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GTP CLASSIC EPISODE: This week Steve and Yvonne interview T. Gabe Houston of The Trial Lab (https://thetriallab.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review View/Download Trial Documents Case Details: In June 2013, Thomas Joseph (“Joey”) Soulliere was riding his recently-purchased motorcycle down a public road. Suddenly, a driver in an SUV pulled out of a parking lot directly in front of him. While the situation was dire, Joey certainly had sufficient time to brake so as to avoid the SUV. Unfortunately, Joey's bike, a 2009 Suzuki GSXR 600, contained a defect within its Front Brake Master Cylinder (a defect which had been known for years by its designer and manufacturer, Suzuki Motor Corporation) which resulted in sudden and complete front brake failure. Having no front brake, Joey violently crashed into the SUV. His injuries included fracture of his right femur, right patella, and left foot. The patella injury was severe, requiring multiple surgeries (including for burst ligaments and infection). Joey also developed orthopedic injuries in his right shoulder and lower back, and continued to have chronic pain in his legs for years. (Source) Guest Bio: Gabe Houston Gabe Houston is the founding member of The Trial Lab Corporation (Formerly Houston Law of California, PC), a law firm devoted to enthusiastically representing aviation-related disputes as well as compassionately helping injured people. In personal injury matters, our job is to help injured people realize their brighter futures. The Trial Lab helps innocent injured victims who have been hurt due to the carelessness of others. Our clients have suffered a catastrophic personal injury, typically by defective products, dangerous properties, or other negligent people, or have been injured on an airline or by a doctor or hospital. The Trial Lab also represents clients in cases involving Qui Tam/Whistleblower matters. T. Gabe Houston has complex trial, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation experience. The Trial Lab and its trial attorneys have successfully tried and arbitrated multiple complex cases to verdicts in the areas of aviation litigation, product liability actions, personal injury, medical malpractice, and as well as defending wrongly charged or accused criminal defendants. The Trial Lab has also represented pilots against regulatory agencies such as the FAA and NTSB as well as representing clients in securities and commodities regulatory and administrative litigation. Gabe Houston and Caroline Blanco originally founded the law firm Houston and Blanco in 2008. Gabe and Caroline married, and Caroline left the practice of law to be the bedrock of a growing household. Gabe continued the practice as Houston Law of California. In 2012 Gabe suspended the solo practice when he was recruited to join a prominent medical malpractice firm where he used his trial knowledge and litigation experience to represent innocent victims of medical malpractice in suits against negligent physicians and health care providers. In 2018, Gabe returned to solo practice to stay focused on helping injured victims of catastrophic personal injury, defective products, dangerous premises, and airline injuries. Gabe is a long-time member of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA). Gabe was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of OCTLA and was on the Executive Committee, where he served as Parliamentarian through First Vice President before pivoting to bi-coastal trial practice. Read Full Bio Check out previous episodes and meet the GTP Team: Great Trials Podcast --- Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Production Team: Dee Daniels Media Podcast Production
Join Ben and Rahul for a conversation with Spencer Lucas, Partner at Panish Shea Ravipudi, in which Spencer talks about his recent $135 million verdict on behalf of two victims of sexual assault by a teacher at a public school, and his work on the leadership trial teams representing sexual assault victims in claims against the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese and Boy Scouts of America. Spencer talks about how he found a passion for championing the rights of victims of sexual assault and how he has navigated the complexities of proving that the school district and Catholic Diocese had prior notice that the teacher and priest were harming children and failed to act upon that information to protect his clients. About Spencer Lucas https://www.panish.law/Spencer Lucas is a trial lawyer and partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP specializing in litigating complex catastrophic personal injury, products liability, wrongful death, and sexual abuse cases. A member of the firm since 2007, he has extensive experience in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and has successfully recovered over $600 million for his clients. Mr. Lucas prides himself on not only helping survivors of trauma and their families recover from tragic situations but by implementing institutional safeguards for the community.Ranked among the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers in 2022, Mr. Lucas is recognized as a leading trial lawyer in California trying cases in venues across the state resulting in eight-figure verdicts. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work in the courtroom including nominations as Consumer Attorney of the Year by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). Mr. Lucas is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) with an elevated rank of Associate due to the number of lengthy trials to verdict he has completed and is annually recognized as a Best Lawyer in America® .Mr. Lucas has obtained numerous eight-figure verdicts and settlements in cases throughout California, including the following:$135 million verdict for two men who were sexually abused as students by a teacher in the Moreno Valley Unified School District.$48,500,000 settlement at the beginning of trial involving a 26-year-old man who was struck by a corporate vehicle and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.$30,000,000 settlementat the beginning of trial involving a 33-year-old man who was struck by a tractor-trailer and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.$19,466,000 verdict In Zastawnik v. Asplundh Construction, for his client who suffered severe ankle fractures and resulting pain disorder after being struck by a construction truck while riding a motorcycle.$17,120,672 verdict In Huayanca v. Southland Transit District, for his 83 year old client who sustained a below the knee amputation after being struck by a bus in a crosswalk.$13,000,000 verdict in Doe v. EōS Fitness, in Riverside County Superior Court for a young girl who was sexually molested while in the care of EōS Fitness' Kid's Club in Palm Springs, California. This verdict is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in America.$15,313,703 verdict in Francisco v. AC Transit, for a client who suffered a back injury while riding on a city bus.$15,000,000 verdict in Tilton v. Southern California Gas Company, for a teenager who sustained a closed head injury after his vehicle was struck by a Southern California Gas Company utility truck.$14,500,000 verdict in Barber v. Mossy Ford , in a complex tire failure case arising from a accident in which the parents of three young boys were killed. Along with settlements reached with other defendants, the total award was in excess of $22 million.$14,000,000 verdict in Curiel v. SSA Marine, for a man who suffered serious spinal cord injuries after a crane operator dropped a 25,000 lb. container onto the cab of his truck.$21,000,000 verdict in Nelsen v. Hillyard Inc., for an Iraq war veteran who suffered a brain injury after being rear-ended by a commercial vehicle at high speed.$20,000,000 verdict in Rivas v. J.B. Hunt , for a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer.$10,500,000 in Nichols v. Alameda-Contra Costa County Transit, on behalf of a woman who suffered serious orthopedic injuries when she was struck by an AC Transit bus while crossing the street. The case settled for $10.5 million.$8,652,580 award in the matter of of Haskell v. Farmers Insurance, on behalf of his client who suffered pelvic injuries. The settlement offer in this case prior to the award was $300,000.Outside the courtroom, Mr. Lucas is a frequent speaker on various issues, including traumatic brain, spinal cord injuries, and sexual abuse, and actively publishes articles in trade publications on a wide range of legal topics. He also spends much of his time dedicated to assisting his clients recovering from trauma obtain the best medical treatment available.In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, Mr. Lucas is a member of the Pepperdine School of Law Dean's Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (LATLC) which funds many local charity groups focusing on education, survivors of abuse, children, and the homeless.Originally from Seattle, Washington Mr. Lucas graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Business Administration. During his undergraduate work, he completed an International Business program with honors from the University of Sevilla in 1999. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2004, where he was the co-founder of the Pepperdine International Human Rights Program.Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Lucas works with many of the firm's Spanish-speaking clients and is frequently asked to give legal commentary on national Spanish television and radio programs. He has lived in Havana, Cuba, and throughout Mexico, where he spent his summers in college building homes for the homeless in Ciudad Juarez.Mr. Lucas is a member of the State Bar of California, the District of Columbia Bar and the Washington State Bar Association. He is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, and Los Angeles County Bar Association, and regularly volunteers his time providing pro-bono legal services to foster children and children facing immigration deportation proceedings.
From a young age, Robert Glassman worked hard to perfect his abilities as a public speaker. When he was in high school, his parents enrolled him in a Dale Carnegie program to develop confidence speaking in front of strangers. From high school to law school, Robert was a perennial class president and accustomed to giving planned speeches before large audiences. Join Rahul and Ben as they discuss with Robert the advantages and challenges of transitioning his public speaking skills to success in the courtroom. Robert talks about how he developed expertise in handling high-profile cases involving injuries to children while in the care of the public schools, and lessons learned from his first experience examining witnesses at trial to recently obtaining an eight-figure jury verdict the day after his forty-first birthday. About Robert Glassmanhttps://www.panish.law/glassman.htmlRobert Glassman is a partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP where he represents plaintiffs in large and complex personal injury cases and is a recognized leader in the Los Angeles legal community.Recognized by the Daily Journal as among the 2023 Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 in California, Mr. Glassman has also been named a “Rising Star” in Personal Injury litigation by Law360 and recognized as a “Rising Star” by the Super Lawyers publication since 2013 where he has been consistently selected as one of the “Up-and-Coming 100 Southern California Rising Stars”, the list of lawyers who rank at the top of the Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list.His work on three high-profile school injury cases – Lee v. Pupil Transportation Cooperative, Pierce v. Murrieta Valley Unified School District, and Sepulveda v. Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District – led to significant reforms at the school districts where the tragedies occurred and helped to establish new child safety laws in California.Mr. Glassman also represents victims and survivors of sexual abuse, including ‘Jane' who filed suit against her abusers in the high-profile case against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.A three-time Consumer Attorneys of California Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist for his work on Lee v. Pupil Transportation Cooperative, Pierce v. Murrieta Valley Unified School District, and Sepulveda v. Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, Mr. Glassman has also been recognized as a 2023 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year for his work on Sepulveda v. Yucaipa-Calimesa Unified School District.Mr. Glassman currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers Los Angeles Young Lawyers division and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Los Angeles Chapter.SOME OF MR. GLASSMAN'S MOST NOTABLE TRIAL VERDICTS INCLUDE:Diao v. Southern California Gas Company (Los Angeles jury awarded a $19,786,818 to injured plaintiff following a gas explosion at home in San Gabriel, CA). The judgment was recently upheld on appeal.Dillon v. City of Los Angeles (Los Angeles jury awarded $11,045,000 for a motorcyclist who suffered serious injuries following a collision with a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) vehicle.)Crenshaw v. Land O'Lakes, Inc.(Kings County jury awarded $6.45 million to Corcoran State Prison correctional officer after motorcycle crash in Hanford, CA). For the work Mr. Glassman and firm partner Brian Panish did on the Crenshaw case, it was recognized by The Daily Journal as a Top Ten Verdict of 2010.Gil v. Anderson (Los Angeles County jury awarded $2,000,969 to a man who was injured when his vehicle was struck from behind by a large commercial plumbing van)Ortega v. Lim (San Diego County jury awarded $1,957,500 for a man who suffered a back injury after his pick-up truck was struck by another vehicle whose driver was distracted and ran a red light at an intersection.)Kluthe v. Charles Doherty Concrete(Vista, California jury awarded a $1,552,917.56 verdict for a young man who suffered a back injury after his vehicle was struck by a cement dump truck that ran a red light at an intersection)SOME OF MR. GLASSMAN'S NOTABLE SETTLEMENTS INCLUDE:Lee v. Pupil Transportation Cooperative($23,500,000 for the parents of Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, a 19-year-old non-verbal autistic student who tragically died aboard a Whittier school bus after the driver left him behind to engage in a sexual tryst with a co-worker)Sepulveda v. Yucaipa-Calimesa Unified School District ($15,750,000 for the mother of 13-year-old Adilene Carrasco who suffered an asthma attack at school and died as a result of the district's failure to follow its own safety protocols)Pierce v. Murietta Valley Unified School District($11,000,000 for the family of a middle school student who drowned during a school-sponsored swim party)Palmstrom v. City of Pasadena ($7,150,000 for a toddler who suffered severe injuries after she was trapped beneath a 20-foot eucalyptus tree branch that had fallen onto her while playing on a preschool playground)Agu v. UC Regents ($4,750,000 for the parents of a Cal Berkeley football player with sickle cell trait who died during an off-season conditioning drill)Mr. Glassman has also secured eight-figure settlements in a wide range of cases including $32.6 million in a products liability design defect case, $16 million in a premises liability case, $12.45 million in a motor vehicle collision case, and $10 million in a dangerous condition of public property case involving a fallen tree.He is a member of the executive committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Judicial Appointments Committee (JAC) which responds to the governor's requests to evaluate individuals under consideration for appointment to the Superior Court bench.Prior to working at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, Mr. Glassman clerked at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in the Major Crimes Division where he worked on high profile murder prosecutions and in the Preliminary Hearing Unit where he conducted dozens of preliminary felony hearings. Mr. Glassman also previously worked on Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.In 2020, Mr. Glassman also led the collaboration between Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and The Children's Rights Clinic at Southwestern Law School (CRC) to provide legal representation to low-income children in the areas of school discipline, special education, and personal injury. Under his direction, clients will be represented by the firm in the area of personal injury while Southwestern law students participating in the Children's Rights Clinic will represent clients in the areas of special education and school discipline under the supervision of Southwestern Law School Professors.An alumnus of the Whitfield School in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Glassman also provided an invaluable opportunity in 2021 for the current and future students at his alma mater with the creation of the Glassman Leaders Program. During the program, two selected students — one junior and one senior — develop their public speaking and leadership skills through on-and off-campus coursework and mentorship. Participants also attend an eight-week Dale Carnegie course, which focuses on building communication skills for business people and students alike.Mr. Glassman attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA where he obtained his B.A. degree in English. Following college, Mr. Glassman obtained his law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles where he served as president of the student body, and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honors Program. GLASSMAN'S PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS INCLUDE:President, Los Angeles County Bar Association BarristersNickel Club President (Southwestern Law School's Young Alumni Association)Political Chair, New Lawyers Division, Consumer Attorneys of CaliforniaStudent Body President, Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, CAClass President, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.Senior Class President, Whitfield School, St. Louis, MO.Mr. Glassman is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, California, and United States District Courts throughout California.
Join Ben and Rahul for their interview of famed Los Angeles trial lawyer, Arash Homampour. Arash has perfected the ability to trial difficult liability and damages cases to outlier high verdicts. Arash explains how he channels his innate connection with his clients and abilities as a trial lawyer to achieve these results. Arash discusses his upbringing as the child of first-generation Iranian immigrants and how he went from failing the bar examination to being one of the most accomplished and successful trial lawyers in California and the United States. You don't want to miss this episode! About Arash Homampourhttps://www.homampour.com/ Arash Homampour Has Obtained Over $1 Billion Dollars in Settlements, Verdicts and Judgments for His Clients.He is a trial attorney who in the last five years alone has obtained many successful trial results (ranging from $2.5 million to $60 million) against Sunbeam Products, the State of California, Costco Stores, Farmers Insurance Exchange, Allstate Insurance, and Louisville Ladder in a wide array of cases involving dangerous roads, dangerous ladders, dangerous premises, and unlawful employment practices.In 2023, he has been named one of Daily Journal's Top Plaintiff Lawyers In California.In 2023, he has been named one of Daily Journal's Top 100 Lawyers In California.In 2023, he has been named one of the Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers, 3 consecutive years.In 2023, he has been named the Best Lawyers® 2023 Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Los Angeles.In 2023, he has been recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a legal visionary.In 2022, Homampour Law Firm was honored to be one of Top Verdict's Top 10 Verdicts in California.In 2002, Homampour Law Firm was honored to be one of Top Verdict's Top 20 Verdicts in California.In 2022, Homampour Law Firm was honored to be one of CVN's Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff Verdicts of the year.In 2022, he recovered a verdict of $60 million.In 2022, he recovered a verdict of $34 million.In 2022, he recovered a verdict of $36 million (wrongful death)In 2022, he recovered a settlement of $23 million (dangerous condition of public property)In 2022, he recovered a settlement of $15.92 million (dangerous condition of public property)In 2022, he recovered a settlement of $10 million (dangerous condition of public property) In 2022, he recovered a settlement of $8 million (dangerous condition of public property) In 2022, he has been named one of the Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers.In 2022, he has been named one of Law360°'s Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar.In 2021, he recovered settlements of $24 million (dangerous condition of public property) and $8 million (dangerous condition of public property)In 2021, he has been named one of the Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers.In 2021, he has become an Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor.In 2020, he recovered verdicts of $32 million (single plaintiff settlement premise and product liability case), $5.3 million (confidential settlement) and $5 million (disputed policy limits settlement).In 2019, he recovered a verdict of $30 million (wrongful death of driver that hit improperly parked truck), $12 million (wrongful death) and $5 million (liability and damages settlement)In 2018, he received the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA's) Ted Horn Memorial Award presented to the lawyer who has provided outstanding service to the Association and the legal community.In 2018, he received the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association Top Gun/Trial Lawyer of the Year award in Products Liability.In 2018, he recovered verdicts of $12.25 million (wrongful death of man at swap meet) and $10 million (fatal vehicle versus motorcycle) and was named in the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers for the 7th year in a row.In 2017, he recovered settlements & verdicts of $14.5 million (insurance bad faith), $14.25 million (wrongful death of a motorcyclist) $4.5 million (auto vs. truck).In 2016, 2018 and 2019, he has been named one of the Top 30 Plaintiff's attorneys in the State by the Daily Journal.In 2016, he was awarded the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association Trial Attorney of the Year award.In 2015, he recovered verdicts of $16.2 million (motorcycle rider suffered a head injury), $5.6 million (wrongful death of 83 year old), $60 million (wrongful death of mother in fire started by a defective space heater), $14.2 million (dangerous condition wrongful death case for lack of warning signs against Caltrans) and $14 million (bad faith claim against Allstate Insurance Co.). In 2010, he was named by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) as its Trial Attorney of the Year. CAALA is the largest plaintiff attorney group in the country.In 2007, he was named one of the Top 20 Attorneys Under the Age of 40 in the State of California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Every year since 2004, he has received nominations for Trial Attorney of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California and/or CAALA.Since 2005, he has been designated a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics.Since 2010, he has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers which is based on the lawyers who received the highest point totals in the Southern California nomination, research and blue ribbon review process.He has also successfully briefed and argued many appeals, including a recent California Supreme Court victory in Cortez v. Abich (2011) 51 Cal. 4th 285.Arash frequently lectures throughout the state on all matters related to trial practice and has published many articles. You can find copies of those articles or videos of his presentations at www.caala.org or www.caoc.org Areas of PracticeLitigationInsurance Bad FaithPersonal InjuryEmploymentBusiness Litigation Percentage100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation Bar AdmissionsCalifornia, 1993U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1993 EducationSouthwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CaliforniaB.S., Bachelor of Science – June, 1989Major: Economics/Finance
When Conal Doyle started his plaintiff's practice, he faced long odds and daunting obstacles. But as one born without one of his legs who went on to become a ski racer, long odds and obstacles were nothing new to Conal. Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with Conal about how he bet on himself and his clients time and again, achieved monumental verdicts and changes to the legal system on his way to becoming one of California's most successful trial lawyers. About Conal Doylehttps://conaldoylelaw.com/ Conal Doyle is an award-winning trial lawyer who has received national recognition for his courtroom victories that have had broad reaching impact on society. He is one of the few attorneys in history to argue before the United States Supreme Court and obtain multiple seven and eight figure jury verdicts.His international human rights victory in Castaneda v. United States was a catalyst for the reform of the United States immigration healthcare system, and garnered widespread acclaim from his peers, legal publications and the international media.For example, he received the 2012 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award in Human Rights, and the 2011 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). He has been listed in both Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers for the past ten consecutive years, and his courtroom victories have been chronicled in newspapers around the world, including a piece on the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes.”Conal's reputation as one of the finest trial attorneys in America was further cemented with two stunning back-to-back verdicts in Kern County, California, one of California's most “conservative” jurisdictions.In December 2013, Conal obtained as lead trial counsel a $26.8 million medical malpractice jury verdict in McKnight v. Spain. This result was the largest medical malpractice verdict in County history and was recognized by The Daily Journal as a Top 10 Verdict in California for 2013. The National Law Journal recognized the verdict as a Top 100 Verdict nationally and the Consumer Attorneys Association of California (CAOC) named him a Finalist for the 2014 Consumer Attorney of the Year Award. The highest pre-trial offer by the defense was $300,000.In March 2014, Conal obtained as lead trial counsel a $3.8 million jury verdict in Doe v. Jack In The Box. In this premises liability case, the highest pre-trial offer was $200,000.The foundation of this success is a passion for justice and a commitment to client service. Conal was born without his right leg, and like many of his clients, has overcome great obstacles and endured daily struggles. These experiences provide him a unique insight into his clients' challenges and help him guide his clients through difficult times.Conal's personal experience has led him to focus on the representation of amputees in both first party bad faith and personal injury claims. The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) honored Conal as the 2020 Street Fighter of the Year for his work on behalf of amputees in Trujillo v. United Healthcare, a national ERISA health insurance class action. The case required the nation's largest health insurer to change its claims practices and reprocess claims related to the denial of prosthetic devices to amputees. Conal is also prosecuting two other class actions for wrongful denial of prosthetics-against Anthem and Blue Shield of California, among numerous individual bad faith claims for wrongful denial of prosthetics.Conal is well known as an advocate for amputees in injury and bad faith insurance claims. His article, “Glimpsing the Future for an Amputee,” is used as a guide for litigating limb loss cases by attorneys across the country.Conal has never backed down from a challenge or started a fight that he couldn't finish. When he isn't challenging corporate giants in the courtroom, Conal enjoys skiing the Rockies, a remnant from his past as an alpine ski racer. Honors & Awards2020 Consumer Attorneys Association of California (CAOC) Street Fighter of the Year Award2014 Finalist-Consumer Attorney of the Year-Consumer Attorneys Association of California (CAOC)The National Law Journal Top 100 Verdicts, 2013The Daily Journal Top 10 Verdicts, 20132012 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award2011 Trial Lawyer of the Year-Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)2011 Attorney of the Year-The RecorderThe Best Lawyers in America, 2012 – PresentFinalist-2011 CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year2011 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in AmericaThe National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100, 2008 – PresentThe Daily Journal – Top 20 Under 40 in California, 2010Super Lawyers-Southern California Superlawyer, 2012 – PresentThe Daily Journal – Top 10 Verdicts, 2010Martindale Hubbell – AV Rating, 2007 – PresentSan Francisco Trial Lawyers Association – 2011 Civil Justice AwardThe National Law Journal-Appellate Lawyer of the Week, 20102011 Public Justice Achievement Award-Public Justice Foundation Public ServiceConal devotes a significant portion of his practice to public interest work and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Justice Foundation, a non-profit public interest law firm. Mr. Doyle frequently acts as “lead cooperating counsel” on cases with Public Justice, where he donates a portion of his fees as a pro bono contribution to the organization. Prior Work HistoryConal comes from a “big firm” background, where he served as a trial attorney for six years at one of Florida's largest and most respected law firms. Conal won his first federal jury trial in a civil rights excessive force case at age twenty-seven. By age thirty-one, he was lead trial counsel of an eleven-hundred-member law enforcement agency, where he litigated civil rights, torts, class actions, and employment cases.Conal participated in a dozen jury trials as a defense attorney, winning eleven of them. His jury trial experience includes cases involving medical malpractice, breach of contract, insurance coverage, premises liability, negligent security, 42 U.S.C. 1983 civil rights violations, excessive force, false arrest, automobile negligence, traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, and employment law. PersonalMr. Doyle is a right leg amputee. He is an avid alpine skier and has competed in Giant Slalom and Slalom alpine races against the best disabled athletes in the world, including the U.S. Ski Team, Canadian Ski Team, and Australian Ski Team. He is a former member of the Board of Directors (1998-2002) of Self-Reliance, Inc. and is active in community efforts to improve the lifestyles of Americans with disabilities. He regularly draws on his unique life experiences in representing clients who have sustained significant injuries or have suffered discrimination due to their disabilities. Public SpeakingMr. Doyle is a frequent lecturer and author on the topics of civil trial practice, civil rights, and personal injury litigation at law schools, Continuing Legal Education seminars, and the FBI NAA National Convention, where he has been recognized as an expert in civil rights litigation. He has also been quoted and featured frequently in national newspapers, radio, and television regarding constitutional law issues and civil rights. Bar AdmissionsCalifornia, 2003Florida, 1997New York, 2006District of Columbia, 2006U.S. Supreme CourtU.S. Court of Appeals 11th CircuitU.S. Court of Appeals 9th CircuitU.S. District Court Central District of CaliforniaU.S. District Court Middle District of FloridaU.S. District Court Eastern District of CaliforniaU.S. District Court Southern District of CaliforniaU.S. District Court Northern District of California EducationFlorida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, FloridaJuris Doctor cum laude – May 1997Book Awards: Trial Practice, Litigation SeminarFlorida House of Representatives-Legislative Internship/ScholarshipFlorida Bar Scholarship-Top 10 Law Students in State 1996Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, FloridaFirst Year of Law School – 1994Class Rank: 1/159West's Outstanding Scholar Award-#1 ranked first year law studentBook Award-TortsBook Award-Civil ProcedureBook Award-Criminal LawEckerd College, St. Petersburg, FloridaB.A. – 1993
