Michael Rubin | Tarzana Personal Injury Lawyer

One case comes to mind. There was a divorce case between a young couple with a two-year-old child. Among other issues were custody/visitation, support, and disputes over a business and real property. I represent the husband, a different attorney represented the wife. Unfortunately, there was much hostility, and it was costing the parties a lot of money in attorneys fees, and ultimately hurting the child. The other attorney, a compassionate professional, and I worked mightily to resolve all issues. I am happy to say that we are on the road to a final settlement, with the hope that settling the financial and custody/visitation issues will help reduce or eliminate the hostility between the parties that must learn to cooperate in raising the child.

The lawyer/client relationship is one I take very seriously. In many cases, the client has serious legal issues that impact their personal lives and their family. The client must be able to trust his or her attorney. That is why I insist that, before embarking on a long litigation case, the client meets with me personally (usually at no charge), and assures themselves that I am the one in whose hands they want to put that huge amount of responsibility.

A prospective client should not expect too much from the initial telephone consultation. It is designed to inform the attorney of the nature of the case, and whether the attorney is capable of, and interested in taking on the case. The purpose is to give a "future prognosis" of the case, an estimate of fees and costs, and other such information. It is not designed to give legal advice per se.

Usually, the nature of the dispute, the parties involved, the location of the accident or property in dispute, and whether the prospective client has the financial means to achieve his or her objective.The next step would be a personal meeting.

I have 32 years of experience doing bench trials, jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations. I have litigated cases in the California Superior Court, appeals court, bankruptcy courts, and in federal courts. I care very deeply about my clients, and I am very competitive on their behalf. I do many simple things which many lawyers forget, such as to return telephone calls, and keep clients informed of the status of their case. I like to think that I represent clients the way I would like to be represented if I needed a lawyer.

• U.S. Federal Courts, 1980
  U.S. District Court, 1980
  

• -A favorable judgment in the case of Cardenas v. Tovar, et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court Case no. EC056708), which rose out of trespass and wrongful removal of several mature trees. The verdict, along with an award of statutory attorney’s fees, should exceed $250,000. -A $1 million verdict in the case of Walker v. Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (Los Angeles Superior Court Case no. BC385953), in which the plaintiff suffered brain injuries during an attack by fraternity members at the University of Southern California. -A favorable outcome in a hotly contested case involving a $5 million hospitality business. In it, four partners filed suit against the remaining three, declaring they had no interest in the partnership. We successfully represented the defendants by facilitating a buyout of the defendants’ interest.

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