In 2003, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association selected Gerald A. Klein as "Trial Lawyer of the Year" for business litigation. In 2009, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association elected Mr. Klein as “Trial Lawyer of the Year” in the area of professional negligence. Mr. Klein was recognized in Super Lawyers Southern California Magazine in 2005-2009 which features outstanding lawyers for more than 60 practice areas who have attained the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers also recognized Mr. Klein in 2008 in both Super Lawyers Southern California Magazine and Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition. In 2001, Mr. Klein was elected chairman of the Business Litigation Section for the Orange County Bar Association. In 2005, The Board of Governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers Orange County asked Mr. Klein to join the Board and in 2006 asked him to become Educational Chairman. In 1992, Mr. Klein won a trial verdict which led to his client's collection of over $26 million, one of the largest verdicts in California that year. In 2009, Mr. Klein recovered over $9 million in a legal malpractice case against one of the largest law firms in the United States.
Mr. Klein graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York and received his Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law in 1982. In an age of specialization, Mr. Klein believes the best trial lawyers are those who have handled a wide range of cases. He has handled a variety of litigation matters for both plaintiffs and defendants in the areas of business litigation, real estate, trade secrets, unfair competition, insurance bad faith, construction defect, products liability, intellectual property, copyright, trademark, and securities disputes.
Martindale-Hubbell awarded Mr. Klein its highest rating of AV. The "A" represents the highest rating a lawyer can receive for professional skills, as ranked by other lawyers and judges. The "V" is the highest rating an attorney can receive for ethical standards.
As a former deputy district attorney, Mr. Klein is at home in the courtroom. He is an expert in multimedia trial presentations, which incorporate document presentation systems, video, and animation. Mr. Klein has given over 40 lectures regarding modern trial tactics to the trial departments of the nation's largest law firms, as well as to bar associations, Inns of Court, and many of the district attorney offices in Southern California.
California, 1982 U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1983 U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1985 U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1990 U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1986 U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles, California,
1982 J.D.
Honors: Russell P. Serber Memorial ScholarState University of New York, Albany, New York,
1978 B.A. Honors: magna cum laude
Honors: New York State Regents Scholar
Honors: Phi Alpha Theta Award for History and Classics Major: Greek and Roman Classics and History
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Instructor, Modern Trial Tactics, Law Firms and Government AgenciesInstructor, Modern Trial Tactics, University of CaliforniaInstructor, Construction Law, California State UniversityPanelist, Continuing Education of the BarPanelist, Orange County Trial Lawyers AssociationPanelist, Orange County Bar Association
Orange County Trial Lawyers Association,
2002
- Present
Board of DirectorsOrange County Bar Association, Business Litigation Section, 2001 ChairmanAssociation of Business Trial Lawyers-Orange County,
2004
- Present
Board of GovernorsAssociation of Business Trial Lawyers-Orange County,
2007 Program ChairAssociation of Business Trial Lawyers-Orange County,
2008 Annual Event ChairCollege of Trial Advocacy,
2002 Chairman
Birth Information:
1956, Great Neck, New York, United States of America
West Practice Categories:
Business & Commercial Law, Construction Law, Litigation & Appeals, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Real Estate Law, Science & Technology Law
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