George F. Martin is a Bakersfield attorney Of Counsel to the statewide law firm of Borton Petrini, LLP, where he served as Firm Managing Partner for more than a quarter century. George is AV® Preeminent™ 5 out of 5 Rated by Martindale Hubbell and is a personal injury litigator, land use, and real estate attorney.
He is the recipient of the Kern County Bar Association’s 1996 Bench & Bar Award. He obtained his B.A. degree from California State University, Sacramento, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis, School of Law.
He is still keenly interested in education, having served as Dean of California Pacific School of Law, was Chairman of California State University, Bakersfield, Foundation’s Board of Directors, and is the founder and organizer of the Bakersfield Business Conference.
George has served on the board of directors for many professional organizations, including the Association for California Tort Reform, the California Defense Counsel Association, Past President of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Automobile Club of Southern California Advisory Board, and Chairman of the Witkin Legal Institute Advisory Board.
He has lectured for various organizations throughout the state, including the State Bar of California, the California Judges Association, Hastings College of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, and the Association of Northern California Defense Counsel, to name a few.
He has written numerous legal articles, including the defense portion of the California Education for the Bars Proposition 51 book and has served as Editor-in-Chief for the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel’s Verdict Journal of Law and California Defense magazines. He also served as the editor of the Insurance Bar List annual summary of California law.
George has tried varied legal actions, many of which have worked their way through the appellate courts to make new law. A few of his reported appellate court decisions include: Riddick v. Hay, 45 Cal.App.3d 464 (establishing duty of look out and imputation of driver negligence to passenger); United Farm Workers v. Superior Court, 47 Cal.App.3d 334 (establishes tort of the essence); Leach v. Drummond Medical Group, 144 Cal.App.3d 362 (establishing a tort for refusing treatment to a class of patients in a medical monopoly); and Bank of America v. S.C. Anderson, 24 Cal.App.4th 529 (defining elements of the damages of lost profit for a contractor).
As a Bakersfield attorney, George has mediated and arbitrated large complex cases and simple automobile cases with the same diligence to getting the parties to agree to reach a resolution. He believes counsel knows and understands their cases much better than the mediator and that his job is finding ways to take the differences and bring them to conclusion through mediation techniques.
George believes that his involvement in local business associations and civic affairs is very helpful to his litigation, business, and mediation practice. He has served on many local boards, including the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (Past President) and the Kern County Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. He also has served on the Boards of Directors of Greater Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, the Bakersfield Heart Hospital and the Central California Heart Institute, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
George is married to Linda Martin, and they have two sons, Bry and Brandon, both of whom are attorneys.
Publications:
Executive Editor, California Defense Magazine
Executive Editor, California Business Counsel Magazine
Former Editor-in-Chief, Verdict Journal of Law (1982–1985)
Editor, Land Use Law Quarterly Update
Editor, Real Estate Law Quarterly Report
California Education for the Bars Proposition 51 book
Lectures & Seminars:
Mr. Martin has lectured for various organizations, including the State Bar of California, the California Judges Association, Hastings College of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, and the Association of Northern California Defense Counsel, International Platform Association, Fresno Business Conference, and Yorkshire (England) Business Conference.
