Steven J. Adamski

Steven J. Adamski has represented both private and public clients in a wide range of matters including breach of contract, water rights, real estate and sports law. A graduate of U.C. Santa Barbara and U.C. Berkeley School of Law, Mr. Adamski is rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer review rating given to attorneys based on legal ability and ethical standards. Mr. Adamski’s family has lived in the San Luis Obispo area for several generations.

Mr. Adamski is also a founding partner in the law firm Robins Borghei which specializes in groundwater contamination litigation on behalf of the California water utility industry.

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Mr. Adamski started out his practice as a litigator. His primary focus now is providing legal assistance and counseling to individuals, businesses and public entities.

From 1995 until the team sold in 2011, Mr. Adamski provided a wide range of legal services to the Golden State Warriors. From 2001 until 2011 he was the team’s general counsel. Mr. Adamski handled a number of complex matters and disputes for the franchise including employment matters, coach and player related disputes, breach of contract, financing, local taxation, sponsorships and broadcast rights. He regularly represented the franchise in its ongoing relations with both the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda.

Mr. Adamski’s more interesting legal experiences include:

  • Developed and implemented a litigation strategy which allowed our client, a minority general partner, to emerge as the sole owner of the Golden State Warriors
  • In a landmark case involving domain names, developed a unique use of a federal preliminary injunction motion which resulted in the return to our client of the sex.com domain name
  • Defended the Golden State Warriors against a $30 million claim for breach of agreement involving the potential sale of Personal Seat Licenses for Warriors games played at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena
  • Asserted claims on behalf of the Warriors against the owners of the Arena resulting in amounts paid or credited to the team in excess of $15 million as well as the right to certain other revenues generated at the Arena
  • Represented the Warriors both before the League’s Arbitrator and in federal court in claims brought by Latrell Sprewell, a Warriors’ player whose multi-year contract was terminated for attacking the team’s head coach
  • Defended Atascadero Mutual Water Company (AMWC), one of the state’s largest and oldest mutual water companies, against claims it was improperly extracting groundwater from the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. The action resulted in the courts and public entities recognition that: (a) AMWC draws water from the Atascadero Sub-basin a distinct and legally separate hydrologic unit from much larger Paso Robles Groundwater Basin; (b) AMWC had a common law right to withdraw water from the Sub-basin and (c) the Sub-basin was not in overdraft
  • Represented landowners owning thousands of acres of farmland in the longstanding adjudication of the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin
  • Represented both the Golden State Warriors and the Oakland Athletics in disputes with the City of Oakland concerning gross receipts taxes

PRIOR WORK HISTORY

Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Adamski accepted a two-year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Spencer A. Williams, United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of California. From 1983 until 1988, he practiced in San Francisco with the law firms of Miller, Starr & Regalia, and Khourie, Crew & Jaeger.

Mr. Adamski was a partner with the San Luis Obispo firm Sinsheimer, Schiebelhut & Baggett before leaving to form Adamski Moroski Madden Cumberland & Green LLP in 2001.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, ADMISSIONS, STANDING

Mr. Adamski is a member of the California Bar Association and the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association. He is a former President of the San Luis Obispo County Bar. He has also served as a delegate to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Adamski is admitted to practice in all California Superior and Federal Courts. Mr. Adamski has enjoyed a peer rating of AV® Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer review rating given to attorneys based on legal ability and ethical standards.

WRITING AND SPEAKING

Mr. Adamski was one of the original authors and editors of The Rutter Group’s Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial.

In 2016, Mr. Adamski partnered with James Wagstaffe of Kerr & Wagstaffe, LLP to create the Wagstaffe Group dedicated to providing litigators and courts with simple, comprehensive and authoritative guidance to navigate the complexities of pretrial litigation.

Together with LexisNexis, the Wagstaffe Group has produced a national multimedia guide to federal pretrial civil procedure which was first published in mid-2017. Updated annually, this three-volume practice guide features accessible and to-the-point analysis along with online videos on all aspects of federal civil procedure before trial. Mr. Adamski is the Senior Lead Editor for this publication.

In 2020, again in conjunction with LexisNexis, the Wagstaffe Group produced a multimedia guide to California pretrial civil procedure. Updated twice a year, this three-volume set covers every aspect of California pretrial procedure. Mr. Adamski is a co-author of this publication.

Over the years, Mr. Adamski has spoken at a number of legal conferences on issues relating to federal civil procedure, sports law, water rights and wine law.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), University of California, Santa Barbara

Juris Doctor, University of California, Berkeley Law School

PERSONAL

Mr. Adamski’s family ties to the Central Coast date back several generations. He currently lives in San Luis Obispo with his family.