Walter J. Schmidt

Born in Modesto, California in 1946; admitted to the California State Bar in 1971.

Education

University of California at Davis, Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967; University of California, Hastings College of Law, Juris Doctorate in 1970.

Memberships

Stanislaus County (Chairman, Education Committee, 1981-1982) and American Bar Associations; Mr. Schmidt has served in various capacities for the State Bar of California, including being a member of the State Bar Committee for Continuing Education of the Bar in the years 1976-1978, 1982-1985, and serving as Chairman in 1984-1985. Mr. Schmidt further served as a member of the State Bar Governing Committee on Continuing Education of the Bar from 1985-1989, and served as Chairman of that State Bar Committee in 1989. In 1989, he served as a member of the State Bar Committee’s Task Force on Lawyer Education, and from 1990 through October of 1993, served the State Bar Standing Committee on Minimum Continuing Legal Education. The State Bar’s Committee on Minimum Continuing Legal Education was charged with the implementation of the new California Minimum Continuing Legal Education requirement that went into force on February 1, 1992. Mr. Schmidt also served from 1990 through 1994 as a Lawyer Representative from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and in that capacity was active in Federal Judicial issues as well.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Schmidt emphasizes commercial law, banking law, agricultural law, and bankruptcy law. He handles complex civil litigation matters as well as real estate contract, and construction disputes.

Mr. Schmidt has served in the past as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and has acted as a judicially appointed arbitrator for the Stanislaus County Superior Court in addition to conducting private mediation.