Tom Umberg Sworn into California’s Judicial Council

Tom Umberg

Tom Umberg Sworn into California’s Judicial Council

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Umberg/Zipser LLP co-founding partner, California State Senator and Chair of the California Senate Judiciary Committee Thomas J. Umberg was sworn into the Judicial Council by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye during a virtual ceremony on Friday, January 22, 2021.

The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the leadership of the Chief Justice and in accordance with the California Constitution, the council is responsible for ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice.

Umberg stated, “I am honored to have the opportunity to work alongside other members of the Judicial Council to advance the consistent, impartial, independent, and accessible administration of justice. ”

Click here to read more about the Judicial Council.

Tom Umberg Featured in Daily Journal Article: Umberg Appointed New State Senate Judiciary Chair

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Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) co-founding partner, California State Senator and newly appointed Chair of the California Senate Judiciary Committee Thomas J. Umberg was featured in a Daily Journal article titled, “New State Senate Judiciary Chair Likes to Get into the Weeds” published on December 16, 2020.

The article highlights Tom’s significant impact as a California State senator and explains that a goal of the California Senate Judiciary Committee will be to address the impact of COVID on California’s civil justice system.

“The cost and the time consumed in discovery are overwhelming the civil litigation process,” Umberg said. “One of the things I will focus on and have focused on is reducing the gamesmanship and the costs that are currently part and parcel of discovery.”

The Judiciary Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of the Senate policy committees. Legislation in the following categories are within its jurisdiction: bills amending the Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Evidence Code, Family Code, and Probate Code; bills relating to courts, judges, and court personnel; bills relating to liens, claims, and unclaimed property; and, bills relating to privacy and consumer protection.

If you have a Daily Journal subscription, you can click here to log-in and read the article.

Umberg/Zipser Again Named to Orange County Best Law Firms List for 2021

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Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) is pleased to announce that the firm again has been ranked Tier One in the “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® for the Orange County metropolitan area. The firm has received this recognition each year since it was formed. The ranking showcases top law firms recognized by clients and peers for delivering professional excellence and for high quality ratings, and indicate a unique combination of quality in practice and legal expertise.

For 2021, the firm received four Tier One rankings, in Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation. The firm also received recognition in the areas of Banking & Finance Litigation, Patent Litigation and Trademark Law.

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

Once again, U/Z clients were effusive in their comments, responding to the U.S. News — Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” research process by commenting, among other things, “Umberg Zipser is a world class law firm exhibiting the highest level of competence and professionalism,” and that “Umberg Zipser asks the right questions and they make the most of every answer.”

In addition to the 2021 Best Law Firms ranking, attorneys Mark Finkelstein, Scott Garner, Carole Reagan, Adina Stowell, Mei Tsang, Thomas Umberg and Dean Zipser have been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America© 2021. In addition, Mark Finkelstein has been recognized as the Orange County Attorney of the Year and Brent Colasurdo listed in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Attorneys are ranked in the following practice areas:

  • Finkelstein for Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent and Trademark Law;
  • Garner for Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Intellectual Property;
  • Reagan for Litigation – Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation;
  • Stowell for Litigation – Intellectual Property and Litigation – Real Estate;
  • Tsang for Copyright Law;
  • Umberg for Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Real Estate;
  • Zipser for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Intellectual Property and Litigation – Real Estate;
  • Colasurdo – “Ones to Watch” list for Intellectual Property Law.

Eight U/Z Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2021

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Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) is proud to announce that attorneys Mark Finkelstein, Scott Garner, Carole Reagan, Adina Stowell, Mei Tsang, Thomas Umberg and Dean Zipser have been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America© 2021. In addition, Mark Finkelstein has been recognized as the Orange County Attorney of the Year and Brent Colasurdo listed in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

