Mark E. Lassiter

25 Years of Business Litigation, Trial, and Dispute Resolution Experience

The founding member of the firm, Mr. Lassiter has 25 years of experience as a civil trial attorney practicing exclusively in the areas of business, real estate and construction litigation, and dispute resolution in state and federal courts before various governmental agencies (e.g., the Registrar of Contractors) and in private arbitration proceedings (e.g., before the American Arbitration Association).  Mr. Lassiter serves as general counsel to several Arizona companies and has handled a wide variety of matters, including:

• Business disputes arising from:
  • Commercial breach of contract claims
  • Construction contract claims
  • Securities laws violations
  • Employment compensation and covenant not to compete disputes
  • Breach of fiduciary duty
  • Misappropriation of trade secrets
  • Unfair competition
  • Fraud and misrepresentation
  • Other business torts
• Business buy-sell and sale of business disputes
• Dissolutions of corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies
• Disputes among partners, shareholders, members, and other business principals
• Business insurance coverage disputes
• Real estate and construction disputes arising from:
  • Private commercial construction projects
  • Industrial construction projects
  • Retail construction projects
  • Residential construction projects
• Disputes arising from:
  • Real estate purchase and sale contracts
  • Commercial real estate leases
  • Tax deferred exchanges
  • Escrows
  • The co-ownership of real property

Mr. Lassiter also handles a wide variety of transactions relating to the above practice areas.

A recognized expert on Arizona private arbitration law, Mr. Lassiter developed and Chairs the annual “Private Arbitration Update” Continuing Legal Education program sponsored by the State Bar of Arizona and serves as an arbitrator on the Commercial, Construction and Large and Complex case panels of the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”), before which he also regularly represents clients in arbitration matters.  Mr. Lassiter is often hired as a legal consultant by other Arizona law firms to assist them in their handling of complex arbitration matters for their clients.
Mr. Lassiter also has considerable experience and expertise in helping clients obtain emergency court relief (e.g., injunctions, appointments of receivers and pre-judgment asset seizures) in commercial and business disputes.  In 2005, Mr. Lassiter was appointed as a receiver by the Maricopa County (Phoenix) Superior Court to take over the affairs of a law firm embroiled in a dispute amongst its members.  In 2006, Mr. Lassiter was appointed by the Maricopa County (Phoenix) Superior Court as a special master in a limited liability company dissolution matter.  He is also familiar with computer technology and/or software disputes and with electronic evidence discovery (“EED”) matters.

State of the Art Evidence Presentation and Case Management Technology

An expert in computer aided evidence presentation, Mr. Lassiter uses state of the art computer technology to efficiently, effectively, and economically present evidence in an understandable and dynamic way to judges, arbitrators, and other triers of fact.  An authority on computer-aided evidence presentation and case management, in 1997 and 1998 Mr. Lassiter developed and taught the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's advanced level program on Computer Aided Evidence Presentation in Chicago.  In 2000, Mr. Lassiter was selected as one of only two Arizona lawyers to demonstrate the state of the art e-Courtroom evidence presentation capabilities of the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Courthouse building at its inaugural dedication.

Bar Admittance & Memberships:

• California, 1983 (presently inactive)
• Arizona, 1995
  • Active member of State Bar of Arizona and a member of its Business, Real Estate, Construction, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Sections
  • Active member of the executive committee of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Arizona
  • Active member (and former Co-Chair) of the Legislative Affairs Subcommittee of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Arizona, which is responsible for the passage of the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (the RUAA) in Arizona
  • Program Chairperson since 1998 for the annual State Bar of Arizona CLE program “Private Arbitration Update”
  • Member of the e-Courtroom Committee of the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona from 2000-2001
• Central District of California, 1983
• District of Arizona, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1983

Education Information:

• Loyola Law School, J.D., 1983
• University of California at Los Angeles, cum laude, B.A., 1980

Expert Panelist, Author, and Instructor

Mr. Lassiter has chaired and/or participated as a panelist in numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) presentations in over 20 major U.S. cities, including CLE programs sponsored by the:

• Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Circuit Judicial Conferences
• American Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association
• State Bar of Arizona
• State Bar of New Mexico
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)

Visit our seminars page for additional information on Mr. Lassiter’s past and forthcoming CLE presentations.

Call Mark E. Lassiter at: 480-218-4455