William Donald Chapman
Aliso Viejo, CA
Licensed for 40 years
Law Degree
Awards
Primary Practice Area
Litigation
Language
English
About
I help businesses win their legal disputes in and out of court where the amount in controversy is between $100,000-$20 million. I have been hired by other lawyers when the opposing counsel or judge are very difficult and they need a lawyer who can stand up to opposing counsel or even judges who are acrimonious. I will do everything I can to help you win your case! William D. Chapman has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers Editions from 2009 to the present. He has a peer reviewed rating of "Preeminent AV" highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards for 20+ consecutive years by Martindale-Hubbell. He has been designated a "Fellow," by the Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers who are selected by invitation only, based upon excellence, accomplishment, and superior ethical reputation at the trial and appellate levels. WILLIAM D. CHAPMAN has successfully defended and recovered multimillion dollar jury verdicts, arbitration awards and settlements for clients in state and federal courts throughout California. Recently, he was on a trial team that won a $22 million arbitration award and $4 million attorney's fees award. InMr. Chapman has tried cases before judges and juries in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, California in the Southern District of New York. Mr. Chapman has appeared before the California Courts of Appeal, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Ninth Circuit and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has represented a wide range of businesses of all sizes and entity types, in industries including real estate, business finance, nutraceuticals, computer software, building insulation products, self-insurance groups, automobile dealerships, distributorships, raw materials suppliers, etc.Mr. Chapman's clients have included Fortune 500 companies as well as startup businesses. He has represented individuals who have suffered injuries from accidents involving automobiles, boats, gym equipment, insurance bad faith, etc. Clients have come to him from the Southern California area and as far away as Brazil, Italy and Russia.Mr. Chapman is the Past Worldwide Chair, BYU Management Society, Regional Chair, BYU Management Society, Founder, Past Chapter Chair, South County Management Society, Former Chapter Chair, Orange County Management Association, Former Board Member, J. Reuben Clark Law Society - Orange County Chapter.Having grown up in Southern California, Mr. Chapman has been married for over 38 years, has 4 children and 4 grandchildren. He is an avid surfer, trail runner and loves to be in the out-of-doors. He has run 2 marathons, climbed (with cables) to the top of Half Dome 4 times, completed two 50-mile backpacking trips in the High Sierras, and camped and backpacked all over the Western United States.
Practices Areas
Litigation
Language
English
Contact
Reviews
A friend of mine who is also an attorney helped me set up an LLC. This involved creating the website, finding key employees, handling communications, providing technical support, assisting in creating a training program and various other tasks, as well as drafting legal documents for the company. In exchange, the company agreed to compensate this attorney for these past services by paying him flat fee for e-commerce sales on the company website and agreed to pay him 10% of the equity upon the sale of the company. After about 5 years, this attorney began making demands and questioning his compensation even though he was given access to the books and all of the books confirmed what he was owed. Then, I received a letter from an attorney representing this person requesting a termination of the relationship and claiming damages for any future earnings of the company based on the contract. She demanded that I preserve all evidence relating to the dispute and that we engage in mediation within 60 days of the date of her letter. Because this (former) friend is an attorney and now he had hired an attorney to represent him, I felt very intimidated and concerned that I was going to be involved in an expensive legal dispute and potentially lose 10% of my interest in the company and have an obligation to continue paying this individual compensation indefinitely. I searched for and found a top-notch business litigation attorney, Bill Chapman, to represent me in this dispute. Bill immediately wrote a letter back to the attorney refuting all of her allegations and turning the tables on my lawyer friend. Bill argued that because he is an attorney he has a heightened duty to me and my business and he failed to comply with all of his ethical obligations before entering into a business transaction with his client, me and my company. My business partner and his attorney obviously could see that they were in over their head so my business partner hired a big firm lawyer from Northern California to do battle with Bill. This big firm lawyer wrote a lengthy letter to Bill trying to fight back and demand all of the compensation plus a 10% equity interest in compensation for services rendered in the past and future. Again, Bill wasted no time firing back with a very aggressive letter. Next, the big firm lawyer called Bill on the phone and basically said they were giving in. In the end, Bill got me a “walk away,” which means that I was able to get rid of my former partner without paying him one penny of equity or any of the past or future compensation that he was demanding. If you have any type of a business dispute especially if the dispute is getting nasty, I highly recommend you give Bill Chapman a call and get him to take on your case. He is very friendly with his clients and professional with the opposing attorney but he is relentlessly aggressive in his advocacy for his clients. I cannot recommend Bill highly enough for your business needs.
