Monte S. Travis grew up in San Francisco's fog belt, aka the Sunset District, within earshot of the animals at the San Francisco Zoo.  He is a 1970 graduate of Lowell High School, he earned his B.A. in Anthropology at Stanford University in 1974 (Phi Beta Kappa), and was awarded his J.D. cum laude in 1978 at Harvard Law School.  Between 1978 and 1980, he served as law clerk to the Hon. Spencer Williams, United States District Judge, San Francisco.

In 1981, Mr. Travis joined the San Francisco law firm of Chickering & Gregory, where he became partner in January 1985.  In 1986, he was one of the founding members of the reorganized Chickering & Gregory, A Professional Corporation, and was made head of the firm's litigation group.  In September 1989, he founded Travis & Travis (as Travis & Pon).

For more than 30 years, Mr. Travis has concentrated his law practice on dispute resolution.  This often requires formal litigation, and Mr. Travis has handled matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout the country.  It is his experience that negotiated resolutions, either before or after institution of formal proceedings, generally produce the most satisfactory outcomes and with less overall cost and stress.  He is always alert to opportunities and methods for achieving such a result.

Mr. Travis has wide-ranging experience representing clients in business, employment, real estate, professional liability, investment, securities, personal tort, and international family law matters.  His practice has included representation of major banks and savings and loan associations, real estate brokerages, multi-national corporations, and nonprofit organizations, as well as numerous small businesses, partnerships, and individuals.  In 1982, he was honored by the American Lawyer magazine for his pro bono work.  He has regularly served as an arbitrator for the San Francisco Superior Court and in fee disputes for the Bar Association of San Francisco.  He has taught courses on complex litigation for the Continuing Education of the Bar, and is a member of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California.  In addition to the California State Courts, he is admitted to practice in all Federal District Courts in California, the Ninth and Fifth Circuit Federal Courts of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Travis is an avid wildlife photographer.  He has been fortunate to travel and experience many parts of this wide world of ours (including all seven continents).  He derives great pleasure from cooking, diving, and backpacking, and from providing the best legal services he can to his clients.

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