Mr. Rice joined Shartsis Friese LLP in 1981 after clerking for the late U.S. District Judge Albert C. Wollenberg. He is a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Department and has served as the Chairman of that Department. He specializes in securities and business cases as well as other complex litigation for companies, governmental agencies and individuals. Mr. Rice has successfully litigated a wide range of cases in arbitration and state and federal trial and appellate courts. He also advises clients on how to avoid or minimize litigation. He prides himself on developing tailor-made approaches to legal conflicts and problems that yield cost-effective and satisfying results for his clients.
He has been named repeatedly as a Northern California “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Magazine. He is founding editor of the ABTL Report for Northern California and author of a regular column on litigation practices for that publication for 20 years.
For a complete list of Mr. Rice’s published articles, please click here and then click on publications.
EXPERIENCE
Mr. Rice has successfully represented many different kinds of defendants, including
- investment managers, corporations and corporate officers and directors sued by disgruntled investors;
- individuals and corporations investigated or sued by government agencies; and
- individuals and corporations engaged in conflicts over corporate governance or the interpretation of leases and other contracts.
He also has successfully represented many different kinds of plaintiffs, including
- family members who sued an Ivy League university for the misuse of donated funds;
- family members who sued to retain control of a family-owned business; and
- the California Attorney General and the California Department of Insurance in suits on behalf of the citizens of California.
In addition, he teaches a legal writing class to foreign LL.M. students at Berkeley Law School.
PUBLICATIONS/SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Mr. Rice has written articles on litigation for the San Francisco Recorder and other publications. In addition, he has spoken on litigation and arbitration topics for groups of lawyers, arbitrators and expert witnesses.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Mr. Rice has been a member of the Board of Governors for the Northern California branch of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Business Litigation
- Securities & Corporate Governance
- Commercial Litigation
- Securities Enforcement Defense
- Regulatory Investigations
- Securities Industry Litigation
- Fiduciary Duty / Shareholder & Partnership Disputes
- Trusts & Estates
- Government Representation
Education
A.B., University of Chicago (1975)
J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law (1980)
Charles R Rice is teaching the following course in Fall 2025:
• 208.9 sec. 003 - Fundamentals of U.S. Law
Courses During Other Semesters
| Semester | Course Num | Course Title |  Teaching Evaluations | Spring 2025 | 200.2 sec. 001 | Civil Procedure for LL.M.Students | View Teaching Evaluation | Fall 2024 | 208.9 sec. 003 | Fundamentals of U.S. Law | View Teaching Evaluation | Spring 2024 | 200.2 sec. 001 | Civil Procedure for LL.M.Students | View Teaching Evaluation |
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