Soon after law school, initiated and with a local developer proposed a formal plan to purchase and redevelop the abandoned Fire Station No. 6, owned by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Built in 1915, the 74 foot wide station was designed around horse-drawn steamers, complete with hayloft, 22 foot sliding poles, bell tower and huge bell which came from England. The bell was removed when the station was closed in 1978. Both levels totaled 5,800 sq ft and the truck doors seen are modern replacements. I prepared and submitted the original National Register Of Historic Places nomination form, later revised and resubmitted by a professional application writer. National Register Number: 91000484. (My first real estate deal.)
NOTABLE LEGAL VICTORIES: Winning plaintiff in perhaps the first appellate decisions in the country upholding No-Call solicitation laws on this legal point, that the use of a (your) residential subscriber home telephone is irrelevant to a residential telephone number being protected by No-Call laws. Result, if you use your home telephone for business as well as personal use, that is your right, and if on the No-Call list your residential telephone number is still protected from solicitations. On the legal team from the beginning and when represented on appeal by another attorney. [Holcomb v. Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems of Southern Colorado (Colo. 2007) 172 P.3d 888; and Holcomb v. Smith, et. al. (Colo.App. 2007) 170 P.3d 815.]
Winning plaintiff in an appeal to El Paso County District Court. Prevailed on the issue that co-membership in a trade organization does not provide express consent or permission nor a business relationship defense for a defendant who sends unsolicited fax advertisements to a co-member. Result, your colleagues cannot send unsolicited fax advertisements (of their listings for example) to your personal or office fax machines. [Holcomb, et al. v. Sullivan Hayes Brokerage Corporation (Dist. Ct.) 4th Dist. of Colo., Div. 9 (Feb. 25, 2002) 01 CV 2193; cert. den., Colo. Supreme Ct. (Oct. 7, 2002) 02 SC 188.] While in law school, as the named plaintiff and representative of the class, filed a law suit against the American Judicature Society, Inc. for breach of contract perpetrated against myself and other students. (This story is shared because contract law is a critical feature of practicing real estate, Offer + Acceptance = Contract, and FYI - I spent nearly an entire summer researching and writing my essay.) AJS, then a multimillion dollar organization, sponsored a national essay context for law school and graduate students and the contest advertisements sent to schools around the country were offers which could be accepted, offers to enter into a contract. The offers were specifically designed so that a student could accept by timely submitting an essay to AJS. Turned out that 11 students from around the country accepted the offer by submitting essays with full knowledge that only one entrant would be declared the winner and “will” win the prizes. When the entrants were expecting to learn who won, were instead informed in writing “The committee of judges... unanimously determined that none of the submissions is of the quality warranting selection as a winner?” AJS ignored my letters that AJS had breached its contract with each entrant and AJS was then sued in California superior court for breach of contract and misrepresentation. AJS was represented by the San Francisco office of the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster and they did not win a motion or procedure. Ten students chose to participate (op-in) and a class of 10 members was certified by the superior court, perhaps the smallest national class action ever certified. Before I graduated, AJS settled with all class members.
INTERESTING POLITICAL EXPERIENCE:
In December 1998, attended the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment hearings of president Clinton. I had one of the best seats in the house gallery when all of the Articles Of Impeachment were read. In February 1999, I attended the impeachment trial of President Clinton after getting a prized Impeachment Ticket from a home state (Minnesota) U.S. Senator’s office which allowed me to get in the senate gallery for one session. Congressional Intern for an Arizona congressman, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. (Summer program during last year of college). Page, Arizona House of Representatives, Capitol Building, Phoenix, AZ (First job after college graduation).