Monte D. Richard was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on February 27, 1945. He graduated Cum Laude from California State University at Northridge with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Mathematics in 1968. Mr. Richard graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois with a Master of Science degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in 1969. He is also a Cum Laude graduate of Loyola University of Los Angeles Law School where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1973. Prior to being a lawyer, Mr. Richard worked as a chemical engineer for the City of Los Angeles in areas of water contamination and air pollution.

Mr. Richard is admitted to the California Bar, the New Mexico Bar, the United States District Court for the Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California, the United States District Court for New Mexico, the United States Court of Appeal, Ninth and Tenth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He has been a member of the Los Angeles County, Pasadena and American Bar Associations, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Commercial Law League, the First Judicial District Bar Association of New Mexico and the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Richard is listed in Who’s Who in American Law and has an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell.

Mr. Richard has extensive litigation experience in all areas of insurance defense with an emphasis in earth movement, product liability, property disputes, construction defect and ground and surface water cases including insurance coverage disputes. His litigation experience has included handling complex cases such as the Big Rock Mesa landslide, the Monterrey Hills earth movement, and the MGM Grand Hotel fire. His expertise also includes litigation involving contamination to land and water as well as personal injuries including lung injuries related to product use and asbestos. He has also represented a number of common carriers, developers and contractors. Mr. Richard also has experience in commercial disputes.

While in New Mexico, Mr. Richard had a general civil practice representing both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving real estate transactions, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, commercial transactions, product liability, insurance coverage, foreclosures, breach of contract, and toxic mold.

Mr. Richard has sat as a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court and has acted as an arbitrator and as a settlement referee for a number of cases.