Partner
E-mail: calvarez@steyerlaw.com
Telephone: 415 421 3400
Vcard:
Biography
Mr. Alvarez practices in the areas of commercial litigation, real property, title insurance, consumer class actions, and civil appeals.
After receiving his bachelor of arts degree from University of San Francisco, he attended his first two years of law school at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and attended his third year of law school at Harvard Law School. He earned his law degree in 1989 from Boalt Hall.
Mr. Alvarez was admitted to the State Bar of California (member sections on litigation and real property) in 1989.
Mr. Alvarez has successfully tried both jury and bench trials.
Recognition
- Super Lawyer, 2014
- Super Lawyer, 2015
- Super Lawyer, 2017
- Super Lawyer, 2018
- Super Lawyer, 2019
- Super Lawyer, 2020
- Super Lawyer, 2021
Memberships
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association
- California Land Title Association
- Former Board Member, St. Francis Homes Association
- Former Board Member, Saint Brendan’s Parish Advisory Board in San Francisco
- Former Board Member and Secretary, Directors of Catholic Charities CYO
Practice Areas
- Business Litigation and Civil Appeals
- Class Action Litigation
- Real Property and Construction
- Title Insurance and Escrow
Cases of Interest
- Successfully defended a lender’s deed of trust against the priority of a homeowner’s association claimed lien. Diamond Heights Village Ass’n, Inc. v. Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp. (2011) 196 Cal.App.4th 290, 126 Cal.Rptr.3d 673.
- Successfully defended a title insurer against bad faith claims by an insured owner arising over the interpretation of the insured land in a CLTA Standard Coverage title policy. Havstad v. Fidelity National Title Ins. Co. (1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 654, 68 Cal.Rptr.2d 487.
- Successfully defended a title company against escrow claims arising out of the failure to timely record an uninsured document. Rooz v. Kimmel (1997) 55 Cal.App.4th 573, 64 Cal.Rptr.2d 177.
- Filed Amicus Curiae brief in support of successful petition to California Supreme Court addressing jurisdiction of PUC. People ex rel. Orloff v. Pacific Bell (2013) 31 Cal.4th 1132, 7 Cal.Rptr.3d 315.
- Obtained an order sustaining demurrer without leave to amend and granting judgement on the pleadings, affirmed on appeal, in favor of a National Bank against complaint by property owners challenging the validity and enforceability of the Bank’s $35 million loan secured by a leasehold deed of trust.
- Obtained a jury verdict and judgment in favor of real property sellers, against plaintiff buyer, which included substantial attorney’s fee award triggered by unaccepted section 998 settlement offer.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a title insurer against a $4 million title policy claim arising from the encroachment of certain buildings in Union Square upon the Central Subway in San Francisco.