  • Finkelstein was again selected in the fields of “Commercial Litigation,” “Litigation – Intellectual Property,” “Litigation – Patent” and “Trademark Law” and has been on the Best Lawyers list since 2016. Finkelstein was recognized as the 2021 Lawyer of the Year in Orange County for “Trademark Law.”. The Lawyer of the Year is awarded to individual lawyers with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is given this recognition per each specialty and location.
  • Garner was again selected for “Commercial Litigation” and “Litigation – Intellectual Property.”
  • Reagan was again selected for “Litigation – Intellectual Property” and “Commercial Litigation,” and has been on the Best Lawyers list since 2013.
  • Stowell was again selected for “Litigation – Intellectual Property” and “Litigation – Real Estate,” and has been listed since 2019.
  • Tsang has been selected this year for “Copyright Law.”
  • Umberg has been listed since 2008, and was selected for “Commercial Litigation” and “Litigation – Real Estate.”
  • Zipser was again selected for “Bet-the-Company Litigation,” “Commercial Litigation,” “Litigation – Banking and Finance,” “Litigation – Intellectual Property” and “Litigation – Real Estate,” and has been on the Best Lawyers list since 2008. Zipser has been recognized by Best Lawyers as the Lawyer of Year in Orange County for “Litigation – Intellectual Property” in 2017, and for “Bet-the-Company Litigation” in 2014.
  • Colasurdo was selected this year to the Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” list for Intellectual Property Law. These awards recognize extraordinary lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years in the United States.

In addition, U/Z is consistently recognized as one of the “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. In 2020, the firm received three Tier One rankings in Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation, as well as recognition in the areas of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Banking & Finance Litigation and Patent Litigation.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. 105,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and they have received 11+ million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, millions of votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 65,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Tom Umberg Authors Daily Journal Article: Document Production Games Run Amok

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Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z) co-founding partner, and California State Senator Thomas J. Umberg authored an article for the Daily Journal titled, “Document Production Games Run Amok” which was published on September 30, 2019.

In the article, Tom explains that he authored California Senate Bill 17 in reaction to the firm’s recent experience of gamesmanship after a relatively routine request for production of documents in a business litigation matter. Discovery gamesmanship delays litigation, ties up the courts, and strains the ability of parties to access justice in civil disputes.

Senate Bill 17 was approved by the Governor on October 12. In the article Tom writes, “The measure encourages that initial disclosure of information and discovery materials, further discourages gamesmanship by imposing a $250 sanction on a party, person, or attorney who fails to act in good faith in response to a request for documents, and authorizes the court to require the offending attorney to report the sanction to the State Bar.”

If you have a Daily Journal subscription, you can click here to log-in and read the article: www.dailyjournal.com/articles/354509

Umberg/Zipser Named to Benchmark Litigation 2019 Rankings

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Umberg/Zipser (U/Z) is pleased to announce that the firm has been listed as a  “California- Recommended 2019” firm by Benchmark Litigation U.S., with additional rankings for the Los Angeles/Century City/Irvine Region and in the practice area of Intellectual Property Litigation. Umberg/Zipser is one of the few boutique firms to be recognized.

In addition to the firm’s rankings, attorneys Carole Reagan, Tom Umberg, and Dean Zipser have been recognized as California Litigation Stars, Los Angeles Litigation Stars and Intellectual Property Litigation Noted Stars.

Now in its 11th year of publication, Benchmark Litigation exclusively covers the litigation and disputes market in North America, covering the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Benchmark Litigation is the definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys, and is the only publication to focus exclusively on U.S. litigation.

Thomas Umberg Provides Commentary in OCBJ Cover Story “The Executive v. The Ballplayer”

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Trial attorney and co-founding partner Thomas J. Umberg recently commented in the Orange County Business Journal article “The Executive v. The Ballplayer” discussing alleged inside trading of Advanced Medical Optics prior to being acquired by Abbott Laboratories. In the article, Tom stated that this particular jury case is “really unusual for several reasons. One reason is you have the witness whose testimony is contrary to the earlier trial and you’re asking a jury to believe the more recent testimony.”

Click here to read the article.

Tom Umberg Selected as Chair of Justice For Vets Project

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Umberg Zipser LLP is proud to announce that co-founding partner Thomas J. Umberg has been selected as Chair of the Veterans Treatment Court Committee for the “Justice For Vets” project.

“Tom’s service as a retired Army Colonel, veteran of Afghanistan, Bronze Star recipient, and Deputy Drug Czar under General Barry McCaffrey — make him the perfect choice to lead this critical nationwide effort,” said Orange County Superior Court Judge Lon Hurwitz.

Justice for Vets is dedicated to transforming the way the justice system identifies, assesses and treats our veterans, leading the national effort to put a Veterans Treatment Court in reach of every veteran in need. They are committed to ensuring that no veteran is left behind by providing training and technical assistance to help communities bring together local, state, and federal resources to directly serve veterans involved in the justice system due to mental health disorders, trauma, and substance use. Justice For Vets has helped establish over 200 veterans treatment courts and trained over 3,000 court staff. In addition, Justice For Vets has conducted 16 volunteer veteran mentor boot camp training, serving 1,000 veteran mentors representing 125 communities across 30 states.

