Renaissance Man – An Interview with David Pearson CCCBA Board President 2024
David Pearson is a man of many interests, hobbies, and passions – one of those is the passion for law. Having been a practicing attorney for 33 years, he brings extensive experience, understanding and practicality to each case with an intention to find the appropriate solution for his client and often the opposing parties. Another passion is our bar association. As you can see, he has graced two covers of our Contra Costa Lawyer and remains highly committed to the growth and effectiveness of the bar association. I have had the honor of working with David in his role as Incoming President for the past year and I can count on very direct, thoughtful and considered advice – with a healthy dash of humor, as you will see below. Here is a brief ‘interview’ with David.
Tell us about you and your family
I have a wife of 32 years – Rita, who is retired and rehabilitating from her 4th kidney transplant. We have one daughter and two grand dogs who live in San Diego. Our daughter is engaged and her fiancée serves in the US Navy. Our house is owned by two 75 pound dogs who let us live in it as long as we provide plenty of snacks, walks and comfortable furniture. We are repaid in mounds of dog hair.
Outside of your legal work, what are your hobbies/activities?
Take care of the wife and dogs. I occasionally do trail races (my longest race was 100k) and am usually found at the gym at 5 am. For many years my wife, daughter and I have also attended the Highland Games in Pleasanton, which is where we got our current two dogs. (Don’t drink whiskey when there are puppies available for adoption.) We first attended games in Fresno when we lived in Fresno. Once we moved back to the Bay Area we attended the Pleasanton Games and I joined Clan MacPherson as I knew my father had ancestors from all over the British Isles including Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. After a few years I decided to pick up a kilt and accessories to wear to the games. I first wore the kilt (the formal MacPherson dress tartan) outside of the games about 20 years ago at SF’s Black and White Ball which is how I ended up with the Prince Charlie jacket. My wife just shakes her head when I wear the outfit as she does with most of my activities.
Why did you decide to become a lawyer?
I was in college at University of Nevada, Reno and my father was in night school at McGeorge. I attended a few classes with him and it seemed easy (boy was I wrong). I figured a business degree from UNR wasn’t worth much and a law degree seemed interesting and useful.
How did you get involved with the CCCBA?
When I moved back to the Bay Area in 2000 from Fresno, I immediately joined the CCCBA to meet local attorneys and build a network. I had been in Fresno since graduating from Hastings in 1991. Lisa Reep talked me into taking over the Solo Section in 2001 or so and the rest is history.
What have you done during your time on the Board of Directors?
Lots of board meetings and committee meetings. The best part of serving on the board has been the social gatherings once COVID lifted and participating in many of the recent judicial inductions. It has been amazing to see our bench grow and add a significant amount of diversity.
My goal is to leave the CCCBA in at least as good a shape as I received it from David Erb. I would like to see more social gatherings and more of the weekend outings that have become so popular. While fewer attorneys seem to want to show up in person for MCLE events, the Bar’s social events have been very popular.
