Current Employment Position(s)

Partner, since 1994

Year Joined Organization: 1985

Lawyer Overview

Barbara Ravitz joined GMSR over two decades ago, having finally found her niche after teaching clinical courses and legal research and writing at UCLA School of Law, practicing at a large litigation firm, and teaching high school French and English. A true Bruin, Barbara also got her undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA. Being an appellate lawyer in an appellate law firm combines Barbara's love of language, reading, research, writing, advocacy, teaching, editing and brainstorming.

Barbara handles appeals and writs in a wide variety of areas: business disputes, antitrust, legal and medical malpractice, landlord-tenant and employment, to name a few. Her favorite book in the law library (yes, GMSR still has one) is 83 Cal.App.4th, which contains two published decisions she won on the same day in two unrelated cases, both reversing the judgments below: GAB Business Services, Inc. v. Lindsey & Newsom Claim Services, Inc. (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 409 and Dickson, Carlson & Campillo v. Pole (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 436.

Barbara enjoys the high esteem of her colleagues. She is a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers – both highly selective organizations. She was also named as one of the "Top 75 Women Litigators in California for 2006" (one of only two appellate lawyers chosen), as a Southern California "Super Lawyer" for 2005 and 2006 and as one of "The Best Lawyers in America" for Appellate Law for 2006 and 2007. Since 2001, when the California Supreme Court first appointed her, Barbara has served on the committee that recommends judges for the State Bar Court. She has lectured and taught extensively on appellate-related topics.

Work does not occupy all Barbara's time. She volunteers at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center as a lay facilitator in the Center's "Survivors After Suicide" program, and she sings alto in a premier choral group that is planning its third overseas tour. She loves to read novels and discuss them with her book club, attend theater and concerts, garden and travel to unusual places. She has been married for 40 years to her high school sweetheart, Lou, a Santa Monica internist. They are the parents of David, a real estate agent, and Jessica, a nurse and medical researcher.

Areas of Practice

• Appellate Law
• Business Litigation
• Constitutional Law
• Employment and Agency Law
• Entertainment Law
• Healthcare Law
• Legal Malfeasance
• Punitive Damages
• Tort Litigation

Representative Cases

• Washington v. United States of America, 868 F.2d 332 (C.A.9 (Cal.) 1989)
• Munro v. Regents of the University of California, 215 Cal.App.3d 977 (1989)
• Breazeal v. Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, 234 Ca.App.3d 1329 (1991)
• Aquino v. Superior Court, 21 Cal.App.4th 847 (1993)
• Kerins v. Hartley, 27 Cal.App.4th 1062 (1994)
• Governing Board v. Haar, 28 Cal.App.4th 369 (1994)
• Barrett v. Baird, 111 Nev. 1496, 908 P.2d 689 (Nev. 1995)
• Leslie G. v. Perry & Associates, 43 Cal.App.4th 472 (1996)
• Roddenberry v. Roddenberry, 44 Cal.App.4th 634 (1996)
• Soldinger v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 51 Cal.App.4th 345 (1996)
• Reifschneider v. Regents of University of California, 2001 Cal.App. Unpub. Lexis 2713 (2001)
• GAB Business Services, Inc. v. Lindsey & Newsom Claims Services, Inc., 83 Cal.App.4th 409 (2000)

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Constitutional Law, Employment Law -- Employer, Entertainment, Health & Health Care Law, Litigation & Appeals, Federal Appellate Practice, State Appellate Practice, Legal Malpractice

Bar Admissions

• California, 1979
• U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1979
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1988
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1989

Professional Associations and Memberships

• California Academy of Appellate Lawyers (Member)
• State Bar of California, 1990 - 1993 (Committee on Appellate Courts)
• Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1996 - 2002 (Appellate Elections Evaluation Committee)
• Anti-Defamation League/Pacific Southwest Region, 1999 - Present (Legal Advisory Committee)
• Supreme Court, 2001 - Present (Applicant Evaluation and Nomination Committee)

Honors and Awards

• Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
• Named in The Best Lawyers in America (Appellate Law), 2006 - 2010
• Southern California Super Lawyers (Appellate), 2005 - 2009
• Los Angeles Daily Journal's Top 75 Women Litigators in California, 2006
• Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics' Top 50 Women Lawyers In Southern California, 2007 - 2008

Classes and Seminars

• Panelist: Pretrial Appellate Review, State Bar Annual Meeting, 1991
• Panelist: Getting the Attention of the California Supreme Court: Effective Petitions for Review And Answers, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Continuting Legal Education Convention, 1993
• Panelist: Malpractice Defense and Risk Management: Appellate Update, Healthcare Professional Liability Seminar for Defense Counsel, 1993
• Panelist: Sexual Harassment in Education: Representing Employees, Students, and Tenants, California Women's Law Center, 1993
• Panelist: The Emerging Tort: Fear of AIDS, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Bioethics Committee, 1994
• Panelist: Creating a Winning Record on Appeal: What Trial Lawyers Need to Know, 1995
• Landowner Liability for Third-Party Crime, 1996 - Present
• Free vs. Harassing Speech in the Workplace, Association on Employment Practices and Principles, Annual Conference, 1998
• Oral Argument Demonstration, Orange County Bar Association Apellate Law Section, 1999
• The Appellate Process For Mediators, Pepperdine University School of Law, Annually
• Litigation At A Higher Level: what Corporate Counsel Needs To Know About Appeals and Writs, American Corporate Counsel Association, 2000
• Being An Appellate Lawyer, James Monroe High School Law & Government Magnet, Annually
• Creator and Teacher, Legal Writing Seminar for Practicing Attorneys, 1984 - Present
• Civil Litigation Practice: Recent Developments, Continuing Education of the Bar, 2005
• Brief Writing and Oral Argument, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 2003
• Special Issues With Special Verdicts, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 2003
• The Emerging Tort: Fear of AIDS, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Bioethics Committee, 1994
• Sexual Harassment in Education: Representing Employees, Students, and Tenants, California Women's Law Center, 1993
• Malpractice Defense and Risk Management: Appellate Update, Healthcare Professional Liability Seminar for Defense Counsel, 1993

Pro Bono Activities

• Volunteer, Constitutional Rights Foundation (Appellate Court Experience), 2006

Past Employment Positions

• UCLA School of Law, Lecturer in Law, 1981 - 1985
• Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman, Kuchel & Silbert, 1979 - 1981

Education

• UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, California, 1978
  J.D.
  Honors: Moot Court Honors Program
• University of California, Los Angeles, California, 1966
  A.B.
  Honors: Highest Honors
  Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
  Major: French

Published Works

• Everything You Need to Know About the State Bar Court and Then Some, Los Angeles Daily Journal, October, 2006
• California Civil Appellate Practice (Consultant), CEB, 3d ed., 1996

Address

5900 Wilshire Boulevard
12th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Phones

(310) 859-7811

Faxes

(310) 276-5261

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.gmsr.com
http://www.greinesmartin.com