By: Jon H. Epsten, Esq.

It is with personal regret but with best wishes that we announce the retirement of Epsten shareholder Tom Gatlin. Tom’s departure marks both the end of an era for our firm and the beginning of a new chapter in Tom’s life. While his colleagues and clients will surely miss their day-to-day interactions with Tom, this chapter will be a well-deserved respite for him. Over the years, Tom has been a friend and colleague and I personally look forward to maintaining our long-lasting personal relationship.

Tom Gatlin joined the firm in 1992 and has been a shareholder since 1999. His professional story began when he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with academic distinction in March 1971, and obtained his law degree from Hastings College of Law in May 1975. He was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1975. He then worked for several years as the Corporate Counsel and Vice-President of Cygnus Corporation (a.k.a. PMA), a management company working exclusively with community associations. While there, he gained extensive experience in legal issues affecting community associations, as well as practical knowledge of how associations are managed, their needs, authority, and limitations from a business point of view.

Tom’s extensive experience in community association reconstruction projects following construction defect litigation made him the one of firm’s “go-to” attorneys on contract issues. Given his background in community association management, Tom was known for having a unique ability to apply the law to the practical realities faced by an association’s board of directors. In addition to his direct work with clients, Tom has long served the community association industry as a frequent lecturer and an active member of the San Diego and Greater Inland Empire Chapters of the Community Associations Institute (CAI).

We are all indebted to Tom for his commitment to the professional, practical and personal practice of community association law. The efforts and the relationships he has built over the years, both inside and outside of the firm, have assured our success for the coming years. It is our personal hope that he will now enjoy the well-earned fruits of his labor with his friends and family. On behalf of the shareholders, attorneys and staff of Epsten, thank you and congratulations to Tom Gatlin…we wish you all the best.

Note: If you have been working with Tom and need to confirm contact information for the attorney to whom your association has been assigned, please email Abby at [email protected]. Thank you.