P. Bruce Converse

Bruce Converse has a broad range of experience in civil litigation at both trial and appellate levels. Though his practice has been based in Arizona, Mr. Converse has handled major litigation throughout the country for clients in many industries, including insurance, financial services, accounting, healthcare, manufacturing, and consumer services.

A particular focus for Mr. Converse has been the representation of insurance carriers in a range of matters, from individual and class action bad faith claims to regulatory issues and market conduct examinations. Mr. Converse provides coverage advice and litigation defense to carriers in both personal lines and commercial settings.

Mr. Converse regularly counsels and litigates for insurance and other clients with antitrust and competition issues. He currently represents a national property and casualty insurer in a number of price-fixing cases filed by auto body shops regarding rates for repairs. He currently represents a large national business consulting company in counseling and advice in connection with industry-specific meetings and conferences, to avoid antitrust issues. Mr. Converse represented a national healthcare organization in an antitrust price-fixing case involving temporary nurse wages. He has represented drug manufacturers and chemical manufacturers in price-fixing actions. Mr. Converse also has experience providing general antitrust counseling and compliance programs and has litigated antitrust claims involving vertical restrictions, such as dual distribution systems, dealer terminations, and tying arrangements.

For more than four years, Mr. Converse has led the representation of the Tucson Unified School District in a desegregation action pending in federal court since 1974, and has a deep understanding of the practical application of federal civil rights and equal protection laws in the context of public educational institutions. The comprehensive nature of court supervision of the school district has meant that Bruce and the team representing the District deal with most aspects of school district operation in the context of federal civil rights and discrimination law, including student assignment, admissions, discipline, hiring and professional development for teachers and administrators, advanced learning experiences, culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy, magnet and incentive transportation, data gathering and use, facilities and technology, and family and community outreach and engagement.

More broadly, Mr. Converse has significant expertise in the defense of large scale, complex class actions, and has represented public entities in a wide range of circumstances, including funding disputes, litigation involving alleged conflicts of interest, annexation, and condemnation actions. Mr. Converse has also handled disputes concerning technology licenses between public and private parties.

Mr. Converse has represented both creditors and debtors in bankruptcy proceedings, and lenders and borrowers in collection and receivership actions in courts of general jurisdiction, often leading to development and documentation of workout agreements. He has represented lenders in preference, fraudulent conveyance and claim litigation in bankruptcy courts. This work has included representation of an agricultural lender in a collection action with lender liability counterclaims by a major cotton farming borrower in bankruptcy court, including development of debtor-in-possession financing, protection of crops in ground, and confirmation proceedings for competing reorganization plans. Mr. Converse has represented banks in wrongful foreclosure actions challenging institutional foreclosure practices and in a class action challenging student loan lending practices; he has represented the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in collection and foreclosure actions in connection with loans made by banks for which the FDIC served as receiver.

Mr. Converse has handled a wide range of technology issues, including the negotiation and documentation of technology license agreements, large scale software development and implementation contracts, equipment supply agreements, and the like. Mr. Converse has advised on trade secret protection, trademark and copyright issues, including registration of both trademarks and copyrights. Mr. Converse has significant experience in the litigation of trade secret, trademark and copyright claims in a number of different industries and business settings.