James N. Godes is a partner in the Litigation Practice group of Godes & Preis, LLP. He focuses his practice on complex business and employment litigation and represents international, national and local clients of all sizes in a variety of industries, including sports, health care, retail and food service. Prior to co-founding Godes & Preis, LLP, Mr. Godes was with the commercial litigation practice group of Pepper Hamilton, LLP.

With over 20 years experience at large firms, including five years as Litigation Office Chair for the San Diego offices of Foley and Lardner, LLP, Mr. Godes has been responsible for all phases of litigation matters, up to and including trials, writs and appeals. His work also includes cases involving non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements, theft and misuse of trade secrets and other proprietary information, executive compensation arrangements and defamation. In addition, he counsels clients on employment matters and frequently serves as outside general counsel for companies of all sizes. Mr. Godes also serves as an advisory Board member of the Newport Private Bank, affiliated with the San Diego Private Bank, located in Newport Beach, California.

Mr. Godes is a frequent media commentator on sports-related legal issues for national and local media outlets, including USA Today, Sporting News Radio, Sports Business Daily, the San Diego Union-Tribune, XX Sports Radio and XTRA Sports Radio. He speaks frequently and has written many articles on sports, health, long-term care, employment and litigation-related subjects for the San Diego Union-Tribune, California Law Business, the San Diego Daily Transcript and the San Diego Business Journal.

Active in the community, Mr. Godes is a member of the board of directors of the Junior Seau Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of San Diego's children. He is an active supporter of and outside general counsel for Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, which provides reconstructive plastic surgery and related services to children and young adults with physical deformities. Mr. Godes served as chairperson of the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out to Fight Diabetes" walk in San Diego in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He has been honored by the State Bar of California for his pro bono work.

Mr. Godes graduated with a B.A., cum laude, from the University of the Pacific in 1984, and he received his law degree from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1987. Before entering private practice, Mr. Godes was a staff investigator for and testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care, and he has since testified before the California Legislature on issues relating to long-term care.

Joseph M. Preis is a Partner in the Litigation and Trial Practice Group of Godes & Preis, LLP. He is a former Marine and entrepreneur who brings a proactive approach to litigation and a businessman’s pragmatism to resolution. Prior to co-founding Godes & Preis, LLP, Mr. Preis was with the commercial litigation practice group of Pepper Hamilton, LLP in Orange County.

Mr. Preis focuses his practice on complex business litigation, employment litigation, and intellectual property litigation. His commercial litigation practice includes issues involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, bad faith, shareholder derivative actions and unfair business practices. He also provides business advisory services, counseling clients on risk management and maintains a small niche Law of Armed Conflict practice. He has been quoted in numerous National periodicals concerning the use of Civilian courts to prosecute Marines for actions in combat.

His clients include aerospace companies, engineering firms, advertising companies, software companies, venture capital firms, companies in the transportation industry, food service companies, medical equipment distribution companies and alternative energy production and research firms. He also represented (pro bono) through acquittal the first former Marine to ever be prosecuted by a Federal Civilian Court for an alleged Law of Armed Conflict Violation. (U.S.A. v. Jose L. Nazario, Jr., U.S.D.C. Central District of California, Case No. ED CR 07-127 SGL)

Mr. Preis applies a direct, value-added practical approach to resolving clients' legal concerns and often involves the firm's transactional and appellate lawyers in formulating pre-litigation, litigation and post-litigation strategies.

Mr. Preis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1990 and served with 1st Bn., 9th Marines in Operations Fiery Vigil (Philippines), Desert Storm (Persian Gulf), Continue Hope (Somalia), Show Care (Somalia) and More Care (Somalia). He was honorably discharged from active service in 1994 to pursue his educational goals. In response to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Preis re-enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and was mobilized from January to October 2004. He left military service in 2005.

Active in the community, Mr. Preis is the co-founder and current president of the Soldiers of the Sea, Band of Brothers, Inc., an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between Southern California's business and military communities. Mr. Preis is a trustee of the November 10th Association in Newport Beach, a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the Military Order of the Carabao in Washington, D.C. Mr. Preis previously served as a member of the board of directors of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Museum in San Diego. He has been honored by the Marine Corps for his volunteer work on behalf of the Marines and is the 2008 recipient of the William R. Klaus Pro Bono Award, a prestigious pro bono award from a large National law firm, for his work on the Nazario case.

In addition to the California bar, Mr. Preis is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of California; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; the Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals; and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.

