Mr. Shartsis co-founded the San Francisco law firm of Shartsis Friese LLP in 1975. The 63 lawyer firm, comprising top graduates from top law schools, conducts a general business practice, with specialties in litigation, securities, general corporate law, investment and brokerage services, real estate, estate planning and taxation. Mr. Shartsis is the senior manager of the firm.

Mr. Shartsis specializes in complex litigation, including general business disputes, securities, financial institutions, intellectual property, fiduciary, antitrust and construction litigation. He has tried cases in state and federal courts, before judges and juries, and in arbitration. He has appeared in both federal and state appellate courts, including the California Supreme Court. Mr. Shartsis has litigated a number of cases involving claims for more than one billion dollars. He has also represented major law firms, federal and state court judges, a number of California Constitutional Officers (including the Governor), and the States of California and Hawaii.

Mr. Shartsis is the founding President of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Northern California, an organization of over 1,600 lawyers specializing in business litigation and trials.

Mr. Shartsis served as an elected director and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). He also served on the Executive Committee of the Mayor’s Task Force which helped restructure the San Francisco Municipal Railway public transit system.

Mr. Shartsis has been a founding member of a number of public organizations, including California Lawyers For The Arts, The Henry’s Fork Foundation, and The Center Stage Ticket Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the International House at U.C. Berkeley and the U.C. Berkeley Alumni Association, the Berkeley Law Alumni Association and was Co-Chair of the Berkeley Law Centennial.

Mr. Shartsis’ pro bono activities include serving as co-counsel with Professor (and later Justice) Frank Newman on one of the first international human rights cases brought at the United Nations, involving the torture of political prisoners.

Mr. Shartsis received his J.D. from University of California, Berkeley - Boalt Hall School of Law in 1971, graduated from Oxford University in 1968, and received his A.B. with honors, Valedictorian, from the University of California, Berkeley in 1967.