James "Jim" F. Boccardo (July 1, 1911 - March 17, 2003) is an American lawyer, businessman and philanthropist from Santa Clara County, California. Boccardo "is a prominent person in the flamboyant fraternity of a personal-injured lawyer."
Video James F. Boccardo
Early life and education
Boccardo was born on July 1, 1911, in San Francisco, to Italian immigrant parents from Genoa. His father, John H. Boccardo, was a leader in the Italian local community and vice president of Bank of Italy, a pioneer at Bank of America. Boccardo grew up in Los Altos, California, where he was personally taught.
Boccardo received A.B. in chemical engineering from San Jose State University in 1931. He later studied at Stanford Law School, earning his L.L.B. and J.D. in 1934.
Maps James F. Boccardo
Careers
Boccardo later became known as a trial lawyer based in San Jose, California, practicing both lawsuits and criminal defense. He practiced for eight years before opening his own company. He is best known for representing, with San Francisco's famous criminal defense lawyer George T. Davis, the defendant in the trials of Thomas Talle's murder in 1946. Talle, a millionaire breeder from New Mexico, is accused of murdering his wife at their home in Monte Sereno. The case is widely publicized in the media. Boccardo acts as a lawyer and witnesses for defense. Convicted in the first trial, the verdict was reversed because of the technical appeal. Boccardo also represented the Mayor of San Francisco Joseph Alioto in a libel suit against Look , after the magazine stated that the mayor was connected to the Mafia.
Boccardo is a pioneer in the use of props, models, and videotapes as exhibition showrooms to explain complex facts. In 1970, Boccardo appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning $ 3.6 million in personal injury cases, at the time of the biggest ruling. After his death, Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy said that "Boccardo's reputation is one of the first things I know about this area, he is the legal skill in this area - and in this country, really." He is at the top of his game in criminal law and pioneering the way civil cases are handled in court. "During his lifetime, Boccardo was profiled in Time and Forbes magazines.
In addition to his legal practice, Boccardo is involved in business and banking. He was a defense contractor during World War II, organizing the San Jose Manufacturers, a nonprofit coalition of small machine shops that produce 105-mm rifles for the US Army in San Jose. Boccardo also created a workshop and shipbuilding facility for the Navy, another not-for-profit business, during the war.
Boccardo formed the Western Gravel Company, which joins other companies and becomes the largest supplier of concrete and building materials in Santa Clara County. In 1963, Boccardo founded the Community Bank of San Jose, which later became the California Commerce Bank, now owned by Grupo Financiero Banamex.
Boccardo is also known for the tax law case brought by Boccardo and his wife, Boccardo v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue . In this case in 1987, the Ninth Circuit decided to support Boccardo, reversing the United States Tax Court. This case changed how the client-law contract was taxed.
Boccardo is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates. Described as "agile" and "well-dressed," with "a neat tidy mustache," he has homes in Los Gatos, Palm Springs, and Pebble Beach. According to one story, Boccardo and Melvin Belli once "lowered Spanish Steps in Rome in a rented Rolls-Royce" together.
Retirement
After retiring from legal practice, Boccardo increased his philanthropic activities. He is a major helper of San Jose State University; in 1997, he gave $ 2 million for a renovation to a business school building (later renamed James F. Boccardo Business Education Center). Boccardo also donated to the university gate project, and the gates on Fourth Street and Paseo de San Carlos were named Boccardo Gate in his honor. The university gave Boccardo and his wife, Tower Award in 1998.
Boccardo was appointed commander of the Star of Star of Italian Solidarity Order in 1970. He also received the 2002 Achievement Award from the Italian American Heritage Foundation.
Boccardo also contributed to the homeless project. In 1997, he provided funds for a homeless shelter with 250 beds for the San Jose Housing Housing Consortium, the James F. Boccardo Regional Reception Center. Boccardo also conferred the Family Family Center of John H. Boccardo. In 2002, Boccardo funded the creation of Corridor Boccardo Trail in Alum Rock Park, hiking and riding trails, and doubled the amount of protected land in the park.
Boccardo died in his sleep at the age of 91 on March 17, 2003, in Los Gatos, California. He survived by his 67-year-old wife, Lorraine; a son, John Boccardo II from Sausalito, California; a daughter, Leanne Rees of Maryland; James's two grandchildren "Jim" Rees Los Gatos and Evan Rees New Mexico; and great-grandchild, Zachary Rees.
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Source of the article : Wikipedia
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