McElfish Law Firm
For approximately 33 years now. we have represented catastrophically injured people in litigation and trials against trucking companies, retailers, insurance companies, big businesses and other corporations for negligent and reckless conduct.
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
McElfish Law Firm
For approximately 33 years now. we have represented catastrophically injured people in litigation and trials against trucking companies, retailers, insurance companies, big businesses and other corporations for negligent and reckless conduct.
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
We are a well-funded and deeply experienced litigation and trial law firm that is dedicated to serving the rights of the people. We have decades of in-courtroom jury trial experience that insurers, businesses, and corporations only wish their lawyers had. We take great pride in carefully reviewing each case, setting a value that we feel is the maximum value for our clients based on our extensive experience, and pursuing that result through trial and verdict, and if need be appeal. We utilize our own impeccable grasp of the evidence and trial advocacy skills complimented by the best jury consultants, expert witnesses and visual technology companies, to secure large jury verdicts for our clients. In a world in which insurance companies and large corporations have endless amounts of resources to defend themselves, we as experienced trial lawyers expose these companiesâ weaknesses and put their valuable assets at risk to ensure that people have a voice and that justice can properly be served. Our trial record speaks for itself, please see results and verdicts section. We have secured over $100 million in settlements and verdicts over the past 30 years for folks just like you. We will take your phone calls and our competent friendly staff will treat you politely and courteously, as we consider our clients to be a part of our law firm family. We look forward to being by your side and getting you the justice you deserve.
33 YEARS OF TRIAL EXPERIENCE
Main Office
1112 North Sherbourne Drive
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-4900
(310) 659-4926
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
24/7
Yes
English, Spanish, and Russian
We are personal injury lawyers that will fight for your cause relentlessly for vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, train accidents, and more.
Our clients have all had their lives destroyed through devastating injuries, such as brain damage, paralysis, spinal injuries, joint replacements, broken bones, psychological trauma and even wrongful death. We utilize the best medical experts in the community to make sure our clients get their lives back as best that they can following a devastating event.
We represent people who have been severely injured in truck, bus, and other commercial motor vehicle accidents. Whether it is a rear-end, intersectional, side-swipe or hit and run accident, we specialize in jury verdicts against trucking and bus companies. We often find that these transportation companies are poorly run and managed, drivers are not properly trained, drivers often have health problems, are not well-rested, are fatigued and vehicles are poorly maintained. Through discovery, we uncover these negligent practices and put them on display for the jury and under certain circumstances obtain punitive damages against these companies. We will make sure your truck or bus accident case receives the maximum recovery in litigation or trial.
We are truck accident lawyers that will fight for your cause and retain investigators and experts to immediately go to the scene and inspect the vehicles to hold the company accountable for their actions.
Truck accident investigations involve special equipment and investigators to download the engine data and on-board computer satellite systems which tell the speed and location of the truck. Our investigation team will lock down all of that information as well as police documentation, witness statements, photographs, videos and other value evidence which will help you win your case.
We are experienced in litigating the numerous kinds of reasons trucks cause accidents including drowsy driving, distracted driving, inadequate training, unsecured cargo, aggressive driving schedules, inverted driving schedules, night driving, circadian rhythms and poor road conditions. Sometimes commercial transportation companies let drivers drive that have a history of accidents and even criminal conduct
We represent many families whose loved ones have been lost in an accident by the negligent act of another. We have decades of experience in asking juries for damages for the loss of a loved one.
Understanding how to calculate both economic loss and non-economic losses of the deceased requires special experts and trial preparation. Our time-honored methods of selecting juries and presenting evidence of the loss of a loved one and the grief of their absence has allowed us to recover millions of dollars for our clients in these cases.
Wrongful death cases arise when a family member is killed in an accident, whether it is a vehicle, premises, construction or other kind of accident. The loss to the surviving family is horrendous making it difficult for the family to cope. We have decades of experience at dealing with the grief that families experience in wrongful death cases and presenting these cases to juries for large verdict awards.
In California, the closest family members can file a lawsuit in a wrongful death case seeking damages, including funeral expenses and other economic damages such as lost earnings that the decedent would have made had they not been killed. Family members can also make survivor claims for the loss of support, direction and counsel that the decedent would have given over their lifetime. These are very sensitive cases and we have decades of experience in litigating and trying these cases to trial juries.