The following engagements are recent examples of matters he has handled:

• Represented through jury trial supervisor accused of sexual harassment. Jury returned 12-0 verdict in favor of the supervisor. Obtained court-ordered dismissals on behalf of two other defendants (Regional Vice President and Company President) prior to trial.
• Member of the "Marine Dream Team" who defended through acquittal Marine Sgt. Jose L. Nazario, Jr., in our Nation’s first ever civilian prosecution of a Marine for actions in combat.
• Resolved a high-profile employment case early in the litigation process through summary judgment for a large institutional client. When the opposing side appealed, the Fourth Appellate District affirmed the judgment, noting that "[i]t is rare that application of the well settled rules governing the review of summary judgment orders so clearly compels an affirmance of a trial court's order granting summary judgment."
• Resolved a Federal Cybersquatting Act accusation against a client by filing a declaratory relief action in federal court in response to a demand letter sent by an out of state entity that sought to "strong arm" the client into relinquishing a long-held Internet domain asset. Upon being served with the unexpected lawsuit, the offending entity immediately agreed to a stipulated judgment and released all threatened claims.
• Resolved numerous Federal Anti-Piracy cases throughout Southern California as part of a client’s effort to curb the unlicensed showing of major pay-per-view boxing events in commercial establishments.
• Resolved large overseas manufacturer's problem with non-payment by a local clothing importer by obtaining a writ of attachment attaching all of the importer's business assets in the United States after the importer refused to pay for a shipment of several metric tons of product in violation of the parties' agreement.
• Resolved client's loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars at the hands of an embezzling employee by obtaining an ex parte writ of attachment attaching ll of the employee's available assets including the employee's house and bank accounts which facilitated a rapid recovery of the embezzled funds.
• Resolved opposing party’s abuse of the discovery process by obtaining punitive special jury instructions against the opposing party. Jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of client.
• Resolved secured party client issues of debtor’s non-payment by obtaining a writ of possession that facilitated the pre-judgment possession of all applicable collateral in response to a debtor's default on a multi-million dollar loan.
• Defeated numerous Anti-SLAPP Motions on behalf of clients exercising their right to petition.
• Resolved multi-million dollar dispute on behalf of a Spanish National client concerning real property located in Spain through mediation.
• Resolved class action lawsuit against multi-unit dwelling landlord client being prosecuted pro bono by a large national firm through mediation.

Kevin McDermott is of Counsel in the White Collar Criminal Defense practice group of Godes & Preis, LLP. Over the past 30 years, he has represented individuals and corporations in internal investigations, pre-indictment grand jury proceedings and post-indictment matters before regulatory agencies and state and federal courts. He has handled a wide variety of white-collar matters including RICO, securities fraud and banking violations; health care and tax violations; political corruption, trade secret and procurement fraud; environmental offenses and corporate Sarbannes-Oxley issues. He has tried over 200 cases to jury and argued in excess of 20 cases before the state and U.S. Courts of Appeal in numerous jurisdictions.

In addition to his White Collar practice, Mr. McDermott maintains a very active military law practice. Together with Joseph Preis and Vincent LaBaberra, he successfully defended a Marine accused of unlawfully killing enemy combatants in Fallujah Iraq in the United States District Court trial United States v. Jose Luis Nazario on August 29, 2008. This trial concluded the first attempt ever by U.S. Prosecutors to use a Federal Statute, the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act or MEJA, to prosecute service members for conduct in a battle space. This landmark case is another in a series of cases handled by Kevin that has had an impact far beyond his clients. In addition, he represented the company commander whose men were accused by Time magazine in its March 2006 edition of the massacre of civilians and subsequent cover up in the Iraqi town of Hadithah. Mr. McDermott's client was exonerated and evidence uncovered during his investigation revealed that the allegations were both overblown and false. The tide in that case turned with the publication by Vanity Fair of its September 2006 article entitled "Rules of Engagement." That article, prompted and supported by Mr. McDermott questioned not only the facts of the case as presented by Time but the fairness of the government's investigation.

