Biography

Jerome I. (Jerry) Braun and two partners founded the firm, now known as Farella Braun + Martel LLP, in 1962. In a long career at the bar, he has maintained a diverse trial and appellate practice in areas such as commercial litigation, complex and multi-district litigation, securities regulation, antitrust, and legal malpractice. He has concentrated on federal practice and on his work as an arbitrator and mediator and has served the federal courts as special master. He was the proponent of California Supreme Court Rule 29.5 (permitting certification of questions of state law by federal appellate courts). For many years he served as president of The Other Bar, a network of recovering lawyers, law students, and judges throughout California.

Mr. Braun has been active in Ninth Circuit governance issues and on behalf of Stanford University and Jewish philanthropies. He was honored by The Other Bar with its inaugural 2016 Edward Train Caldwell Service Award in recognition of “extraordinary service to The Other Bar and the California legal profession.” In 2013, he was the recipient of the Hazelden Legal Professionals Program’s second annual “Hazelden Excellence in Legal Community Leadership Award.” In 2005, Mr. Braun was awarded the Ninth Circuit’s highest accolade, the John P. Frank Award, recognizing an outstanding lawyer practicing in the federal courts of the western United States. In 1999, he received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award as “a senior lawyer practicing in the Ninth Circuit whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.” 

Mr. Braun authored many articles in professional and scholarly publications, including articles on the precedential value of unpublished opinions, a comprehensive study of the California anti-SLAPP law in the U.C. Davis Law Review, and another article on the anti-SLAPP law in the McGeorge Law Review. He has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Appellate Law since 2007.

Distinctions

  • The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Law (2024)

Memberships and Affiliations

  • American Law Institute (Member)
  • American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (Fellow)
  • California Academy of Appellate Lawyers (past President)
  • American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)
  • Ninth Circuit Senior Advisory Board (past Chair)
  • Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (past Chair, lawyer delegates)
  • Ninth Circuit Historical Society (past President; Director)
  • Northern District of California Historical Society (past Director)
  • American Judicature Society (past Director)
  • Stanford University Law School (past Visitor)
  • Jewish Community Federation (past President)
  • Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (past Director)
  • Three years of service in the United States army (c.1950)

Firm Highlights

News

Winston Liaw Named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that Winston Liaw has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2024. Winston joins a select group of...

Read More
News

Brookfield Forecloses on 2,150-Unit Veritas Portfolio With Uncontested $464M Bid

Restructuring, insolvency, and creditors rights partner Gary Kaplan provided expert commentary in The Real Deal  article, "Brookfield forecloses on 2,150-unit Veritas portfolio with uncontested $464M bid." Read the full article  here  (subscription may be...

Read More
News

Farella Announces 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders: Taylor Rottjakob and John Ugai

Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that senior associates  Taylor E. Rottjakob and John M. Ugai have been named 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders. Pathfinders have been identified as...

Read More
Publication

California AI Proposal Rethinks Consumer Scope and Recordkeeping

The California Privacy Protection Agency will revisit its  draft  regulations for automated decision-making technology on March 8, including use of artificial intelligence to process personal information. Comment periods should be coming soon in 2024...

Read More
Publication

Nonprofit Basics: Unpacking Prudent Investments, PRIs and MRIs

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Episode 73 discusses frequently used terms in the nonprofit world pertaining to investment activities. Public charity and private foundation directors and officers need...

Read More
Publication

Achieving Compatibility Between Solar Project Developers and Mineral Estate Holders

By Dirk R. Mueller , Alyssa Netto , and Will Russ Texas and California lead the country in terms of solar energy generating capacity while also maintaining major oil and gas production operations, which...

Read More
News

Lawdragon Names 7 Farella Lawyers Among “Leaders in Environmental Law”

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel is pleased to announce that seven lawyers were selected to The Lawdragon Green 500: 2024 Leaders in Environmental Law . Farella lawyers selected for inclusion: Sarah...

Read More
News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

Read More
Publication

Employment Law Update for Nonprofits With Holly Sutton

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Charities, foundations, and their founders often request help addressing employment practices and compliance questions. In this episode, host Cynthia Rowland is joined by Holly...

Read More
Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide on Beneficial Ownership for Nonprofit Executives

The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, represents a significant shift in regulatory requirements for entities across the United States. This act, set to...

Read More