Welcome to episode 213 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode, Ken sits down with Pratik Shah from EsquireTek to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal industry, focusing on streamlining tasks and enhancing efficiency. A Southern California native, Mr. Shah began his legal career as a Deputy District Attorney with the County of Sacramento where he worked on the trial team. He led numerous trials to verdict in Sacramento County before returning to Southern California to open a solo practice. Pratik H. Shah currently serves as the Associate Director of Litigation at Panish | Shea | Boyle |Ravipudi LLP, working alongside the firm's Director of Litigation on trial strategies, as well as with referral lawyers to ensure a smooth transition of cases brought to the firm by outside counsel. Prior to joining Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP, Mr. Shah served as Co-Founder and Partner at Shah D'Egidio APC Injury Lawyers, a civil litigation law firm in San Diego focused on personal injury. He also Co-Founded the legal technology platform, EsquireTek, and continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the software company. Pratik is a past President of the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego, an active member of both the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and the San Diego County Bar Association. What you'll learn about in this episode: The Impact of AI on Legal Workflows: How AI simplifies the written discovery process The automation of response documents and information extraction Enhancing Client Satisfaction with AI: The benefits of providing clients with an easy-to-use interface Improving the speed and efficiency of client communications AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement: The distinction between automating tasks and strategic decision-making How AI frees up lawyers to focus on high-skill, critical tasks Choosing the Right AI Solutions: The importance of security and compliance in AI tools How to ensure AI solutions are reputable and industry-compliant The Evolutionary Perspective on AI in Law: Comparing the adoption of AI to historical technological advancements The potential of generative AI to revolutionize law firm operations Resources: Pratik Shah – Personal Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratik-shah-8916198/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecloseresq/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pratik.shah.908 EsquireTek – Company Links Company Website: https://www.esquiretek.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EsquireTek/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esquiretek/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/esquiretek X: https://twitter.com/EsquireTek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@esquiretek The Bootstrapped Solo Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bootstrapped-solo-podcast/id1619810185 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0QzxXyqFW5ZqhTQl3B0SSY YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQgKdxe3wrYtiEG_5EEG5l3-5PnPXK-1K Additional Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/aiworkshop https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect https://www.pilmma.org/resources https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind
From representing Yoko Ono to winning class action lawsuits on behalf of actors and musicians, Neville Johnson and his partner Douglas Johnson (no relationship) have built one of the most interesting and successful entertainment law practices in the nation, specializing in representing “talent” as opposed to the business side of the industry. Join Rahul and Ben for a fascinating discussion with Neville and Doug, as they describe how they got their start in this practice, recount some of their most interesting cases, and talk about trends in entertainment law resulting from new technologies. About Neville Johnson - Senior PartnerWebsite: Johnson and Johnson, LLP Law Firm | Johnson and Johnson, LLP (jjllplaw.com) Professional Experience:Neville L. Johnson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley (1971). He received his law degree from Southwestern Law School (1975), graduating near the top of his class. He has tried over 28 civil jury trials and over 70 civil trials and arbitrations without a jury. He is a member of the invitation-only American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and is on the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (CAALA since 2005), the Board of Directors of the national organization Public Justice, and on the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association 2013-2015 and 2020-2022 (BHBA). Johnson is a long-time member of the invitation-only Los Angeles Copyright Society, and on the Board of The California Society of Entertainment Lawyers. He was nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2005 by CAALA. He was Co-Chair of the Entertainment Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association from 2009 to 2011. He has been on the Planning Committee of the USC Entertainment Law Institute since 2011. He has appeared in courts in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. In 2020, Mr. Johnson and his team secured a verdict in a Right of Publicity case of over 9 Million Dollars in damages, and over 7 Million Dollars in attorneys fees. Mr. Johnson has litigated and settled countless cases against a wide array of defendants concerning royalty accounting, profit participation, publicity rights, idea theft, copyright infringement, and many other entertainment law matters. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School since 2012, where he teaches Entertainment and Media Litigation. However, his greatest pride has been in defending the privacy rights of all citizens against the worst malefactors in the media. His work in this field was perhaps best summarized by Professor David A. Elder, a leading expert on the law of privacy, who published the following special dedication in his treatise, Privacy Torts: To Neville L. Johnson… who has led the charge, often successfully (and always creatively and with great passion) in exposing some of the worst outrages of media newsgathering. Neville ranks with Brandeis and Warren as the great defenders of privacy. All America is in his debt. Mr. Johnson has practiced entertainment law and IP law since 1975 [except for 10 months in 1977-78 when he was a Public Defender (juvenile) in Los Angeles County and handled over 100 matters, including two murder trials and one attempted murder trial]. Mr. Johnson has represented many well-known celebrities and entertainment concerns. The firm currently represents Sylvester Stallone in net profit litigation, and many other writers, directors, actors, producers, musicians, models, and JoJo Siwa, the biggest teen star in the world. He and his firm have been lead counsel in many class actions, including pioneering class actions in the entertainment industry against the entertainment unions, major record companies and motion picture companies. The firm has also handled a number of consumer class actions. The firm handles 15 to 20 right of publicity cases a year. Mr. Johnson is a frequent lecturer and written extensively on entertainment, copyright and media and other legal topics, including in London, England (Entertainment attorneys based in the UK, London Branch of Entertainment Section of BHBA), Cannes, France (MIDEM, the international music convention), New York (ABA Forum on Communications Section, and Entertainment Law Section and New York Bar Assn.: Entertainment Law Section), Nashville (ABA Entertainment Law Section), Las Vegas (ABA Entertainment Law Section), Miami, Arizona State University, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, Loyola Law School, Southwestern Law School, USC Entertainment Law Institute annual forum (3 times) as well as the undergraduate school, California Western School of Law, California State University, Northridge, and many times to the Entertainment Section of the BHBA as a panelist or moderator), the Intellectual Property Section of Los Angeles County Bar Assn., and Berklee College of Music (Boston). Johnson & Johnson LLP, based in Beverly Hills, California, is a litigation firm that specializes in complex litigation with a particular emphasis on entertainment, intellectual property, right of publicity, privacy, defamation, consumer issues, and class actions. Mr. Johnson and the firm also negotiate business and entertainment agreements. Representative Matters:Obtained a 9.6 Million Dollar jury verdict after a seven week jury trial for claim of violation of the right of publicity, Hansen v. The Coca Cola Company, the largest verdict for a right of publicity case in the history of the United States. The trial court also awarded 7.4 million dollars in attorneys' fees.Obtained a unanimous landmark privacy ruling from the California Supreme Court in Sanders v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (1999) 20 Cal.4th 907, a decision that is included in multiple casebooks and taught in law schools across the country.Obtained a published California Court of Appeal opinion representing fitness celebrity Richard Simmons in right of privacy claims against a magazine and private eye for placing a GPS tracker on a car. Simmons v. Bauer Media (2020)Represented numerous victims (both individually and in a class action) of notorious wiretapper Anthony Pellicano and other liable parties, including obtaining a favorable partial affirmance of a significant sanctions award by the California Court of Appeal in Gerbosi v. Gaims, Weil, West & Epstein LLP (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 435, which concerned a law firm's use of Pellicano's services.Pioneered the use of class actions against studios and record labels for improperly accounting to artists regarding royalties and profit participation, obtaining multiple eight-figure settlements therefrom. Represented many individuals in profit participation claims, including Sylvester Stallone, Jack Klugman, Richard Dreyfuss and Mike Connors.Represented the heir of songwriter Gram Parsons in Parsons v. Tickner (1995) 31 Cal.App.4th 1513, defeating a statute of limitations defense and establishing a fiduciary duty claim against a music publisher.Represented numerous legendary musicians and/or their estates on a variety of contractual, accounting, and intellectual property matters, including John Lennon, Buddy Holly, Michelle Phillips, Rick Nelson, P.F. Sloan, members of Earth, Wind and Fire, Mitch Ryder, Lloyd Price and many others.Obtained a $15 million award in a jury trial business fraud case. Honors:He has been repeatedly selected by Super Lawyers as one of the top entertainment attorneys in Southern California (top 5% of attorneys as voted by peers). In 2020, 2021 and 2022 Super Lawyer and his peers named him one of the top 100 attorneys in Southern California, the only entertainment attorney on the list, he was named one of the top 100 Power Lawyers in Entertainment Law by The Hollywood Reporter every year since, 2008, and in 2020 moved to a new permanent category and designated a “Legal Legend.” He has also been designated numerous times one of the top lawyers in entertainment by Variety and Los Angeles legal newspapaer The Daily Journal. He was nominated as Trial Lawyer of the Year by the California Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. He is a fellow at the American Law Institute (only 2% of all attorneys are members). In 2020 he was honored as Alumnus of the Year by the Biederman Entertainment Law Institute at Southwestern Law School. A law review article about his career is Richard and Calvert, “Suing the Media, Supporting the First Amendment: the Paradox of Neville Johnson and the Battle for Privacy,” 67 Albany Law Review 1097 (2004). On June 23, 2015, the Los Angeles Times did a major profile (front page, Business Section) on his career, “Contract Sport, ‘Go-to' L.A. Lawyer Says Hollywood Studios Are Shortchanging His Clients,” noting that Johnson & Johnson is one of the few firms successfully taking on the entertainment establishment on a regular basis. The cover story of the July 2016, issue of Attorney at Law magazine is about Neville Johnson. The Los Angeles Business Journal profiled him on its first page, “Lawyer Up,” (September 9, 2019). Speaking Engagements:He is a frequent speaker, including in London, England [Entertainment attorneys based in the UK, London Branch of Entertainment Section of Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA)], Cannes, France (MIDEM, the international music convention), the Intellectual Property Section of Los Angeles County Bar Assn., and Berklee College of Music (Boston); and the Los Angeles Copyright Society. New York (ABA Forum on Communications Section, and Entertainment Law Section and New York Bar Assn.: Entertainment Law Section), Nashville (ABA Entertainment Law Section), Las Vegas (ABA Entertainment Law Section), Miami, Arizona State University, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, Loyola Law School, Southwestern Law School, USC Entertainment Law Institute annual forum (3 times) as well as the undergraduate school, California Western School of Law, California State University, Northridge, and many times to the Entertainment Section of the BHBA as a panelist or moderator), SInce 2011 he has moderated the panel on ethical issues for the annual Year in Review for the Entertainment Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Publications: Johnson & Johnson, “Interesting New Developments About Which All Practitioners Should be Aware,” 31 New York State Bar Assn, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal 56 (2020); Johnson, Johnson, Smolla & Tweed, “Defamation and Invasion of Privacy in the Internet Age,” 25 Southwestern Journal of International Law 9 (2019) Johnson & Johnson, “Trouble in Tinseltown, Los Angeles Daily Journal (April 23, 2019); “My Big Mouth,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 29, 2019); Johnson & Johnson, “Entertainment Contracts with Minors in New York and California, 30 New York State Bar Assn, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal 75 (2019); Johnson & Johnson, “A New Way to Revive a Corporation?,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (October 18, 2016); Johnson & Johnson, “Hollywood Docket: One Sided World,” 27 New York State Bar Assn, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal 32 (2016); Johnson & Elder, “Maybe America Needs More Peter Thiels,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (August 8, 2016); “We've Lost Control,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 16, 2016); “Talent Agency Act Survives Suit, Clarity Remains Elusive,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 10, 2013); “The Man Who Seduced Hollywood,” 36 Los Angeles Lawyer 41(September 2013); “Remedies for Web Defamation,” California Lawyer 36 (May 2013); “To Find Employment as a Lawyer, You Must Market Yourself,” 36 Los Angeles Lawyer 12 (June 2013); “Ten Rules for Success in the Practice of Law, 31 Los Angeles Lawyer 12 (June 2008); Chapter, Johnson & Aradi, “Defamatory Tweeting and Other Name and Likeness Violations” in Building Your Artist's Brand as a Business, International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (2012) (includes a discussion of right of publicity); Chapter, Johnson & Fowler, “Litigation: How to Draft Defensively Without Killing the Deal” in Licensing of Music from BC to AD (Before the Change/After Digital), International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (2014); Elder, Johnson & Rishwain, “Establishing Constitutional Malice for Defamation and Privacy/False Light Claims When Hidden Cameras and Deception Are Used by the Newsgatherer,” 22 Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review 327 (2002); “New Developments in California Privacy and Defamation Law,” 23 California Litigation 21 (2010); Johnson & Johnson, “What Happened to Unjust Enrichment in California? The Deterioration of Equity in the California Courts,” 44 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 277 (2010); Johnson & Walsh, “The Danger of “Anti-Libel Tourism” Litigation in the United States, 32 Los Angeles Lawyer 44 (December 2009); Johnson, “Privacy and the First Amendment”, California Litigation (2006); co-author “Caught in the Act,” Los Angeles Lawyer (1998) (an analysis of trends in the right of privacy); Johnson & Lang, The Personal Manager in the California Entertainment Industry, 52 Southern California Law Review 375 (1979)(a definitive article on the regulation of talent agents, personal managers, and the interplay of entertainment unions and guilds in that nexus). He co-authored chapters on music publishing and personal managers in The Musician's Business & Legal Guide (2017 5th edition), and wrote the authorized and best-selling biography of the greatest coach in the history of sports, The John Wooden Pyramid of Success (Second Edition 2004). Since 2012, Neville and Douglas Johnson have taught a course on entertainment and media litigation as Adjunct Professors at Southwestern School of Law. From 2011-2014, he was one of the panelists teaching the Los Angeles County Bar Association new admittees course on class actions; and since 2011 he has moderated the panel on ethical issues for the annual Year in Review for the Entertainment Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Professional Associations:American Board of Trial Advocates (invitation only)Association of Business Trial LawyersBeverly Hills Bar Association Co-Chair Entertainment Section, 2009-2011Board of Governors, 2012-2015, 2020-2022Consumer Attorneys Association of Los AngelesBoard of Governors, 2005-PresentConsumer Attorneys of CaliforniaLos Angeles Copyright Society (invitation only)Los Angeles County Bar AssociationLoyola Productions [Filmmaking arm of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits)]Co-Chair of the Board, 2009-PresentNational Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy organization)Voting Member (as the recording artist professionally known as Trevor McShane)Public Justice (National organization advocating for consumers and fundamental rights)Board of Governors, 2011-PresentUSC Entertainment Law InstitutePlanning Board, 2011-Present Education:J.D., Southwestern University School of Law, 1975B.A., University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, 1971 Practice Areas:Media LawEntertainment LawEntertainment Class ActionsPrivacy LawComplex Business Litigation Matters, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraudRight of Publicity (wrongful use of name and likeness)Copyright Infringement and Theft of Idea casesIssues involving the entertainment unions Admissions:CaliforniaUnited States Supreme Court About Douglas Johnson - Managing PartnerWebsite: Johnson and Johnson, LLP Law Firm | Johnson and Johnson, LLP (jjllplaw.com) Professional Experience:Mr. Johnson is well known for handling high-profile and high-impact entertainment matters. His clients include producers, actors, directors, writers, production companies, music artists, composers, music publishers, and independent record labels. He is well-known for his successes in royalty disputes, profit participation disputes, right of publicity cases, and theft of idea cases for film and television. Mr. Johnson also handles invasion of privacy and libel cases, business disputes, and class actions. Mr. Johnson has been repeatedly named by Super Lawyer as a top intellectual property litigator for more than a decade, representing the top 2.5% of the profession in Southern California. Mr. Johnson also serves as outside general counsel for WorldStarHipHop.com, a popular music and pop culture website, where he deals with cutting-edge copyright, media, and right of privacy issues. Mr. Johnson has handled numerous copyright infringement lawsuits in Federal Court for Worldstar. Since co-founding Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Johnson has been at the forefront of developing California's right of publicity laws. He regularly represents celebrities, models, and professional athletes in litigation against defendants who have wrongfully used their images. He has litigated cases up to the California Supreme Court, advocating for precedent to protect the rights of all Californians from those who would seek to profit from their names, images, and likenesses without authorization. Mr. Johnson's advocacy in this area of law extends to his participation on speaking panels, publication of scholarly articles, and educating law students on the importance of these rights. Mr. Johnson recently litigated a right of publicity case that resulted in a 9.6 million jury award and an attorney fee award of 7 million against Coca-Cola and Monster Energy for building their Hubert's Lemonade brand around the name of the founder of Hansen Juices, Hubert Hansen. Mr. Johnson also received a seven-figure jury award in a right of publicity case for an actor/supermodel. Representative Matters:Handled profit participation disputes on behalf of Sylvester Stallone (Demolition Man, Expendables, and the Rocky Films), Glen Larson (Magnum PI, Knight Rider, Fall Guy, Battlestar Galactica), Ed Weinberger (Amen), Richard Dreyfuss (Goodbye Girl, Mr. Holland's Opus, and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and What About Bob?), Raymond Wagner (Turner and Hooch), Jack Klugman (Quincy, Odd Couple), Mike Connors (Mannix), the Estate of Charles Bronson (St. Ives, Telefon), Mort Engelberg (Hot Stuff and Smokey And The Bandit), and the owners of the Friday 13th horror franchise. Lead counsel in a class action against Sony Music, resulting in $12.7 million settlement and 36% uplift in ongoing foreign streaming royalties in Nelson v. Sony (S.D.N.Y) benefiting thousands of legacy recordings artists; currently co-counsel in similar litigation on behalf of legacy artists signed to Warner and Universal. Lead Counsel defending RatPac inidea theft case over the 2018 Melissa McCarthy movie, Life of the Party. (case dismissed on Motion for Summary Judgment).Lead Counsel representing producer in a dispute over turnaround rights to the film Rush Hour 4. Lead Counsel for Janet Jackson in a royalty dispute with her label. Obtained $5.35 million in retrospective relief and an estimated $3.1 million in savings over the next three years in Risto v. AFM & SAG-AFTRA (C.D. Cal.) for non-featured performers who receive royalties from the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund.Obtained a seven-figure settlement as lead counsel in a major talent management dispute for actress Karrueche Tran after successfully freezing all her manager's assets in Tran v. Muhammad (C.D. Cal.)Currently representing the leading production music company in North America on a variety of copyright matters both in and out of litigation-see, e.g., Associated Production Music v. The Vail Corp. (C.D. Cal.)Co-counsel in class actions against major Hollywood studios alleging endemic underpayment on home video and new digital media for pre-1982 movies for writers, producers, actors, and directors. In those cases, Mr. Johnson handled the settlement with Universal for $25 million, the settlement with Fox for $12.6 million, and the settlements with Sony and Paramount.Mr. Johnson was co-counsel in three class actions against the record industry companies over digital download royalties of underpayments to artists (Temptations/Motels/Ronee Blakely), resulting in eight-figure settlements. The cases dealt head-on with unresolved points of law as to the classification of digital downloads, and the rights of artists to receive royalties in the face of changing technology. Mr. Johnson has litigated several high-profile libel actions against large media companies, resulting in several mid-seven-figure settlements. Recently he represented Richard Simmons against In-Touch Magazine. In May 2020, he argued and won an Anti-SLAPP appeal for Mr. Simmons.With his partner, Neville L. Johnson, he settled three class actions against the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, and Screen Actors Guild of America for tens of millions of dollars of unpaid foreign levies. Defended blues icon B.B. King in a case seeking declaratory relief regarding the right to produce a film about his life, resulting in dismissal of the lawsuit.Obtained a seven-figure jury verdict in Oregon U.S. District Court on behalf of a music artist and record company in a copyright infringement case.Represented business owner in arbitration in a partnership dispute resulting in a seven-figure award for the client.Wrongful death and civil rights case resulting in reorganization of staffing and training at a county jail. The matter was featured on the cover of the Sacramento News & Review and constituted the largest settlement in the nation at the time for such a case. Thought Leadership:Panelist, CalCPA: Entertainment Industry Conference (June 21, 2022)Panelist, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Year in Review, Ethics (January 13, 2020)Adjunct Professor, Entertainment and Media Litigation, Southwestern School of Law, (2012 to Present)Panelist, “Backend Optics: Profit Participations Through Different Lenses,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, (2018)Panelist, “I'm a Celebrity, You Can't Do That, (Can You?), California Society of Entertainment Lawyers, (2018)Panelist, “Entertainment Year in Review: Entertainment Litigation With Stars Of The Bar,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, (2017)Panelist, “The Right of Publicity: The State of The Current Law,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, (2014)The Ever-Evolving Courtroom Drama of Net Profits, Donald L. Stone's Inn of St. Ives, (2012)Panelist, Right of Publicity: How Much Is Your Client Really Worth?, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, (2012)Panelist, Current Issues in Right of Likeness, Defamation and Privacy, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Entertainment Law Section, (2011)Panelist, Injuries Without Remedies, Loyola Law School's Legal Symposium, (2011) Sample Publications:The Troubling Trend of Online Exceptionalism to Copyright's Separate Accrual Rule, New York State Bar Association, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 34, No. 2, (Summer 2023)Florida sides with California on delayed discovery in copyright cases, Daily Journal (March 3, 2023)The Second and Ninth Circuits Diverge on Copyright Law's Discovery Rule, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol 33, No. 2 (Fall 2022)The Top 3 Copyright Law Developments of 2022 (So Far), New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 33, No. 2, (Spring 2022)Say Goodbye to Back-End Deals, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Fall 2021)3 Music Litigation Developments in 2020-2021, Daily Journal (October 23, 2021)Contract, Fraud, and Libel Damages, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California, Advocate Magazine (October 2021). 3 Music Litigation Developments in 2020-2021, Daily Journal (September 16, 2021)Recent Developments In Entertainment Law: Defamation Jurisdiction, Copyright, and Talent Contest Agreements (Summer 2021)Black Windows: Scarlett Jo vs Disney, Daily Journal, (July 6, 2021)Recent Right of Privacy Developments, Daily Journal, (July 22, 2021)Developments In Libel, Social Media, Privacy and The Right of Publicity, (Spring 2021)Copyright Developments in 2020, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Journal, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Sring 2021)Pandemic-era Appellate Rulings Take on Arbitration, Los Angeles Daily Journal (April 22, 2021)Recent Interesting Cases, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 31, No. 2, (Spring 2020)Hollywood Docket: Trending: Data Privacy, Copyright Trolling, And A Clause To Keep In Mind, New York State Bar Association, (June 6, 2020)Recent Development In Copyright Law, Daily Journal, (August 2, 2020)COVID-19 And The Return To Film Production In California, Los Angeles Daily Journal, (July 13, 2020)Interesting New Developments About Which All Practitioners Should Be Aware Of, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1, (Winter 2020)My Big Mouth, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Association for Southern California, Advocate Magzine, (December 2019)Entertainment Contracts With Minors in New York and California, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1, (Spring 2019)Defamation and Invasion of Privacy in the Internet Age, Southwestern Journal of International Law, Volume XXV (2019)When Will Legal Communication Result In Liability? Los Angeles Daily Journal, (Mar 29, 2019)Entertainment Contracts With Minors: Clarification Needed, Los Angeles Daily Journal, (Nov. 27, 2018)Tales and Lessons Regarding the Right of Publicity, USC Entertainment Law Spotlight, Issue 2, (2018)Hollywood Docket: Tales and Lessons Regarding the Right of Publicity, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, No. 2, (Summer 2018)Hollywood Docket: Essential Clauses for Drafting an Ironclad Release and Consent Agreement, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1, (Spring, 2018)Before You Sign That Deal At Cannes…Produced By, Producers Guild of America, (April/May 2017)Hollywood Docket: Making the Perfect Pitch, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 27, No.3, (Fall/Winter 2017)Hollywood Docket: One-Sided World, New York State Bar Association, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol 27, No. 2., (Summer, 2016)A New Way to Revive a Corporation, Los Angeles Daily Journal, (Oct 26, 2016)Hollywood Docket: Social Media, the Law, and You, New York State Bar Association, Arts and Sports Law Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Fall 2016)What Happened to Unjust Enrichment in California? The Deterioration of Equity in the California Courts, Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, Vol. 44:277 (Fall 2010) Published Cases:Gerbosi v. Gaims, Weil, West & Epstein, LLP (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 435Walker v. Geico General Ins. Co. (9th Cir. 2009) 558 F.3d 1025Simmons v. Bauer Media Group USA, LLC (2020) 50 Cal App.5th 1037Education:J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 2000, Dean's ListB.A., University of Southern California, 1996, Dean's List Practice Areas:Entertainment LitigationComplex Business LitigationClass Action LitigationIntellectual Property LitigationDefamation, Media, and First Amendment LawRights of Privacy and Publicity Admissions:California