By way of background, after graduation from college, Mr. McDermott accepted a commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. After officer boot camp, he entered law school and graduated in 1980, serving on active during summer breaks of law school as a military prosecutor. Upon completion of Naval Justice School in Newport Rhode Island in 1981 he was transferred to El Toro Marine Corp Air Base in Orange County and began serving as a Judge Advocate, starting with a stint as a prosecutor. Within the first 18 months, he tried in excess of 100 contested cases to include murder, espionage and drug trafficking. In 1983 he transferred to the defense section and took over the billet of senior defense counsel and defended Marines for a wide variety of offenses. While as a defense counsel and in concert with three other defense counsel, he initiated the upheaval of the Marine Corps defense structure. With the assistance of Congressional hearings and intense media scrutiny, the Marine Corps now has an independent defense command and has had one since 1984.

Mr. McDermott left active duty in 1985 and has been in private practice in Orange County ever since. Shortly after leaving active duty, he undertook a series of cases that would alter the environment within the Orange County Jail. From the early to late 1980s, the Orange County Jail was experiencing a mortality rate of one inmate death per month due to abuse and neglect. In 1988 and 1989, he represented three clients and their families who had been killed or seriously injured in the jail. He exposed the circumstances surrounding their deaths and injuries, to include forcing the jail to release security tapes that captured the assaults on his clients by jail personnel. Through lawsuits and settlements that stood as the largest against the County of Orange until 2004, deaths in the Orange County Jail all but ceased and from 1990 to 2004, not a single inmate died in the Orange County Jail by abuse.

Mr. McDermott's peers have recognized and honored his accomplishments. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal for his work while on active duty and as a Marine reservist. He has been rated by Martindale Hubbell since 1989 and has been their highest rating since 1999, AV. And with the overwhelming success of the Nazario trial, Kevin was honored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and named "Lawyer of the Year" by the oldest and most respected criminal bar association in Southern California, the Criminal Court Bar Association, an award previously bestowed on some of the most notable attorneys in this era.

Robert F. Muth is a member of the Litigation and Trial Practice Group of Godes & Preis, LLP. A veteran trial lawyer, prior to joining Godes & Preis, Mr. Muth served as a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps, handling a wide range of high profile cases, including a war crimes case arising out of a well publicized incident in Haditha, Iraq. In recognition of his service, Mr. Muth was honored as the United States Marine Corps Western Region Defense Counsel of the Year for 2008–09. From January of 2008 through February of 2009, Mr. Muth was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror. While on active duty, he also provided general legal assistance for service members and their families in a wide variety of matters including: trusts and estates planning, tax, family law, immigration law and consumer law.

Mr. Muth is committed to his involvement in community development through his work with The Teddy Fund. The Teddy Fund is a non-profit organization he founded with his wife that works to make targeted financial contributions to organizations that support efforts to improve the health and well being of babies, kids, and teens in need.

A 2002 graduate of Northwestern University, Mr. Muth earned his B. A. degree with a double major in political science and history. While at Northwestern Mr. Muth was a recipient of an Evans Scholarship and was honored as a Bartholomay Scholar. He received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 2005. Mr. Muth is admitted to practice in both the California and Illinois bars.

Godes & Preis, LLP welcomes Jodie Williams as the newest member of the litigation and trial practice team. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Williams practiced as an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition since 2006, where she investigated and litigated mergers, acquisitions and anticompetitive conduct in a wide array of industries, with an emphasis in the oil and gasoline industry. Among other duties during her tenure with the FTC, Ms. Williams investigated and litigated mergers involving pipelines and terminals used to transport and store bulk supplies of petroleum products, transportation and storage of natural gas, national travel centers, and the sale of home improvement products to national home center stores. Representative matters include In the matter of Pilot Corporation, et al. (FTC 2010); In the Matter of CRH plc, et al. (FTC 2009); FTC v. Paul L. Foster, et al. (D.N.M. 2007; FTC 2007).

Ms. Williams remains an active member in the legal community. She is a member of the California Bar Association, the ABA Section of Antitrust Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Committee, and has contributed to the ABA Section of Antitrust Law Annual Review of Antitrust Law Developments each year since 2008.

Ms. Williams is admitted to practice before all of the courts in the State of California (bar status pending in Arizona).

Oliver Dreger is a member of the litigation and Trial Practice Group of Godes & Preis. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Dreger worked for a Fortune 500 company as a consultant, specializing in Department of Defense intelligence and operations analysis work. From 1999–2009, Mr. Dreger served as an intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps. His ten years of active duty service included two combat tours with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. He continues to serve in the Marine Reserves.

Mr. Dreger received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1998. He also received his B.A. in 1994 from the University of Illinois. He is admitted to practice in both the California and Minnesota bars.