Best Lawyers Near You in La Jolla, California for Commercial Litigation
Nicholas D. Brauns is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Nicholas D., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicholas D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
David is a founding partner of Dunn DeSantis Walt & Kendrick, LLP. For over a decade, his practice in Southern California has included business and corporate representation, commercial litigation, including class action and employment matters of all types, and professional liability defense. He regularly appears in California trial and appellate courts. He also regularly represents and counsels businesses on strategic, non-litigation and risk management matters.From 2006-2008, David serve...
Jim’s practice, throughout his career, has focused on defending and advising professionals, including attorneys, accountants, architects, engineers, construction management companies, doctors and other health professionals, real estate professionals, insurance agents and brokers, directors and officers, and financial advisors. He also has extensive experience providing general business representation, including risk management counseling and contract review/drafting, and handling comple...
Steven Cologne was elected Managing Partner of the Firm in 2016. He devotes his practice to complex Tort and Commercial litigation in State and Federal Courts. In 2020, Mr. Cologne achieved the distinction of being certified as a Fellow in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) effective May 2020. On May 4, 2020, he was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. Mr. Cologne joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack in 1999 after previously enjoying 15 years as an associate, partner ...
Kenneth M. Fitzgerald is a highly experienced trial lawyer, practicing business litigation with an emphasis on complex commercial cases and intellectual property disputes. Before joining the firm, Mr. Fitzgerald was a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in state and federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Fitzgerald has handled a wide variety of commercial litigation matters involving contracts, business torts, trademarks, trade dress, cop...
In his three decades of legal practice, Sean Coughlin has focused his practice on complex business and real estate litigation, representing commercial real estate lenders and bankruptcy litigation matters. Coughlin approaches each matter with the goal of achieving the best possible business result. Coughlin has successfully litigated, arbitrated and tried hundreds of complex disputes in state court, federal court and bankruptcy court. He is admitted to all California Courts, several U.S. Dist...
Craig R. McClellan is the first and only San Diego personal injury attorney selected for admission to the Inner Circle of Advocates, a prestigious invitation-only group of top plaintiff's attorneys, limited to 100 members nationwide. Mr. McClellan has obtained more than 130 verdicts and settlements in excess of one million dollars, and is a three-time recipient of the "Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award" from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for cases in which million and multi-million dollar ...
James Lance is an experienced trial attorney who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants for 38 years. He regularly represents defendants in bet-the-company litigation, and has obtained several 7 and 8 figure verdicts, judgments and settlements for personal injury and commercial plaintiffs. Lance obtained a judgment of $12,933,000 in 2024 for an individual plaintiff asserting an employment claim. In addition to commercial matters, Lance routinely represents individuals asserting seriou...
Steve Coopersmith is the founder and Managing Partner of The Coopersmith Law Firm, LLP in San Diego, California. The Firm represents clients throughout Southern California in a wide range of business and corporate litigation matters, including those stemming from corporate and partnership dissolutions, securities and financial fraud violations, bet-the-company litigation, executive-level business employment disputes, and fine art law disputes. Mr. Coopersmith also handles select planning and ...
As one of the founding partners at Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach, and most recently a partner at Kirby Noonan Lance & Hoge, Ethan T. Boyer dedicates his practice to resolving complex business and commercial disputes, including intellectual property matters, real estate and product liability cases. Boyer has successfully handled all aspects of commercial and business litigation, in trials, arbitrations and appeals. Boyer has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America® by his peers...
Joseph A. Gonnella is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation - Labor and Employment and Transportation Law. Joseph A., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mariah Emmons is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Real Estate and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Mariah, who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mariah is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jacob Speckhard is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Jacob, who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacob is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Victoria Manfredonia is an associate in Hahn Loeser’s San Diego office and is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group. Victoria represents clients in a variety of commercial matters, including privacy and data litigation and advising, business torts, and contract and shareholder disputes, amongst others. Approaching complex matters with practical business solutions, Victoria strives to ensure clients know exactly the direction they should be headed at every stage and that they hav...
Leticia Butler (“Tia”) is a member of our business and employment litigation groups handling individual, class, representative and collective actions. Tia is a civil litigator who has been practicing in State and Federal Courts throughout California since her admission to the Bar in 2007. Tia has represented individual and entity clients in a wide array of business sectors and is experienced in all stages of litigation, including jury and bench trials, as well as arbitration. She ...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.