In this episode, Ben and Rahul break down the recent $46 million verdict Rahul obtained in a case on behalf of a client injured during a Brazilian Jujitsu class. Rahul talks about how he frames the issues in the case to deal with the challenge of many jurors believing that those who engage in dangerous activities, like Jujitsu, assume the risk of injury. He shares his approach to voir dire and to obtaining this high-value verdict in a relatively conservative venue where verdicts tend to be on the lower side. Rahul talks about how the verdict was received in the Jujitsu community and how it is likely to lead to changes that will make the practice safer. About Rahul RavipudiRahul Ravipudi is a partner at Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP and has spent his legal career handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving commercial vehicles, pedestrians, industrial or construction accidents, utility negligence, dangerous conditions of public and private property as well as cases of sexual abuse and sexual assault. Mr. Ravipudi also represents consumers in class actions against businesses who engage in unfair/illegal business practices and public entities in cases where corporations have endangered the safety, health, property or comfort of the public. Mr. Ravipudi currently serves as Public Entity Plaintiffs' Co-Lead Counsel in the JUUL Labs Product Cases, representing school districts and other public entities in California involved in litigation against the electronic cigarette manufacturer. Has also serves as Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel in the Southern California Fire Cases litigation arising out of the 2017 Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flows in Montecito, California as well as on the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the California North Bay Fires litigation. Mr. Ravipudi previously served on the Steering Committee in the Blythe bus crash litigation. Named 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year by Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Mr. Ravipudi has obtained numerous landmark verdicts and settlements including a $160.5 million jury verdict for a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a vicious beating by security personnel for a nightclub, a $46,475,112.33 jury verdict for a beginning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu student who suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while sparring with a Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club instructor who performed a technique which rendered the student an incomplete quadriplegic, a $28,500,000+ settlement for a special needs student who was catastrophically injured after being struck by a vehicle while under the care and supervision of Victor Elementary School District (VESD) personnel, as well as a $23,500,000 settlement on behalf of the family of Paul Lee, a 19-year-old non-verbal autistic student who tragically died aboard a Whittier school bus after the driver left him behind to engage in a sexual tryst with a coworker. The Lee case was a catalyst for significant change in school transportation with Governor Jerry Brown signing the “Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law” in September 2016, requiring all school buses in the state of California to be equipped with a child safety alarm system that must be deactivated by the bus driver before departing the bus. The new law will go into effect at the start of the 2018-19 school year and requires bus drivers to receive training in child-safety check procedures. Committed to serving as an advocate for his clients, Mr. Ravipudi has obtained numerous eight-figure awards including a $20,500,000 jury verdict for the mother of a high school student who was killed while walking to a bus stop, a $19,786,818 jury verdict for a man who suffered severe burn and traumatic brain injuries when his rental home exploded as a result of Southern California Gas Company negligence, a $13,935,550 jury verdict for 19-year-old pedestrian who suffered extensive injuries as a result of being struck on the sidewalk by a vehicle driven by a Los Angeles County employee, a $13,000,000 settlement for the children and parents of a woman who was killed when her car was hit by a Hawthorne, California police officer, a $11,000,000 settlement for the family of a middle school student who drowned during a school-sponsored swim party, a$10 million for the family of an independent truck driver killed by an intoxicated heavy lift operator at a stevedoring terminal in Long Beach, and an $8,000,000 jury verdict in Clark County District Court for a Nevada man who suffered significant internal injuries after he was served and ingested what he believed was a Honey Blonde Ale but was actually a chemical cleaning compound left in the tap lines. Mr. Ravipudi shared his insight into successfully litigating cases against the stevedoring companies in an article entitled, “Danger on the Docks – Where there is an injury or death on the waterfront, drugs or alcohol are too often involved” published in the February 2011 edition of Advocate, journal of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. Additional recoveries obtained by Mr. Ravipudi include a $15,950,000 settlement for a teen who suffered a brain injury on an HOA playground, $8,000,000 settlement for an 81-year-old woman who suffered severe spinal cord injuries after falling at a hotel, a $7,000,000+ settlement during trial for the family of a man killed at SpeedVegas when the vehicle he was driving slammed into a track wall and burst into flames, $6,500,000 settlement for the two minor children and friend of a Southern California man who was killed after being struck on the highway by a freight truck whose driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel, a $6,000,000 settlement for a woman who suffered severe burn injuries when a faucet in the bathtub of her apartment detached and sprayed scalding hot water onto her body, a $5 million for an HVAC worker who suffered serious injuries when he fell through a skylight while working on a customer's roof, a $3.3 million gross jury verdict arising out of the death of a pest control person crushed and killed when a semi-truck reversed into him at a warehousing facility, and $9 million from the State of California (Caltrans) when a 16-year-old girl on a restricted license lost control of her vehicle and collided into a guardrail damaged two days earlier resulting in a bilateral traumatic below knee amputations. This case involved significant appellate issues which led to Mr. Ravipudi's article, “Dealing with the state of California's first line of defense – stonewalling any meaningful discovery” published in Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles in February 2009. In recognition of his outstanding trial efforts, some of the awards Mr. Ravipudi has received include, but are not limited to:2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyers2023 Lawyer of the Year in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Best Lawyer2022 Top Plaintiffs Lawyer in California – Daily Journal2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyers2021 Robert E. Cartwright Sr. Award – Consumer Attorneys of California2021 Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys of California2021 Top Plaintiff Lawyer in California – Daily Journal2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyers2020 Top Plaintiffs Lawyer in California – Daily Journal2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyers2020 Plaintiffs Lawyer Trailblazer – National Law Journal2019 Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys of California2019 Plaintiffs Lawyer Trailblazer — National Law Journal2019 Trailblazer Award – South Asian Bar Association of Southern California2018 Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys of California2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year – Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles2017 Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys of California2017 Top Plaintiffs Lawyers of California – Daily Journal2017 Top 100 Lawyers of California – Daily Journal2016 Trial Lawyer of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles2016 Consumer Attorney of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys of California2016 Top Verdict By Impact – Daily Journal2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year finalist – Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles2014 Top 20 Under 40 – Daily Journal In addition, Mr. Ravipudi has been consistently ranked top in his profession for his work in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs with annual inclusion to Best Lawyers since 2013 and selection to the Super Lawyers list since 2014, the latter of which recognizes no more than five percent of attorneys in the state. Mr. Ravipudi was previously selected as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2006-2013 – an honor awarded to the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in the Southern California area under 40 years of age. Prior to joining Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP, Mr. Ravipudi worked at another consumer law firm where his work helped recover over $4 billion for his clients. He participated as co-lead class counsel in a consumer class action case brought on behalf of all gas and electricity rate payers in the State of California against El Paso Natural Gas Company and Sempra Energy. This case arose out of the California Energy Crisis of 2000/2001 and resulted in the recovery of more than $3.5 billion in restitution to California utility customers. To date, this is recognized as one of the largest antitrust settlements in American history. Mr. Ravipudi also participated as co-lead counsel on an antitrust class action case brought on behalf of all gas and electricity rate payers in California against Reliant Energy Services and other energy traders for manipulating the California natural gas market by engaging in wash trades, churning, and false reporting. Hundreds of millions of dollars were recovered for rate payers of the State of California as well. In addition to serving as an Associate Editor for the Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Mr. Ravipudi actively publishes articles in various journals and trade publications and is a frequent speaker on various issues, including class action litigation and trial tactics. In 2010, Mr. Ravipudi was profiled in the California Law & Politics magazine in an article entitled “Class Act(ion)”. A Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Ravipudi is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, and an Associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the South Asian Bar Association (SABA), and the Nevada Justice Association. He serves on the Board for Loyola Law School, on the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of ABOTA, on the Board of Governors for CAALA, on the Steering Committee for SABA, and on the Board for Public Counsel. He has previously served as Treasurer of the South Asian Bar Association Public Interest Foundation and is an active supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Mr. Ravipudi received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Minor in Chemistry from the University of California, Riverside and his law degree from Loyola Law School where he has served as an adjunct professor teaching Trial Advocacy since 2008. He resides in La Canada Flintridge with his three sons and wife Smitha, who serves as Chief Executive Officer at USC Care & Ambulatory Care Services at Keck Medicine of USC.
Join Ben and Rahul for their interview of San Francisco trial lawyer, Sarah London of Lieff Cabraser. Sarah explains how her interest in community organizing ultimately led her to a career as a plaintiff trial lawyer. She views the law as the ultimate weapon for promoting positive societal change. Not long after becoming a lawyer, Sarah London found herself in Florida trying case after case against the big tobacco companies. At first, the plaintiffs were losing every trial. But in time, they found strategies to turn the cases around, win, and obtain large verdicts. This experience of trying similar cases over and over provided a laboratory for better understanding of how to select juries and frame a case for trial success. The insights gained through this process are valuable not just for tobacco litigation, but anyone who conducts jury trials. Sarah was recently appointed as co-lead counsel for the Juul litigation. Sarah's insights into trial lawyer are both practical and inspirational. You won't want to miss this episode! About Sarah London“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”Martin Luther King, Jr. A partner in Lieff Cabraser's San Francisco office, Sarah R. London is a determined, skilled, and experienced advocate for the injured, employees, and consumers.In February of 2020, Sarah was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the Gilead HIV Drug Kidney & Bone Injuries Litigation. In December of 2019, she was appointed to serve as Co-Lead Counsel and Liaison Counsel for plaintiffs in the nationwide multidistrict Juul e-cigarette fraud and injury litigation. In September of 2019, Sarah was appointed by Judge Judith E. Levy to serve as Subclass Settlement Counsel in In re Flint Water Cases, the federal class action lawsuit seeking justice for the over 100,000 residents of Flint, Michigan who were exposed to seriously elevated levels of lead as a result of insufficient water treatment.Sarah also serves in lead roles in women's health cases, including work as court-appointed Liaison Counsel and Interim Class Counsel in the federal class action filed on behalf of families in May 2018 against San Francisco's Pacific Fertility Center over the Center's March 2018 allegedly negligent destruction of hundreds of frozen eggs and embryos as a result of a leak in a cryogenic storage tank. Sarah also served in a leadership role in successful litigation recovering millions of dollars on behalf of women who suffered serious injuries due to complications from allegedly defective trans-vaginal surgical mesh.Sarah has been directly involved in several recent California environmental disaster cases, including litigation against Plains All American Pipeline arising out of the 2015 oil spill in Santa Barbara, and two important class action cases on behalf of homeowners and businesses that suffered economic injuries in the wake of the massive Porter Ranch gas leak, which began in October of 2015 and lasted into February of 2016.A Super Lawyers Rising Star for eight consecutive years and 2015 finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of California Streetfighter of the Year Award, Sarah has held multiple leadership positions in CAOC, including her current position on the Board of Directors. In September 2019, Sarah was appointed Chair of the Resource Board of the National Association of Women Judges.
The Attorney Post - If you don't know your rights, you don't have any!
Welcome to Etehad Law, the renowned Los Angeles-based law firm founded by Simon Etehad. With a specialization in personal injury, business, real estate, employment, and legal malpractice law, Etehad Law has been delivering exceptional legal services for over 25 years. Simon Etehad, an esteemed trial attorney, boasts an impressive track record of successful settlements and trial verdicts, having recovered tens of millions of dollars for his clients. At Etehad Law, the primary focus is on providing top-tier representation to clients affected by personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, and other related cases. The firm also offers comprehensive legal services for businesses, including corporate structure, transactions, litigation, and employment law matters. With extensive experience in real estate law, Etehad Law effectively handles transactions and litigation in this field as well. What sets Etehad Law apart is their unwavering commitment to personalized attention and support. Recognizing the uniqueness of each legal case, the team at Etehad Law takes the time to actively listen to their clients' concerns and goals. By doing so, they develop customized strategies tailored to achieve the best possible outcomes for their clients. Recently, Simon Etehad was a featured guest on The Attorney Post podcast, where he discussed his legal practice and shared valuable insights on various legal issues. During the interview, Simon emphasized the significance of building strong client relationships, highlighting trust and communication as key elements in successful legal representation. He also shed light on the impact of the pandemic, acknowledging both the challenges and opportunities that remote work has presented in terms of flexibility and accessibility for clients. Simon's exceptional legal knowledge and experience have garnered him numerous honors and accolades, including membership in the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forum and SuperLawyers. His inclusion in the Top 50 Jury Verdicts in California in 2019 further demonstrates his exemplary skill as a trial attorney. Simon actively participates in professional organizations such as the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the Consumer Attorneys of California. Beyond his legal endeavors, Simon Etehad remains dedicated to giving back to the community. He has served as a board member and president of Nessah and as a board member and Western Region Vice President of FIDF. Additionally, he holds a seat on the Honorary Board of LATLC, further exemplifying his commitment to various non-profit organizations. To summarize, Etehad Law is a leading law firm in Los Angeles, renowned for its exceptional legal representation in personal injury, business, and real estate law. Simon Etehad's extensive experience and remarkable track record make him an outstanding trial attorney. Moreover, his recent appearance as a guest on The Attorney Post podcast showcases his expertise and allows him to provide valuable insights and guidance to listeners seeking reliable legal representation. For exceptional legal services, contact Etehad Law today at (310) 550-1220 or visit their website at https://EtehadLaw.com. https://youtu.be/wGX1KVycAGg
This week Steve and Yvonne interview T. Gabe Houston of The Trial Lab (https://thetriallab.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review View/Download Trial Documents Case Details: In June 2013, Thomas Joseph (“Joey”) Soulliere was riding his recently-purchased motorcycle down a public road. Suddenly, a driver in an SUV pulled out of a parking lot directly in front of him. While the situation was dire, Joey certainly had sufficient time to brake so as to avoid the SUV. Unfortunately, Joey's bike, a 2009 Suzuki GSXR 600, contained a defect within its Front Brake Master Cylinder (a defect which had been known for years by its designer and manufacturer, Suzuki Motor Corporation) which resulted in sudden and complete front brake failure. Having no front brake, Joey violently crashed into the SUV. His injuries included fracture of his right femur, right patella, and left foot. The patella injury was severe, requiring multiple surgeries (including for burst ligaments and infection). Joey also developed orthopedic injuries in his right shoulder and lower back, and continued to have chronic pain in his legs for years. (Source) Guest Bio: Gabe Houston Gabe Houston is the founding member of The Trial Lab Corporation (Formerly Houston Law of California, PC), a law firm devoted to enthusiastically representing aviation-related disputes as well as compassionately helping injured people. In personal injury matters, our job is to help injured people realize their brighter futures. The Trial Lab helps innocent injured victims who have been hurt due to the carelessness of others. Our clients have suffered a catastrophic personal injury, typically by defective products, dangerous properties, or other negligent people, or have been injured on an airline or by a doctor or hospital. The Trial Lab also represents clients in cases involving Qui Tam/Whistleblower matters. T. Gabe Houston has complex trial, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation experience. The Trial Lab and its trial attorneys have successfully tried and arbitrated multiple complex cases to verdicts in the areas of aviation litigation, product liability actions, personal injury, medical malpractice, and as well as defending wrongly charged or accused criminal defendants. The Trial Lab has also represented pilots against regulatory agencies such as the FAA and NTSB as well as representing clients in securities and commodities regulatory and administrative litigation. Gabe Houston and Caroline Blanco originally founded the law firm Houston and Blanco in 2008. Gabe and Caroline married, and Caroline left the practice of law to be the bedrock of a growing household. Gabe continued the practice as Houston Law of California. In 2012 Gabe suspended the solo practice when he was recruited to join a prominent medical malpractice firm where he used his trial knowledge and litigation experience to represent innocent victims of medical malpractice in suits against negligent physicians and health care providers. In 2018, Gabe returned to solo practice to stay focused on helping injured victims of catastrophic personal injury, defective products, dangerous premises, and airline injuries. Gabe is a long-time member of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA). Gabe was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of OCTLA and was on the Executive Committee, where he served as Parliamentarian through First Vice President before pivoting to bi-coastal trial practice. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Michael A. Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger (https://www.walkuplawoffice.com) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Accomplished California personal injury lawyer Michael A. Kelly, a shareholder at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger and recent Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame inductee, shares how he secured justice for the first of thousands of victims of a defectively designed medical device. On December 5, 2007, U.S. Air Force veteran Loren "Bill" Kransky underwent hip surgery in Montana, receiving a DePuy ASR Acetabular Hip System orthopedic implant. DePuy, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, first put the ASR Acetabular Hip System on the market in Europe in 2004, and soon after began receiving notifications from prominent surgeons that the device was flawed. Despite receiving these notifications, DePuy continued to market the metal implant as a low-wear product that required only one surgery and failed to report product issues to American doctors. On August 4, 2010, a recall was issued and the Depuy ASR Acetabular Hip System was labeled as defective, but the damage was already done for millions of patients, including Loren. Following the recall, Loren underwent revision surgery to have the implant removed because it was shedding metal debris into the tissue of his hip and bloodstream. In March 2013, a Los Angeles jury returned a verdict in favor of Loren, awarding $8,338,136.12 in damages for the pain caused by the defective design and ultimately helping to facilitate a $2.5 billion national settlement for all victims. Click Here to Read/Download Trial Documents Guest Bio: Michael A. Kelly Mike Kelly is one of the nation's top personal injury attorneys. For four decades he has protected consumers from corporate greed, medical mistakes, dangerous household products, unsafe medical devices, and motor vehicle accidents of every kind. He has tried, settled, and arbitrated more than 200 cases where the recovery by his client exceeded $1 million. In 2020 he helped negotiate the multibillion-dollar resolution of the 2017 California wildfire lawsuits brought against utility giant PG&E. Before that, his $8.341 million verdict in the first DePuy ASR/Johnson & Johnson metal-on-metal artificial hip litigation helped produce a $2.5 billion national settlement for all victims. In 2021 Mike was the number one vote-getter for the second year in a row on the 2021 list of Northern California “Super Lawyers”. A member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, Kelly was also included on the “Top 10” and “Top 100” list of lawyers in Northern California for the 18th time, as well as being selected by Best Lawyers to its prestigious roster for the 20th consecutive year. Recognized for his leadership in some of the most significant consumer protection cases in our state, Kelly made the list of the Los Angeles Daily Journal's 2021 Top Plaintiff Lawyers and was inducted into Lawdragon's Hall of Fame for his many years of pro-consumer successes, most recently demonstrated by his role in the litigation against the giant utility PG&E for the damage caused by the 2017-2018 Northern California wildfires and the devastating Butte County Camp Fire. When resolution by mediation or settlement fails, Kelly is ready to take his clients' cases before juries. Recent trials have produced a $4 million jury verdict against the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District for the death of a pedestrian struck by one of its buses, a $5.6 million jury verdict against a Super Shuttle driver for the death of a retired restaurateur, a $12.75 million recovery against a domestic automaker(auto rollover), a $10.5 million settlement for the wrongful death of a single mother, and a major 8-figure confidential settlement against Kaiser Health Plan for a catastrophically injured infant. His $8.35 million verdict on behalf of a construction worker who lost an arm showed his skill in work-site injury cases. His $23.2 million jury verdict in a birth injury medical malpractice case in Minnesota ranks among that state's largest verdicts for obstetrical injury. Beyond stellar results for his clients, Kelly is proud of his many contributions to the legal community. He is a speaker for 360 Advocacy for whom he chairs its annual Trucking Litigation program. He teaches regularly for NITA, The Rutter Group, ABOTA, the Consumer Attorneys of California, AAJ, SFTLA, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. He served for 10 years as the Director of Teacher Training programs for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and remains a member of its Board of Governors. He has long been active in protecting the rights of the underrepresented, working for pedestrian and bicyclist safety, lobbying for compensation fairness for medical malpractice victims, and protecting the rights of the LGBT community. