Brian J. Purtill is a 1984 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law, and has practiced law in Sonoma County since that time, handling cases in most of the Northern California coastal counties from San Francisco to the Oregon border, as well as the Federal District Court in San Francisco.

Mr. Purtill's initial practice was primarily insurance defense, working for the Santa Rosa firms of O'Brien, Watters, Davis Malisch & Piasta and Tarkington, O'Connor & O'Neill.

From 1995 to 2002, he was a partner in Purtill & Bryan, where his litigation practice expanded to plaintiff's personal injury and business litigation of various types. Mr. Purtill also completed more than 100 hours of mediation training during this time, including Gary Friedman's 40-hour program on Mediation Fundamentals, and the UC Berkeley Extension Campus' 40-hour course on Business Mediations, taught by Ron Kelly. In May, 2002, he opened his own office to continue his litigation practice and focus more heavily on providing mediation and other ADR services. He continues his practice in that fashion as "Of Counsel" to the Santa Rosa firm of Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP.

During his twenty years of practice, he has handled cases in the areas of personal injury, breach of contract, mechanics' lien law, construction law, complex construction defect cases, land use issues, easement and boundary disputes, and other general litigation matters, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

He is a past member of the Steering Committee for the Sonoma County Bar's Alternative Dispute Resolution section, a former officer in the Litigation section of the Bar Association, and currently sits on the formation committee for the Collaborative Council of the Redwood Empire, dedicated to bringing collaborative principles to the resolution of civil disputes of all kinds. He has conducted mediations and arbitrations in the areas of personal injury, construction contract disputes, and homeowner association issues, both during litigation and prior to the filing of any lawsuit.

In addition to his litigation practice, during the past fifteen years Mr. Purtill has served as a Small Claims Court Judge, a Settlement Conference Panelist, an Arbitrator, Judge Pro Tem (Jury Trial), and a Discovery Referee for the Sonoma County Courts. He is available for neutral evaluations, mediations, arbitrations and Discovery Referee and Special Master assignments. 

"I am constantly impressed by the ability of the people I work with in mediation, parties and attorneys alike, to take control over their own dispute and resolve it short of a courtroom when given the chance, and when willing to confront the opposing arguments.

It's not just good for the case, it's good for society, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the process. I consider this work to be, without question, far and away the most important and valuable part of my practice."

- Brian J. Purtill