Richard H. Hoffelt is Of Counsel to Wilke, Fleury, Hoffelt, Gould & Birney, LLP, where during his more than five decades of practice he distinguished himself in the general practice of law, concentrating in corporate, business and real estate transactional matters and litigation with particular emphasis in the healthcare field.

In 2005 he was honored by the California Supreme Court and California State Bar for 50 years of practice. Mr. Hoffelt has represented the nursing home industry, the medical, dental and optometric professions and their organized associations, hospitals and hospital staffs. He participated in significant cases such as Morris v. Williams (1967) before the California Supreme Court and California Association of Nursing Homes v. Williams (1970) before the California Appellate Court for the Third District. He was a principal legal architect in the formation of Foundation Health Plan, one of the nation’s first federally qualified health maintenance organizations, and was counsel for Greater Sacramento Professional Standards Review Organization. He served as legal counsel to the Sacramento-El Dorado Medical Society and Sacramento Blood Center. He has represented many individual physicians, as well as a number of hospital-based and multi-specialty physician groups.

In 1990, he was the recipient of the Health Care and the Law Award bestowed by the Health Care Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association to honor a distinguished attorney who has contributed to the advancement of health care and the law in the community in general. Those accomplishments also were recognized in 1990 by resolution of the California State Assembly. In 1997, he was honored by the Sacramento County Bar Association as Lawyer of the Year, who, through the practice of law, made Sacramento a better place to live and work. In 1998 he was the recipient of the commendation and Beacon of Light Award from the Mayor and Council of the City of Sacramento for his community commitment and service and dedication to the betterment of others.

Mr. Hoffelt earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration at the School of Business , University of California , Berkeley , in 1952, and attended the University of California , Berkeley , School of Law (Boalt Hall of Law), where he was conferred with his Doctorate of Jurisprudence Degree in 1955.

EXPERIENCE

Wilke, Fleury, Hoffelt, Gould & Birney, LLP
Of Counsel (1956 - present)
General Civil Practice, concentrating in alternate dispute resolution; corporate, business and business entities, commercial, real estate and leasing, healthcare, employment and construction law transactional matters and litigation; administrative law; and probate, estate and trust planning, administration and litigation.


Admissions

• All California State Courts (1955)
• United States Supreme Court (1966)
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (1955)
• United States District Court, Eastern District of California (1955)

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association (Former Delegate from Sacramento County Bar Association; member of its Forum on Dispute Resolution, Construction Industry Section and Senior Lawyers Division)
• California State Bar Association (Former Delegate)
• Sacramento County Bar Association (President, 1990, member, ADR Section)

ADR Training

• American Arbitration Association  Basic Arbitrator Training, 1991
• American Academy of Attorney Mediators, Inc., 1995
• Negotiation Strategy Institute, 1997
• American Arbitration Association Workshop, 1998
• The Masters Forum, Pepperdine School of Law/Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, 2000, 2002 and 2003
• American College of Trial Mediators – Advanced Mediator, 2005

ADR

• The Association of Attorney-Mediators, Inc. (AAM) 1995 to 2006 (President, Sacramento Valley Chapter 1997 – 1998)
• American Arbitration Association, its Commercial Arbitration Panel and Large Complex Case Panel 
• Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1993 to present
• Superior Court of California for Sacramento County, member of Arbitration Policy Committee and Judicial Arbitration Panel and serves as its Settlement Conference Judge Pro Tempore, as well
• Superior Court of California for El Dorado, Calaveras, Yuba and Solano Counties Arbitration Panels Member
• Member of Sacramento County Bar Association's ADR Providers Section

Distinctions

• 1990 - Recipient of The Healthcare and The Law Award bestowed by the Healthcare Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association to honor a distinguished attorney who has contributed to the advancement of health care and the law and the community in general
• 1997 - Recipient of the Lawyer of the Year Award bestowed by the Sacramento County Bar Association to honor a member, who, through the practice of law, made Sacramento a better place to live and work
• 1998 - Recipient of Commendation and Beacon of Light Award from the Mayor and Council of the City of Sacramento for his community commitment and for his service and dedication to the betterment of others