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with legendary trial lawyer Brian Panish, founding partner of Los-Angeles-based trial firm, Panish Shea Boyle and Ravipudi (PSBR). Brian discusses how the values he learned growing up and playing competitive sports through college shaped his work ethic and approach to the competition of trial practice. Brian shares keys to success at trial and in building a world-class trial law firm. Brian is the G.O.A.T. You don't want to miss this episode! About Brian PanishOne of the country's leading trial attorneys, Los Angeles personal injury lawyer Brian Panish has obtained some of the most significant jury verdicts in United States history on behalf of plaintiffs. His courtroom victories include a $4.9 billion record verdict in the landmark products liability case Anderson v. General Motors, over 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million, six verdicts in excess of $50 million, and more than 500 verdicts and settlements over one million dollars in personal injury, car accident, wrongful death and business litigation cases. Mr. Panish consistently serves in a leading role in the largest personal injury cases in California and the country. He currently serves as Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel in the Woolsey Fire litigation, Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel in the Southern California Fire Cases litigation arising from the 2017 Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flows in Montecito, California, and serves on the Plaintiffs Executive Committee for the 2017 North Bay Fires in Northern California. Mr. Panish also serves as Lead Trial Counsel in the Southern California Gas Leak Cases where he led a team of lawyers in obtaining a $1.8 billion settlement from Southern California Gas Company and Sempra Energy. He previously served in leadership roles in the Asiana Airlines Crash Litigation, the Olympus Superbug CRE Litigation and DePuy ASR Hip Implant Litigation, among others. Most recently, Mr. Panish has been retained to represent the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer who was fatally shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the movie set of ‘Rust' in October 2021. Since 2011, Mr. Panish has obtained more than $500 million in verdicts including, among others, a $23,720,996 bench trial award for a Southern California man and his wife after the man suffered a lower leg amputation as a result of being struck by a 28-foot utility truck while riding his motorcycle, a $21,503,420.48 verdict for a man who suffered catastrophic injuries after a vehicle illegally exiting the 405 Freeway HOV lane struck his motorcycle, a landmark $53,745,374 verdict for two Southern California brothers who were severely injured following a head-on collision with CRST big rig, a $41,864,102 jury verdict and subsequent $46,000,000 settlement for a United States Air Force Captain who suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck from behind while on his motorcycle and then dragged the length of a football field and a half by a Southern California Gas Company truck, a $36.5 million jury verdict against Schneider National for a big-rig crash that left a woman with severe spinal cord injuries, a $34.5 million verdict for a man who suffered a below the knee amputation after being hit by a tractor trailer, a $21,503,420.48 jury verdict for a Southern California man who suffered catastrophic injuries after a vehicle illegally exiting the 405 Freeway HOV lane struck his motorcycle and sent him careening across three lanes of traffic and into a passing flatbed trailer, a $17.4 million verdict for a Ph.D. student who suffered brain and jaw injuries during a rear end chain collision accident, a $17 million jury verdict against the Los Angeles MTA in the wrongful death of a visually impaired passenger, a $17.845 million award in a wrongful death case involving four family members killed when a Marine jet crashed into their home, a $20 million jury verdict for a woman who suffered a brain injury in a hit-and-run accident involving a J.B. Hunt tractor trailer, a $17 million jury verdict for a 84-year old man hit by a bus resulting in a leg amputation, a $15.3 million jury verdict for a woman and her daughter after the woman was severely injured on a negligently driven Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District bus, a $10.45 million jury verdict for the family of a security guard killed on the CBS studio lot and a $8.3 million jury verdict in the first DePuy ASR Hip Implant case to go to trial. Because of his expertise in personal injury, wrongful death, mass tort and product liability cases, Mr. Panish has been appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs' Steering and Executive committees in numerous high profile mass torts and major disaster cases, including litigation involving train crashes (co-lead counsel in the the Chatsworth Metrolink disaster, the Glendale Metrolink crash, and the Placentia Metrolink collision), airplane disasters (Alaska Airlines Flight 261 and Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes), pharmaceuticals (Vioxx and diet drugs), and defective product cases (Welding Rods, DePuy ASR Hip Implant Litigation, and Toyota Unintended Acceleration cases.) He is currently handling numerous cases involving the Asiana Flight 261 plane crash as well as serving as Plaintiffs Co-lead Trial Counsel, representing over 7,000 clients in the Porter Ranch Gas Leak litigation. Mr. Panish has been recognized by numerous publications and organizations as being among the top trial lawyers in the country. Some of the honors he has received include the following:2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America2023 Leading Commercial Litigators – Daily Journal2022 Finalist for CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year2022 West Trailblazer – The American Lawyer2022 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2022 LA 500 – Los Angeles Business Journal2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America2022 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2022 Top 100 Lawyers – Los Angeles Business Journal2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers2022 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award in the area of Personal Injury2022 Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar – Law3602021 Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys – Los Angeles Business Journal2021 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2021 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2021 LA 500 – Los Angeles Business Journal2021 Lawdragon Leading Lawyers in America2020 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2021 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Action – Plaintiffs – Los Angeles2020 Lawdragon Leading Lawyers in America2020 Plaintiffs Lawyer Trailblazer – National Law Journal2020 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers2019 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2019 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2019 Plaintiffs Lawyer Trailblazer – National Law Journal2019 Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar – Law3602019 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award in the area of Personal Injury2019 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs – Los Angeles2018 Finalist for CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year2018 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2018 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2018 Daniel O'Connell Award – by Irish American Bar Association-Los Angeles2018 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Aviation Law – Los Angeles2017 Top 100 Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2017 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2017 Civil Advocate Award – by the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC)2017 Finalist (2) for CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year2016 Outstanding Litigator – by Southwestern Law School2016 Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2016 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation – Los Angeles2015 National Law Journal's Elite Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame2015 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Product Liability Litigation – Los Angeles2015 Top 25 Plaintiff Lawyers in California – Daily Journal2015 Robert E. Cartwright Sr. Award (given by the Consumer Attorneys of California in recognition of excellence in trial advocacy and dedication to teaching trial advocacy to fellow lawyers and to the public.)2014 Consumer Attorney of the Year – by the Consumer Attorneys of California2013 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award in the area of Personal InjuryThe National Law Journal's 100 Most Influential Lawyers In AmericaDaily Journal's Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys in California2012 Top 20 Lawyers in California by The Recorder2010 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the California Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)2010 Champions of Justice award from Loyola Law School2010 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Product Liability Litigation – Los Angeles2009 Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation – Los Angeles1999 Trial Lawyer of the Year – by Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)Top 500 Attorneys and Litigators in the United States by LawdragonTop 10 Southern California Super Lawyers® (various years, including from 2009-2017)Listed in Best Lawyers® since 2001Listed in Southern California Super Lawyers® since 2004 In addition to his numerous honors, Mr. Panish currently serves as immediate past president of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, comprised of 100 of the nation's top plaintiffs' lawyers. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (including serving on the State Selection Committee), the International Society of Barristers, the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and was the 2011 President of the Los Angeles Chapter of ABOTA. He is a member of the American Bar Association (formerly a Litigation Section Board Member), the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (formerly on the Board of Governors), and the Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly on the Board of Governors). He also serves on the Best Lawyers® Board of Advisors. Mr. Panish received his law degree, with honors, from Southwestern Law School, and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Southwestern in 2011. He received his B.S. from California State University Fresno, where he was named Scholar Athlete, was the recipient of the Athletic Directors Award and was named an outstanding alumnus at the school's Centennial Celebration in 2010. Mr. Panish is licensed to practice in California, Nevada, and Texas. Submit our online contact form to request legal assistance with your claim. Verdicts and Settlements:The following is a list of just some of the landmark cases that Brian Panish has been involved in:$4.9 Billion – Anderson v. General Motors Corp.$3.3 Billion – LA County v. Tobacco Industry$58 Million – Griggs v. Caterpillar, et al.$55.4 Million – Lampe v. Continental General Tire$53.745 Million – Lennig v. CRST$46 Million – Lo v. Southern California Gas Company$39.5 Million – Freeman v. Board of the Trustees of the California State University$36.5 Million – Sheth v. Schneider National$34.5 Million – Casillas v. Landstar Ranger, Inc.$32.5 Million – Johnson/Allen/Cascio v. City of Beverly Hills$32 Million __ J.G. v. Tulare County Child Welfare Services$27 Million – Dominguez v. San Francisco$25.5 Million – Sherman v. Courrege$23.7 Million– Rojas v.Hajoca Corporation$23.5 Million – Lee v. Pupil Transportation Cooperative$22 Million – Pogosyan v. SCRTD$21 Million – Nelsen v. Hillyard, Inc., et al.$17.845 Million – Yoon v. United States$17. 4 Million – Sheaffer v. NuCO2$17 Million – Cuthberton v. LACMTA$15.75 Million – Doe v. Alaska Airlines$15.3 Million – Francisco v. AC Transit$15 Million – Tilton v. Southern California Gas & Electric$15 Million – Wu v. Singapore Airlines$14.5 Million — Montanez v. Sunrise Farms, LLC$11 Million – Witham v. Avjet$10.45 – Villamariona v. CBS$10 Million – Doe v. Alaska Airlines$9.5 Million – Ledesma v. Patel$9.3 Million – Cedillo v. The Efim Sobol Trust$8.3 Million – Kransky v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.$8 Million – Rastello v. City of Torrance$7.5 Million – Rennie v. FedEx Brian Panish in the News: The following is a list of some of the articles in which Brian Panish is featured:What is the value of a poor man's life?Brian Panish addresses The Senate Judiciary CommitteeBrian Panish of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP Top Vote Getter Among Southern California's Personal Injury Super LawyersFormer Fresno State footballer (Panish) gives generously to Dan Brown Legacy Fund – MedWatch Today, 9/2/10Brian Panish and the Toyota Recall – Press Release, 6/7/10Judge Agrees to Expand Plaintiffs Committees in Toyota MDL – The National Law Journal, 5/17/10Brian Panish Receives #3 Ranking in 2010 List of Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers – Press Release, 2/2/10Personal Injury Litigators of 2010 – The National Law Journal, 2010 View PDF of ArticleBrian Panish and Kevin Boyle Talk About Their Numerous Wins in Air Disaster Cases – The National Law Journal, 2010 View PDF of ArticleThe Los Angeles Area's Best Lawyers 2006 Survey Results – West – Los Angeles Times Magazine, 11/12/06The Top 100: California's Leading Lawyers – The Daily Journal, 9/21/06Profiles in Power: The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America – The National Law Journal, 6/19/06View PDF of ArticleLawyering Up Pellicano's Victims – Deadline Hollywood Daily, 3/9/06Does Brian Panish Ever Lose? – Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006The Plaintiffs' Hot List – The National Law Journal, 10/10/05View PDF of ArticleOne of America's Top Trial Lawyers Opens New Law Firm – Press Contact, 4/18/05Top 10 LA County Super Lawyers – Southern California Super Lawyers, 2/05A Report On The Lawsuit Industry In California 2005 – Trial Lawyers Inc., 2005Jury Trials in The US – Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 10/11/04The Top 100 – The Daily Journal, 10/27/03Brian Panish Interview – California Civil Jury Instructions, 2003The Top 100…Reasons Why It's Good That Lawyers Have Power – The Daily Journal, 9/30/02The Top 100 – The Daily Journal, 10/29/01WINNING – Successful Strategies from 10 of the Nation's Leading Litigators – The National Law Journal, 2001The Top 100: California Law Business Ranks the State's Most Influential Attorneys for 2000 – The Daily Journal, 10/30/00The Top 100: California Law Business Ranks the State's Most Influential Attorneys for 1999 – The Daily Journal, 9/13/99To Panish, Client's Most Important – Verdicts & Settlements, 2/16/96Brian Panish named TLPJ's Trial Lawyer of the Year – TLPJ Foundation Letter, 8/6/90ATLA Meeting This Week in San Diego – California Law Business, 7/23/90LA's Top Attorneys & Law Firms – Angeleno MagazinePanish Leaves Greene Broillet For Own Firm – The Daily JournalPanish Among 500 Leading Lawyers – LawdragonPanish Among 500 Leading Litigators – Lawdragon
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm interviewing Daphne Delvaux who is also known as the Mamattorney!! Daphne is a practicing attorney with her own law firm that specializes in gender discrimination cases and helping women at work. Her platform, the Mamattorney aims to empower and inspire women to become educated about their rights at work so that they can embrace their motherhood journey without compromising their career growth. Inside of today's episode, you'll hear Daphne answer questions related to pregnancy discrimination, pregnancy accommodations in the workplace, and how to address issues that may come up. Then we shift into talking about all things maternity leave including your federal rights, tips and tricks to get some protected leave (even if your job doesn't qualify for FMLA), how you might be able to extend your leave, and more! Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth? Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you've got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you're healing from birth. Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver. And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum! Related Episodes EP136: Preparing Your Relationship for Baby with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish EP167: Preparing for Postpartum: What You Can Do Before Giving Birth Sponsors Aeroflow Breastpumps Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It's true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more. At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they'll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy. Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance. Simply Magnetic Me Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get your baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep! You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits. Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order. Daphne Delvaux Daphne Delvaux, Esq. is an award-winning trial attorney and Founder of Delvaux Law, a firm devoted to women's rights at work. She represents employees in discrimination, retaliation and harassment cases, and specializes in gender discrimination cases. In her work as a trial attorney, Daphne has recovered countless 6- and 7-figure settlements and verdicts on behalf of client; obtaining the monetary justice her clients deserved while restoring their sense of dignity and self-worth. She has been recognized by major news outlets (both nationally and internationally) as a leader of the women's rights movement, and has received the award of Outstanding Trial Lawyer by Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for winning an equal pay trial. In addition to her work as a trial attorney, Delvaux is a mother to two boys. Her passion for women's and mother's rights has led her to champion women in a myriad of ways outside of her law practice. She is the Co-Founder of Chamber of Mothers; a collective movement to focus America's priorities on mothers' rights. Their primary goal is to secure federal paid leave, affordable childcare and fight gun violence. In recognition of her work, Daphne was invited to the White House to meet the President. Delvaux is also the creator of the Mamattorney, a platform on a mission to educate women on their rights at work and teach them how to advocate for their needs so they can receive more money and time freedom without sacrificing their career goals. Currently at 80k followers, Daphne is routinely seen as the expert on pregnancy and postpartum discrimination as well as maternity leave regulations.
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve and Yvonne interview Bibi Fell of Fell Law, PC (https://www.fellfirm.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review View/Download Trial Documents Case Details: California trial lawyer Bibi Fell, a founding partner at Fell Law, PC and a partner at Athea Trial Lawyers, shares how she successfully represented a breast cancer patient who fell victim to the beliefs and unconventional cancer treatment of a New York Times bestselling author masquerading as a licensed doctor. Plaintiff Dawn Kali was diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 breast cancer and rejected traditional treatment options in favor of the "Father of the Alkaline Diet" Robert O. Young's "pH Miracle" approach, which focused on making the body less acidic and more alkaline. This process involved costly extended stays at Young's Rancho del Sol in Valley Center, California and expensive intravenous treatments that consisted of little more than baking soda. Unable to pay, Dawn worked for Young in exchange for treatments that were ultimately ineffective. After much time had passed, Dawn went to an oncologist and was diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 cancer that had spread to her spine and femur. At trial, Bibi Fell demonstrated that Young's "pH Miracle" treatment was neither scientifically nor medically sound. In spite of the defense's claims that Dawn was aware that Young was not a licensed medical doctor and that she was not prevented from seeking conventional medical treatment, a San Diego jury found in favor of Dawn for her claims against Young of intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, false promise and negligence. In October 2018, the jury awarded Dawn a $105,356,000 verdict, including $15 million in punitive damages. Guest Bio: Bibi Fell Bibi represents plaintiffs who suffered catastrophic injuries or the death of a loved one. She is the Founding Partner of Fell Law, PC, in San Diego, California and is a Partner at Athea Trial Lawyers, a nationwide plaintiff's firm comprised of six prominent female trial lawyers. Bibi is one of the few women attorneys to have received a verdict over $100,000,000.00 as lead trial counsel. Bibi is a National Board Member for the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Membership is extended by invitation only to lawyers who have demonstrated extensive trial experience, civility and professionalism. In 2018, Bibi was one of three finalists for Consumer Attorneys of California's “Consumer Advocate of the Year,” Consumer Attorneys of San Diego's “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award and received the “Outstanding Trial Lawyer” award and “Outstanding Advocate” award from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. In 2020, she received the “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award from Pepperdine Law School. Bibi has also been selected to be a member of Lawdragon 500, The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers, the Daily Journal's Top 100 Women Lawyers, and has been selected as a Top 50 San Diego Superlawyer and Top 25 Women Superlawyer. Bibi gives back by teaching Advanced Trial Advocacy at the USD Law, serving as the program director for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Pacific Deposition Skills program, and teaching trial skills through NITA around the country and internationally. Bibi devotes her time to serve as a “Parent Partner” to parents of children newly diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a malignant liver tumor found in young children. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Christine Spagnoli of Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP (https://www.gbw.law/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review Episode Details: Santa Monica, California attorney Christine Spagnoli of Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP shares how she advocated for injured church members and their grieving families after a Ford E350 15-passenger van overturned following a tire tread separation. In April 2004, four members of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church traveled on Sacramento's I-5 in a van equipped with Goodyear Load Range E tires. Due to known tread separation problems, Goodyear conducted a voluntary replacement program on these tires, but Ford failed to notify its dealers. The tread on the church van's factory-mounted Goodyear tires separated, causing the van to flip four times, killing the driver William Brownell and front-seat passenger Tony Mauro and injuring passengers Marlene Shirley and Alexander Bessonov. Ford knew the E350 15-passenger van was susceptible to overturning, given professional driver tests that indicated oversteering and handling issues, but the company allowed the vehicle to go to market without modifying the design. In 2011, a Sacramento jury found Ford Motor Company negligent and returned a $73 million verdict, including $50 million in punitive damages against Ford in favor of the plaintiffs. View/Download Trial Documents Guest Bio: Christine D. Spagnoli Christine D. Spagnoli is a partner of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler in Santa Monica, specializing in representing plaintiffs in product liability, personal injury and legal malpractice actions. She has obtained many multimillion-dollar verdicts, including the 1999 General Motors case in which a defective fuel tank was found responsible for the burn injuries of two adults and four children. The jury returned with a landmark $4.9 billion verdict. She was co-counsel in the largest personal injury verdict in California, which resulted in a $58 million verdict for a man severely burned by a defective O-ring. Chris is one of the state's most trusted legal leaders as a member of the Los Angeles Judicial Selection Advisory Committees (JSACs). In January 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom named Ms. Spagnoli to the influential committee that reviews judicial candidates under consideration for nomination and appointment and will provide important feedback before forwarding their names to the Governor for review. The awards and honors bestowed on Chris by these various organizations include the Consumer Attorneys of California's 2014 Robert E. Cartwright Award and its 2010 Marvin E. Lewis Award as well as the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles 2005 Ted Horn Memorial Award. These awards recognized Chris for her excellence in trial advocacy and her dedication to teaching trial advocacy to her colleagues as well as her selfless gift of her talents in service to the organizations and consumers. She was honored as one of Loyola Law School of Los Angeles' Champions of Justice in 2013. In May 2017, Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, bestowed on Chris its Rage for Justice Lifetime Legal Achievement Award. On June 7, 2018, the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles inducted Chris into its Hall of Fame, honoring CAALA members with distinguished legal careers who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and society. In 2018 Chris was named as one of California's Top 30 Plaintiff attorneys by the Daily Journal, which also has ranked her as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys in California and one of the Top 50 Women Litigators since 2004. She has also been named a “Super Lawyer” in the Southern California Super Lawyers peer-nominated listings compiled and published by Law & Politics, and one of the Best Lawyers in America by Woodward/White, Inc., based on a survey of her peers. As a frequent lecturer and author, Chris has shared her expertise on various trial techniques including demonstrative evidence, direct and cross-examination methods, written discovery and demonstrating head trauma injury in children. Among the organizations she has addressed are CAALA, CAOC, AAJ, the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Trial Lawyer associations in Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, Washington, and the Western Trial Lawyers Association. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
What you'll learn in this episode: Why law firm owners need to think of themselves as CEOs The two biggest mistakes law firm owners make that prevent their firms from growing Why law firms need to scale to stay competitive How Reza's past mistakes helped him become a better leader Why knowing your firm's vision and core values is the foundation of success About Reza Torkzadeh: Reza Torkzadeh is a nationally recognized plaintiff's trial attorney who has dedicated his professional career to the pursuit of justice by exclusively representing victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Reza has handled numerous high-profile cases in both state and federal courts, and has served in leadership roles in litigation at the national level. He has been featured for legal commentary by the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, New York Daily News, Metro News, Christian Science Monitor, KUSI TV, and many other news outlets and publications. Through Reza's leadership, vision and passion for representing the people, TorkLaw has established offices nationwide, in cities throughout California, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. Reza has successfully represented thousands of clients and after more than a decade of practicing law, “Representing the People” continues to be the core foundation and guiding principle of his practice and the firm. Reza is a frequently invited guest speaker and has lectured across the country on the practice of law and the civil justice system. He is a proud Honorary Board Member of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charity, an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and President's Club Member of the Consumer Attorneys of California. Additional Resources: TorkLaw Reza's LinkedIn Transcript: Whether it's stigma or tradition, law firm owners typically don't call themselves CEOs. But according to Reza Torkzadeh, founder and—you guessed it—CEO of TorkLaw, the most successful law firm owners are the ones that run their firms like any other Fortune 500 company. Reza joined the Law Firm Marketing Catalyst Podcast to talk about the importance of creating a strong team and culture; why law firms are really in the business of customer service; and why any firm that wants to succeed the long term needs to scale. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Welcome to the Law Firm Marketing Catalyst Podcast. Today, my guest is Reza Torkzadeh. Reza has a successful personal injury firm located in Orange County, California. He recently wrote a book, “The Lawyer as CEO,” which we will hear all about today. Reza, welcome to the program. Reza: Hi, Sharon. Thanks so much. I appreciate the opportunity and for having me on. Sharon: It's great to have you. Can you tell us about your career path? How did you end up where you are right now? Reza: Oh boy! Well, throughout high school and growing up, I never thought of becoming a lawyer. It was never a career path I envisioned. I originally wanted to go to medical school and be a doctor. That was my study during undergraduate. I worked a summer as an EMT driving around in an ambulance downtown. I was doing all the things you would do if you are going to medical school and you are interested in that career. In my last year in college, I realized very quickly that the lifestyle of a doctor is one where you need to absolutely love what you're doing. My grandfather is a doctor. My uncle is a doctor. We've got doctors in the family, and I didn't feel like it was something I loved and was passionate enough about to put in those long hours and to be on call and to make those sacrifices. But I knew I loved people, and I knew I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. That's what was driving my initial desire to go to medical school. I wanted to meet patients; I wanted to help patients and treat them. So, that was still there. The next natural option for me was going to law school. I didn't go to law school with the intention of practicing. I went to law school with the intention of using my law degree in some setting, in some business. During law school I tried a few different areas of the law. I worked at the district attorney's office. I did transactional work. I did international business as a lawyer. After every position I knew what I didn't want to do. It was right around my third year that I discovered plaintiff's work, representing individuals on a contingency-fee basis, where if you don't win, you don't get paid. That was very attractive to me. How great to be able to provide legal representation to those who couldn't afford a lawyer and to make a meaningful change in their lives? To cut it short for this interview and podcast, that's how I ended up doing plaintiff's work, and I never looked back. Sharon: That's interesting. Most lawyers have wanted to be lawyers since kindergarten, so that's interesting. Tell us about your practice today. Reza: We're exclusively representing plaintiffs. We never represent the defense or insurance carriers, and it's 100% personal injury. We handle a wide spectrum of PI cases. The majority of our cases now, 10 years into it, are catastrophic injury or wrongful death cases, and we handle them nationwide. We've got an office presence and staff in about nine states right now. Sharon: Wow! Had you been thinking about writing your book, “The Lawyer as CEO,” for a long time? Did it come to you because of your entrepreneurial background? What was it? Reza: A great question. I wrote it almost as a way for me to reflect on the last 10 years of the law firm. I had a lot of growing pains, a lot of learning the hard way and experiences where I almost walked away from the practice altogether. I thought to myself, “What would I have wanted if I was first starting out my practice?” I would want a book. I would want to know examples. Every industry has so much support for how to do things, and yet the legal industry doesn't. They don't teach you how to be a business owner in law school. They don't teach you how important the business side is. We are a profession. We're lawyers, so we have to act accordingly; however, every law firm is still a business. You're not going to do anybody any good if you're not running it like a business should be run. When I looked back on the last 10 years of starting and running TorkLaw, I thought about what I would have wanted on day one. It was really an exercise in vulnerability for me to write the book. I shared many things in there that I think are new to the legal world. We're so used to hearing how wonderful all the lawyers are and their great results, and we're not used to seeing the reality of what it takes to start a law firm. So, for me, it was an exercise in putting my thoughts and my journey down on paper. It was also a way where I felt I could make a meaningful difference in the lives of all lawyers, not just new and young lawyers. Not a day goes by, Sharon, that I don't get a random email or message from a lawyer that says, “Wow! You really inspired me to take action.” That was the goal from the beginning: to put this out there and share my experiences, my ups and downs, my failures and my successes, and then ultimately my realization that in order to be an effective business owner, in order to be an effective CEO, you need to take a look at yourself. You need to look in the mirror and come to the conclusion that the buck stops with you as a business owner. Sharon: I guess that's why the title of the book stopped me. As someone who spent their professional career marketing lawyers, it's such a different thing than being an entrepreneur. How did the book change how you viewed marketing or client development? Reza: Great question. A question I asked myself before I wrote the book was if I were a CEO of a Fortune 500, publicly traded company, how long would I have lasted in that role? My response was, “Not very long.” I would have been kicked out very quickly. I think as business owners, that's a great way to measure your performance and your accountabilities. When you're at the top and you're leading an organization of 50, 60 or 100 employees, whatever it might be—it might be five employees—it's hard for those folks to be as transparent as you need them to be to hold you accountable. So, I often ask myself the question, “If I were a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, what would my board of directors say to me?” You're absolutely right; I've been practicing for 15 years, and I've never heard a lawyer-business owner call themselves a CEO. Whether it's stigma or tradition or whatever it might be, I think ultimately you have to decide whether you want to be the CEO of your company or not. Every organization, if it's meant to thrive, if it's meant to scale and grow and do meaningful work and make a change in the community, needs an effective CEO. Sharon: Maybe a lawyer wants to be successful but doesn't want to be a CEO. They want to focus on developing clients and marketing, and they say, “I'll leave the CEO to other people,” like you. What do you think about that? Reza: Absolutely. