Attorney RecordSan Francisco County
Cliff Michael Palefsky · California Lawyer
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Cliff Michael Palefsky is on California’s State Bar roll, #77683, admitted in 1977; license status: active as of 22 July 2026. The address of record is in San Francisco, San Francisco County. This profile lists one third-party recognition, in Chambers USA 2026, as published by Chambers and Partners. 22 case appearances are listed on this profile. Registry record updated 7 October 2026; license information comes from the State Bar.
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Verified against official State Bar of California records · record last updated 7 October 2026. Contact information on this page comes from the public record and is shown free, the registry never paywalls it.
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The record
| State Bar number | #77683 |
|---|---|
| License status | Active |
| Admitted | 1977 |
| Law school | Georgetown Univ |
| Firm | McGuinn Hillsman & Palefsky |
| Location | San Francisco, San Francisco County |
| Registry identity | Official State Bar record |
Diamond members practicing in San Francisco County
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Cases of record
From published opinions naming this attorney as counsel. The attorney has not yet confirmed these records.
| Case | Appeared for | Citation | Court | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayler Bayer v. Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. | Counsel for the appellant | 861 F.3d 853 | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | 26 June 2017 |
| Farrar v. Direct Commerce, Inc. | Counsel for the respondent | 9 Cal. App. 5th 1257 | California Court of Appeal | 23 March 2017 |
| Tayler Bayer v. Neiman Marcus Holdings, Inc. | Counsel for the respondent | 582 F. App'x 711 | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | 3 July 2014 |
| Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc. v. Moreno | Counsel for the respondent | 57 Cal. 4th 1109 | California Supreme Court | 17 October 2013 |
| Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc. v. Moreno | Counsel for the respondent | 51 Cal. 4th 659 | California Supreme Court | 24 February 2011 |
| Sluimer v. Verity, Inc. | Counsel for the respondent | 606 F.3d 584 | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | 20 May 2010 |
| Hendow v. University of Phoenix | Counsel for the respondent | 296 F. App'x 587 | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | 15 October 2008 |
| Sluimer v. Verity, Inc. | Counsel for the plaintiff | 628 F. Supp. 2d 1099 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 22 July 2008 |
| Patel v. Sugen, Inc. | Counsel for the plaintiff | 354 F. Supp. 2d 1098 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 4 January 2005 |
| Little v. Auto Stiegler, Inc. | Counsel for the respondent | 29 Cal. 4th 1064 | California Supreme Court | 27 February 2003 |
| Hamilton v. Maryland Casualty Co. | Counsel for the respondent | 27 Cal. 4th 718 | California Supreme Court | 7 March 2002 |
| Duffield v. Robertson Stephens & Co. | Counsel for the appellant | 144 F.3d 1182 | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | 8 May 1998 |
| Duffield v. Robertson Stephens & Co. | Counsel for the appellant | 98 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3492 | California Supreme Court | 8 May 1998 |
| Cheng-Canindin v. Renaissance Hotel Associates | Counsel for the respondent | 50 Cal. App. 4th 676 | California Court of Appeal | 30 October 1996 |
| American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Barr | Counsel for the plaintiff | 794 F. Supp. 1466 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 12 May 1992 |
| American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1616 v. Thornburgh | Counsel for the plaintiff | 798 F. Supp. 597 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 23 August 1991 |
| American Federation of Government Employees, L-2110 v. Derwinski | Counsel for the plaintiff | 777 F. Supp. 1493 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 31 July 1991 |
| AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, COUNCIL 33 v. Thornburgh | Counsel for the plaintiff | 720 F. Supp. 154 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 11 September 1989 |
| American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1616 v. Thornburgh | Counsel for the plaintiff | 713 F. Supp. 359 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 5 January 1989 |
| American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Meese | Counsel for the plaintiff | 688 F. Supp. 547 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 16 June 1988 |
| Rulon-Miller v. International Business MacHines Corp. | Counsel for the respondent | 162 Cal. App. 3d 241 | California Court of Appeal | 29 November 1984 |
| Cathay Mortuary (Wah Sang) Inc. v. United Pacific Insurance | Counsel for the plaintiff | 582 F. Supp. 650 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 13 March 1984 |
Appearances in published opinions, drawn from public court records. Cases of record are matters of public record and are not a representation of results; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Legal information, not legal advice.
Each case name opens the published opinion it comes from. Is a case not this attorney’s? The attorney can claim this profile and mark it as not theirs, which removes it from this page; anyone can report an error through Help & Support.
Third-party recognitions
Third-party recognitions, as published by their issuers. CAR does not rank attorneys. How to read a Chambers recognition.
Chambers USA 2026, Band 1, Labor & Employment: Mainly Plaintiffs (California). As published by Chambers and Partners; CAR does not rank attorneys. Firm at the time: Law Offices of McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky.
Published source · Methodology
Published by Chambers and Partners and shown under licence. Not yet confirmed by the attorney. Last checked 3 October 2026.
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Issuers set their own criteria and may sell marketing products to the firms they recognize. A recognition is not a guarantee of any result. The California Attorney Registry is not affiliated with Chambers and Partners.
On the official record
The employer on the official record is McGuinn Hillsman & Palefsky.
The law school on the record is Georgetown University Law Center.
Admitted to the California Bar in 1977 · 49 years on the roll.
22 appearances as counsel in published opinions are on this record.
The address of record is in San Francisco, in San Francisco County, where matters are ordinarily heard at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, seated at San Francisco.
Confirm Cliff Michael Palefsky’s license status, bar number #77683, and official disciplinary or administrative history directly with the State Bar of California at apps.calbar.ca.gov before retaining counsel. This profile does not reproduce the complete official history; missing information does not mean no discipline. This page indexes public-record data and identifies verified claims; it does not rate attorney quality or predict results.
Legal information, not legal advice.
On the record nearby
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