Tom Umberg has extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts. He has successfully tried over 100 cases to verdict or judgment; including complex matters involving health care, real estate, work place harassment, construction defects, employee pension plans, etc.  As a federal criminal prosecutor, he tried numerous white collar and civil rights cases, including tax evasion schemes. These include “Uranium for Tax Dollars,” “Marco Numismatics” (a nationwide fraud on seniors), and the “Westminster Cross Burning” cases. Tom has been has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for Southern California, an honor limited to only 5% of Southern California lawyers. He has also been selected for the prestigious publication “The Best Lawyers in America®” in commercial litigation for 10 consecutive years.

Corporate Counsel Again Rank Umberg/Zipser as a Top Litigation Firm in BTI Litigation Outlook 2018

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Umberg/Zipser (U/Z) is pleased to announce it has been ranked again among the top litigation firms in the country in the most recent survey of corporate counsel conducted by BTI Consulting.

According to the BTI Litigation Outlook 2018: Changes, Trends and Opportunities for Law Firms, corporate counsel rank Umberg/Zipser in the top 15% of all law firms for both Commercial Litigation and Securities and Finance Litigation. Umberg/Zipser is included among a host of leading national and international law firms, and is one of the few California litigation boutiques to make the list.

“We are proud to receive the BTI recognition again this year. It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the in-house counsel community for the work we have the privilege to do every day,” said Dean Zipser, co-founding partner.

About the BTI Survey: BTI taps into vast research and experience to conduct its annual study of the Litigation market. BTI combines a powerful, comprehensive analysis of client spending, goals, priorities and needs with unbiased, direct feedback from clients on more than 200 individual law firms. BTI Litigation Outlook 2018 is based solely on in-depth telephone interviews with leading legal decision makers. This comprehensive analysis trends data from more than 4,800 corporate counsel client interviews conducted over the span of 18 years. This research is independent and unbiased—no law firm or organization other than BTI sponsors this study.

Umberg/Zipser Again Named to 2018 Orange County Best Law Firms List

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Umberg/Zipser is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked Tier One in the “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® for the Orange County metropolitan area.  The firm has received this recognition each year since it was formed. The ranking showcases top firms recognized by clients and peers for delivering professional excellence and for high quality ratings. The rankings indicate a unique combination of quality in practice and legal expertise. In 2018, the firm received three Tier One rankings in Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation. The firm also was recognized for its excellence in Banking & Finance Litigation.  

“We are honored to be listed again as one of the Best Law Firms in Orange County. The recognition from our clients and peers is affirmation of the trusted advisor role our team endeavors to provide for our valued clients every day,” said co-founding partner Dean Zipser. 

One Umberg/Zipser client commented, “I have worked closely with the team from Umberg/Zipser on a variety of complex and politically sensitive cases for almost a decade. I find all the attorneys to be extremely knowledgeable, professional, competent, and responsive. Umberg Zipser’s ability to be flexible while producing first class results makes them an absolute pleasure to work with on matters which might otherwise be unpleasant. The knowledge and experience of the team gives me great confidence in their ability to handle anything I send.”

Another Umberg/Zipser client commented on the firm’s “responsiveness, keen insight, unwavering courtesy, candor, unassailable honesty, and unimpeachable integrity,” also stating, “I would not hesitate for one moment to retain Umberg/Zipser and any of its attorneys.”

In addition to the 2018 Best Law Firms ranking, partners Carole Reagan, Thomas Umberg and Dean Zipser were once again been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018; Reagan in the field of “Litigation – Intellectual Property”; Umberg for “Commercial Litigation”; and Zipser for “Bet-the-Company Litigation,” “Commercial Litigation,” “Litigation – Banking and Finance,” “Litigation – Intellectual Property,” and “Litigation – Real Estate.” Reagan has been on the Best Lawyers® list from 2008 and both Umberg and Zipser since 2008.  In addition,  Zipser was recently honored in 2017 as the “Litigation – Intellectual Property Lawyer of Year” for Orange County, and previously was named Best Lawyers’ 2014 “Orange County Lawyer of the Year” in the “Bet-the-Company Litigation” category.

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Umberg/Zipser is a premier business litigation and intellectual property boutique.  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, Umberg/Zipser provides clients with unparalleled legal services. 

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