Mr. Dennis E. Wagner, Private Law Practice

Dennis E. Wagner has been practicing law since 1981 and has extensive experience in a wide range of legal areas.  In 2006 he was appointed as Interim County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino and oversaw a staff of approximately 100 employees and a budget in excess of $9,000,000.  He was instrumental in providing leadership to the County Counsel Office during the time frame that a search was conducted for a permanent replacement for the Office.  Prior to forming the firm of Wagner & Pelayes, LLP, he was a Deputy County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino for 10 years.  He has represented many of the County departments, department heads, and their employees during that time including the representation of the Superior Court for the County of San Bernardino and members of the Judicial Bench.  During this time, he tried a number of cases and appeared before the State Appellate Courts, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court.

Prior to joining the Office of County Counsel for San Bernardino County, he worked for the law firm of Roberts & Morgan and was involved in handling insurance defense matters and the defense of public entities and their employees.  His work for public entities included the City of Riverside, City of Corona, and the County of Riverside.  He has handled insurance defense for a wide range of company's including Farmers, Ohio Casualty, Aetna, Fireman's Fund, Home Insurance Co., AIG, and others.

Dennis is also licensed to practice law in the States of Nevada and Texas.  During the 1980's, Dennis practiced law in Nevada and represented a number of business clients for their corporate needs which included real estate development and business litigation.  Dennis is a member the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) which is the only trial lawyers association, which specifically dedicates itself to preserving the right to trial by jury.  ABOTA limits its membership to those attorneys who meet a minimum number of jury trials and possess the ethics and civility required of its membership.  Dennis is on the Board of Directors for the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, which covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties for attorneys who regularly practice in federal court.  Dennis participates at seminars as a presenter on a wide range of topics, including appellate practice and governmental issues.  Dennis is an instructor at the San Bernardino Sheriffs Academy and teaches Civil Liabilities to law enforcement officers and supervisors.  Dennis has appeared on PBS radio and television to discuss various legal topics of interest to the general public.