Meet David
David and his wife, Nancy, have been residents of South County since 2002 and proud residents of Nipomo for 16 years. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.
David is committed to public service.
Serving teachers, parents, and our children is critical. Teachers are heroes. Children are our future. Parents provide protection and love. For all of these reasons, David wants to serve as a member of the Lucia Mar School Board. He cares about provided public service and has served in many ways:
Member of the County of San Luis Obispo Civil Service Commission (one of five commissioners), serving since January 2023
Serves as Judge Pro Tem in Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, handling small claims matters
Served for several years as a Mock Trial attorney coach for middle and high school students in the Lucia Mar Unified School District
Served as a judge for the countywide mock trial competition
Published articles in the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association journal on employment law, arbitration, and mediation
Volunteers with the Freedom to Choose Project at California Men's Colony (2024–present), responding to written program work from incarcerated individuals with a focus on rehabilitation, accountability, and personal growth
Served for several years as an arbitrator for the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association’s mandatory fee dispute arbitration program
David is committed to fairness & civility.
David works collaboratively with others to achieve result that works for all parties. He listens to the opinions and analyses of others, and he prizes civility and effort in negotiations. He has substantial experience mediating, arbitrating, and advocating in connection with a wide range of employment, business, and other disputes. He has extensive training as an arbitrator and mediator including advanced mediation training through Pepperdine University. David has also trained at the Advanced Arbitration Academy at USC.
David has extensive counseling & litigation experience.
David Warren is an experienced trial attorney, advocate and counselor, bringing many years of experience and dedication to his mediation, arbitration, and investigation practice. During his career, David has served as in-house counsel for Sears, Roebuck and Co., litigating a variety of matters throughout California and overseeing litigation in nine states. Thereafter, he formed a partnership in the Pasadena law firm Smith and Warren for fifteen years, where he litigated and counseled concerning a variety of employment matters, business issues and real estate issues. Thereafter he has provided counseling and advocacy in litigation as the Law Office of David P. Warren (with offices in San Luis Obispo County but actions in many counties).
David has extensive experience in employment matters and has represented employees and employers in connection with private industry and public employment matters including discrimination, retaliation, whistle-blowing and public policy claims and wage and hour matters. He has represented clients in a variety of business disputes/litigation, as well as commercial leasing and real estate matters. Additionally, he has handled real estate agency and brokerage disputes and many other contract matters. He has handled matters through jury and judge trials, arbitrations and appeals.
This Fall, David plans to teach a Contracts course at the San Luis Obispo College of Law.
