James M. "Jim" Peterson

In his practice, HFM Partner James “Jim” Peterson focuses on business and employment litigation.

Mr. Peterson advises and litigates disputes for a number of business clients on various aspects of the employment relationship, including misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information, protection of customer lists and employees, discrimination, sexual harassment, breach of contract, wage and hour laws, and wrongful termination.

Mr. Peterson is an expert on employment-related class action litigation and has represented several clients on dozens of wage and hour class actions. As part of his employment law practice, he also counsels clients on hiring practices, wage and hour compliance, employment agreements, policy manuals, employee handbooks, termination decisions, lay-offs, and disability management.

He has represented large, medium, and small businesses in disputes relating to contracts, competitors, vendors, real estate, securities, protection of proprietary information, and unfair business practices. Additionally, he has represented registered representatives and broker dealers in FINRA arbitrations and pre-arbitration disputes and has represented numerous professionals in negligence and breach of fiduciary duty actions.

Mr. Peterson prides himself on the efficient and effective resolution of disputes with an impressive track record of successful motions for summary judgment. His ability to identify the key issues and direct discovery to show the other parties’ weaknesses leads to prompt, efficient, and cost-effective resolution of disputes. He is also able to utilize his business education to see beyond the legal issues and suggest resolution options that focus on the bottom line.

In addition, Mr. Peterson is a frequent lecturer on employment-related matters and has presented programs to groups of all sizes in many different industries. He has also authored several employment-related articles that have been published in the San Diego Daily Transcript, the San Diego Business Journal, the L.A. Daily Journal, and other legal and business publications. He was recently named one of the top 75 Labor and Employment Attorneys in California by the LA Daily Journal and The Recorder. He was also named a Top Labor and Employment Lawyer by the San Diego Daily Transcript and the San Diego Business Journal. In addition, he has been selected as a San Diego Super Lawyer® each year since 2014.