AGC Law Firm
Southern California
13181 Crossroads Pkwy North
Suite 400 - West Tower
City of Industry, CA 91746
tel 562.699.5500 fax 562.692.2244
Northern California
6525 Washington Street Suite 12
P O Box 4016
Yountville, CA 94599
tel 707.944.0540 fax 707.944.0580
Stephen T. Owens
Senior Partner

Stephen T. Owens is a Senior Partner at Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin with practice emphasis on complex business litigation matters, particularly financial, real estate, and contract disputes. With 46 years of professional legal practice, Mr. Owens has accumulated extensive experience in all phases of civil litigation in both state and federal courts, from the initial pleading stage, through discovery, law and motion, settlement negotiations, and trial. In addition, Mr. Owens has handled numerous appellate matters in the California State Courts, the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in thirteen published judicial opinions.

In addition to trial and appellate work, Mr. Owens has handled a significant number of matters in arbitration, both domestically and internationally before panels appointed by the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, and the Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce

 EDUCATION

  • Juris Doctor, University of California Los Angeles School of Law, 1978
  • Bachelor of Arts, San Jose State University, 1974
  • Université d´Aix-Marseille, Aix-en Provence, France - Diplôme de Langue et Lettres Françaises - Médaille duRoi René (Awarded to the foreign student with the highest GPA), 1973
  • UCLA Law Review, 1976-1978
  • De Garmo Scholarship, 1976-1978

ADMISSIONS

  • California State Bar, 1978
  • United States District Court, Central District of California, 1979
  • United States District Court, Southern District of California, 1981
  • United States District Court, Northern District of California, 1981
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of California, 1986
  • United States Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit, 1979
  • United States Supreme Court, 1991

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Federal and State Litigation
  • Business Litigation, including contract disputes, real estate and financial litigation
  • Municipal litigation
  • Domestic and International Arbitration

 SERVICES AND AWARDS

  • Every year since 2004, Mr. Owens has been recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as “Super Lawyer” in the fields of Business and General Litigation
  • Rated "AV Preeminent" (the highest possible rating, standing for "the highest level of professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards") in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review for 37 years
  • Board of Directors of the Constitutional Rights Foundation - Southern California (2002-2004)
  • Commissioner of the California State Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (1996-1998)
  • Received the American Bar Association's John Minor Wisdom Award for Professionalism and Public Service - Washington, D.C. (1993)
  • Board of Directors of Public Counsel - Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations (1992-1995)
  • Received the President's Pro Bono Service Award - State Bar of California - Graham & James, LLP (1992)
  • Received the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award - Graham & James, LLP (1992)
  • Special Master for the State Bar of California (1991-Present)
  • Judge Pro Tem of the Los Angeles County Municipal Court (1989-1994)

LANGUAGES

  • English
  • French (fluent)
  • Spanish (conversational)
PUBLISHED APPELLATE DECISIONS
  • Chico Advocates For A Responsible Economy v. City of Chico (2019) 40 Cal. App. 5th 839
  • Hawkins v. TACA International Airlines (2014) 223 Cal.App.4th 466
  • In re Hassen Imports Partnership (C.D. Cal. 2013) 502 B.R. 851
  • Daewoo Motor America, Inc. v. General Motors Corp., Suzuki Motor Corp., American Suzuki Motor Corporation (11th Cir. 2006) 459 F.3d 1249
  • Consumer Advocates v. Echostar (2004) 113 Cal. App. 4th 1351
  • Littel v. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2003) 259 F. Supp. 2d 1016
  • Cho v. Cho Hung Bank (1995) 39 Cal. App. 4th 113
  • Bridgestone Corp. v. Superior Court (2002) 99 Cal. App. 4th 767
  • Henry v. Alcove Investment, Inc. (1991) 233 Cal. App. 3rd 94
  • ATSA of California, Inc. v. Continental Insurance Co. (9th Cir. 1985) 754 F.2d 1394
  • California Overseas Bank v. French American Banking Corporation (1984) 154 Cal. App. 3rd 179
  • ATSA of California, Inc. v. Continental Insurance Co. (9th Cir. 1983) 702 F.2d 172
  • Kawasho International, U.S.A., Inc. v. Lakewood Pipe Service, Inc. (1983) 152 Cal. App. 3rd 785