In January 2018 I was sued for a breach of a $100,000 promissory note which I did not sign. I asked a friend of the family who is a lawyer for a referral to a lawyer that would be a real “pitbull.” He told me that the lawyer I wanted to hire was Attorney Bill Chapman. Attorney Chapman took an immediate personal interest in my case and dug into the case to develop a defense strategy. At the trial I watched him battle all day long in the courtroom representing my interests. Even the judge showed attorney Chapman a lot of respect, so I felt completely protected and well represented. The judge ruled that Attorney Chapman had proved that I was not liable and did not owe a single penny. I will always be grateful to Attorney Chapman for fighting hard on my behalf and winning my case. I highly recommend him to anyone who has a tough case they need to win.
I am president of a 325 unit HOA and our board was faced with a difficult homeowner lawsuit. Bill was extremely thorough in his explanations about the issues and kept us up to date as the suit progressed. His personable manner helped us through a difficult period and helped us reach a settlement without the risk of going to a trial.
Bill (William) helped me navigate a difficult situation with a business partner and avoid costly litigation, even though that is his specialty. This speaks to his honesty and care for the client, rather than making a quick buck. I'd highly recommend Bill.
Mr. Chapman is one of the most gifted and experienced litigators in America. When Mr. Chapman takes on a case, he passionately educates himself beyond the scope of what a typical lawyer would do - he goes the extra mile for everyone. He often says, knowledge and preparation is king. To this day, he still works late nights and even occasionally pulls all-nighters preparing for his clients. I would classify his main attribute to be his passion to serve. While most exhibit some level of "this is just my job," you will never see this in Mr. Chapman; instead, you will experience his, "this is my life and yours" attitude. He is extremely particular about the cases he takes on because he demands honesty with his clients and that their case be a good cause. Mr. Chapman loves to help the little guy. If he believes the case is a good cause, he will take on Goliath companies and Goliath law firms, the bigger the better. He has an extraordinary history and talent for beating the Goliaths with simple Lincoln style logic and truth which goes beyond the obvious. His opponents tend to crumbling from their own guilt and embarrassment. Mr. Chapman cares about all people. He is a very religious man and the most honest I have ever met in my lifetime. His accountability is governed, first and foremost, by his belief in God. With this in mind, we all know that conflict is more financially rewarding for attorneys than peace. The likelihood of an attorney billing more time than necessary is epidemic. Mr. Chapman has lead me down a much different and less expensive legal path than most attorney I've ever worked with. He keeps constant vigilance towards settlement and knows how to put roadblocks up to prevent apposing attorneys from taking financial advantage. He seeks resolution early on and at every possible moment. This has saved hundreds of thousands and helped me and many others keep or get back hundreds of thousands. I personally know a lot of attorneys and have worked with many though the years which compels me to say, hands down, that William D. Chapman is the best of the best.
