing with Abusive Discovery Tactics (July 2008) and Getting the Most out of Discovery (July 2009).
Preserving the Intrafirm Privilege in a Subsequent Legal Malpractice Action, presented to the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys annual conference, San Francisco, CA (2015)
Understanding Cyber Risk and Your LMIC Policy, Co-presented with Simone McCormick, sponsored by Lawyers' Mutual Insurance Company, Burbank, CA, July 2015
Legal Issues with Background Screening, webinar presented by Strafford Publishing's Security Teleconference addressing the implications of the Fair Credit Reporting Act in pre-employment screening and background checks, 2011
The Do's and Don'ts of Reductions in Force, co-presented for the CalSAE addressing best practices with reductions in force in the workplace, 2011
Additionally, Mr. Muñoz has discussed discovery issues before the Continuing Education of the Bar Committee, in presentations such as, Discovery: Planning, Strategy & Dealing with Abusive Discovery Tactics, July 2008, and Getting the Most out of Discovery, July 2009

Published Decisions

Williams v. Sacramento River City Baseball Club, LLC (2019) 40 Cal.App.5th 280 – holding that there is no Tameny wrongful refusal to hire claim based upon race
Brown v. Sacramento River City Baseball Club, LLC (2019) 40 Cal.App.4th 280 – finding that there is no Tameny claim for wrongful refusal to hire based upon race
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians v. Crosby, et al. 2016 WL 6094468 (E.D.Cal. Oct. 19, 2016) — Motion to dismiss complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) granted with prejudice for clients
Brazill v. California Northstate College of Pharmacy, LLC, 949 F.Supp.2d 1011, United States District Court, E.D. California, June 5, 2013 — Motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P 12(b)(6) granted on Plaintiff's False Claims Act
Seabright Insurance Company v. US Airways, Inc., 52 Cal.4 th 590, 129 Cal.Rptr.3d 601, Supreme Court of California, August 22, 2011 — amicus curiae Air Transport Association, Inc. on behalf of Respondent U.S. Airways
Riley v. Giguiere, et al., 631 F.Supp.2d 1295, United States District Court, E.D. California, June 19, 2009 — Partial summary judgment granted on claims against attorney for alleged violations of Fair Debt Collections Practices Act