Michael Stein is a trial attorney specializing in business and employment litigation. Mr. Stein has represented clients in matters involving a multitude of subject areas including commercial contract disputes, antitrust, unfair competition, lender liability, FDIC insurance coverage, Securities Act issues, real estate, franchisor-franchisee disputes, Medicare fraud, mortgage banking, trade secret misappropriation and employment discrimination.
In 2001, Mr. Stein obtained one of the largest jury verdicts in San Bernardino Superior Court history, $9.9 million dollars, on behalf of a young child severely shaken by a former daycare center operator. The case and verdict were featured in the National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly U.S.A. and The Los Angeles Daily Journal and prompted the consideration of legislation to require California private daycare centers to maintain liability insurance.
Since 2000, Mr. Stein has taught legal education seminars to attorneys throughout California in conjunction with the State Bar’s Annual Conference and The Rutter Group on a wide range of topics including pre-trial civil litigation, legal writing, deposition practice, law and motion practice, trial advocacy and appellate advocacy and has been named 12 times by Los Angeles magazine to the Southern California “Super Lawyers” list as one of the top 5% of attorneys in California.
A 1983 magna cum laude graduate from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Mr. Stein received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1987 where he served as an Associate Editor of the California Law Review and a judicial extern to United States District Court Judge Edward Rafeedie. Before joining Tisdale & Nicholson, Mr. Stein was a litigator with Loeb & Loeb LLP in Los Angeles and St. Louis based Bryan Cave LLP.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Unanimous defense jury verdict for an international auto manufacturer accused of fraud, breach of contract and unfair business practices.
- Unanimous defense jury verdict for an international importing company and its president accused of breach of fiduciary duty.
- Unanimous defense jury verdict for an executive placement agency accused of pregnancy discrimination.
- $1.4 million jury verdict for a law firm against an international insurance carrier for breach of contract.
- $658,000 jury verdict for a telecommunications consulting firm against a former employee for trade secret misappropriation.
- $487,000 court trial verdict for an Ohio based bank against a home mortgage brokerage company for breach of contract and fraud.
PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES
- It Was a Dark and Windy Night: Strategies and Tips for Crafting and Presenting a Memorable Opening Statement, California Litigation (Volume 31, No. 2, 2018)
- From Courtroom to Classroom: An Alternative Approach to Trial Advocacy, Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report (Fall, 2018)
- How To Talk To A Judge, Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report (Summer, 2015)
- Reclaiming Our Noble Profession: Civility in the Practice of Law, California Litigation (Volume 28, No. 1, 2015)
- The State Court Survival Manual: Strategies and Techniques from Complaint to Closing Argument (April, 2011)
- California Elements of An Action (Thomson West, 2008-Present)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Judge Pro Tempore, Los Angeles Superior Court
- Mediator, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District
- Continuing Legal Education Instructor, The Rutter Group
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Pre-Trial Civil Litigation and Trial Advocacy, Pepperdine Law School (1994 – 2011)
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Pre-Trial Civil Litigation, Loyola Law School (2000-2003)
- Board of Directors, California Young Lawyers Association (1990-1993)
- Selected 13 times for the Super Lawyers list