Veena Mitchell

Full Profile

Veena Mitchell has been a commercial litigator for over 25 years, with a practice focus on insurance coverage, professional liability, and commercial and complex tort litigation. She has practiced insurance law for her entire legal career, and now represents major insurance carriers on disputes and investigations involving all types of policies, including general liability, directors' and officers', errors and omissions and excess coverages. In addition, Veena has defended real estate, legal and insurance professionals faced with professional liability claims. She has also devoted a large portion of her practice representing several of the largest US corporations in high stakes litigation and disputes.

Veena previously served as Deputy County Counsel for the County of Sonoma and counsel for several other public entities. In that role, she prosecuted code violations and handled environmental, construction, public works and land use matters. Veena began her career interning for the US Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch in Washington, DC.

Veena has had a 30 year commitment to pro bono service and access to justice programs.  Throughout law school, she served as the court appointed advisor for unrepresented small claims litigants in nine California counties, and handled a wide variety of cases through Community Legal Services. Veena has consistently participated in and managed pro bono efforts for children, seniors, voters and communities in need, including legal clinics, legal assistance hotlines, and representation in cases and dispute resolution. She regularly volunteers as a judicial arbitrator (1996-present), and serves at the Sonoma County Superior Court (1996-present) and the San Francisco Superior Court (2004-present). Veena was twice appointed by the State Bar of California to serve on its access and fairness committees. She has received several “Volunteer of the Year” awards from local Bar Associations for her pro bono and volunteer service. Veena makes presentations to the community on “Kids and the Law” and “Teens and the Law,” endeavoring to take the mystery out of the legal system for youth and their parents.

Admissions

• California
• US District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California
• US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Education

• J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1992
• B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1988

Memberships

• Real Estate Broker license by the California Department of Real Estate, 2008-present
• Judicial Arbitrator, 1996-present
• South Asian Bar Association
• Asian American Bar Association

Experience

• Favorable resolution on behalf of a large insurer of a complex coverage dispute with potential exposure of USD 5 billion.
• Representation of insurers in numerous other coverage and bad faith disputes on general liability, environmental and professional liability claims.
• Dismissal of real estate brokers and agents in actions alleging failure to disclose and breach of contract.
• Favorable resolution for insurance agencies in action claiming fraud and breach of fiduciary duties.
• Management of large legal teams successfully defending utilities and major companies in mass tort, catastrophic personal injury, and property loss claims and lawsuits.