James D. McGinley, Attorney

Mr. McGinley has been with Hiepler & Hiepler since the firm opened its doors in 1994. A partner with the firm from 1996-2007, Mr. McGinley now serves of counsel.
 
Graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1991, Mr. McGinley was an editor of the Pepperdine Law Review and published several articles on current trends in California law. Additionally, Mr. McGinley served as the President, Pepperdine University Alumni Board of Directors from 1997-1999.
 
In November 1995, he obtained a $2.9 million jury verdict for the family of the late Joyce Ching in the case Ching v. Gaines, challenging the HMO system. The Ching case was featured on the CBS News magazine, 60 Minutes, in an investigative report regarding the effects of Managed Care on the quality of health care in the United States.

Mr. McGinley's trial work was also highlighted with a cover story in the January 22, 1996 edition of Time magazine. Time featured a detailed analysis of Mr. McGinley's arbitration verdict in the case of DeMeurers v. HealthNet where the mediators found that Health Net had denied treatment for a breast cancer patient.

Mr. McGinley's arguments that Health Net's arbitration contract was invalid in Vander Stoep v. HealthNet was upheld both by the Second District Court of Appeal, as well as the California Supreme Court. Mr. McGinley's comments on negative effects of Managed Care on the quality of health services provided to patients who are covered by an HMO system and legal comment has been published in the California Lawyer, Bureau of National Affairs' Health Care Reporter, The Los Angeles Daily Journal, Medical Economics, The Wall Street Journal, The American Lawyer, Metropolitan News Enterprise and Bender’s Healthcare Law Monthly.
Additionally, his work has been featured in such publications as Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Health.

Mr. McGinley has been a featured speaker at the Society of Chief Medical Officers Fall Symposium, The Nevada Trial Lawyers Annual Meeting, the 13th Annual Conference on Obstetrics, Gynecology, Prenatal Medicine, Neonatology and the Law and the California Lawyer, House Counsel Roundtable regarding AA Health Care Bill of Rights. Mr. McGinley was also the Chairman and Keynote speaker at the 1999 Mealey’s HMO Liability conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mr. McGinley has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution with cutting edge approaches to arbitration, and broad mediation experience. He has also served for several years as a Judge Pro Tem in Ventura County working with both plaintiffs and defendants to voluntarily settle their cases without having to resort to trial.

Mr. McGinley is currently serving as a mobilized reservist in the United States Marine Corps.