Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Elwood Lui has concentrated his practice in appeals and complex commercial litigation in federal and state courts and has represented major corporations and public entities in trial and appellate matters. Representative clients in recent matters are the State of California, Los Angeles County, Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the County of Los Angeles, Williams Power Company, Parker Hannifin Corporation, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Verizon Wireless, Federated Department Stores, and Cole National Corporation (Pearle Vision, Inc.).

Elwood is a former associate justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 3 and served as an associate justice, pro tempore, California Supreme Court. He also served as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior and the Los Angeles Municipal Court. He began his legal career as a deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice. He is considered an authority on financial and accounting matters and was a certified public accountant with Deloitte, Haskins & Sell (now Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu). Elwood is a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Elwood is committed to public service and has served on numerous boards and committees for professional and community groups. The California Supreme Court appointed him as the special master of the State Bar Disciplinary System. He is currently chair of the bipartisan Judicial Advisory Selection Committee for the Central District of California, chair of the Selection Committee for the United States Attorney and United States Marshal for the Central District of California, and chair of California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Lawyer Regulation. He was appointed as the settlement referee by a three judge federal panel to attempt a settlement involving the California overcrowding litigation that has been pending for more than a decade. He served as a lawyer representative for the Central District of California to the Ninth Circuit, a past president of the California Judges Association, and was on the faculty for the Continuing Judicial Studies Program and California Judicial College.

The California Law Business Journal of The Daily Journal has listed Elwood as among "The Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys" and described him as a "coveted litigator with numerous victories to his name." He is the recipient of the California Judicial Council's Bernard Witkin Amicus Curiae Award, the State Bar of California Witkin Medal, the UCLA Alumni Professional Achievement Award, and the UCLA Law School's Alumnus of the Year Award.

Areas of Practice

• Issues & Appeals
• Appellate Advocacy in the U.S. Supreme Court
• Appellate Litigation in Other Federal & State Courts
• Trial Litigation in Federal & State Courts
• Construction

Representative Cases

• Adams v. Los Angeles Unified School District, Case No. B159310 (Cal. Ct. App., Unpub.); 2007 WL68104 (January 11, 2007)
• Allen v. Bloomingdale's, Case No. BC340208 (Los Angeles Sup. Ct.)
• Brodie v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and Welcher v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, Case No. S146979, S147030, 40 Cal. 4th 1313 (2007) (California Supreme Court)
• Brodie v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and Welcher v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, Case No. S146979, S147030, 40 Cal. 4th 1313 (2007) (California Supreme Court)
• Coleman v. Schwarzenegger - (Civ S-90-0520 LKK JFM, ED CA) and Plata v. Schwarzenegger (C-01-1351 TEH JFM, ND CA)
• Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, et al. v. Kathleen Connell, Controller of the State of California, et al., California Court of Appeal No. B162198; and Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BS075435
• County of Los Angeles v. Los Angeles County Employee Relations Commission et al.
• Department of Rehabilitation v. WCAB (Lauher) 30 Cal. 4th 1281 (2003)
• Department of Rehabilitation v. WCAB (Lauher) 30 Cal. 4th 1281 (2003).
• Hall v. County of Los Angeles, 148 Cal. App. 4th 318 (2007)
• Holmgren v. County of Los Angeles, , 159 Cal.App.4th 593 (2008). Appeal No. B194130, ___ Cal.App.4th ___, 71 Cal. Rptr. 3d 611 (Jan. 30, 2008); Shiell v. County of Los Angeles, Appeal No. B194042 (unpublished)
• In re Attorneys Discipline System, 19 Cal. 4th 582, 624-625 (fn 27) (1998)
• In re IBM San Jose Workers Litigation, Case No. 1-98-CV-772093 (Cal. Super. Ct., Santa Clara County)
• In re Retirement Cases, 110 Cal. App.4th 426 (2003)
• James J. Lockshaw, et al. v. Rohr, Inc., et al., California Court of Appeal Case No. G029533
• Jordan v. California Department of Motor Vehicles, 100 Cal. App. 4th 431 (2002)
• Junitha Bee, et al. v. Kavlico Corp., et al., No. BC 202587 (Cal. Super. Ct. L.A. County)
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Shea-Kiewit-Kenny,59 Cal. App. 4th 676 (1977).
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Shea-Kiewit-Kenny
• Mansury v. Macy's West, Inc., Case No. BC337238 (Sup. Ct., Los Angeles County)
• Metro East Consultants v. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Case No. BC162753 (Los Angeles County Superior Court)
• Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Obayashi Corporation
• Metropolitan Water District v. Superior Court (Cargill) 32 Cal. 4th 491 (2004).
• Opsal v. United Services Automobile Ass’n, 2 Cal. App. 4th 1197 (4th Dist. 1991), Review Granted, 816 P.2d 1308 (Cal. 1991), Review Dismissed, 826 P.2d 274 (Cal. 1992), Ordered Republished, 833 P.2d 1 (Cal. 1992).
• People v. Cole, 38 Cal.4th 964 (2006).
• Schifando v. City of Los Angeles, 31 Cal.4th 1074 (2003)
• Sturgeon v. County of Los Angeles, pending decision from the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District in D050832
• Williams Power Co. v. City of Redondo Beach, LASC Case No. BS 106625

West Practice Categories

Bankruptcy Litigation, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, International Trade Litigation, Litigation & Appeals, Military & Veterans Appeals, Multidistrict Litigation, Patent Litigation, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Tax Litigation, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court

Bar Admissions

• California
• District of Columbia

Education

• U of California - Los Angeles

Published Works

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About a Public Employer's Ability to Modify Retiree Benefits but Were Too Afraid to Ask, 2008

Address

555 South Flower Street
Fiftieth Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071-2300

Phones

1.213.243.2435 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.213.243.2539 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com