Exceptional client service, creative thinking, problem solving, and decades of proven success
Firm Overview
Our Lawyers Provide Exceptional Work Product In An Efficient Manner
Umberg/Zipser LLP is a premier business litigation and intellectual property boutique law firm. Drawing on decades of experience in some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, as well as national and state government service, our lawyers are recognized for providing exceptional legal work product and service. We have the ability to meet our clients’ unique needs by offering a range of flexible billing arrangements that promote efficiency and predictability.
We bring our ingenuity and creativity to every engagement, and work with the utmost integrity. If trial is necessary, we have the skills to put our clients in the best possible position to win, and the track record to prove it. We also employ effective pretrial strategies, successful motion practice, and alternative dispute resolution to achieve superb results without a trial, or even without the need to file a lawsuit. Our intellectual property team has the expertise and experience to develop, and protect, our clients’ valuable patent, trademark, and other IP rights.
Umberg/Zipser has repeatedly been recognized for its outstanding service and quality. We are proud to have been named one of the Daily Journal’s Top Litigation Boutique Firms, and our lawyers are consistently recognized as among the very best in their fields, including by Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®. One of our founding partners was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America® for Bet-The-Company Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation in Orange County.
In addition to our focus on superior service and work quality, one of our core values is giving back. Umberg/Zipser has an unmatched commitment to the Orange County community, and to our profession. We regularly handle pro bono matters for people who cannot afford an attorney, and our attorneys devote countless hours to professional, community, and charitable service. Our team includes current and former presidents of organizations such as the Orange County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association of Orange County, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Orange County), and the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County. One of our founding partners currently is serving as a California State Senator and previously served in the California State Assembly, as well as key positions in the federal government.
We also proudly celebrate the diversity in our professionals and staff. We hail from many countries, and speak several languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, German, Hindi, and Farsi. We believe our diversity adds to our strength.
Selected Honors & Awards
Our Firm And Our Lawyers Are Consistently Recognized By The Legal Community For Outstanding Quality

Our firm recognitions include the following:
- 2022 Best Places to Work” By Orange County Business Journal
- Orange County Business Journal
- Civic 50 OC Award – recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies
- Best Law Firms®, U.S. News & World Report
- Tier 1, Orange County ranking in the areas of:
- Commercial Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Tier 1, Orange County ranking in the areas of:
- Los Angeles Daily Journal
- Top Litigation Boutique Law Firm in California
- Veteran’s Legal Institute
- Firm of the Year
- Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County
- Firm of the Year
- Federal Bar Association, Orange County Chapter
- Firm of the Year
- Benchmark Litigation
- California Litigation Firm
- California Recommended Stars
U/Z attorneys have been recognized for their accomplishments by a host of organizations nationally, statewide, and locally. These include:
- Orange County Bar Association
- Recipient, Franklin G. West Award, for lifetime achievement in advancing justice and the law
- The Best Lawyers In America®
- Yearly ranking for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Banking and Finance Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation
- The Best Lawyers In America®
- Lawyer of the Year, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Orange County Area
- Lawyer of the Year, Intellectual Property Litigation, Orange County Area
- Anti-Defamation League of Orange County & Long Beach
- Jurisprudence Award – given to attorneys who have made significant contributions to their communities and to the legal profession
- Super Lawyers, Los Angeles Magazine
- “Southern California Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars”
- BTI Consulting
- Client All-Star Team – awarded following interviews with 270 Fortune 1000 general counsels
- State Bar of California
- Multiple recipients of the Wiley Manuel Award for Pro Bono Service
- Martindale-Hubbell “AV, Preeminent” rating
- Orange County Business Journal
- OC 500 Directory of Influence
Professional Activities & Community Involvement
Giving Back is a Core Value of Our Firm
We believe in serving our community. U/Z lawyers have held and continue to hold leadership roles in a number of organizations. Our ranks include:
- Orange County Bar Association (OCBA)
- Past presidents, current board member, numerous committee and task force chairs and members, including its judiciary, finance, mentoring, nominations, and appointments committees
- Federal Bar Association, Orange County Chapter
- Past president, founding member, current and former board members, and newsletter editor
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Chapter
- Past presidents and current and former board members
- California State Legislature
- Current Senator, 34th District
- Former Assembly member; author of 58 measures signed into law
- California State Bar, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct
- Former chair, current advisor
- California State Bar, Rules Revision Commission
- Co-vice chair
- OCBA Masters Division (serving attorneys and judges in practice 25 years or more)
- Past chairperson and current board members
- Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County
- Past presidents, current board members, and mock trial “Coach of the Year”
- OCBA Charitable Fund
- Current president, past president and current and former board members
- Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference
- Current and former lawyer representatives
- California State Governor, Judicial Appointment Selection Committee
- Current and former member
- Project Youth OCBF (Orange County Bar Foundation)
- Current and former board members
- Public Law Center
- Current and former board members
- Central District of California
- Indigent Panel, multiple members
- California High Speed Rail Authority
- Former chairman
- White House Office of Drug Control Policy
- Deputy director
- U.S. State Department Partnership for Legal Reform in Afghanistan
- Co-chair
- CASA-OC (Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County)
- Board member
- United States Army Reserve
- Colonel, JAG Corps, war crimes prosecutor, and Chief of Anti-Corruption in Afghanistan
- Senator Barbara Boxer screening committee for federal judicial appointments
- Member
- South Coast Repertory
- Board member
- Junior Statesmen Foundation
- Board member

Charitable Support
We are Proud to Support Many Worthy Charities
Umberg/Zipser is proud to generously support many charitable organizations in a wide variety of areas, including:
- The Anti-Defamation League
- The Catholic Worker House
- Children’s Hospital of Orange County
- Community Legal Aid SoCal
- Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County
- Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County (CASA-OC)
- Habitat for Humanity
- Hispanic Bar Association
- HomeAid of Orange County
- Junior State of America
- Justice for Vets Project
- Lavender Bar Association
- Liberty in North Korea
- Project Youth OCBF
- Orange County Asian American Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association, Charitable Fund
- The Public Law Center
- Share Our Selves (SOS)
- South Coast Repertory
- University of California Irvine Foundation
- Veterans Legal Institute