Michael Friedrichs is a partner with the firm and rated AV® Preeminent™ through Martindale-Hubbell. A native of Escondido, Mr. Friedrichs focuses his law practice on real estate and business litigation, as well as on commercial transactions. With a focus on achieving his clients’ goals, he has experience litigating cases through trial, as well as using alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation and arbitration.
Mr. Friedrichs has represented buyers and sellers of real property, contractors, business owners, creditors, landlords and tenants, and victims of personal injuries, in the following matters:
- Purchase and sale of commercial real property, including pre-close of escrow issues and after close of escrow disputes
- Construction related issues including claims involving mechanic’s liens
- Commercial debt collection, including prosecuting applications for right to attach order
- Disputes over ownership and encumbrances to real property, including quiet title and partition claims
- Easements and boundary issues
- Landlord/Tenant matters
- Contract related issues
- Enforcement of judgments
- Third party personal injury claims
- Uninsured Motorists’ Claims
He also handles transactional matters, including drafting and revising commercial leases, buy-sell agreements, and business contracts.
In addition, Mr. Friedrichs has been the featured speaker at various seminars on commercial debt collection practices and enforcement of judgments.
Mr. Friedrichs was admitted to practice law in California in 1995 after graduating cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He began work at White and Bright in 1990 as a paralegal and continued in that capacity while attending law school at night. He joined the firm as an associate attorney in 1995 and then as a partner in 2003.
Active in the community, Mr. Friedrichs served as President of the Board of Directors between 2007 and 2011 at Interfaith Community Services, Inc., a social services organization headquartered in Escondido, California. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem with the San Diego Superior Court where he participated on the court’s Two-Attorney Settlement Panel as a settlement judge.
Mr. Friedrichs lives in Escondido with his wife, Lynne-Marie.
Education
- J.D., cum laude, Thomas Jefferson School of Law (formerly Western State University), 1995
Editor-in-Chief, Law Review - B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1988
Admitted to Practice
Professional Associations
- State Bar of California
- San Diego County Bar Association
- North County San Diego Bar Association
Recognition
- AV® Preeminent™ rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Speaking Engagements
- Collection Law Tips and Strategies – December 2011 – NBI, Inc., National Business Institute
- Collection Law From Start to Finish – May 2010 – NBI, Inc., National Business Institute
- Advanced Collection Strategies – December 2009 – NBI, Inc., National Business Institute
Community Involvement
White and Bright News & Blog
April 27th, 2018
In its March 2018 edition, San Diego Magazine has named attorney Michael Friedrichs as a 2018 Top Lawyer in the area of Civil Litigation. The list was compiled by Martindale-Hubbell®, the authority in attorney reviews and ratings. White and Bright i…
Read More May 23rd, 2016
In a recent appellate court decision (Boston LLC v. Juarez, 240 Cal.App.4th Supp. 28), the appellate court ruled that a tenant’s failure to timely obtain rental insurance following service of a three day notice to cure covenant or quit was a materi…
Read More February 9th, 2016
When seeking to enforce a civil judgment in California, judgment creditors should be aware of the tools available to them to obtain information on the assets and finances of judgment debtors. Under the Enforcement of Judgments Law (California Code of…
Read More July 14th, 2014
A grant deed in lieu of foreclosure (“deed in lieu”) given by a beneficiary to a foreclosing lender does not merge with the foreclosing lender’s deed of trust. For creditors with junior liens secured by real property, including contractors who…
Read More