Charles R. Rice

A seasoned litigator, Charles “Chip” Rice creates tailor-made strategies for clients, including companies, governmental agencies and individuals, facing securities and business disputes, as well as other complex cases.

Chip joined Shartsis Friese in 1981 after clerking for the late U.S. District Judge Albert C. Wollenberg. Since then, he has successfully litigated a wide range of cases in arbitration and state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as advising on how to avoid or minimize litigation. He prides himself on developing customized approaches to legal conflicts and problems that yield results that effectively align with his clients’ overarching goals. In addition, Chip serves as the firm’s General Counsel.

Chip has successfully represented many different kinds of defendants, including:

• Investment managers, corporations and corporate officers and directors sued by disgruntled investors
• Individuals and corporations investigated or sued by government agencies
• Individuals and corporations engaged in conflicts over corporate governance or the interpretation of leases and other contracts

He also has successfully represented many different kinds of plaintiffs, including:

• Family members who sued an Ivy League university for the misuse of donated funds
• Family members who sued to retain control of a family-owned business; and
• The California Attorney General and the California Department of Insurance in suits on behalf of the citizens of California

In addition, Chip teaches Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law classes to foreign LL.M. students at Berkeley Law School.