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's every person's own path. They get to choose for themselves. I chose this one because I am more drawn to the business side. I'm more drawn to marketing. I'm more drawn to scaling and the big picture. I've been fortunate enough to find people on my team who are much better lawyers than I am, much better at doing the tasks than I am. So, it works. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for a lawyer who says, “Look, I just love lawyering, and that's what I want to do for the rest of my life.” I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Sharon: Very early in my own career working with lawyers—I can't even remember who it was—I heard a managing partner or a lawyer say they thought scaling a law firm wasn't feasible. What are your thoughts about that? Reza: I disagree. At our firm, we say we're a customer service business that happens to practice law. We're in competition for the consumer. The consumer is used to a certain level of customer service and experience that you get at Apple or Amazon or Walmart or Starbucks or FedEx and these national brands we all recognize. I think where lawyers and law firms have fallen behind is this element of customer service and customer experience. I think you can absolutely scale. It's no different than providing a product. You're providing a service, and if you're providing a good enough experience for your clients, there's no reason why you can't replicate that in other markets, in other practice areas. You have to have the right people. You have to have the right tools, the right infrastructure, of course, but if you've discovered a formula that's successful in your own law firm, the only thing that's stopping you from scaling is yourself. I think any CEO or business owner will tell you that if you're not growing, you're going in the wrong direction. When I started practicing law 15 years ago, it was competitive. The personal injury industry has always been competitive, but not as fierce as it is today. There wasn't the amount of dollars being spent on marketing as there is today. Now, you've got hedge funds and banks and venture capital firms that are dumping money into law firm marketing. In order to survive the next 10, 15, 20, 25 years, and in order to be competitive with these behemoths that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on marketing, in a way you have to scale. You have to grow to stay competitive. Sharon: Did the book change how you look at clients, how you market or how you develop your people? Reza: Absolutely. The exercise of the book was itself a reflection. Our lives are so crazy. Oftentimes I describe it as being inside of a tornado. Writing the book allowed me to quiet everything down and put on paper what's in my mind. It made me focus on the things we were doing. If I'm talking about customer service in the book, it made me focus on, “O.K., what are we doing step by step, A through Z, for customer service?” It's the same thing for marketing. One of the biggest realizations for me—and I included this in the book—was ego-play marketing, which is seeing your face on a billboard or on TV or hearing it on the radio. Just because you see it doesn't necessarily mean it's effective and that there's a positive ROI on it. It made me self-reflect, to go back and dig deeper. Look, I don't have all the answers and I continue to make mistakes, but an important takeaway is that you can always improve. You can always do better; you can always change. We're not the same law firm we were five years ago, and I can promise you something: we're not going to be the same law firm five years from now, either. We're always retooling; we're always changing. We don't have all the answers, but I think there's always a better way to do things. Sharon: Do you think there will be a sequel, a third edition? Reza: I don't know. Not now. This one took me about 18 months to do. It was a massive labor of love. I wanted to create a book that was super easy to read. You could read it in one day. So, I spent a majority of that 18 months cutting back what was in the book and making it as short as possible. I wanted as many people as possible to pick it up and finish it and read it more than once. As of right now, no sequel. This is it. The response has been incredible, and this is not a money maker for me. 100% of the proceeds are donated to charity. Sharon: Writing the book probably brought to the fore a lot of things that lawyers don't do or mistakes they make. What are the top two things that lawyers should do differently or the mistakes they're making? What do you think? Reza: For law firm owners, I will tell you the two biggest mistakes I see—which I made also—is, number one, not focusing on culture, vision and values. That's the first one. Had we not had those things in place, in writing, engrained in everything we do, we would not have been able to scale effectively. Number two is not having a process or procedure for recruitment and retention of teammates. Both mistakes we made and paid for dearly. I think the most common way we hire is that you put up a job post, you get back hundreds of résumés and you can't tell the difference between one or the other, and then you just pick one that might have some experience or might have worked for a competitor. You bring them in for an interview. You interview them, everyone interviews great, and then you hire them. Six months in, you realize this is the wrong person. This person sucks. I think doing that type of blind hiring is a mistake. I think desperation hiring is a mistake, and not having the culture be part of it and not having the right people is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Sharon: Do you think if somebody had said that to you when you were just opening your doors, you would have been able to say, “Oh yeah, I didn't do it that way the first time,” or “I don't know what my culture is”? Reza: Yeah, I'll tell you. This was my experience. It was my own ego for the longest time. I thought we had the best culture. I thought this was the best place to work. That was in my head; it wasn't reality. I was dealing with office drama and turmoil. It was a toxic environment, and I kept telling myself, “This is the greatest place to work.” It really wasn't. If someone early on, in year one, told me to focus on culture and a method to distinguish the players you're bringing onto your team, I don't know if I would have taken that advice. I learned it the hard way. Sharon: I'm not thinking about it as advice. I'm thinking back on when I didn't have business experience, and professors were asking me, “What about this, that and the other thing,” in a business environment. How would people know what their culture is? You could ask. You could say, “My culture is to have the best place to work.” Who knocked you on the side of the head to say it isn't the best place? I'm asking two questions. Reza: It was a one-day event that occurred, but it was an accumulation of the stress I was feeling working in the office. I was doing anything and everything not to go into the office. That's how bad it got. This is a company that was my first baby, that I put my blood, sweat and tears and everything into. Now I was at a point, five years in, where I didn't even like going into the office. I think that was a reality check. Then losing half of my staff in one day was a reality check. It was an indication of my failures as a leader than it was anything else. All the things I was complaining about, all the things I was struggling with, really started from me. I was not being accountable. I was not the leader I should have been, and for the longest time I assumed I was. When you get to the point when you can take accountability for those things we're all complaining about and see how it was my responsibility to correct them and make different decisions, I looked back and said, “Wow! I was a pretty crappy leader.” I was not making the decisions I should have been making to set an example for the rest of my team. I should have been making those decisions so the people on my team could be proud of who they're working with and for. It took a good five or six years of pain to figure that out. Sharon: My last question is—I have a lot of questions. I'm thinking about all the newbie lawyers, because I hear about them and see them all the time, who say, “I can't work for anybody else. I'm going to hang my own shingle.” If they had read your book, would it have helped them develop the business into a client-focused business? How would it have helped them? Reza: I hope so, Sharon. I think there are some fundamental things in there that every business organization can benefit from, but it's like everything else: what you put in is what you get out. I meet with young lawyers all over the country all the time. I'm telling them what to do, and the majority of them won't do it and don't do it. They continue going along just how they were. I think for those folks, the book could be the spark. I don't think the book is a blueprint on exactly how to start your practice and scale and be efficient, but I do think it's a way to get some inspiration and a spark that will lead you down your own path. Our core values are going to be different than everybody else's. My vision is going to be different than everybody else's, and the things that are important to me may not be important to everybody else. You've got to figure out your own path, but I think there are foundational things, like having your core values, having your vision very clear, making sure everybody understands what they are. You need to know every single person you bring onto your team, or at least make a best effort to go beyond just posting a job, pulling a résumé and hiring somebody. I say don't make desperate hires and wait for the right person. It may take a while, but you're better off waiting for the right person than bringing the wrong person into your organization. Sharon: It's hard to let go of the wrong person, yes. Reza, thank you so much for being with us today. Reza: Thank you, Sharon. I appreciate it. Sharon: I greatly appreciate it.
MICRA, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, was put in place in 1975. Since then, stakeholders have been battling over its cap on noneconomic damages for medical malpractice. Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes brought the stakeholders together with AB 35, ending the decades long fight. Reyes sat down with Lisa Maas, Executive Director of Californians Allied for Patient Protection, and Craig Peters, President of the Consumer Attorneys of California to talk about the significant compromise that ended the MICRA war.
Join Ben (https://gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/) and Rahul (https://www.psbr.law/ravipudi.html) for their discussion with trial lawyer Ibiere Seck. Ibiere is a one-of-a-kind trial talent who often gets tapped to enter cases in the final days before trial as lead trial counsel or co-counsel. In this episode, Ibiere describes her journey from her early days working at the Johnnie Cochrane to her current position as one of California's leading plaintiff lawyers. Ibiere talks about her approach to trials and how such has managed to find her authentic voice as a lawyer. You don't want to miss this episode. About Ibiere SeckIbiere is the founder and principal trial attorney at, Seck Law P.C. where her practice focuses primarily on complex catastrophic injury, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury and sexual assault cases. Ibiere is the Secretary of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the largest plaintiff trial lawyers association in the nation, and will lead the association as its President in 2024. She is also the Past President of The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40. Ibiere received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. While in law school, she earned several distinctions, including being selected as a member of the nationally recognized Byrne Trial Advocacy Team and worked as a prosecutorial extern with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and as a civil rights intern with Inner City Law Center where she advocated for the homeless and working poor. Ibiere received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Journalism Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Brain injury, civil rights and sexual assault of minors. Ibiere exclusively represents plaintiffs in civil litigation/trial and prides herself in being a zealous advocate on an endless pursuit for justice on behalf of people who have been wronged, harmed or injured. Prior to starting her firm, Ibiere was a partner and trial lawyer at the firm founded by the late civil rights attorney, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Ibiere has been recognized by her peers as a zealous advocate for her clients. She has been selected Southern California Super Lawyers list, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 5% of attorneys in Southern California receive this distinction and was voted National Bar Association's “Nation's Best Advocates 40 Under 40” in 2015. A year later, she was the recipient of Consumer Attorneys Association of California's Street Fighter of the Year award for her work on behalf of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Ibiere is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California as well as state courts; She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association where she serves on the litigation section executive committee; Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, National Trial Lawyers, American Association for Justice; John M. Langston Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of California, Beverly Hills Bar Association. With a passion for service, Ibiere has long committed herself to causes. Her community service work proudly includes Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (a non-profit organization founded by plaintiff trial lawyer with the purpose of making a positive difference in the quality of life for people within the greater Los Angeles area, focusing on issues related to education, children, survivors of abuse, persons with disabilities, and homelessness, by providing financial assistance to needy persons and groups in the greater Los Angeles area) and Allies for Every Child (an organization dedicated to bringing together and strengthening families in historically underserved communities in Los Angeles with the purpose of cultivating conditions for children to succeed in life). When not advocating for her clients Ibiere enjoys traveling, volunteering and spending time with her family. She serves on the board of Los Angeles Trial Lawyer's Charities, Allies for Every Child. She is also a supporter of the Western Center on Law & Poverty and the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic in south Los Angeles, both of which she served as an advisory board member.
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Mary E. Alexander of Mary Alexander and Associates, P.C. (https://www.maryalexanderlaw.com). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Former president of the American Association for Justice Mary E. Alexander of Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C. explains how she secured justice for a University of Arizona college student severely injured after riding a rented Curry Company bicycle in California's Yosemite Park. The bike's used brakes caused Mary Hall to crash, rendering her a quadriplegic dependent upon a breathing machine. A jury in Fresno County, California returned a $13.3 million verdict, including $11.17 million in special damages. Click Here to Read/Download Trial Documents Guest Bio: Mary E. Alexander Widely recognized as one of San Francisco's top personal injury attorneys, Mary Alexander established her stellar reputation in the legal community after obtaining some of the largest and highest profile verdicts and settlements in the state of California over the course of her career. She earned a national reputation for her work protecting consumer rights, and her dedication to her clients has won her numerous awards from attorneys, clients, legal publications and others. Ms. Alexander is a Past-President of both the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and Consumer Attorneys of California, and her lobbying work for consumer rights is matched only by her success on behalf of her clients. Read Full Bio Here Also mentioned in the episode: www.trialbyagreement.com Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
Daniel Kramer discusses how to craft a successful opening to captivate the jury by painting a scene the jury can relate to and help them understand your case from the onset. He delivers insight on how to set the stage and use it throughout trial to engage the jury and help them not only understand but track the evidence of the case. Also included in this episode is a rundown of how to up your trial game by utilizing focus groups, why you should do them as often as possible, and giving yourself exposure to testing methods before you get in the courtroom. About Daniel KramerDaniel Kramer is a trial lawyer who specializes in representing families and individuals involved in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters, as well as employment discrimination and retaliation lawsuits. Daniel has obtained numerous jury verdicts as lead counsel, all victories on behalf of his clients. Multiple verdicts have been featured in both The Daily Journal, Verdict Search, The Huffington Post, and Fox 11 News. Five verdicts were ranked as the top 50 verdicts in the state of California for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 by TopVerdict.com. Early in his career, Daniel tried one of the first cases in Los Angeles County history to embrace a controversial new law regarding the recoverability of health insurance payments in personal injury actions. In his first year with the firm, Daniel obtained a $3 million settlement on behalf of the family of a WWII veteran who was tragically killed when a truck owned by a large grocery store chain ran a red light and crushed their husband and father to death. In 2015, Daniel obtained a $1,237,500 settlement on the eve of trial on behalf of CalTrans worker who was severely injured in a freeway collision. In 2016, Daniel obtained a $1,420,000 settlement just before trial against a shopping center for failing to protect its customers when a vehicle jumped a curb severely injuring a mother and her two daughters. Also in 2016, Daniel obtained a $1,000,000 policy limits settlement on behalf of a family who lost their 87-year-old father and grandfather who fell down a poorly lit stairwell. In late 2016, Daniel obtained a $2,160,000 jury verdict against the City of Los Angeles in a slip and fall case. That verdict was selected as one of California's Top 100 verdicts in 2016. In 2017, he obtained a $1,830,000 wrongful termination verdict and judgement on behalf of a minimum wage worker who was terminated because of his disability, where the jury awarded punitive damages. In 2018, Daniel received a $2,847,500 verdict against two large construction companies after his client fell in an open trench resulting in 3 broken ribs and permanent nerve damage. Just before COVID, Daniel obtained an $850,000 verdict in a very difficult slip and fall trial where the client suffered a fractured knee cap. In July 2021, and in one of the first cases tried during COVID in the Central Courthouse in Los Angeles, Daniel obtained a $12,622,238.75 verdict on behalf of an electrician who was injured by a defective roof hatch. In 2015, Daniel graduated from the renowned Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College; that same year he graduated from CAALA's Plaintiff Trial Academy. In 2016, he graduated from the Trojan Horse Method. From 2013-2020, Daniel has been consistently honored as a “Top Attorney” in personal injury and employment law by Pasadena Magazine, which reached out to thousands of lawyers from all over the Los Angeles and Pasadena vote for the “most esteemed and highly regarded attorneys” in their chosen fields. Dan was distinguished for his “exceptional service” in his specialties. From 2018-2020 he has been selected as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” which recognizes no more than the top 2.5% of attorneys in each state. In 2017 and 2018 he was a finalist for CAALA's prestigious “Rising Star” award, given to the top plaintiff attorney in Los Angeles under the age of 40. From 2012-2017 he was an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School where he taught Law Firm and Civil Litigation practice at the Graduate Legal Academic Program. Before founding KTL, Daniel was the founding partner of Kramer Holcomb Sheik LLP. Daniel co-founded the Beverly Hills Bar Association's Personal Injury Section which he currently chairs and in 2016 he was elected as the youngest member of the Southwestern Law School Board of Directors where he will serve as president in 2023. Daniel currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities where he served as president in 2021. In 2017, Daniel was elected as one of the youngest members to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and in 2019 he was elected by the entire membership to the LA-ABOTA Executive Committee. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). When not in the courtroom Daniel is a die-hard Colorado Buffaloes, Atlanta Braves and Falcons fan, while permanently trying to convince his wife, toddler son, and baby daughter that they need to jump on the bandwagon.
Greyson Goody followed his passion for surfing to California, but found a new passion for trying jury trials. Join Ben (https://gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/) and Rahul (https://www.psbr.law/ravipudi.html) for their discussion with Greyson about how he developed a courtroom style that has enabled him to win most of his trials, even those that had serious challenges. As a bonus, Greyson shares his insight into work-life balance as a new father and the secrets of the vegan, trial-lawyer diet! You won't want to miss this episode. About Greyson GoodyGreyson Goody is a Partner and senior trial attorney at the Simon Law Group. Greyson is originally from Jackson, Wyoming. One of Greyson's earliest memories is watching his father, a federal public defender, argue and try cases. Greyson always knew he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer. After graduating from Montana State University, he eventually found his way to California to attend Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. Here he met fellow Simon Law Group attorneys Brandon Simon, Sevy Fisher, Evan Garcia, and Travis Davis. Since becoming an attorney, Greyson has obtained over $40 million in jury verdicts. Notably, he was the lead trial attorney in Pebley v. Santa Clara Organics, which finally gave clarity to the issue of determining reasonable value for lien-based treatment when the plaintiff is insured. Greyson is a proud member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA), Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD), and the South Bay Bar Association (SBBA). He is a current Board Member of CAOC. Outside of work, you can likely find Greyson catching some waves, crafting up new vegan recipes, and spending quality time with his wife, Taly, of Goody Law Group.
lovethylawyer.comA transcript of this podcast is available at lovethylawyer.com. ADAM M. CARLSONhttps://www.cmslaw.com/attorneys/adam-m-carlson/Attorney Adam M. Carlson is managing partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. While he is skilled in various areas of law, he focuses the majority of his practice on serious injury cases, wrongful death and civil rights. While he has extensive experience handling all types of cases involving serious injury or wrongful death, he also specializes in premises and products liability matters. He believes that tailoring each case to each client's needs is key to providing aggressive and compassionate legal representation.In 2021-22, Carlson organized one of the most comprehensive trial strategy education series for attorneys in the Contra Costa County Bar Association. The series spanned over eight months and covered all aspects of litigation.Before joining the firm, Carlson served as an intake assistant for our team, where he was responsible for fielding calls from potential clients. It was at this time that Carlson decided he wanted to do more. He found that he was passionate about helping individuals who suffered injuries and illness due to another person's negligence, recklessness, or carelessness. After this realization, he enrolled in law school, where he pursued his passion for helping others facing serious and difficult legal matters.Prior to committing his life to legal work, Carlson attended Middlebury College where he completed his undergraduate coursework. Upon the completion of his undergraduate studies, he enrolled at the University of San Francisco School of Law where he achieved his Juris Doctorate. Following law school Carlson spent several years as a dedicated attorney for the Alameda County Public Defender's Office before joining our team. Currently, he holds memberships in various associations, including the State Bar of California, the US District Court Northern District of California, the US District Court Eastern District of California, the Earl Warren American Inn of Court, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, the Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Consumer Attorneys of California. University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California J.D. - 2008Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont B.A. - 2004Super Lawyers Northern California - Rising Stars 2015-2020Contra Costa County Bar Association, Member 2013-Present, Litigation Section Board Member 2020State Bar of CaliforniaConsumer Attorneys of CaliforniaEarl Warren Inn of Court, Member 2015-Present, Board Member 2019-20American Inns of Court Outstanding Program Recipient at the Celebration of Excellence Dinner at the United States Supreme Court 2018-19 Louis Goodman www.louisgoodman.com louisgoodman2010@gmail.com 510.582.9090 Musical theme by Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui Technical support: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, OaklandAudiograms & Transcripts: Paul Roberts We'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at louis@lovethylawyer.com. Please subscribe and listen. Then tell us who you want to hear and what areas of interest you'd like us to cover. Please rate us and review us on Apple Podcasts.
SHOW SUMMARY:Have you ever sought a more efficient way to complete discovery? Well, attorney Pratik Shah did and then created a technological solution to streamline and improve the discovery process. Join Rahul (https://www.psbr.law/ravipudi.html) and Ben (https://gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/) for their discussion with Pratik about his game-changing discovery technology and his observations on efficiency and productivity in the practice of trial law. ABOUT PRATIK:Pratik ShahAssociate Director of Litigation Pratik H. Shah is the Associate Director of Litigation at Panish | Shea | Boyle |Ravipudi LLP, working alongside the firm's Director of Litigation on trial strategies, as well as with referral lawyers to ensure a smooth transition of cases brought to the firm by outside counsel.A Southern California native, Mr. Shah began his legal career as a Deputy District Attorney with the County of Sacramento where he worked on the trial team. He led numerous trials to verdict in Sacramento County before returning to Southern California to open a solo practice with a focus on criminal defense and personal injury.Prior to joining Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP, Mr. Shah served as Co-Founder and Partner at Shah D'Egidio APC Injury Lawyers, a civil litigation law firm in San Diego focused on personal injury, bad faith insurance, and civil rights. He also Co-Founded the legal technology platform, EsquireTek, and continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the software company.In 2021, Mr. Shah was named one of the Top 15 Attorneys Disrupting the Legal Industry and he has been consistently recognized by Super Lawyers® as a Southern California Rising Star since 2016. He is a member of Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and the American Association of Justice. Mr. Shah is a past President of the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego, an active member of both the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and the San Diego County Bar Association, and a committee member for the Brain Injury Association of California.A member of the State Bar of California, Mr. Shah received his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and is admitted to practice before all courts of the State of California as well as the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. ARTICLE:EsquireTek.comhttps://www.esquiretek.com/category/press/USA Today: The Top 15 Attorneys Disrupting the Legal Industry to Make it BetterPratik H. Shah founded a successful law firm in Southern California and made a pronounced career out of going up against the billion-dollar bullies known as insurance companies. Noticing a definite need in the law-firm workday, Shah launched EsquireTek, groundbreaking software that automates the discovery process in minutes and gives lawyers back what they need most — time.
Bibi Fell is a plaintiff trial lawyer, primarily practicing in the areas of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Membership is extended by invitation-only to lawyers who have demonstrated extensive trial experience, civility and professionalism. In 2018, Bibi was one of three finalists for Consumer Attorneys of San Diego's "Trial Lawyer of the Year" award. She has also been selected to be a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers, the Daily Journal's Top 100 Women Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. Bibi is mother to three daughters, two of whom she co-parents with her ex-husband. After receiving the devastating news that her youngest daughter had cancer, Bibi traveled to Ohio to get the best treatment, all while leading major trials on Zoom during the pandemic. Once they returned home to San Diego, her partner and husband came out as transgender and together, they have worked to allow authenticity in their family journey. Their family continues to work together to overcome the obstacles that come their way, all led by this dynamic, brilliant and forward-thinking mother and San Diegan.
