Brian Schulman is the Practice Leader of the firm's Real Estate and Construction Litigation Group and sits on the firm's Strategic Planning Committee.
He is a seasoned litigator who works to identify the business issues lying at the core of a dispute in order to formulate a focused and efficient plan to achieve his client's goals. Brian combines his broad-based experience in business disputes and knowledge of the legal process to advise clients on the risks and rewards of litigation and to craft strategies designed to achieve success at trial, while also identifying opportunities for early resolution. Whether through aggressive litigation or negotiation, he recognizes that his client's business objectives are the paramount goal of any litigation engagement.
Services
- Litigation
- Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Class Action Litigation
- Health Care
- Insurance
- Real Estate and Construction Litigation
- Real Estate Finance
- Western Real Estate Finance
- Distressed Real Estate
- Distressed Office Buildings
- Distressed Assets and Opportunities
- Political and Election Law
- Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
- Eminent Domain
- Food and Beverage
Experience
Representative Matters
- Won a $193,000,000 judgment after a three week trial on a defaulted loan secured by a 4-star resort and golf complex in Tucson, Arizona. The judgment in the client's favor pierced the corporate veil between the borrower and non-borrower defendants rendering all defendants jointly and severally liable for the full amount of the judgment.
- In a case of national significance, obtained preliminary and permanent injunctions preventing the mezzanine lender from foreclosing on a major luxury resort in derogation of the rights of the senior lender
- Represented a major real estate developer at trial in a lender liability action based on the lender's failure to fully fund the loan, causing failure of two multimillion-dollar mixed-use developments
Professional Highlights
Professional Activities
Maricopa County Superior Court, Judge Pro Tem, 2005-2014, 2019-2020
State Bar of Arizona, Civil Practice and Procedure Committee, past member
Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, past member, Executive Committee; past President, Young Lawyers Division
Northern Arizona University, past Adjunct Professor
Recognition & Accomplishments
The Best Lawyers in America, commercial litigation, real estate litigation, real estate law, construction litigation, insurance law, 2017-2024
AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards for Constitutional Law and Trusts, Wills and Estates
Named a Top Lawyer for alternative dispute resolution, commercial litigation, health care, mediation, and product liability by Arizona Business magazine, 2008, 2011
Speaking Engagements
Brian is a frequent speaker on litigation planning in business transactions, trial tactics and strategies, civil procedure, litigation avoidance, insurance coverage, and bad faith.
Credentials
Education
Boston University School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1994)
Editor, American Journal of Law and Medicine; G. Joseph Tauro Distinguished Scholar; Edward F. Hennessey Scholar; Paul J. Liacos Distinguished Scholar
Arizona State University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1991)
Admissions
Arizona