A friend of mine who is also an attorney helped me set up an LLC. This involved creating the website, finding key employees, handling communications, providing technical support, assisting in creating a training program and various other tasks, as well as drafting legal documents for the company. In exchange, the company agreed to compensate this attorney for these past services by paying him flat fee for e-commerce sales on the company website and agreed to pay him 10% of the equity upon the sale of the company. After about 5 years, this attorney began making demands and questioning his compensation even though he was given access to the books and all of the books confirmed what he was owed. Then, I received a letter from an attorney representing this person requesting a termination of the relationship and claiming damages for any future earnings of the company based on the contract. She demanded that I preserve all evidence relating to the dispute and that we engage in mediation within 60 days of the date of her letter. Because this (former) friend is an attorney and now he had hired an attorney to represent him, I felt very intimidated and concerned that I was going to be involved in an expensive legal dispute and potentially lose 10% of my interest in the company and have an obligation to continue paying this individual compensation indefinitely. I searched for and found a top-notch business litigation attorney, Bill Chapman, to represent me in this dispute. Bill immediately wrote a letter back to the attorney refuting all of her allegations and turning the tables on my lawyer friend. Bill argued that because he is an attorney he has a heightened duty to me and my business and he failed to comply with all of his ethical obligations before entering into a business transaction with his client, me and my company. My business partner and his attorney obviously could see that they were in over their head so my business partner hired a big firm lawyer from Northern California to do battle with Bill. This big firm lawyer wrote a lengthy letter to Bill trying to fight back and demand all of the compensation plus a 10% equity interest in compensation for services rendered in the past and future. Again, Bill wasted no time firing back with a very aggressive letter. Next, the big firm lawyer called Bill on the phone and basically said they were giving in. In the end, Bill got me a “walk away,” which means that I was able to get rid of my former partner without paying him one penny of equity or any of the past or future compensation that he was demanding. If you have any type of a business dispute especially if the dispute is getting nasty, I highly recommend you give Bill Chapman a call and get him to take on your case. He is very friendly with his clients and professional with the opposing attorney but he is relentlessly aggressive in his advocacy for his clients. I cannot recommend Bill highly enough for your business needs.
In January 2018 I was sued for a breach of a $100,000 promissory note which I did not sign. I asked a friend of the family who is a lawyer for a referral to a lawyer that would be a real “pitbull.” He told me that the lawyer I wanted to hire was Attorney Bill Chapman. Attorney Chapman took an immediate personal interest in my case and dug into the case to develop a defense strategy. At the trial I watched him battle all day long in the courtroom representing my interests. Even the judge showed attorney Chapman a lot of respect, so I felt completely protected and well represented. The judge ruled that Attorney Chapman had proved that I was not liable and did not owe a single penny. I will always be grateful to Attorney Chapman for fighting hard on my behalf and winning my case. I highly recommend him to anyone who has a tough case they need to win.
I am president of a 325 unit HOA and our board was faced with a difficult homeowner lawsuit. Bill was extremely thorough in his explanations about the issues and kept us up to date as the suit progressed. His personable manner helped us through a difficult period and helped us reach a settlement without the risk of going to a trial.
Bill (William) helped me navigate a difficult situation with a business partner and avoid costly litigation, even though that is his specialty. This speaks to his honesty and care for the client, rather than making a quick buck. I'd highly recommend Bill.
Mr. Chapman is one of the most gifted and experienced litigators in America. When Mr. Chapman takes on a case, he passionately educates himself beyond the scope of what a typical lawyer would do - he goes the extra mile for everyone. He often says, knowledge and preparation is king. To this day, he still works late nights and even occasionally pulls all-nighters preparing for his clients. I would classify his main attribute to be his passion to serve. While most exhibit some level of "this is just my job," you will never see this in Mr. Chapman; instead, you will experience his, "this is my life and yours" attitude. He is extremely particular about the cases he takes on because he demands honesty with his clients and that their case be a good cause. Mr. Chapman loves to help the little guy. If he believes the case is a good cause, he will take on Goliath companies and Goliath law firms, the bigger the better. He has an extraordinary history and talent for beating the Goliaths with simple Lincoln style logic and truth which goes beyond the obvious. His opponents tend to crumbling from their own guilt and embarrassment. Mr. Chapman cares about all people. He is a very religious man and the most honest I have ever met in my lifetime. His accountability is governed, first and foremost, by his belief in God. With this in mind, we all know that conflict is more financially rewarding for attorneys than peace. The likelihood of an attorney billing more time than necessary is epidemic. Mr. Chapman has lead me down a much different and less expensive legal path than most attorney I've ever worked with. He keeps constant vigilance towards settlement and knows how to put roadblocks up to prevent apposing attorneys from taking financial advantage. He seeks resolution early on and at every possible moment. This has saved hundreds of thousands and helped me and many others keep or get back hundreds of thousands. I personally know a lot of attorneys and have worked with many though the years which compels me to say, hands down, that William D. Chapman is the best of the best.