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview John Gomez of Gomez Trial Attorneys (https://www.thegomezfirm.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Award-winning trial lawyer John Gomez of Gomez Trial Attorneys shares how he secured justice for a California couple whose lives changed forever after a slip-and-fall in an El Pollo Loco restaurant. Because WKS Restaurant Corporation refused to pay overtime for workers to clean the grills after closing, employees chose to violate company policy and began cleaning an hour before closing. The resulting slippery floors caused a customer to fall, tear his quadricep and suffer a traumatic brain injury that has left him with severe optical problems. Click Here to Read/Download Trial Documents Guest Bio: John Gomez John Gomez founded the firm alone in 2005. He acts today as President and Lead Trial Attorney. From humble beginnings, he attended three separate San Diego public high schools and Grossmont Junior College before graduating from the Nation's top-ranked law school, Yale University, in 1993. In between, John was named an Academic All-American football player for the University of San Diego's Toreros. He clerked for a federal judge, worked for the international law firm of Latham & Watkins and served the United States as an Assistant United States Attorney until becoming a trial lawyer for people in 2000. Since that time, he has established himself as one of California's most recognized and accomplished trial lawyers. Lawyers USA named him the national Lawyer of the Year in 2010. He has twice been named San Diego's Trial Lawyer of the Year. The Consumer Attorneys of San Diego have awarded him an unprecedented nine separate Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards. He has been named a Top 100 California Attorney overall by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a Top 10 San Diego attorney overall by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, and has been voted by peers a top 10 San Diego Super Lawyer every year since 2012. He was featured as the subject of the cover story in that 2012 publication. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
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This week your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Nathan Werksman of Merson Law PLLC (https://mersonlaw.com/) and Jon Davidi at Panish|Shea|Boyle|Ravipudi LLP (https://www.psbr.law/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Trial lawyers Nathan Werksman of Merson Law PLLC and Jon Davidi at Panish|Shea|Boyle|Ravipudi LLP discuss how they secured justice for a woman who was viciously attacked by a dog as well as the challenges of conducting a jury trial held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 15, 2016, plaintiff Jennefer Jones took a walk around her neighborhood and attempted to pass neighbor Mathew Epstein, who was walking a 55-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback named Turkey on the sidewalk. Turkey lunged and attacked Jennefer, biting her right forearm, breaking the skin and dragging her to the ground, where she fell on her elbow. Jennefer was later diagnosed with two injuries: radial tunnel syndrome in her forearm and lateral epicondylitis in her elbow. Despite being put in a cast, injected with platelet-rich plasma and more than 80 physical therapy sessions, Jennefer continued to experience pain that greatly affected her ability to perform everyday tasks and to work as a golf instructor. The defense argued that Turkey didn't bite Jennefer but simply scratched her and asserted that any pain is from a pre-existing condition or an overuse injury related to her golf instruction career. Nathan Werksman and Jon Davidi called out the defense's tactic of referring to Jennefer's lateral epicondylitis by its more common name of "tennis elbow" to persuade the jury of the injury's true origin. In October 2020, an Orange County, California jury found in favor of Jennefer and awarded her $309,250 in damages. Click Here to Read/Download Trial Documents Guest Bios: Nathan Werksman As a trial attorney at Merson Law PLLC, lawyer Nathan Werksman fights for the injured and wronged in complex personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, sexual abuse, and mass tort litigation. Prior to joining Merson Law, Mr. Nathan Werksman recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients through both settlement and trial at the distinguished California personal injury firm Panish, Shea & Boyle LLP. Prior to that, Mr. Werksman clerked at internationally renowned law firm Kirkland & Ellis, plaintiffs'-side class-action giant Robbins Geller Rudman Down, and at the Office of the San Francisco Public Defender. While at Robbins Geller, he worked on behalf of cities and counties across the U.S. suing the opioid manufacturers for the irreparable damage caused by their products. During his time at the San Francisco Public Defender, Mr. Werksman assisted in a trial resulting in an acquittal on all felony counts for his client. Mr. Werksman obtained his law degree from Stanford Law School where he founded and served as president of the Stanford Plaintiffs' Lawyers Association. While at Stanford, he also served as co-president of the American Constitution Society (ACS) and earned prizes for achieving the highest marks in several classes, including The Plaintiffs' Lawyer: Institutional Constraints and Ethical Challenges. He also served as research assistant to Professor Nora Freeman Engstrom, a scholar on tort law and legal ethics. Mr. Werksman completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude double majoring in History and Spanish. Nathan is very involved in the New York legal community and in making New York a more just place for the injured. He is on the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, is a member of the Products Liability Committee at the New York City Bar Association, and is on the Executive Committee of the UJA's Young Lawyers Division. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Werksman is admitted to practice law in New York, California, and Nevada. Read Full Bio Jon Davidi As a trial attorney at Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP, Jon Davidi represents individuals in complex personal injury, wrongful death, and product defect cases. Passionate about trial work and representing people in their time of need, Mr. Davidi has obtained over $10 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients. Most recently, he obtained two jury verdicts that were more than double the defense's best offer. Notably, one of those verdicts was awarded during the first post-Covid, socially-distanced jury trial in Orange County, California. Mr. Davidi received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law where he was a member of the Honor Society and graduated cum laude. He was also a member of the mock trial team and recognized as one of the nation's top advocates after winning the National Championship in the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Trial Tournament. Throughout the competition, judges commented on his ability to be persuasive and to evoke compassion for his client. Fluent in Farsi, Mr. Davidi is a member of the State Bar of California as well as an active member of both the Consumer Attorneys Association of California (CAALA) and the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Outside of work, he enjoys live music, new restaurants, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Ironically, he's never seen an episode of Law & Order. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Michael A. Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger (https://dicellolevitt.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Accomplished California personal injury lawyer Michael A. Kelly, a shareholder at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger and recent Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame inductee, shares how he secured justice for the first of thousands of victims of a defectively designed medical device. On December 5, 2007, U.S. Air Force veteran Loren "Bill" Kransky underwent hip surgery in Montana, receiving a DePuy ASR Acetabular Hip System orthopaedic implant. DePuy, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, first put the ASR Acetabular Hip System on the market in Europe in 2004, and soon after began receiving notifications from prominent surgeons that the device was flawed. Despite receiving these notifications, DePuy continued to market the metal implant as a low-wear product that required only one surgery and failed to report product issues to American doctors. On August 4, 2010, a recall was issued and the Depuy ASR Acetabular Hip System was labeled as defective, but the damage was already done for millions of patients, including Loren. Following the recall, Loren underwent revision surgery to have the implant removed because it was shedding metal debris into the tissue of his hip and bloodstream. In March 2013, a Los Angeles jury returned a verdict in favor of Loren, awarding $8,338,136.12 in damages for the pain caused by the defective design and ultimately helping to facilitate a $2.5 billion national settlement for all victims. Click Here to Read/Download Trial Documents Guest Bio: Michael A. Kelly Mike Kelly is one of the nation's top personal injury attorneys. For four decades he has protected consumers from corporate greed, medical mistakes, dangerous household products, unsafe medical devices, and motor vehicle accidents of every kind. He has tried, settled, and arbitrated more than 200 cases where the recovery by his client exceeded $1 million. In 2020 he helped negotiate the multibillion-dollar resolution of the 2017 California wildfire lawsuits brought against utility giant PG&E. Before that, his $8.341 million verdict in the first DePuy ASR/Johnson & Johnson metal-on-metal artificial hip litigation helped produce a $2.5 billion national settlement for all victims. In 2021 Mike was the number one vote-getter for the second year in a row on the 2021 list of Northern California “Super Lawyers”. A member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, Kelly was also included on the “Top 10” and “Top 100” list of lawyers in Northern California for the 18th time, as well as being selected by Best Lawyers to its prestigious roster for the 20th consecutive year. Recognized for his leadership in some of the most significant consumer protection cases in our state, Kelly made the list of the Los Angeles Daily Journal's 2021 Top Plaintiff Lawyers and was inducted into Lawdragon's Hall of Fame for his many years of pro-consumer successes, most recently demonstrated by his role in the litigation against the giant utility PG&E for the damage caused by the 2017-2018 Northern California wildfires and the devastating Butte County Camp Fire. When resolution by mediation or settlement fails, Kelly is ready to take his clients' cases before juries. Recent trials have produced a $4 million jury verdict against the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District for the death of a pedestrian struck by one of its buses, a $5.6 million jury verdict against a Super Shuttle driver for the death of a retired restaurateur, a $12.75 million recovery against a domestic automaker(auto rollover), a $10.5 million settlement for the wrongful death of a single mother, and a major 8-figure confidential settlement against Kaiser Health Plan for a catastrophically injured infant. His $8.35 million verdict on behalf of a construction worker who lost an arm showed his skill in work-site injury cases. His $23.2 million jury verdict in a birth injury medical malpractice case in Minnesota ranks among that state's largest verdicts for obstetrical injury. Beyond stellar results for his clients, Kelly is proud of his many contributions to the legal community. He is a speaker for 360 Advocacy for whom he chairs its annual Trucking Litigation program. He teaches regularly for NITA, The Rutter Group, ABOTA, the Consumer Attorneys of California, AAJ, SFTLA, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. He served for 10 years as the Director of Teacher Training programs for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and remains a member of its Board of Governors. He has long been active in protecting the rights of the underrepresented, working for pedestrian and bicyclist safety, lobbying for compensation fairness for medical malpractice victims, and protecting the rights of the LGBT community. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Micha Star Liberty of Liberty Law Office, Inc. (https://libertylaw.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Award-winning California trial attorney Micha Star Liberty discusses how she successfully advocated for the grieving parents of 24-year-old Amelie Le Moullac after she was fatally struck by a commercial vehicle while riding in a San Francisco bike lane in 2013. A responsible bicyclist, Amelie wore her helmet and stayed in the designated bicycle lane, but neither action prevented her from being run over by a 13,000-ton Daylight Foods, Inc. box truck, which illegally crossed the bike lane to make a sudden right turn. Amelie died from her injuries, including a fractured skull and crushed torso. Micha Star Liberty helped secure key video footage of the crash from a nearby business security camera after the San Francisco Police Department failed to conduct a thorough investigation, which was later revealed to be part of a larger bias against bicyclists. Despite the defense's attempts to blame Amelie and to depict her as a reckless bicyclist, Micha Star Liberty invoked a California Vehicle Code statute, which underscored the fact that Amelie had the right to remain in her bike lane and treat it as a safety zone in the event of a turning vehicle, which trumped the defense's use of a more general statute. In January 2015, a San Francisco jury ruled that Amelie shared no responsibility in her tragic death, found the driver to be at fault and awarded Amelie's parents a total of $4 million in damages. Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: Micha Star Liberty Micha Star Liberty is the owner of Liberty Law Office, Inc. — a diverse legal practice primarily representing individuals who have suffered a serious injury or abuse, including child sexual abuse. The firm also represents employees who have been discriminated against or harassed in the workplace, and Micha has assisted businesses with finding a common ground when releasing an employee on best terms. Ms. Liberty is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has held the title of President and Vice President of multiple legal and political organizations, expanding her network of associates and resources, which often helps to expedite the legal process for the greater benefit of her clients. “My clients come to me during a time of tremendous pain, anguish, and often confusion. They need help and a specialized kind of help. Someone to talk to who will listen; someone who can offer confidential protection under the law; someone with trial knowledge who has worked with similar experiences so they know they are not alone. Everyone needs help and compassion during hard times. My calling in life is to be that advocate for my clients, and I'm never one to back down from a fight for what is right.” Ms. Liberty is a frequent lecturer and published author, focusing much of her public speaking on trial practice, discovery techniques, the importance of mentoring, and best practices for opening a law office and law office management. In 2015, the Consumer Attorneys of California — an organization made up of more than 3000 lawyers in California alone — presented her with the Street Fighter of the Year award at their 54th annual convention held at The Palace in San Francisco. Ms. Liberty was granted the award after holding the Contra Costa County School District accountable for a child sexual molestation case in which school officials were aware of the abuse and took no action. Every year since 2005, she's been given the Presidential Award of Merit. In 2005 and 2006 she was presented the Defender of Justice Award and the Outstanding Service Award, respectively. In 2018, she was awarded the Women's Advocate of the Year Award for her hard work on legislation and for prosecuting numerous cases dealing with the #me too era. Ms. Liberty was a contributing author and editor for the following practice guides: California Client Communications Manual, and California Basic Practice Handbook, both published by Continuing Education of the Bar. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services -LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
The Attorney Post - If you don't know your rights, you don't have any!
If you live in the Los Angeles or Orange County area, and you've been injured by a product or negligence on somebody else's part, visit https://gbw.law or call 866-634-4525 Molly's trial practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and products liability on behalf of consumers. She has successfully helped litigate and settle a wide range of cases for the firm, including a recent $1,150,000 verdict she won with her colleague Alan Van Gelder on behalf of a woman who had to have spinal surgery after a limo driver pulled in front of her vehicle during rush hour traffic. She was chosen as CAOC's Consumer Attorney of the Year in 2016 along with three of her colleagues for her involvement in obtaining a $55,000,000 verdict in the Erin Andrews v. Marriott case in Nashville, Tennessee. The verdict resulted in significant changes to hotel procedures in order to ensure the safety, security, and privacy of hotel guests all over America, including California. She has obtained excellent results for her clients, including a $7,450,000 settlement with the City of Los Angeles on behalf of a father and two young children after their mother was run over and killed by a bus while walking in a crosswalk, and a $3,750,000 settlement on behalf of a grandmother who was driving her young grandson when she sustained a serious traumatic brain injury in serious car collision. Molly is a graduate of the 2015 Consumer Attorneys of California Leadership Academy and is on the board of CAOC. She mentors law students through Pepperdine University School of Law's Preceptor Program, as well as through Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles's mentor program. She is an enthusiastic member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles' golf club. She also works as a volunteer attorney with WLALA's Domestic Violence Project. Molly has been named as an “Up and Coming Top 50 Women Lawyers” from 2016 through 2020, a “Top 100: Personal Injury” attorney from 2017 through 2020, and a Rising Star from 2015 through 2020 for Southern California by Super Lawyers Magazine. Molly is a member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, the American Association for Justice, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and the American Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in California state courts as well as federal district courts in the Central District of California. Molly attended the University of Southern California, where she earned Bachelors of Arts in Print Journalism and in Italian. She then attended Pepperdine University School of Law where she earned her J.D. and a Certificate in Dispute Resolution. During law school, she interned at an international dispute resolution organization in London, served as an editor on the Pepperdine Law Review, and worked as a law clerk at the Union Rescue Mission Legal Aid Clinic. She also worked as an extern for the late Honorable Arthur Alarcón, Senior Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, working on a variety of cases ranging from contract interpretation to foreign sovereign immunity. https://youtu.be/9KaEv6RKkl0 Greene, Broillet & Wheeler LLP 222 N. Pacific Coast Highway Suite 2100 El Segundo, CA 90245 310-340-6505 http://www.theattorneypost.com/molly-mckibben-los-angeles-pedestrian-injury-lawyer-orange-county-product-liability-wrongful-death/
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Bibi Fell of Fell Law, PC (https://www.fellfirm.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP on iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Case Details: California trial lawyer Bibi Fell, a founding partner at Fell Law, PC and a partner at Athea Trial Lawyers, shares how she successfully represented a breast cancer patient who fell victim to the beliefs and unconventional cancer treatment of a New York Times bestselling author masquerading as a licensed doctor. Plaintiff Dawn Kali was diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 breast cancer and rejected traditional treatment options in favor of the "Father of the Alkaline Diet" Robert O. Young's "pH Miracle" approach, which focused on making the body less acidic and more alkaline. This process involved costly extended stays at Young's Rancho del Sol in Valley Center, California and expensive intravenous treatments that consisted of little more than baking soda. Unable to pay, Dawn worked for Young in exchange for treatments that were ultimately ineffective. After much time had passed, Dawn went to an oncologist and was diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 cancer that had spread to her spine and femur. At trial, Bibi Fell demonstrated that Young's "pH Miracle" treatment was neither scientifically nor medically sound. In spite of the defense's claims that Dawn was aware that Young was not a licensed medical doctor and that she was not prevented from seeking conventional medical treatment, a San Diego jury found in favor of Dawn for her claims against Young of intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, false promise and negligence. In October 2018, the jury awarded Dawn a $105,356,000 verdict, including $15 million in punitive damages. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: Bibi Fell Bibi represents plaintiffs who suffered catastrophic injuries or the death of a loved one. She is the Founding Partner of Fell Law, PC, in San Diego, California and is a Partner at Athea Trial Lawyers, a nationwide plaintiff's firm comprised of six prominent female trial lawyers. Bibi is one of the few women attorneys to have received a verdict over $100,000,000.00 as lead trial counsel. Bibi is a National Board Member for the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Membership is extended by invitation only to lawyers who have demonstrated extensive trial experience, civility and professionalism. In 2018, Bibi was one of three finalists for Consumer Attorneys of California's “Consumer Advocate of the Year,” Consumer Attorneys of San Diego's “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award and received the “Outstanding Trial Lawyer” award and “Outstanding Advocate” award from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. In 2020, she received the “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award from Pepperdine Law School. Bibi has also been selected to be a member of Lawdragon 500, The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers, the Daily Journal's Top 100 Women Lawyers, and has been selected as a Top 50 San Diego Superlawyer and Top 25 Women Superlawyer. Bibi gives back by teaching Advanced Trial Advocacy at the USD Law, serving as the program director for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Pacific Deposition Skills program, and teaching trial skills through NITA around the country and internationally. Bibi devotes her time to serve as a “Parent Partner” to parents of children newly diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a malignant liver tumor found in young children. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
On a chilly February morning in 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck ordered a 49-cent cup of hot coffee from a McDonald's drive-through. When she opened the top to add cream and sugar, the flimsy cup spilled 190-degree coffee into her lap, resulting in excruciatingly painful 3rd degree burns. Mrs. Liebeck sued for gross negligence, asking McDonald's to improve their cups, lower the temperature of their dangerously hot coffee, and pay her $20,000 worth of medical bills; McDonald's countered with...$800. After a week-long trial, the jury found McDonald's responsible and awarded Mrs. Liebeck two days' worth of the fast-food giant's coffee sales, a sum of $2.7 million. No, the Golden Arches never paid her the full sum, and the press had a field day with "Woman Spills Hot Coffee, Wins Millions" stories. On this highly caffeinated episode, we're looking into coffee safety, burn lawsuits, tort reform, and how hot you should really be drinking your morning beverage. Sources for this episode: The McDonald's Hot Coffee Case from Consumer Attorneys of California McDonalds' Hot Coffee Case - Read the Facts NOT the Fiction Liebeck v. McDonald's: The Hot Coffee Case by Allison Torres Burtka The Truth Behind the Infamous McDonald's Hot Coffee Case by A.J. Serafini And Now, The Rest of the Story by Kevin G. Cain Stella Liebeck vs. McDonald's Restaurants by Elizabeth Gam
For his 20 plus year career as a trial lawyer, Nick Rowley has lived in life in the arena. For most of his career, he has tried 10 jury trials each year. He has tried cases in 33 separate states and has numerous seven and eight figure verdicts. Nick discusses his journey to becoming a trial lawyer, his approach and philosophy of communicating with jurors and trying cases and how he balances his busy trial practice with the rest of his life.About Nick RowleyMany consider Nicholas C. Rowley to be the most accomplished trial lawyer of his generation having won more than $1.5 Billion in verdicts and settlements for injury victims and families across the country.Winner of the 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year and five time finalist, he is one of the youngest trial lawyers in history to be presented with the award. He has extensive courtroom experience representing victims of serious injuries and medical malpractice, especially those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, and chronic pain.Nick, our Denver injury lawyer, has been recognized by dozens of publications for his record-breaking verdicts and work for injury victims and their families. In 2018, Nick was named to The National Law Journal's Elite Trial Lawyers for having a top 50 verdict in the nation. He was also named “Los Angeles Top Litigators in 2018” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. In 2015, Nick was listed in TopVerdict.com's Top 100 Largest US Verdicts in the nation. In 2012, Nick was a finalist for the “Consumer Attorney of the Year” award, given by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Nick was recognized by the Los Angeles Daily Journal for winning a “Top Verdict of 2010” for his $31.6 million jury verdict for the victim of a traumatic brain injury. In 2009, the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego awarded Nick its “Outstanding Trial Lawyer”award. In 2013, Nick was honored with the organization's top award – “Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year”.Some of Nick's other recent successes include a record setting $131,000,375 verdict for the victim of a car accident after the driver was over served at a bar, a record setting $74,525,000 verdict for a victim of medical malpractice, $40,000,000 for two parents whose 33 year old son was negligently killed due to corporate negligence, a $38,600,000 verdict for a young man who fell from a hotel balcony while intoxicated, a $17,000,000 win for a woman who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a fall from a hotel window, $16,500,000 for a young girl who was a birth injury victim, a $13,860,000 win for a mild traumatic brain injury caused by an automobile crash, $10,250,000 for a man who suffered a below knee amputation, $10,000,000 for an Iowa family in a wrongful death lawsuit, and $10,000,000 for a child with a mild traumatic brain injury.Nick has served as an instructor at Gerry Spence's famed Trial Lawyers College and delivers keynote addresses nationwide on his revolutionary approach to voir dire and damages. Other lawyers, faced with low settlement offers from insurance companies, frequently bring Nick into their cases just before trial. Nick is a relentless warrior who has prevailed in the courtroom time and time again. He prides himself on his caring and empathic approach to working with his clients and their families, and his ability to help juries find the truth and deliver justice to the injured. Nick has lectured and taught trial skills and his trial by human method across the country in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Louisiana, Colorado, Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Idaho, California, and New York.Nick is on the Board of Directors of the Imagination Workshop, which is a non-profit theater arts organization committed to using the unique power of the theater to provide life-changing artistic opportunities to the mentally ill, homeless veterans, senior citizens, and ‘at-risk' young people. IW programs give troubled people, frequently alienated or overlooked by society, a safe way to express themselves and gain insight that often helps make their lives more successful.Nick is also on the Honorary Board of Governors of TLC, Trial Lawyers' Charities, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to make a positive difference in the quality of life for people within the greater Los Angeles area, focusing on issues related to education, children, battered women, persons with disabilities, and homelessness, by providing financial assistance to needy persons and groups in the greater Los Angeles area.Nick is the author of the book Trial By Human, where he candidly shares his approach that brings brutal honesty and humanity into the courtroom.Born in Iowa and raised between Iowa and Arizona, Nick moved out on his own at the age of 15. He worked full time from that point forward and at the age of 17 joined the United States Air Force where he was trained and served as a combat medic. It was through the military and G.I. Bill that Nick got his undergraduate education and was able to attend law school. By the age of 19, Nick completed his bachelor's degree in social psychology. He also was trained and certified as a firefighter and during his service and college worked as a volunteer firefighter. Nick started law school at the age of 20 and continued his service in the Armed Forces taking special assignments for three more years. In total he served an honorable 6 years in the United States Armed Forces assigned to various units with the United States Air Force and United States Army.He is a relentless warrior who has succeed and proven himself in the battles of litigation time and time again, however he prides himself on his caring, empathetic approach to working with the injured and their families. He believes in going the distance for each and every client, is not afraid to put any case in front of a jury, and makes insurance companies pay up when deserving injury victims come forward to seek justice. Recent Verdicts, Settlements and Judgments$131 Million verdict for the victim of a car accident in which the driver was over-served at a restaurant/bar$74.525 million for the victim of a birth injury caused by medical malpractice in San Luis Obispo$45 Million verdict for the wrongful death of a mother killed by a drunk driver$40 million for the wrongful death of a 33 year old son$38.6 million for a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury due to a fall from a hotel balcony while intoxicated$31.6 million for a young woman with a traumatic brain injury in Kern County, California$29.25 million win against State Farm for brain injury, after the policy was open$21.6 million jury verdict in a contested motorcycle collision case (2016)$18.6 million verdict on behalf of a child who was run over by a garbage truck and lost his leg$17 million for a woman with a traumatic brain injury where she appeared normal to those who did not know her$16.4 million awarded for medical malpracticeVerdict for the family of a farmer who was killed in a vehicle crash caused by a commercial vehicle.$13.86 million for a professional fighter who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury after a car crash$12 million win against State of California for negligent road design$10.25 million policy limits for below the knee amputation$10.6 Million verdict on behalf of a student who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury because of the school district's negligence$10 million win traumatic brain injuryVerdict for a family in a wrongful death lawsuit$8.3 million judgment for a US Navy Veteran who suffered a penile injury in a San Diego motorcycle crash$7.6 million for a client when the defense offered only $300,000$6.9 million for a college football player with a traumatic brain injury when the insurance company offered only $30,000 to settle$6.5 million verdict for a victim of an assault in a nightclub resulting in facial and eye injuries$6.1 million for a victim of assault & battery which resulted in a mild traumatic brain injury with normal MRI scans and normal neuropsychological testingSettlement for the family of a man who was struck in broad daylight by a commercial vehicle while he was on the side of the road. He eventually died following the accident.About the Elawvate PodcastThe Elawvate Podcast – Where Trial Lawyers Learn, Share, and Grow is where the practice of trial law meets personal growth. To succeed as a trial lawyer and build a successful law firm requires practice skills, strategic thinking and some amount of business and entrepreneurial savvy. Elawvate is a place to learn and share skills and strategies for success.But it is also a place to dig deeper and achieve personal growth.Those who succeed as trial lawyers at the highest levels cultivate character, principle, integrity, leadership, courage, compassion and perseverance. We learn and draw inspiration from those who have achieved this success.For more about Elawvate, visit our website at www.elawvate.fm. You can also join our Facebook Group at Elawvate | FacebookFor more information or to contact the hosts, see:(Rahul Ravipudi (psblaw.com) (Ben Gideon | Gideon Asen LLC)
