We are delighted to share that Umberg/Zipser LLP just celebrated our nine-year anniversary as a firm! When we founded the law firm in 2014, we began with a vision of continuing to provide outstanding client service, in a supportive and team-oriented work environment, while actively giving back to our profession and to the community.

We have grown from a team of four to 17 professionals, who share our vision and our values. We are immensely grateful for all the support we have received along the way, and are looking forward to the years ahead.

Umberg/Zipser LLP partner, Dean J. Zipser recently authored a timely article for the Orange County Lawyer, published by the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), entitled “Mentoring and Training New Firm Lawyers in the 2020s. In this article, Dean discusses how the pandemic has created a need for successful law firms to navigate a new work paradigm, and why attention to mentoring is essential in today’s hybrid work environment.

Recognizing that there is no one right way to manage today’s changing workplace, Dean received input from several man­aging partners and law firm leaders. Not surprisingly, all agreed on the importance of training and develop­ment and have set up varying protocols to best address the issue for their firms.

As Dean notes, “These types of initiative-taking steps are essen­tial. As we attempt to navigate new work paradigms, newer lawyers will suffer if law firms are not proactively mentoring and developing them. And if we do not, the profession in gen­eral will suffer. This obligation falls on both the law firms and new attorneys.”

Click here to read the full article https://www.virtualonlineeditions.com/publication/?m=15276&i=766273&p=26&ver=html5

Click here to download the OC Lawyer November 2022 edition.

Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z), a premier business litigation and intellectual property law firm located in Irvine, California, has again been ranked Tier One on the “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report for the Orange County Metropolitan area.

The firm has received this outstanding recognition every year since its inception in 2014. The ranking highlights top law firms, recognized by their clients and peers for delivering professional excellence and high-quality service, through a unique combination of practice quality and legal expertise.

For 2023, the firm received five Tier One Rankings for Metropolitan Orange County in Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, and Banking & Finance Litigation. The firm also received recognition in the practice areas of Copyright Law, Patent Litigation, and Trademark Law.

“We are honored to again be recognized as one of the Best Law Firms in Orange County. Our firm’s attorneys are committed to pursuing our clients’ objectives, by providing strategic and efficient solutions, and we appreciate the continued recognition from our clients and peers,” said co-founding partner Dean Zipser.

In addition to the firm’s recognition, U/Z attorneys Mark Finkelstein, Scott Garner, Phillip Kaplan, Carole Reagan, Adina Stowell, Todd Smith, Mei Tsang, Thomas Umberg, and Dean Zipser have also been selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®. Additionally, Mark Finkelstein was also recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for both Trademark Law and Patent Litigation, and Brent Colasurdo has been recognized again as Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” for 2023.

Umberg/Zipser LLP partner, Todd W. Smith, recently authored an important article for the OC Lawyer, published by the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), entitled “The Secrets of Success: Crafting Attorney Bios While Safeguarding Client Confidentiality.” In the article, Todd discusses the nuances of successfully crafting attorney bios, while still adhering to confidentiality obligations as governed by California’s Rules of Professional Conduct.

Notably, an attorney’s duty of confidentiality can extend even to information that is publicly available or known. Todd analyzes the duty to maintain client “secrets,” as set forth in the State Bar Act, in the context of a recently issued ethics opinion on the topic.

Todd practices complex business litigation in state and federal courts, with a focus on defending law firms and lawyers in legal malpractice actions. He is a member of the OCBA’s Professionalism & Ethics Committee and the views expressed in this article are his own. Todd can be reached at [email protected].

Click here to read the full article The Secrets of Success: Crafting Attorney Bios While Safeguarding Client Confidentiality.

Umberg/Zipser LLP, a premiere business litigation and intellectual property law firm located in Irvine, CA, has again been named an honoree of The Civic 50 OC by OneOC and Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. The award recognizes Umberg/Zipser as one of the 50 most community minded companies in Orange County, as determined by an independently administered and scored survey.

The Civic 50 OC initiative, modeled after Points of Light’s national program, provides a standard for superior corporate citizenship, and highlights how companies can use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact in their company and communities.

The Civic 50 OC Honorees are devoted to creating a culture of service and caring for our communities as they meet their business goals. We commend all Civic 50 OC 2022 Honorees for their efforts and commitment to deliver against the challenges and opportunities presented today. It is an honor to celebrate Umberg/Zipser for their positive impact within our community. – Cassi Palmer, OneOC Community Relations Director

The Civic 50 OC survey is administered by True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure their social and business value and consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the scoring process.

Visit https://oneoc.org/get-involved/community-events/civic-50/ for more information about this year’s Civic 50 OC honorees.

Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) was proud to support Community Legal Aid of SoCal’s (CLA) Justice Served 20’s-themed event held on October 6th in Santa Ana, CA. U/Z partner, Mei Tsang, is the organization’s current President and U/Z has been a long-time supporter of their work. CLA’s mission is to fight injustice and advocate for social, economic, and racial equity by providing compassionate, holistic, and impactful legal services. The Justice Served event is to annually celebrate the great work CLA does for our community. U/Z attorneys Dean Zipser, Vikki Vander Woude, and Priti Phukan joined Mei at the event.

For Immediate Release

Umberg/Zipser LLP Named One of Orange County’s
“2022 Best Places to Work” By Orange County Business Journal

IRVINE, Calif. – July 5, 2022 – Umberg/Zipser LLP, a premier business litigation and intellectual property law firm, has been named one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal. This survey and award program identifies and honors Orange County employers “who are doing things right and creating cultures that make employees proud to be a part of them,” benefitting the county’s economy, its workforce, and its businesses.

The program features an extensive, two-part survey and audit process. The first portion consists of an evaluation of each company’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. The second portion includes a survey that measures each employee’s experience with the organization. The combined scores determine the top companies and the ultimate ranking.

“We are extremely proud to be recognized by our team for this incredible honor,” said Dean Zipser, the firm’s Managing Partner. “Teamwork is a core value of our firm, our attorneys, and our staff, making this accolade especially meaningful to all of us.  It reflects an achievement of our firm as a whole, and we look forward to continuing to foster a work environment that empowers and develops its team members.”

Drawing on decades of experience with some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, as well as national and state government service, Umberg/Zipser LLP, is recognized for providing exceptional legal work and client service. For more information on the firm, its attorneys, legal services, and other honors, visit www.umbergzipser.com.

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Umberg/Zipser LLP
1920 Main Street
Suite 750
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 679-0052

Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) is delighted to welcome our newest attorney, Molly Magnuson, to our team. Molly is a seasoned attorney with extensive trial experience who will further bolster our litigation ranks.  She has successfully represented clients in a broad range of complex contract and commercial litigation cases, including intellectual property, entertainment litigation, class actions and professional malpractice matters. Molly began her career and spent many years at the international firm of O’Melveny & Myers.   She is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Orange County Bar Association, and we are excited to have Molly join us!

Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) has been privileged to continually support the Public Law Center (PLC), Orange County’s pro bono law firm providing access to justice for low-income residents. U/Z regularly takes on pro bono matters through PLC and provides financial support, and U/Z attorneys have served on PLC’s board. On Thursday, June 16th, PLC held its annual Volunteers for Justice event and, once again, U/Z was a sponsor, with a number of firm lawyers in attendance. Among other highlights, Ken Babcock, Executive Director and General Counsel of PLC, was honored for his 22 years of dedicated service to the organization. PLC staff and volunteers has provided over 65,000 hours of free legal services and handled over 4,500 cases, benefiting low-income children, adults, and seniors. For more information on how to support PLC, please visit https://www.publiclawcenter.org/.