Wrongful death, usually but not always, occurs in larger scale accidents, trucking accidents, warehouse accidents, extreme falls, poison, burn and explosion cases. We have the experts and the experience to analyze and assemble these cases for juries to easily understand who is at fault and what the measurable losses are to the family members resulting in significant jury awards.
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
Bar Number: 224390
California, 2003
Boston University
J.D, 1991
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
Bar Number: 224390
California, 2003
Boston University J.D, 1991
We are a well-funded and deeply experienced litigation and trial law firm that is dedicated to serving the rights of the people. We have decades of in-courtroom jury trial experience that insurers, businesses, and corporations only wish their lawyers had. We take great pride in carefully reviewing each case, setting a value that we feel is the maximum value for our clients based on our extensive experience, and pursuing that result through trial and verdict, and if need be appeal. We utilize our own impeccable grasp of the evidence and trial advocacy skills complimented by the best jury consultants, expert witnesses and visual technology companies, to secure large jury verdicts for our clients. In a world in which insurance companies and large corporations have endless amounts of resources to defend themselves, we as experienced trial lawyers expose these companiesâ weaknesses and put their valuable assets at risk to ensure that people have a voice and that justice can properly be served. Our trial record speaks for itself, please see results and verdicts section. We have secured over $100 million in settlements and verdicts over the past 30 years for folks just like you. We will take your phone calls and our competent friendly staff will treat you politely and courteously, as we consider our clients to be a part of our law firm family. We look forward to being by your side and getting you the justice you deserve.
33 YEARS OF TRIAL EXPERIENCE
Main Office
1112 North Sherbourne Drive
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-4900
(310) 659-4926
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
24/7
Yes
English, Spanish, and Russian
We are personal injury lawyers that will fight for your cause relentlessly for vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, train accidents, and more.
Our clients have all had their lives destroyed through devastating injuries, such as brain damage, paralysis, spinal injuries, joint replacements, broken bones, psychological trauma and even wrongful death. We utilize the best medical experts in the community to make sure our clients get their lives back as best that they can following a devastating event.
We represent people who have been severely injured in truck, bus, and other commercial motor vehicle accidents. Whether it is a rear-end, intersectional, side-swipe or hit and run accident, we specialize in jury verdicts against trucking and bus companies. We often find that these transportation companies are poorly run and managed, drivers are not properly trained, drivers often have health problems, are not well-rested, are fatigued and vehicles are poorly maintained. Through discovery, we uncover these negligent practices and put them on display for the jury and under certain circumstances obtain punitive damages against these companies. We will make sure your truck or bus accident case receives the maximum recovery in litigation or trial.
We are truck accident lawyers that will fight for your cause and retain investigators and experts to immediately go to the scene and inspect the vehicles to hold the company accountable for their actions.
Truck accident investigations involve special equipment and investigators to download the engine data and on-board computer satellite systems which tell the speed and location of the truck. Our investigation team will lock down all of that information as well as police documentation, witness statements, photographs, videos and other value evidence which will help you win your case.
We are experienced in litigating the numerous kinds of reasons trucks cause accidents including drowsy driving, distracted driving, inadequate training, unsecured cargo, aggressive driving schedules, inverted driving schedules, night driving, circadian rhythms and poor road conditions. Sometimes commercial transportation companies let drivers drive that have a history of accidents and even criminal conduct
We represent many families whose loved ones have been lost in an accident by the negligent act of another. We have decades of experience in asking juries for damages for the loss of a loved one.
Understanding how to calculate both economic loss and non-economic losses of the deceased requires special experts and trial preparation. Our time-honored methods of selecting juries and presenting evidence of the loss of a loved one and the grief of their absence has allowed us to recover millions of dollars for our clients in these cases.
Wrongful death cases arise when a family member is killed in an accident, whether it is a vehicle, premises, construction or other kind of accident. The loss to the surviving family is horrendous making it difficult for the family to cope. We have decades of experience at dealing with the grief that families experience in wrongful death cases and presenting these cases to juries for large verdict awards.