Pamela Vallero is a trial attorney at Gruenberg Law. Pamela fights for the rights of those who have been subjected to unlawful discrimination, wrongful termination, and retaliation. Pamela is a native Spanish speaker and routinely counsels clients in that language. Pamela grew up in Medellin, Colombia and moved back to the U.S. in her teens. She is a first generation American, college graduate, and now attorney. Her parents are both Colombian and now reside on the East Coast. She is one of three sisters. Pamela joined Gruenberg Law in 2017. Since then, Pamela has worked as trial counsel recovering millions for her clients. As trial counsel, Pamela recently obtained a $1.1 million jury verdict for a janitor who suffered disability discrimination by her employer, a large national company. It was the second largest civil rights jury verdict in San Diego County in 2019. Pamela has accumulated a track record of standing up to businesses that violate the law. Prior to joining Gruenberg Law, Pamela served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles W. Dortch, Jr., in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Before becoming a judicial law clerk, Pamela served as a judicial extern to both Magistrate Judge William V. Gallo and District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Pamela obtained her B.S. from Georgia Southern University in 2007 and then received her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2015. She lived in Korea between 2008 and 2012 where she taught Spanish and English. Pamela maintains memberships with the following organizations for attorneys: the California Lawyers’ Association Labor and Employment Law Section; the San Diego County Bar Association; San Diego La Raza Association; Consumer Attorneys of San Diego; San Diego Lawyers’ Club; Women of Color in the Law; the American Bar Association; the Federal Bar Association, Latinas in the Law; and The Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court. Pamela has been a speaker at employment law-focused seminars with Ellevate Network, the Military Spouse J.D. Network, Las Valientes – God’s Heart Ministries. Pamela routinely speaks on Spanish-speaking radio and television networks, including La Poderosa and NBC San Diego. In her spare time, Pamela enjoys exploring new things with her six-month-old daughter, Olivia, going to the dog beach with her puppy, Goku, and playing chess and scrabble with her husband, David. Email: pam@gruenberglaw.com IG handle: @pamvallero which will soon become @ladefensoradeltrabajador
QUESTION PRESENTED:1) Whether a defendant in a securities class action may rebut the presumption of classwide reliance recognized in Basic Inc. v. Levinson by pointing to the generic nature of the alleged misstatements in showing that the statements had no impact on the price of the security, even though that evidence is also relevant to the substantive element of materiality; and (2) whether a defendant seeking to rebut the Basic presumption has only a burden of production or also the ultimate burden of persuasion.DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)Aug 21 2020 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 24, 2020)Aug 25 2020 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., et al.Sep 08 2020 | Motion to extend the time to file a response from September 24, 2020 to October 23, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.Sep 08 2020 | Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, et al.Sep 09 2020 | Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including October 23, 2020.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Retail Litigation Center, Inc. filed.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amici curiae of Former SEC Officials and Law Professors filed.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amicus curiae of The Society for Corporate Governance filed.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amici curiae of Securities and Financial Markets Association, et al. filed.Sep 24 2020 | Brief amici curiae of Financial Economists filed.Oct 21 2020 | Brief of respondents Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, et al. in opposition filed.Oct 21 2020 | Motion of petitioner to delay distribution of the petition for a writ of certiorari under Rule 15.5 from November 4, 2020 to November 17, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.Oct 26 2020 | Motion to delay distribution of the petition for a writ certiorari until November 17, 2020 granted.Nov 17 2020 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/4/2020.Nov 17 2020 | Reply of petitioners Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., et al. filed. (Distributed)Dec 07 2020 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/11/2020.Dec 11 2020 | Petition GRANTED.Jan 14 2021 | Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, et al.Jan 14 2021 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., et al.Jan 25 2021 | Brief of petitioners Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., et al. filed.Jan 25 2021 | Joint appendix (2 volumes & 1 supplemental) filed. (Statement of costs filed)Feb 01 2021 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, March 29, 2021.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of United States support of neither party filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Retail Litigation Center, Inc. filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amici curiae of American International Group, Inc. et al. filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Financial Economists filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Securities and Financial Markets Association, et al. filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Former SEC Officials and Law Professors filed.Feb 01 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of The Society for Corporate Governance filed.Feb 04 2021 | Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 2nd Circuit.Feb 11 2021 | Record from the U.S.C.A. 2nd Circuit, along with SEALED material been electronically filed.Feb 11 2021 | Record from the U.S.D.C. Southern District of New York is electronic and located on Pacer, with the exception of 1 Box of Sealed records.Feb 22 2021 | CIRCULATED.Feb 24 2021 | Brief of respondents Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, et al. filed. (Distributed)Feb 26 2021 | Motion of the Acting Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.Mar 03 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Better Markets, Inc. filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Former SEC Officials filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of The North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Financial Economists filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Evidence Law Professors filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Institutional Investors filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Professors of Securities Law and Complex Litigation filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of State of New Mexico et al. filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Public Citizen and Public Citizen Foundation filed. (Distributed)Mar 03 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Shareholder and Consumer Attorneys filed. (Distributed)Mar 08 2021 | Motion of the Acting Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.Mar 19 2021 | Reply of petitioners Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., et al. filed. (Distributed)Mar 29 2021 | Argued. For petitioners: Kannon K. Shanmugam, Washington, D. C. For United States, as amicus curiae: Sopan Joshi, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For respondents: Thomas C. Goldstein, Bethesda, Md.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Micha Star Liberty (https://libertylaw.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Award-winning California trial attorney Micha Star Liberty discusses how she successfully advocated for the grieving parents of 24-year-old Amelie Le Moullac after she was fatally struck by a commercial vehicle while riding in a San Francisco bike lane in 2013. A responsible bicyclist, Amelie wore her helmet and stayed in the designated bicycle lane, but neither action prevented her from being run over by a 13,000-ton Daylight Foods, Inc. box truck, which illegally crossed the bike lane to make a sudden right turn. Amelie died from her injuries, including a fractured skull and crushed torso. Micha Star Liberty helped secure key video footage of the crash from a nearby business security camera after the San Francisco Police Department failed to conduct a thorough investigation, which was later revealed to be part of a larger bias against bicyclists. Despite the defense's attempts to blame Amelie and to depict her as a reckless bicyclist, Micha Star Liberty invoked a California Vehicle Code statue, which underscored the fact that Amelie had the right to remain in her bike lane and treat it as a safety zone in the event of a turning vehicle, which trumped the defense's use of a more general statute. In January 2015, a San Francisco jury ruled that Amelie shared no responsibility in her tragic death, found the driver to be at fault and awarded Amelie's parents a total of $4 million in damages. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bios: Micha Star Liberty Micha Star Liberty is the owner Liberty Law Office, Inc. — a diverse legal practice primarily representing individuals who have suffered a serious injury or abuse, including child sexual abuse. The firm also represents employees who have been discriminated against or harassed in the workplace, and Micha has assisted businesses with finding a common ground when releasing an employee on best terms. Ms. Liberty is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has held the title of President and Vice President of multiple legal and political organizations, expanding her network of associates and resources, which often helps to expedite the legal process for the greater benefit of her clients. “My clients come to me during a time of tremendous pain, anguish, and often confusion. They need help and a specialized kind of help. Someone to talk to who will listen; someone who can offer confidential protection under the law; someone with trial knowledge who has worked with similar experiences so they know they are not alone. Everyone needs help and compassion during hard times. My calling in life is to be that advocate for my clients, and I'm never one to back down from a fight for what is right.” Ms. Liberty is a frequent lecturer and published author, focusing much of her public speaking on trial practice, discovery techniques, the importance of mentoring, and best practices for opening a law office and law office management. In 2015, the Consumer Attorneys of California — an organization made up of more than 3000 lawyers in California alone — presented her with the Street Fighter of the Year award at their 54th annual convention held at The Palace in San Francisco. Ms. Liberty was granted the award after holding the Contra Costa County School District accountable for a child sexual molestation case in which school officials were aware of the abuse and took no action. Every year since 2005, she's been given the Presidential Award of Merit. In 2005 and 2006 she was presented the Defender of Justice Award and the Outstanding Service Award, respectively. In 2018, she was awarded the Women's Advocate of the Year Award for her had work on legislation and for prosecuting numerous cases dealing with the #me too era. Ms. Liberty was a contributing author and editor for the following practice guides: California Client Communications Manual, and California Basic Practice Handbook, both published by Continuing Education of the Bar. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services -LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi (https://www.manlystewart.com/) and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP (https://www.gbw.law/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: California trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP explain how they successfully represented their client Delia Flores after she was injured in a head-on collision caused by a driver whose employer was ultimately held responsible for his reckless driving. On a clear October afternoon in 2016, Delia was driving a Toyota Camry when she was hit head-on by an Audi attempting and failing to pass an 18-wheeler going 50 mph on a two-lane road. The Audi was driven by ConvergeOne, Inc. IT engineer Lewis Rocchetti, who was on his way home from work at 5:30 p.m. Because Lewis was a salaried employee who never officially clocked out and was expected to use his personal vehicle to respond to service calls, trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield and Tobin Lanzetta were able to utilize the vehicle-use exception to the Coming and Going Rule, holding Lewis's employer ConvergeOne, Inc. liable for Delia's traumatic brain injury and numerous orthopedic injuries. The defense countered that Lewis was not working or providing a benefit to ConvergeOne, Inc. at the time of the crash. In March 2019, a San Bernardino, California jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, awarding Delia $2.6 million in damages, resulting in one of the top 50 personal injury verdicts in California in 2019. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bios: Taylor Rayfield Taylor Rayfield is a seasoned trial lawyer who has dedicated her practice to championing the rights of survivors, obtaining substantial trial verdicts and settlements in the process. Before joining Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, Taylor made a name for herself by obtaining incredible results on behalf of victims across a wide range of areas, including sexual assault, many times in difficult cases against considerable adversaries. Her practice is focused on representation of victims sexual abuse across a broad range of areas, including those abused by coaches, teachers, family members, mentors, and religious personnel. Never one to back down from a confrontation, Taylor obtained a $2,600,000.00 jury verdict for a woman who was severely injured after being involved in a head-on collision, after successfully convincing the jury that the employer was responsible for the acts of its employee under an exception to the “going and coming rule”. Taylor also demonstrated incredible tenacity and negotiation acumen by obtaining a $1,650,000.00 settlement, on the verge of trial, for a student-athlete who was sexually abused by his Torrance High School wrestling coach. This resolution secured an important benchmark for nearly 30 other sex abuse victims who had lawsuits slated for trial against the same defendants. Taylor represented the high school wrestler, who was molested by his coach—Thomas Snider—despite prior allegations that Snider had sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy on a camping trip. The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) awarded Ms. Rayfield with the 2018 “Street Fighter of the Year Award” for her achievements in this matter—an award given to attorneys who achieve significant results in a difficult case. Playing a pivotal role on the trial team, Taylor won a hard-fought verdict against a California ski resort on behalf of a woman paralyzed in a catastrophic ski accident. The jury awarded the plaintiff a gross verdict of $22,000,000.00 against Mountain High Ski Resort. In another heavily contested case, Taylor assisted the trial team in securing a $6,300,000.00 settlement on behalf of a 14-year-old girl who was badly burned by a defective product at a family barbeque. The lawsuit uncovered a widespread danger after reports revealed more than 23 similar burn injuries, across the country, from these unsafe products. As lead trial counsel, Ms. Rayfield, representing a woman who slipped and fell while walking up the front stairs of her apartment, obtained a jury verdict in a personal injury trial that quadrupled the highest offer made by the defense. At trial, Taylor successfully convinced the jury that the entryway stairs were a dangerous condition due to the tile used and lack of protective measures. Taylor also helped obtain a $1,400,000.00 jury verdict in a personal injury lawsuit against a San Diego production company for failing to maintain the safety of its studio. The case involved Hollywood actress Tippi Hedren, who suffered significant injuries after she was injured due to a faulty roof. Read Full Bio Tobin Lanzetta Tobin Lanzetta has devoted his career to fighting for public safety. His $100+ million in case victories have demanded accountability from corporate and governmental wrongdoers. Tobin was named a 2016 California Consumer Attorney of the Year along with his colleagues Bruce Broillet, Scott Carr and Molly McKibben for their Erin Andrews v. Marriott $55 million trial result. Tobin's trial areas include catastrophic injury, wrongful death, brain injury, product liability, heavy machinery/trucking, train incidents, and government liability. Recently, a Ventura County Superior Court jury awarded nearly $3.5 million to Tobin's clients after a catastrophic forklift injury where the defendants took no responsibility. In one of the defining cases of his career, Tobin played an instrumental role in the high-profile Santa Monica Farmers Market cases. After an elderly man mowed down victims at the weekly farmers' market, the City of Santa Monica and other defendants paid $21 million to settle the lawsuits. Importantly, these cases led to the installation of protective barriers which ensures that the weekly farmers' market will be a safer environment for every person who visits. Tobin is a partner and has been named a “Super Lawyer” 2014-2018. He was also honored as a Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2005 and 2007-2013. Tobin graduated from Santa Clara University, after originally attending Swarthmore College. He received his law degree from the University of San Diego. Before Tobin attended law school he played baseball for the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services -LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview James "Bo" Bolus, Jr. of Bolus Law (https://www.boluslaw.com/) and personal injury lawyer Nick Mudd of Mudd Legal Group (https://www.muddlegalgroup.com/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Kentucky Trial Court Review's 2020 Plaintiff Trial Lawyer of the Year James "Bo" Bolus, Jr. of Bolus Law and personal injury lawyer Nick Mudd of Mudd Legal Group explain how they successfully represented Carolyn Boerste, a woman who endured a life-altering below-the-knee leg amputation due to complications caused by a sponge left inside her following surgery. In 2011, Carolyn underwent vascular bypass surgery at Louisville's University Medical Center, but the nursing staff's failure to do a sponge count resulted in one 18x18 inch sponge being left inside Carolyn's abdomen. The sponge was not found until five years later, after Carolyn went to Louisville Emergency Medical Associates complaining of gastrointestinal problems. The sponge was removed at the Franciscan Health Care Center -- a lower-income, short-staffed medical center, where Carolyn had to use her heels to move herself around on the hospital bed to prevent bedsores. This movement resulted in infected heel blisters and a partial amputation of Carolyn's left leg in 2017. Trial lawyers Bo Bolus, Jr. and Nick Mudd faced an uphill battle trying this case in Jefferson County, Kentucky -- a county that had not seen a plaintiff medical malpractice verdict in five years -- and in a state that had not held a surgeon responsible in a retained sponge case since 1997. At trial, the defense attempted to blame Carolyn's already declining health and lifestyle choices for her amputation, but Bo and Nick countered with a bank of skilled medical expert witnesses. In December 2019, the jury returned a verdict in Carolyn's favor, awarding her $9,500,000 for medical expenses, pain and suffering as well as $1,000,000 in punitive damages against University Medical Center, which was found 60% liable for Carolyn's injuries. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bios: James "Bo" Bolus, Jr. Many consider Nicholas C. Rowley, founder of Attorney s for Justice and Partner at Carpenter, Zuckerman, & Rowley, to be the most accomplished trial lawyer of his generation having won more than $1.5 Billion in verdicts and settlements for injury victims and families across the country. Winner of the 2018 Attorney of the Year and five time finalist, he is one of the youngest trial lawyers in history to be presented with the award. He has extensive courtroom experience representing victims of serious injuries and medical malpractice, especially those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, and chronic pain. Nick has been recognized by dozens of publications for his record-breaking verdicts and work for injury victims and their families. In 2018, Nick was named to The National Law Journal's Elite Attorney s for having a top 50 verdict in the nation. He was also named “Los Angeles Top Litigators in 2018” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. In 2015, Nick was listed in TopVerdict.com's Top 100 Largest US Verdicts in the nation. In 2012, Nick was a finalist for the “Consumer Attorney of the Year” award, given by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Nick was recognized by the Los Angeles Daily Journal for winning a “Top Verdict of 2010” for his $31.6 million jury verdict for the victim of a traumatic brain injury. In 2009, the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego awarded Nick its “Outstanding Attorney ” award. In 2013, Nick was honored with the organization's top award – “Outstanding Attorney of the Year''. Some of Nick's other recent successes include a record setting $131,000,375 verdict for the victim of a car accident after the driver was over served at a bar, a record setting $74,525,000 verdict for a victim of medical malpractice, $40,000,000 for two parents whose 33 year old son was negligently killed due to corporate negligence, a $38,600,000 verdict for a young man who fell from a hotel balcony while intoxicated, a $17,000,000 win for a woman who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a fall from a hotel window, $16,500,000 for a young girl who was a birth injury victim, a $13,860,000 win for a mild traumatic brain injury caused by an automobile crash, $10,250,000 for a man who suffered a below knee amputation, $10,000,000 for an Iowa family in a wrongful death lawsuit, and $10,000,000 for a child with a mild traumatic brain injury. Read Full Bio Nick Mudd Nick Mudd is best known for his record setting hot streak when he won 5 murder trials in 4 months. No lawyer in Kentucky has even come close to touching this streak in the last 20 years. But he didn't stop there. He started expanding his practice to handle personal injury and medical malpractice cases and in December 2019 won a record setting medical malpractice verdict of $10.5 MILLION in damages after a doctor left a surgical sponge in a patient during a routine heart surgery. Now Nick Mudd brings that experience, expertise, and diligence to your case. Nick Mudd has handled someone of the nation's most prominent and high-profile cases. His cases have been featured in news media outlets around the world, including ABC World News, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, and the Washington Times. He has been featured as a guest commentator on numerous criminal, civil, and social issues with several news media outlets. He even made his Hollywood debut on an episode of "Fear Thy Neighbor." His goal is simple: to be “The Best.” Each time. Every time. For every single client, no matter what issues they are facing. Call him now for help with your case. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services -LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing -DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Christine Spagnoli of Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP (https://www.gbw.law/). Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Santa Monica, California attorney Christine Spagnoli of Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP shares how she advocated for injured church members and their grieving families after a Ford E350 15-passenger van overturned following a tire tread separation. In April 2004, four members of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church traveled on Sacramento's I-5 in a van equipped with Goodyear Load Range E tires. Due to known tread separation problems, Goodyear conducted a voluntary replacement program on these tires, but Ford failed to notify its dealers. The tread on the church van's factory-mounted Goodyear tires separated, causing the van to flip four times, killing the driver William Brownell and front-seat passenger Tony Mauro and injuring passengers Marlene Shirley and Alexander Bessonov. Ford knew the E350 15-passenger van was susceptible to overturning, given professional driver tests that indicated oversteering and handling issues, but the company allowed the vehicle to go to market without modifying the design. In 2011, a Sacramento jury found Ford Motor Company negligent and returned a $73 million verdict, including $50 million in punitive damages against Ford in favor of the plaintiffs. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bios: Christine D. Spagnoli: Christine D. Spagnoli is a partner of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler in Santa Monica, specializing in representing plaintiffs in product liability, personal injury and legal malpractice actions. She has obtained many multimillion-dollar verdicts, including the 1999 General Motors case in which a defective fuel tank was found responsible for the burn injuries of two adults and four children. The jury returned with a landmark $4.9 billion verdict. She was co-counsel in the largest personal injury verdict in California, which resulted in a $58 million verdict for a man severely burned by a defective O-ring. She has also spear-headed litigation to protect consumers from injuries and deaths involving 15 passenger vans including: A March 2018 jury verdict of $25.9 million awarded to the family of a church volunteer in New Port Richey, Florida who died in a rollover of a Ford 15 passenger van after the left rear tire tread separated. (Named by National Law Journal as one of the Top 100 Verdicts of 2018) A November 2011 jury verdict of $73 million (including $50 million in punitive damages) awarded to the family of a church volunteer in Sacramento who died in a rollover crash of a Ford 15 passenger van following a tire tread separation. In that case, the jury found that the van's defective design led to the loss of control and that Ford knew about the dangers of tread separations but failed to warn consumers to remove recalled tires that were prone to separation. A July 2010 jury verdict of $5 million for a man injured when the roof of his Ford 15 passenger van crushed in a rollover causing permanent spinal cord injuries. Her achievements cover the full range of personal injury and product liability cases. Recently, Chris served as the Plaintiffs' Co-Lead Counsel in the Federal Express Vehicle Collision Cases resulting from the May 2015 crash involving a FedEx tractor-trailer that crossed a median in Orland, California colliding with a charter bus full of high school students, killing 10 and injuring dozens. The cases settled in October of 2017 on the eve of trial after Chris and her team successfully fought efforts by FedEx to exclude the driver's cell phone records from the trial. She has also served as the Plaintiffs' Liaison Counsel in coordinated cases involving defective Cooper Tires as well as on the California Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for cases involving defective Firestone tires on Ford Explorers. Chris earned widespread recognition for her work as co-lead trial counsel in the 2001 negligence case against Southern California Edison, which resulted in a $21 million verdict for an electrocuted avocado picker. Among her other noteworthy cases are Brezovec v. State of California – $8.8 million, a brain/motor vehicle injury case, Ogden v. Hamm Brothers Construction – $6.4 million, a personal injury matter, and McGee v. The City of Alameda – $25 million, an electrocuted construction worker. In 2017 Chris was honored by the American Association of Justice with its prestigious Harry M. Philo Award which recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the civil justice system and whose work has advanced the safety and protection of American consumers. In 2012, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles recognized Chris as its Trial Lawyer of the Year, the first time in the history of the organization that a woman trial attorney received that honor. In 2001 she was named Most Outstanding Young Trial Lawyer, the F. Scott Baldwin Award, by the American Association for Justice (AAJ), New Lawyers Division. She also received Loyola Law School's 2001 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. She has also been nominated as a finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year and the Consumer Attorneys of California Trial Lawyer of the Year on multiple occasions. Within professional organizations, Chris has assumed numerous leadership positions and received many honors for her service. She served as the President of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) in 2009 and was the 2002 president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). In 2011 – 2013 she served as the President of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, a national organization of attorneys specializing in automotive product liability cases. She is a member of the Board of the American Association for Justice, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and is also a member of the International Society of Barristers and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) where she holds the rank of Associate. In 1998, she was appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to the Civil Jury Instructions Committee (CACI), where she still serves. Chris also serves as a member of the Board of Overseers for the Rand Institute for Civil Justice as well as the Board of Overseers of her alma mater, Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. Chris is one of the state's most trusted legal leaders as a member of the Los Angeles Judicial Selection Advisory Committees (JSACs). In January 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom named Ms. Spagnoli to the influential committee that reviews judicial candidates under consideration for nomination and appointment and will provide important feedback before forwarding their names to the Governor for review. The awards and honors bestowed on Chris by these various organizations include the Consumer Attorneys of California's 2014 Robert E. Cartwright Award and its 2010 Marvin E. Lewis Award as well as the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles 2005 Ted Horn Memorial Award. These awards recognized Chris for her excellence in trial advocacy and her dedication to teaching trial advocacy to her colleagues as well as her selfless gift of her talents in service to the organizations and consumers. She was honored as one of Loyola Law School of Los Angeles' Champions of Justice in 2013. In May 2017, Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, bestowed on Chris its Rage for Justice Lifetime Legal Achievement Award. On June 7, 2018, the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles inducted Chris into its Hall of Fame, honoring CAALA members with distinguished legal careers who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and society. In 2018 Chris was named as one of California's Top 30 Plaintiff attorneys by the Daily Journal, which also has ranked her as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys in California and one of the Top 50 Women Litigators since 2004. She has also been named a “Super Lawyer” in the Southern California Super Lawyers peer-nominated listings compiled and published by Law & Politics, and one of the Best Lawyers in America by Woodward/White, Inc., based on a survey of her peers. As a frequent lecturer and author, Chris has shared her expertise on various trial techniques including demonstrative evidence, direct and cross-examination methods, written discovery and demonstrating head trauma injury in children. Among the organizations she has addressed are CAALA, CAOC, AAJ, the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Trial Lawyer associations in Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, Washington, and the Western Trial Lawyers Association. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Armen Akaragian and Garo Mardirossian of Mardirossian & Associates, Inc. (https://www.garolaw.