Eric Traut distinguished himself early as one of the top trial attorneys in Southern California when he was recognized as the youngest winner of the prestigious “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award in the history of the Orange County Trial Lawyer Association and has gone on to try more than 100 jury trials over his 30- year career. For ten consecutive years, Eric has been selected by his peers to the list of Super Lawyers, including the “Top 50 Orange County” and “Top 100 Southern California” as featured in Los Angeles Magazine. Additionally, Eric is honored to be named to the list of Best Lawyers of America a recognition reserved for only the top 3% of the Bar. Eric has handled high-profile cases that have resulted in appearances on Good Morning America, Fox News, Court T.V., and ABC's "Primetime." Eric was the youngest member ever admitted to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) at the age of 33, where he served as President of the Orange County Chapter of ABOTA in 2010. He is currently one of just 200 ABOTA Diplomates to have tried more than 100 jury trials, of the 7000 members of the organization.
In January 2020, he received the Trial Lawyer of the Year award from the Orange County Chapter of ABOTA, which is recognized as the highest honor a Southern California Lawyer can receive, awarded annually to a recipient exhibiting the best traits of a Southern California trial lawyer. In December 2019, he received The Robert Samuel Barnes Award from the Orange County Bar Foundation's Project Youth, which is only given to a recipient who has contributed substantially to Project Youth in order to assist in best serving the youth and families of Orange County. In January 2018, he received the ABOTA Joseph D. McNeil Civility Award, which is only given to a member whose integrity, civility and professionalism inspire trust among counsel and clients, and promotes respect for the profession. As the Past President of the Orange County Bar Foundation, Eric led a non-profit organization strengthening Orange County youth and families through unique, award-winning health and education programs. In 2008, he was named as Alumni of the Year at Western State University Law School and was inducted into the school’s "Hall of Fame" in 2013. He is a recipient of the Angelo Palmieri Award for Civility from the Banyard Inn of Court and was the first lawyer to be awarded the OC Look award by Orange Coast Magazine, an award given to those individuals who exemplify success and style in Orange County. Eric has been a speaker at countless seminars on litigation and trial skills, spoken at various law schools about the importance of civility and professionalism and published multiple articles on strategy and practice.
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