About the Firm

Bien & Summers limits its practice to civil appeals in the federal and state courts, appellate mediations, and a variety of appellate-related proceedings at the trial court level.  Click here to view our Range of Services.

Originally formed as a partnership in 1990, Bien & Summers has been one of California's most prominent, respected, and successful civil appellate specialty firms.  Firm co-founder Elliot L. Bien (click here for full biography) has handled civil appeals since 1975 and has limited his practice to that field since 1982.  A graduate of Columbia Law School with an LL.M. from Harvard, Elliot's recognition as a leading appellate advocate includes his presidency of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and membership in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.  He has represented leading manufacturers, banks, REITS, insurers, other corporations, national advocacy groups, professional firms of every kind, and individuals in a wide variety of personal or business disputes.  Click here for full Scope of Experience. 

Firm co-founder E. Elizabeth Summers is a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor of the California Law Review.  She was a leading appellate practitioner from 1975 until her retirement from law practice in December 2008.  The firm has been operated as a sole proprietorship since then, but with a wonderful recent addition..

We are proud to announce that Amy E. Margolin has joined the practice as Of Counsel. A graduate of Harvard College (magna cum laude) and Stanford Law School, she has more than ten years of experience in civil appellate litigation as an associate and then director in the Appellate Practice Group of Howard Rice Canady Falk & Rabkin in San Francisco. Since 2007, Amy has been recognized in the annual “Super Lawyers” survey of Law & Politics as among the top five percent of lawyers practicing in Northern California in the area of civil appeals. Click here for full biography.

Finally, the firm has a longstanding commitment to ethics and professionalism in appellate practice.  Elliot is one of California's leading advocates for those values and the firm takes them to heart.  Indeed, we take our motto, "appellate counsel," to mean an officer of appellate courts.  We believe the privilege of appearing in the highest courts imposes a duty to act in the highest traditions of our profession.

 

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