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Los Angeles trial lawyers Armen Akaragian and Garo Mardirossian of Mardirossian & Associates, Inc. explain how they represented the family of Nonki Uno, a 66-year-old restaurant owner who was killed after the accelerator pedal in her 2006 Toyota Camry got stuck following a crash caused by another driver who ran a stop sign. In August 2009, 86-year-old Olga Bello broadsided Nonki Uno's car, sending it spinning and uncontrollably accelerating, crossing the center median curb and striking multiple telephone poles and trees. Nonki was found dead at the scene with her foot broken and mangled under the brake pedal and her emergency brake activated. Originally tried in 2013, this was a bellwether case for nearly 300 unintended acceleration cases involving Toyota vehicles. Toyota failed to include a Brake Override Safety System (B.O.S.S.) in the American model of the Toyota Camry until 2007 and failed to warn consumers about the fact that solid accelerator pedals can get stuck and cause sudden acceleration. Despite Armen and Garo's argument that Toyota and Olga Bello were to blame for Nonki's death, the Los Angeles jury ultimately found Olga 100% responsible and awarded $10,000,000 in noneconomic damages to Nonki's husband and son. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bios: Armen Akaragian Armen Akaragian is an attorney with the firm of Mardirossian & Associates, in Los Angeles, California. He has been with the firm since 1999. Admitted to practice in 2006, Armen has arbitrated, tried, and settled several cases that have resulted in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Some of the largest entities Armen has represented the firm's clients against include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Marriott International, Inc., Kiewit Construction, Continental Tire, Land Rover, State of California, Chrysler Motors, Emerson Electric, and Honeywell International. In 2009, he was nominated for the coveted Consumer Trial Attorney of the Year Award by the Consumer Attorneys of California, a statewide organization, following his involvement in the case of Pannu vs. Land Rover. This complex product liability case, which was litigated for more than seven years, tried over eight weeks and underwent a two-year appellate process, ultimately resulted in a fully affirmed judgment in excess of $25,000,000.00. Most notably, the published Court of Appeal opinion set precedent in the State of California excluding from evidence crucial testing that automobile manufacturers have relied upon in defending complex product liability cases for decades. In 2011, Armen again was recognized for his accomplishments by the Armenian Bar Association as one of the top 20 lawyers under 40. This was the first time this award had been given out by the Bar Association. In 2013, Armen was one of the trial attorneys in the first bellwether case tried to verdict, Uno v. Toyota, in the about 300 coordinated cases against Toyota arising from unintended acceleration incidents. The trial lasted for more than three months and resulted in a jury verdict in the amount of $10,000,000.00 for the untimely death of a 66-year-old wife and mother. The case ultimately settled in 2015 at the Appellate Court steps. At that time, the judgment which also included costs and interest exceeded $13,000,000.00. During the trial in Uno v. Toyota, the California Court of Appeal published its opinion in Purton v. Marriott International, Inc., 218 Cal. App. 4th 499 (2013), reversing a grant of summary judgment. The Court of Appeal agreed with Armen's position taken at the trial court level and eventually held that an employer could still be responsible for the acts of its employee who became intoxicated at a company party even if the employee arrived home safely from the party, then left his house and was subsequently involved in a crash. The case eventually started trial in May of 2015 in San Diego. After three weeks and just before plaintiffs rested, the case was resolved for a confidential sum. Armen attended California State University, Northridge, where he earned, in 2002, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He then attended Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, where he was consistently on the Dean's List, and completed his Juris Doctor degree in 2005. During his studies, he was also a Judicial Extern for Honorable Dikran Tevrizian, Judge with the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Read Full Bio Garo Mardirossian Garo Mardirossian is the principal of Mardirossian &Associates, Inc., a five-lawyer firm in the Mardirossian Law Building located at 6311 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Since starting his practice in 1981, Mr. Mardirossian has focused almost exclusively on representing individuals who have been catastrophically injured. Mr. Mardirossian has obtained over 100 seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements, including eight-figure verdicts in product liability, general negligence, and civil rights cases. In April of 2019, Mr. Mardirossian obtained the largest settlement ever against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in the amount of $42,200,000.00 in the case of Fong v. LA County Sheriff's Department, where a rogue Sheriff's Deputy lost control of his patrol car while responding to a call, Code 3, and hit the plaintiff who suffered a broken leg and a moderate TBI. Despite the crash, within six months, the plaintiff returned back to work without any limitations. In an earlier case against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Dole v. LA County Sheriff's Department, members of the Dole family were beaten and arrested at the Dole home while celebrating a bridal shower. Mr. Mardirossian obtained a defense verdict in the felony criminal case prosecuted against members of the Dole family and then obtained a jury award in the amount of $24,850,000.00 in the civil rights action -- the largest judgment in history against the Sheriff's Department at the time. In Mendoza v. LA County Sheriff's Department, Mr. Mardirossian obtained a $14,350,000.00 settlement for the family of Frank Mendoza, a grandfather who was mistakenly shot and killed by Sheriff's Deputies as he was exiting his home. More recently, in Valenzuela v. City of Anaheim, an excessive force case that resulted in the choking death of Vincent Valenzuela, Garo Mardirossian and Dale Galipo teamed up to obtain a federal court jury verdict of $13,200,000.00 for the family of an unarmed homeless father of two. In the nationally followed Kelly Thomas v. Fullerton Police Department case, Mr. Mardirossian fought for justice for Kelly Thomas, a homeless man suffering from schizophrenia, who was tased and beaten to death by Fullerton Police officers following an encounter that was escalated by the officers. During jury selection, Mr. Mardirossian obtained a settlement of $4,900,000.00 on behalf of Kelly's father. In Kunta Kinte v. Bart Simpson (real names), Mr. Mardirossian represented a South Central family that was beaten and arrested by officers of the LAPD. After obtaining an acquittal in the criminal case, Mr. Mardirossian settled the civil rights action case for $350,000.00. In Zerby v. Long Beach Police Department, Mr. Mardirossian and Dale Galipo obtained a jury verdict of $6,500,000.00 after Long Beach Police officers shot and killed Douglas Zerby, who was sitting on the steps in front of a friend's house. The officers mistook the water nozzle he was holding for a weapon and opened fire. In Amaya v. LA County Sheriff's Department, Mr. Mardirossian obtained a $3,050,000.00 jury verdict on behalf of the family of a man who was shot and killed in his home by Sheriff's Deputies who were executing an arrest warrant. In Ponce v. City of Anaheim, Mr. Mardirossian obtained a $1,650,000.00 settlement for the children of Adalid Flores, who was shot and killed by Anaheim Police Department officers who believed his cell phone was a gun. In 2000, Mr. Mardirossian won the prestigious CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year award. In 2010, he was elected CAALA's president. He has been named by the Daily Journal as one of the top 100 Lawyers in California, and he has had numerous published decisions that have set an important precedent in California, including Purton v. Marriott International, Inc., 218 Cal. App. 4th 499 (2013); Pannu v. Land Rover, 191 Cal. App. 4th 1298 (2011); Mardirossian & Associates, Inc. v. Ersoff, 153 Cal. App. 4th 257 (2007); and Srithong v. Total Investment Co., 23 Cal. App. 4th 721 (1994). Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Randy Scarlett of Scarlett Law Group (https://www.scarlettlawgroup.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Episode Details: Acclaimed trial lawyer Randall H. Scarlett of Scarlett Law Group explains how he secured justice for a 21-year-old pre-med student who suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car crash involving two tractor-trailers on California's State Route 152 near Pacheco Pass. Drew Bianchi, a promising medical student, was a passenger in his friend's Toyota Avalon when the vehicle was struck by a truck that crossed the center line, causing a head-on collision with a Gordon Trucking 18-wheeler. The truck driver who caused the collision was operating his vehicle on only three hours of sleep; the second truck driver was talking on his cell phone at the time of impact. Drew sustained major injuries and was rendered a quadriplegic, requiring around-the-clock care. After six weeks of trial, a San Jose, California jury returned a $49,123,375.87 verdict, assigning 35% of the fault to Gordon Trucking, 60% to the other tractor-trailer driver and 5% to the State of California. This case secured the highest non-punitive verdict in California for a traumatic brain injury. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: Randall H. Scarlett Randall H. Scarlett, is principal of San Francisco based Scarlett Law Group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, wrongful death, and other serious wrongs. Mr. Scarlett is a member of the Washington District of Columbia Bar, (DC Bar #479781) and the State Bar of California, (CA Bar #135554) and is admitted to practice before the District of Columbia, the California Supreme Court, all United States Federal District Courts in California, the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Mr. Scarlett also enjoys pro hac vice admissions in various state and federal courts throughout the United States and has tried cases to verdict in California, Nevada, North Carolina, Hawaii, and Alaska. Mr. Scarlett is a Leaders Forum and President's Club member of the American Association for Justice and is a past Chair and current Board Member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group of AAJ. Mr. Scarlett is a member in good standing of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the Western Trial Lawyers Association, the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association (out of state member), the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Scarlett is also a “Top 100” with the National Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to having been nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (2006) and (2010), Mr. Scarlett also served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (2007). Mr. Scarlett is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and is the current President and member of the Board of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), through which he is a board-certified Diplomat. He is a past Vice-President and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of California (BIAC), and for 20 years or more, was responsible for that organization's medial/legal conference. Mr. Scarlett is also a past President and current member of the board of the Belli Society. Mr. Scarlet has been listed in Best Lawyers in America, SuperLawyers and Martindale Hubbell Preeminent for over 15 years Mr. Scarlett lectures frequently throughout the United States before lawyers and non-lawyer groups alike. He has authored several articles and regularly presents papers. Mr. Scarlett has achieved numerous record-setting verdicts throughout California, and the United States. In the 1980s, he achieved several seven-figure verdicts. In the 1990s, he achieved a $26.3 medical malpractice verdict, followed by a $1.2 Billion verdict in the Marco's Human Rights Litigation. In the last ten years alone, he achieved eight traumatic brain injury verdicts ranging from $10.6 Million to $49.2 Million. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Craig McClellan of The McClellan Law Firm ( https://www.mcclellanlaw.com/ ) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Case Details: Three-time Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award recipient Craig McClellan reveals how he held a manufacturer liable for making a vehicle that is “too dangerous for the average consumer without warnings and instruction.” Air Force veteran Donald Fresh was killed after his coworker failed to maintain control of her Porsche Turbo 930, which was designed to operate more like a race car and did not respond well to deceleration or braking while executing a turn. The brake bent under the force of her foot due to a laceration defect, causing the brake pedal to clamp down on the accelerator. A San Diego jury returned a verdict of $2,500,000 and assigned 100% of the blame for Donald's death on Porsche for not posting warnings about the car's foreseeable risk of hazard to users and negligence in addressing the car's defective brakes and handling. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: Craig McClellan Craig McClellan has obtained more than 130 verdicts and settlements in excess of one million dollars, and is a three-time recipient of the "Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award" from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for cases in which million and multi-million dollar verdicts were obtained. He is the first and only San Diego personal injury attorney selected for admission to the Inner Circle of Advocates, a prestigious invitation-only group of top plaintiff's attorneys, limited to 100 members nationwide. One of his final arguments is featured in Million Dollar Arguments. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he served as President of the San Diego Chapter. He is also a Master of the American Inns of Court, where he currently serves as President of the Enright Inn. He is a former Member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Craig has the distinction of being voted by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America and its San Diego “Lawyer of the Year” five times, as well as a top 10 "Super Lawyer" for San Diego, ranked number one of all San Diego lawyers in 2019. In addition to these recognitions, Craig earned a 10/10 "Superb" Avvo rating and was named one of 2015's Top Lawyers in San Diego in Business Litigation by San Diego Magazine. He has appeared on public radio and television programs, including 60 Minutes, 20/20, and the McNeil-Lehrer Report. Some of his cases are featured in books, including No Contest by Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith. Craig has focused his career on complex, high stakes litigation. His cases include catastrophic personal injury and product liability cases as well as business and intellectual property litigation. He began his practice of law with Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps, eventually starting his own firm, now known as The McClellan Law Firm. He was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from California Western School of Law. Read Full Bio Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase, Personal Injury Attorneys ( https://www.bestattorney.com/ ) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Case Details: Former president of the Consumer Attorneys of California Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys shares how he secured justice for Jaklin Romine after the driver's seat in her vehicle collapsed during a rear-end collision, rendering her a paraplegic. Chase demonstrated that Jaklin's seat, designed by Johnson Controls, Inc., was defective in this groundbreaking case, which resulted in a $24.7 million verdict, including past and future economic and non-economic losses. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: Brian Chase is managing partner and senior trial attorney that heads up the litigation department of the firm. Brian was named 2019 Lawyer of the Year, 2019 Million Dollar Advocate, 2018 Best Law Firm, 2017 High Stakes Litigator, Top Lawyer of Distinction in 2016 as well as a 2016 SuperLawyer recipient and one of America's Best Lawyers 2016. He was the 2015 President of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is a Past President of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. He is a member of ABOTA. In 2014 he was named Trial Lawyer of the Year in products liability by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. In 2012, Chase was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California and a Trial Lawyer of the Year Nominee by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. In 2004 he was named Trial Lawyer of the Year for products liability by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. He is listed as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association since 2007. He's also been listed as the Nation's Top One Percent by the National Association of distinguished Counsel. He's earned the title of Southern California SuperLawyer since 2007 and a Top 50 Orange County SuperLawyer for the past four years. Read Full Bio Here Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview John Gomez of Gomez Trial Attorneys (https://www.thegomezfirm.com/) Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here To Rate and Review Case Details: Award-winning trial lawyer John Gomez of Gomez Trial Attorneys shares how he secured justice for a California couple whose lives changed forever after a slip-and-fall in an El Pollo Loco restaurant. Because WKS Restaurant Corporation refused to pay overtime for workers to clean the grills after closing, employees chose to violate company policy and began cleaning an hour before closing. The resulting slippery floors caused a customer to fall, tear his quadricep and suffer a traumatic brain injury that has left him with severe optical problems. Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents Guest Bio: John Gomez founded the firm alone in 2005. He acts today as President and Lead Trial Attorney. From humble beginnings, he attended three separate San Diego public high schools and Grossmont Junior College before graduating from the Nation's top-ranked law school, Yale University, in 1993. In between, John was named an Academic All American football player for the University of San Diego's Toreros. He clerked for a federal judge, worked for the international law firm of Latham & Watkins and served the United States as an Assistant United States Attorney until becoming a trial lawyer for people in 2000. Since that time, he has established himself as one of California's most recognized and accomplished trial lawyers. Lawyers USA named him the national Lawyer of the Year in 2010. He has twice been named San Diego's Trial Lawyer of the Year. The Consumer Attorneys of San Diego have awarded him an unprecedented nine separate Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards. He has been named a Top 100 California Attorney overall by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a Top 10 San Diego attorney overall by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, and has been voted by peers a top 10 San Diego Super Lawyer every year since 2012. He was featured as the subject of the cover story in that 2012 publication. Read full bio here Show Sponsors Legal Technology Services - LTSatlanta.com Forge Consulting - ForgeConsulting.com Harris, Lowry, and Manton - hlmlawfirm.com Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
Joy Stephenson-Laws opens up about her humble beginnings, changing her career path from healtcare to law and how she is impacting the world in the most amazing ways. Kudos to you & your team Joy Stephenson-Laws! You're doing amazing work! Follow: @sacfirm Web: http://phlabs.com https://www.betternutrition.com https://www.sacfirm.com Joy Stephenson-Laws is founding and managing partner of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman (SAC), the healthcare industry's premier litigation firm. In this role, Ms. Stephenson-Laws leads a diverse team of more than 100 professionals that includes attorneys, doctors, nurses, technology and healthcare provider operations specialists. This interdisciplinary approach to representing clients such as Stanford Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center has resulted in SAC's recovering more than $1 billion for its clients while consistently receiving high marks for client satisfaction for innovations such as SACLINK, a proprietary, interactive, paperless document management system. Ms. Stephenson-Laws, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loma Linda University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University, has spent her entire legal career addressing public benefit issues with a special emphasis on healthcare. Prior to starting her own firm in 1989, which was subsequently joined by Vince Acquisto and George Colman to form SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws was a staff attorney at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. She was also a supervising attorney at Inland Counties Legal Services where she specialized in healthcare litigation. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, California State Bar Association, U.S. District Court-Central/Eastern and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her role with SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws is committed to enhancing consumer health and positively impacting the healthcare industry, and this goes beyond her work as a healthcare attorney. Both her professional and personal lives have been dedicated to improving healthcare in the United States through consumer education, advocacy for healthcare providers and starting a healthcare-related philanthropy to encourage others to get involved in their communities. As part of this commitment, she co-founded The Bili Project Foundation, a nonprofit organization that drives funding and research for identifying markers of biliary cancers. The foundation's goal is to more effectively diagnose and treat biliary cancers, which are the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. She is co-founder and president of MoJo Marketing & Media, a company dedicated to developing ways for individuals and companies to give back to their communities through sports and entertainment. She has also worked to introduce golf to inner city kids in Jamaica and is active in several local area philanthropies. Ms. Stephenson-Laws is an avid golfer, who also enjoys tennis and traveling. Joy Stephenson-Laws is founding and managing partner of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman (SAC), the healthcare industry's premier litigation firm. In this role, Ms. Stephenson-Laws leads a diverse team of more than 100 professionals that includes attorneys, doctors, nurses, technology and healthcare provider operations specialists. This interdisciplinary approach to representing clients such as Stanford Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center has resulted in SAC's recovering more than $1 billion for its clients while consistently receiving high marks for client satisfaction for innovations such as SACLINK, a proprietary, interactive, paperless document management system. Ms. Stephenson-Laws, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loma Linda University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University, has spent her entire legal career addressing public benefit issues with a special emphasis on healthcare. Prior to starting her own firm in 1989, which was subsequently joined by Vince Acquisto and George Colman to form SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws was a staff attorney at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. She was also a supervising attorney at Inland Counties Legal Services where she specialized in healthcare litigation. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, California State Bar Association, U.S. District Court-Central/Eastern and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her role with SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws is committed to enhancing consumer health and positively impacting the healthcare industry, and this goes beyond her work as a healthcare attorney. Both her professional and personal lives have been dedicated to improving healthcare in the United States through consumer education, advocacy for healthcare providers and starting a healthcare-related philanthropy to encourage others to get involved in their communities. As part of this commitment, she co-founded The Bili Project Foundation, a nonprofit organization that drives funding and research for identifying markers of biliary cancers. The foundation's goal is to more effectively diagnose and treat biliary cancers, which are the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. She is co-founder and president of MoJo Marketing & Media, a company dedicated to developing ways for individuals and companies to give back to their communities through sports and entertainment. She has also worked to introduce golf to inner city kids in Jamaica and is active in several local area philanthropies. Ms. Stephenson-Laws is an avid golfer, who also enjoys tennis and traveling. About the show: ►Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Visit http://www.pinnertest.com and use Promo Code: ashsaidit ►Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ►Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ►SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashsaidit ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ►Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AshSaidItMedia ►Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ►Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ►Newsletter: http://ashsaidit.us11.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863c8&id=a6f43cd472 ►Casper Commercial Music Courtesy of http://www.BenSound.com #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!
Joy Stephenson-Laws opens up about her humble beginnings, changing her career path from healtcare to law and how she is impacting the world in the most amazing ways. Kudos to you & your team Joy Stephenson-Laws! You're doing amazing work! Follow: @sacfirm Web: http://phlabs.com https://www.betternutrition.com https://www.sacfirm.com Joy Stephenson-Laws is founding and managing partner of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman (SAC), the healthcare industry's premier litigation firm. In this role, Ms. Stephenson-Laws leads a diverse team of more than 100 professionals that includes attorneys, doctors, nurses, technology and healthcare provider operations specialists. This interdisciplinary approach to representing clients such as Stanford Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center has resulted in SAC's recovering more than $1 billion for its clients while consistently receiving high marks for client satisfaction for innovations such as SACLINK, a proprietary, interactive, paperless document management system. Ms. Stephenson-Laws, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loma Linda University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University, has spent her entire legal career addressing public benefit issues with a special emphasis on healthcare. Prior to starting her own firm in 1989, which was subsequently joined by Vince Acquisto and George Colman to form SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws was a staff attorney at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. She was also a supervising attorney at Inland Counties Legal Services where she specialized in healthcare litigation. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, California State Bar Association, U.S. District Court-Central/Eastern and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her role with SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws is committed to enhancing consumer health and positively impacting the healthcare industry, and this goes beyond her work as a healthcare attorney. Both her professional and personal lives have been dedicated to improving healthcare in the United States through consumer education, advocacy for healthcare providers and starting a healthcare-related philanthropy to encourage others to get involved in their communities. As part of this commitment, she co-founded The Bili Project Foundation, a nonprofit organization that drives funding and research for identifying markers of biliary cancers. The foundation's goal is to more effectively diagnose and treat biliary cancers, which are the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. She is co-founder and president of MoJo Marketing & Media, a company dedicated to developing ways for individuals and companies to give back to their communities through sports and entertainment. She has also worked to introduce golf to inner city kids in Jamaica and is active in several local area philanthropies. Ms. Stephenson-Laws is an avid golfer, who also enjoys tennis and traveling. Joy Stephenson-Laws is founding and managing partner of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman (SAC), the healthcare industry's premier litigation firm. In this role, Ms. Stephenson-Laws leads a diverse team of more than 100 professionals that includes attorneys, doctors, nurses, technology and healthcare provider operations specialists. This interdisciplinary approach to representing clients such as Stanford Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center has resulted in SAC's recovering more than $1 billion for its clients while consistently receiving high marks for client satisfaction for innovations such as SACLINK, a proprietary, interactive, paperless document management system. Ms. Stephenson-Laws, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loma Linda University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University, has spent her entire legal career addressing public benefit issues with a special emphasis on healthcare. Prior to starting her own firm in 1989, which was subsequently joined by Vince Acquisto and George Colman to form SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws was a staff attorney at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. She was also a supervising attorney at Inland Counties Legal Services where she specialized in healthcare litigation. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, California State Bar Association, U.S. District Court-Central/Eastern and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her role with SAC, Ms. Stephenson-Laws is committed to enhancing consumer health and positively impacting the healthcare industry, and this goes beyond her work as a healthcare attorney. Both her professional and personal lives have been dedicated to improving healthcare in the United States through consumer education, advocacy for healthcare providers and starting a healthcare-related philanthropy to encourage others to get involved in their communities. As part of this commitment, she co-founded The Bili Project Foundation, a nonprofit organization that drives funding and research for identifying markers of biliary cancers. The foundation's goal is to more effectively diagnose and treat biliary cancers, which are the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. She is co-founder and president of MoJo Marketing & Media, a company dedicated to developing ways for individuals and companies to give back to their communities through sports and entertainment. She has also worked to introduce golf to inner city kids in Jamaica and is active in several local area philanthropies. Ms. Stephenson-Laws is an avid golfer, who also enjoys tennis and traveling. About the show: ►Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Visit http://www.pinnertest.com and use Promo Code: ashsaidit ►Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ►Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ►SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashsaidit ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ►Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AshSaidItMedia ►Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ►Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ►Newsletter: http://ashsaidit.us11.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863c8&id=a6f43cd472 ►Casper Commercial Music Courtesy of http://www.BenSound.com #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!
California's Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), contingency fees and binding arbitration are just a few of the issues facing California's consumer attorneys. Join Ringler Radio host, Larry Cohen and co-host Chad Weinstein as they discuss these important topics and their real life effects, with Attorney Ray Boucher, President Elect of Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and partner at Kiesel Boucher & Larson, LLP. We'll also discuss the history and role of the CAOC and their continuing fight for consumers' rights.