Daniel Y. Zohar, Partner    |   Lori Schroeder, Of Counsel

About Daniel Y. Zohar

Daniel Y. Zohar is a trial lawyer, first and foremost. In 1998, Mr. Zohar left the comforts of his practice at an internationally-acclaimed law firm, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker, to start his own firm. Since then, he has achieved exceptional results, registering over $591 million in jury verdicts, administrative orders, and settlements for his clients and for consumers. Mr. Zohar now focuses his trial practice in the areas of contingency business litigation/business torts and consumer rights.

Sharing the risk
Many of Mr. Zohar’s cases have been handled on a contingency basis, including numerous business disputes. This allows clients to save resources and limit their out-of-pocket legal expenses.  Whether it is an individual, a family-owned business or a Fortune 500 company, Mr. Zohar’s creative fee arrangements have allowed his clients to pursue complex claims without the fear of massive monthly legal bills.

Broad experience, exceptional results

Over the years, Daniel Y. Zohar has litigated a variety of matters involving issues ranging from shareholder disputes, executive compensation claims (including stock options and profit bonuses), 1st amendment rights, legal malpractice, real estate litigation, website domain disputes, copyright infringement, wrongful termination, catastrophic torts, trade secret theft, illegal insurance practices, and major league baseball arbitrations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Such efforts include:

• Saving nearly 3 million consumers over $500 million on their Allstate auto and homeowner’s insurance premiums
• Representing a CEO in a dispute with an LA-based company over verbally promised stock options, resulting in a unanimous jury verdict of $1.92 Million
• Obtaining a $7.5 million arbitration award on behalf of an oppressed  minority shareholder of a successful computer software company
• Serving as Los Angeles counsel in the nationally-publicized “baby-switching” case involving the University of Virginia
• Winning the domain rights for a Hollywood client in a UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy) arbitration

Mr. Zohar has also been on the cutting edge of electronic discovery, achieving record results. In a case filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, his efforts led to an award of $1,660,000 in sanctions against the opposing party after electronic discovery produced previously concealed documents. Daniel Y. Zohar has been a regular lecturer and author regarding the use of technology before trial and in front of a jury.  

Recognized by peers

For his efforts, Daniel Y. Zohar is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, their highest peer review rating for ethical standards and legal ability. For the last seven years, he has been selected by his peers as one of Southern California's "Super Lawyers" featured in Los Angeles Magazine. Only 5% of lawyers in a region earn this designation via independent research and polling of active attorneys. He is also listed in the Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers.

National exposure

Daniel Y. Zohar has been involved in state and national legislative issues affecting consumers and small businesses. He has met with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. and numerous California legislators in Sacramento. Mr. Zohar has been interviewed for his legal expertise on nationally-broadcast programs and has been quoted in numerous publications across the country.

Prominent positions

Daniel Y. Zohar serves on the Board of Governors for the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL). He is also a long-time member of the Board of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), arguably the nation's most active and influential local bar association. He is a three-time chair of the CAALA annual convention (attended by over 1,500 attorneys) and a regular lecturer. Mr. Zohar was appointed, along with other leading attorneys and members of the judiciary, to the Los Angeles Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. He has proudly served as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Shane’s Inspiration, a non-profit organization dedicated to building universally-accessible playgrounds for children across the United States.

Publications:

The Advocate: Finding liability arising out of business dealings in the absence of a contract

The Advocate: Let’s roll the videotape

Personal Background

Before practicing law, Mr. Zohar worked as a tennis pro in England and Switzerland. An avid world traveler, he has visited 18 countries on 5 different continents. He is possibly the first person to ever hit tennis balls against the Great Wall of China.

Daniel Y. Zohar was born and raised in New York and is a graduate of Duke University (B.A. '90) and UCLA School of Law (J.D. '93). He is a member of both the State Bar of California and the Florida Bar, and has been admitted pro hac vice in New Jersey and Arizona.

He is married to Meredith Blankenship Zohar (former Miss Virginia and Miss Winston Cup (NASCAR)). Together they live in Los Angeles with their beautiful daughters.

About Lori Schroeder

Lori brings with her more than twenty-one years of experience in both the private and public sectors.

Education

Lori is a 1990 graduate of UCLA School of Law, where she was an editor of the UCLA Law Review and an extern for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Following law school, Lori clerked for Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez, also on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Lori earned a B.S. in Telecommunication Production from Syracuse University in 1985, graduating magna cum laude.

Private Sector

Lori has spent a good portion of her legal career at some of the most prominent law firms in Southern California, including two years at Morrison & Foerster and more than four years in the litigation department of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Her work at these firms spanned numerous areas, including antitrust, health care, medical malpractice, business fraud, securities fraud, real estate disputes, and labor law. Lori also spent nearly four years as Of Counsel in the law firm of Fairbank and Vincent, working closely with Robert H. Fairbank, co-author of the Rutter Group’s renowned “California Practice Guide—Civil Trials and Evidence.” While at Fairbank & Vincent, Lori worked primarily on a large securities fraud litigation, represented a bank in a massive credit card fraud litigation, and participated in litigation involving the sale of several large Las Vegas casinos.

Public Sector

Most recently, Lori served as a Los Angeles Superior Court Referee in the Juvenile Division, presiding over child abuse and neglect cases at the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court. Before she became a full-time Referee, Lori split her time between private practice and serving as an “As Needed” Referee, for a total of nine years in either full-time or part-time service on the bench. The lead-in to this rewarding part of Lori’s career was a brief stint as a trial attorney in the Office of the County Counsel, Children’s Services Division.

Other

Lori resides locally with her husband and two teenage children. When not practicing law, Lori pursues her love of singing and acting, and most recently performed in the Upland, California and touring companies of Menopause the Musical. During the holidays, Lori can be seen caroling at events throughout California with the Michetti-Knowles Yuletide Carolers.