In California, the closest family members can file a lawsuit in a wrongful death case seeking damages, including funeral expenses and other economic damages such as lost earnings that the decedent would have made had they not been killed. Family members can also make survivor claims for the loss of support, direction and counsel that the decedent would have given over their lifetime. These are very sensitive cases and we have decades of experience in litigating and trying these cases to trial juries.
Wrongful death, usually but not always, occurs in larger scale accidents, trucking accidents, warehouse accidents, extreme falls, poison, burn and explosion cases. We have the experts and the experience to analyze and assemble these cases for juries to easily understand who is at fault and what the measurable losses are to the family members resulting in significant jury awards.
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
Bar Number: 224390
California, 2003
Boston University
J.D, 1991
I grew up in a small Western Maryland town, Cumberland, in the panhandle near West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was raised by my grandparents, Aileen and Allen, who both worked in the textile mills until they closed the plant down and left them without work. When I was a child, it was clear to me that we were poor and powerless to help ourselves, much less others. At the age of 14 and in high school, I interned at the law office of Gary Leisure, a prominent local lawyer, just filing papers and running errands, so I could begin to develop a sense of my purpose. After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park majoring in Economics and Philosophy while working nights as a law clerk at several international law firms in Washington D.C. Thereafter, I was accepted and attended the top ten law school of Boston University, where I also worked evenings and weekends as a paralegal at several prominent Boston law firms. During my time in school, I loved the study of law, and I collected as much hands-on experience as I could while working for these larger law firms.
In 1991, after graduating law school, I moved to New York City where I opened my own law practice McElfish Law Firm in the Empire State Building. For the next 12 years, I began to try cases to juries and began to hone my skills as a trial lawyer where my love for the law and trial work really began to take shape. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles were I currently practice, where I continue trying jury trials and representing injured people and those who are economically disadvantaged. After many years, many court rooms, hundreds of jury trials, many wins including some large verdicts and some losses, I stand proud of my commitment to the law, to the profession and most of all to those who I am privileged to represent. I have spent my entire life literally from childhood dedicated to the love of the law, the development of my trial skills and my desire to help those in need, because I too remember very well growing up how it felt to be disadvantaged.
After one of my first large verdicts I returned to Cumberland only to learn that Mr. Leisure had been elected as a judge. I went to visit him at the local courthouse and he invited me into his chambers and we sat quietly for a moment or two. He had read about my success, the jury verdicts I had obtained in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. And he said to me quietly, it has been almost 30 years since you made copies and deliveries for me as lawyer, but I knew then that you possessed something very special and now I have seen it to its conclusion.
Just a few months ago, I appeared before a United States Federal District Judge in San Antonio Texas, Judge David Ezra, on a hotly contested products liability case. As I ended my argument and was prepared to sit down, Judge Ezra said to me, son, where did you go to law school? Boston University, sir, I replied. Well, let them know they did a good job, he said. I have never seen in all my years as a judge a lawyer who refuses to throw in the towel like you, and I enjoy that, because that is what they hire you for, he said. Too many lawyers throw in the towel and just take an appeal, not you. I thanked him for the compliment, and he said only three words: âyou deserve itâ. And then he ruled against me. At that moment, it all came full circle for me.
To my clients, staff, colleagues, opposing counsel and members of the judiciary: You may or may not appreciate my style, you may or may not understand my passion, and you may or may not agree with my view of the case. But understand this: everything I do, everything I say and everything I want comes from a place of pure honesty, love for the law, dedication to my clients and respect and honor to counsel and the judiciary that is deeply rooted in me from all those years ago.
And in closing I will say this: As hard as I work, I have never worked a day in my life. I am a happily married man, I have a lovely daughter that is the apple of my eye, and many wonderful friends and family, as well as a law practice that mirrors my desire to represent the disadvantaged from so many years ago. I look forward to serving you.
Bar Number: 224390
California, 2003
Boston University J.D, 1991
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
* Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the state agency that licenses lawyers. Any past disbarments and suspensions (with possible exceptions for minor violations or nonpayment of dues, in our discretion) will be indicated accordingly in the badge. Member attorneys are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency.
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This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
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