Frank C. Damrell Jr., a retired federal judge in Sacramento, has joined the Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy law firm. Damrell, 73, who retired in October after 14 years as a U.S. District judge, heads the Cotchett firm's new Sacramento office.
The Cotchett firm, based in Burlingame, specializes in pursuing high-profile lawsuits against big defendants.
In recent years it's tangled with such firms as Toyota, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan. Most recently it filed a class action against former U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and others in connection with the collapse of investment firm MF Global. Besides Burlingame and Sacramento, the firm has offices in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
Damrell is a Modesto native who roomed with future Gov. Jerry Brown at Santa Clara University. He led a successful law firm in Modesto before he was appointed to the federal judgeship by President Clinton in 1997.
In an interview, Damrell said he and the firm's founder, Joseph Cotchett, have been friends for 40 years, and "share common values."
"Joe's firm afforded me an opportunity to do what I want with regard to education and civic involvement," Damrell said. He intends to get involved in some cases and "help where I can."
Damrell serves on a committee with California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye that is planning a summit for later this year in Sacramento focusing on restoring civic education in public schools. He intends to spend time in Washington, pressing Congress to create additional judgeships in Sacramento and elsewhere.
As a judge, Damrell handled numerous major cases, including the 2010 case against a group of Hmong Americans accused of plotting a rebellion against the government of Laos.
During one preliminary hearing, Damrell tore into a prosecutor from the Justice Department's national security division, suggesting the allegations of a plot were weak. He wound up dismissing most of the charges, and the government dropped the rest of the case a few weeks later.
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Call The Bee's Dale Kasler, (916) 321-1066. Follow him on Twitter @dakasler. The Bee's Dan Morain contributed to this report.
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