Hunter R. Eley, Managing Partner of DAE, has served as lead counsel for clients in defense of class action and individual lawsuits throughout the country.  Mr. Eley has successfully litigated cases at all levels, including arguing cases of first impression in the Ninth Circuit, arguing appeals in the California Court of Appeal and routinely appearing in state and federal trial courts nationwide.  As the chair of the firm’s financial services practice, Mr. Eley’s experience extends across all lines of the consumer lending business, including issues arising out of retail and online banking, mortgage lending and servicing, credit cards, healthcare loans and auto loans.

Mr. Eley has successfully represented clients in a wide range of business disputes, including:

• Obtaining judgment in favor of Fortune 100 technology company in trademark and internet domain name dispute;
• Successfully defending Silicon Valley software company against claims of retaliation in two-week jury trial, which was affirmed on appeal in published decision;
• Successfully defending a nationwide lender against claims of false advertising and unfair competition, resulting in a highly favorable settlement at trial;
• Counseling a commercial bank on wide range of compliance issues related to a trade secret injunction;
• Counseling a multi-state mortgage company in a partnership dispute and buyout;
• Defending designer of fashion accessories against claims of trade secret infringement;
• Was part of a trial team that successfully defended a consortium of high-net-worth investors and professional athletes in high-stakes litigation in the Central District of California;
• Acted as lead counsel in two bench trials in Virginia, obtaining judgments in favor of clients in each case;
• Successfully defending a university at trial against claims of racial discrimination and breach of contract in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mr. Eley has represented clients in the entertainment industry in numerous court and arbitration proceedings in the U.S. and Canada, including arbitrations before the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and the Independent Film and Television Alliance.  In 2007, Mr. Eley represented an independent producer in the Central District of California in a groundbreaking lawsuit against an international distributor over the payment of guild residuals, resulting in a highly favorable settlement.  This litigation had far-reaching implications in the entertainment industry, and was the subject of numerous articles and commentary.  Mr. Eley has also represented entertainment clients in private mediations, settlement conferences and contract negotiations, including successfully representing an actress in a hit television show in highly contentious negotiations with a former manager.

Mr. Eley is an active member of the California State Bar and the Virginia State Bar.  Mr. Eley served as a law clerk to the Honorable James C. Turk in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.  He received his J.D. from the William and Mary School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the William and Mary Law Review.  During law school, Mr. Eley served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Lawrence L. Koontz, Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.  A graduate of the University of Virginia, Mr. Eley received a B.A. in German Language and Literature, and furthered his interest in languages while living in Munich, Germany and Florence, Italy.  Prior to joining DAE, Mr. Eley practiced law in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP.