Mr. Robert L. Toolen – Partner

Robert L. Toolen, a senior partner with the firm, heads a litigation department covering a broad range of civil trial practice. With over thirty years of litigation experience, Mr. Toolen has maintained over the years a trial practice in the area of church related law, insurance defense and bad faith, business torts, contracts, and personal injury. Having defended religious organizations since 1977, and holding a Cambridge Certificate in Risk Management for Churches and Schools, he provides counsel to churches and non-profit organizations in issues of managing risk. He has also served as a lecturer to the Insurance Industry in church related and First Amendment issues, and authored the notable appeal in Jeffrey E. v. Central Baptist Church, (1988) 197 Cal.App.3d 718.

As a mediator and arbitrator, Mr. Toolen has assisted litigants in resolving hundreds of cases. He is able to use his extensive experience as a litigator to effectively mediate and arbitrate disputes, both in the private and court sponsored setting.

Mr. Toolen received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1970, and his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University in 1974. He has been an active member of the California Bar since 1974, and joined the firm in 1977, becoming a partner in 1986. He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, Southern California Mediation Association, and Christian Management Association.