Best Lawyers Near You in Seal Beach, California for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Erika Contreras is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Erika, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Erika is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Richard Bridgford is a successful trial attorney with over 36 years of experience who has obtained multiple 7 and 8-figure financial awards for his clients in jury trials, judge trials, arbitrations, mediations, appeals and settlements. Mr. Bridgford presently acts as plaintiff’s counsel in the following serious personal injury/wrongful death/mass tort and class action litigation: Recent Representative Cases 2022 Laguna Niguel Coastal Wildfire vs. SCE. Represents the majority of homeown...
Founding Partner John McNicholas has more than five decades of experience representing plaintiffs in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, employment law, class actions, sexual abuse and other consumer-oriented matters. He is a recognized leader with more than 150 jury verdicts and 20 reported appellate decisions in copyright infringement, breach of contract, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical and aviation cases. Mr. McNicholas has obtained millions in verdicts and settlements. His clie...
Mr. Christopher Aitken was born in Placentia, California, May 10, 1969 and has been a practicing attorney since 1997. Mr. Aitken is a partner of the law firm Aitken * Aitken * Cohn, located in Santa Ana, CA and has practiced with the firm since 1997. Christopher Aitken is proud to represent plaintiffs in major civil jury trial litigation in the fields of personal injury, insurance bad faith, wrongful death and general business litigation. Christopher graduated from the University of Californi...
Thomas A. Schultz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Thomas A., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael L. Baum is the senior partner of Wisner Baum (formerly Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman). For 29 years he was Baum Hedlund’s managing partner until 2023 when he proudly turned over the reins to R. Brent Wisner. During his time at the helm, he led the firm through thousands of wrongful death and personal injury cases stemming from harmful major pharmaceutical drugs, consumer products, and commercial transportation.He began his career in 1985, primarily handling airline accident...
Gary M. Paul is a veteran trial lawyer and partner in the Los Angeles office of Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel, where he focuses on complex civil litigation. With more than four decades of experience as a trial lawyer, Gary is widely respected for his advocacy on behalf of individuals injured by exposure to asbestos, herbicides and pesticides, and other dangerous chemicals, as well as defective products and negligent corporate practices. He has authored numerous articles for legal journals an...
Ashleigh E. Aitken is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Ashleigh E., who practices law in Santa Ana, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ashleigh E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Allison Stone is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Allison, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Allison is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Senior Lawyer Douglas Winter practices in all areas of civil litigation, including employment, personal injury, civil rights, business torts and disputes, consumer litigation, intellectual property and real estate. He has nearly 30 years of trial and appellate experience in both state and federal courts, and has successfully tried dozens of cases to verdict.In the last five years alone, Mr. Winter has obtained, along with Partner Matthew McNicholas, one eight-figure and multiple seven-figure ...
Aaron L. Osten is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Aaron L., who practices law in El Segundo, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael A. Akselrud is an associate at The Lanier Law Firm in Los Angeles , specializing in business litigation , personal injury and products liability . He joined the Lanier family in 2012 as a law clerk and member of the firm’s pharmaceutical litigation team. Michael was named by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Southern California since 2016. In 2020 Michael was named to the LawDragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, one of the most respected guides to the legal profession. ...
With more than 25 years’ experience as a trial lawyer, Partner Patrick McNicholas exclusively represents victims in catastrophic injury, product liability, sexual assault and other consumer-oriented matters, such as civil rights and aviation disasters. Mr. McNicholas has tried and settled numerous noteworthy cases, including a $44 million settlement for air crash victims, a $10.8 million jury verdict awarded to a minor molested by a school teacher, a $10 million jury verdict to a constr...
Jeffery Crissman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Jeffery, who practices law in Newport Beach, California, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jeffery is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Timothy A. Loranger is an attorney and senior partner at the national mass disaster law firm of Wisner Baum (formerly Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman). A consumer attorney, pilot, and avid citizen advocate, Tim oversees our cases involving product liability law, aviation, and commercial ground transportation accidents (including truck accidents, train crashes, and military vehicle accidents), and military accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injury or wrongful death. He served as C...
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.