Daniel J. Lanahan, founder of the leading North Bay law firm Lanahan & Reilley, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the California State University system at Commencement 2007 on Saturday in Rohnert Park.
Lanahan is the co-founder and Chairman of Lanahan & Reilley, LLP, a 25-attorney law firm headquartered in Santa Rosa that has represented hundreds of corporations including start-ups in various business transactions and litigations.
Lanahan acted as National Coordinating Counsel in nationwide litigation involving the food supplement L-Tryptophan. His negotiations resulted in over a $3 billion dollar settlement from a Japanese company to the litigants in the suits, which included major U.S. nutraceutical and over-the counter drug manufacturers.
The great majority of his work during the past 25 years has involved the trial of civil cases representing both plaintiffs and defendants, most often in complex litigations, class actions and "mass tort" litigation.
He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), as well as numerous other professional associations. His contributions to the
community and Sonoma State University include his being a chair of the North Bay Council, the public broadcasting system station KRCB radio and television,
and the Board of Trustees of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Presently, he serves on the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation Board. He is a member of the Sonoma State University Academic Foundation, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the university’s School of Business and Economics’ Advisory Board.
A member of the Green Music Center Advisory Board, he is currently co- chair of the Green Music Center Finale Campaign. Lanahan instructs a class, Notable
Trials, at Sonoma State University, Empire Law School and San Francisco Law School. He is the author of "Justice for All: Legendary Trials of the 20th Century" and also serves as vice president of the Board of Trustees of San Francisco Law School.
