Gerald M Klein, Attorney

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 SuperLawyers® 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® Magazine also recognized Mr. Klein in 2008 in both SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine and SuperLawyers® 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 an attorney can receive for professional skills, as ranked by other attorneys 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.

Areas of Practice:

• Business Litigation
• Real Estate Disputes
• Breach of Contract
• Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Partnership Disputes
• Shareholder Disputes
• LLC and LLP Disputes
• Fraud
• Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
• Trade Dress and Trademark
• Copyright
• Legal Malpractice
• Insurance Bad Faith
• Unlawful Detainer
• Commercial Landlord Tenant
• Personal Injury
• Products Liability
• Appellate Law
• Mediation
• Construction Defects

Published Works:

• Multi-Media Presentations at Mediation, Advocate (January 2006)
• The CEO as Witness: Super Hero or Arch Villain, ABTL Report (Summer 2005)
• Taking Care of Business on a Contingency Fee, OCTLA Gavel (April 2003)
• Animations - Star Wars Technology in the Courtroom, Forum (December 1998)
• Litigation: Using Mock Trials Effectively, California Lawyer (May 1998
• Multimedia Trial Presentations Increase Chances of Defense Verdicts at Trial, Claims People (June 1996)
• Prop. 51 and the House that Tech-Bilt, California Lawyer (November 1986)

Honors and Awards:

• Trial Lawyer of the Year, Professional Negligence, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, 2009
• Trial Lawyer of the Year, Business Litigation, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, 2003
• SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine 2009
• SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine 2008
• SuperLawyers® Corporate Counsel Edition 2008
• SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine 2007
• SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine 2006
  SuperLawyers® Southern California Magazine 2005