MAKAREM & ASSOCIATES Leading Trial Lawyers
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
MAKAREM & ASSOCIATES is a distinguished and enterprising Los Angeles firm with experienced trial lawyers devoted to effective and vigorous representation of our clients. Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for our clients in difficult litigation matters either at trial or through effective dispute OUR TRIAL LAWYERS ARE COMMITTED TO AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH. resolution. Our trial lawyers are committed to an entrepreneurial approach. We have acquired a reputation throughout Los Angeles as professionals who perform, not merely practice. We strive to achieve excellence in the courtroom through resourceful and aggressive litigation. Our clients come first and we are focused on their ultimate objective.
Ron Makarem, the founder of Makarem & Associates He has dedicated his practice to protecting consumer rights and re-establishing the public s trust in attorneys and the justice system. His aggressive style of litigation has earned him and his firm a prominent place in the legal community. Ron was selected by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 20 Attorneys in California under the age of 40 and has obtained multi-million dollar settlements and judgments for his clients. He is an active member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). Ron is a native Angelino and in his free time, he enjoys coaching his daughter s soccer team.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION Top Attorney Selected by Super Lawyer s magazine as a Super Lawyer for four consecutive years; 2013, 2012, 2011, and a Rising Star in 2010. CA Daily Journal Recognized Ron Makarem in 2007 on their list of Top 20 under 40 Attorneys. Clay Awards California Lawyer Magazine presented the Attorney of the Year award in 2012 for his work on a landmark CA Supreme Court case. Legal Malpractice Specialist In 2012, Ron became a Certified Legal Malpractice Specialist by the State Bar of California. Avvo Rating 9.8 out of 10.
Notable Cases Settled for a reality-television writer against Donald Trump, NBC, and reality -television producer, Mark Burnett of the television show The Apprentice. Argued before the California Supreme Court an important case relating to the mediation privilege. Cassel v. Wasserman, Comden. Certified a large wage and hour class action against DHL. Filed suit on behalf of former shareholders claiming Nokia willfully breached the merger agreement. Defended Splash News & Picture Agency in a lawsuit for invasion of privacy when a woman was videotaped with Heath Ledger at a SAG Awards after-party. Class action lawsuit filed against Square Enix, Inc, for the online game, Final Fantasy XI, associated with alleged unfair billing practices.
CASE RESULTS $2,600,000 Legal Malpractice Case Against Skadden, Arps for breach of fiduciary duty based on a conflict of interest in the previous representation. $2,530,000 Legal Malpractice and Complex Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitration $2,150,000 Insurance Carrier Denied Disability, Breach of Contract, Unfair Business Practices $1,500,000 Product Liability Injury and Contract Dispute of an Olympic Gold Medalist $1,300,000 Settlement Against Parking Site for Wage and Hour Violations $1,100,000 Settlement Against Law Firm in Partnership Dispute $700,000 Nursing Home, Hospice Provider And Physician For Elder Abuse $700,000 Landlord-Tenant Abuse Against Property Owners
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Vol. I20 No. 21 Daily Journal Nerves of Steel: Ron named one of California s Top 20 under 40 Attorneys This is what being a plaintiffs lawyer means being able to fund your cases. It also means having nerves of steel. A month before he was scheduled to appear in court, Ronald Makarem realized he didn t have the money to take the case to trial. He needed another $100,000. So, Makarem said, he went to noted plaintiffs attorney, Browne Greene and asked whether he would join the case and put up the extra cash. Makarem had never met Greene. But that didn t stop him. He wanted the best for his clients. I get nervous about lots of things in life, Makarem said. When I m in my law mode, when I m in court, when I m in my office, I just feel comfortable. I just feel like I have a job to do. Greene said yes. I was very impressed by the hard work he put in, Greene said recently. I was very, very fascinated by the facts of the case. Makarem and Greene s client, Mark Bethea, alleged that Mark Burnett had received the idea for The Apprentice from him. The case settled for an undisclosed amount shortly before its scheduled state court trial. Steven A. Marenberg of Irell & Manella represented Burnett. Makarem was also one of the lawyers representing Dr. Morry Waksberge against Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Waksberge alleged that Skadden had been his lawyer in one case only to later defend the party he was suing. Skadden, represented by Keker & Van Nest, settled the case for $2.6 million last February. Makarem has no trouble going after large entities, including prominent law firms. I never get any flak from other lawyers, he said. I think we re doing our profession a s service by litigating those kinds of cases. He said he always wanted to be a plaintiffs lawyer and represent people who were taken He said he always wanted to be advantage of by big a plaintiffs lawyer and represent corporations, to that people who were taken advantage end, he opened his own office in 2004. of by big corporations, to that end, he opened his own office in 2004. I have great people around me. They manage their cases against much larger defendants by working efficiently. We don t just file stuff just to file stuff, If it s a truckload of discovery, we just give our responses and don t make a big deal out of it. These days, his job entails more business responsibility. He doesn t mind that, necessarily. After all, he said, I always thought that the peak of being a lawyer is being your own lawyer and running your own firm and being in charge of ultimate decisions. But he said he misses attending status conferences and writing motions in limine. I m unfortunately a bit more of a businessman and less of a lawyer, he said. He also has another time constraint these days; his 6-year old daughter. While working hard, he s trying to keep it under control. I ll probably be practicing for another 20, 30 years. There will be plenty of time to work 15-16 hour days.
PRESS ARTICLES FEATURES USA Today - Woman Revises Lawsuit Over Heath Ledger Tape. Los Angeles Times - Apprentice Lawsuit Settled. Daily Journal - Skadden Pays $2.6 Million to End Conflict Suit. Daily Journal - Judge Decides Attorney Overbilled. Bloomberg Business Week - Wrongful Death Filed Lawsuit Against Eli Lilly For Its Drug Zyprexa. Advocate - Lawyer in the Hot Seat: Taking the Deposition of Attorney - Defendant in a Legal Malpractice Action. Advocate - Protecting Consumer Trust in Attorneys: Handling the Legal Malpractice Claim. ABA/American Bar Association - Lawyer-Client Talks Relating to Mediation Cannot Be Used to Prove Malpractice Claim.
PRACTICE AREAS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY / MALPRACTICE - Legal Malpractice - Fiduciary Duty CONSUMER LITIGATION - Consumer Fraud - Product Liability - Premise Liability EMPLOYMENT - Wage and Hour Class Action - Wrongful Termination - Sexual Harassment - Workplace Discrimination DRUG DEFECT LITIGATION - Pharmaceutical Companies If in your judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. - Abraham Lincoln
PRACTICE AREAS NEGLIGENCE - Wrongful Death - Catastrophic Injury NURSING HOME / ELDER ABUSE - Wrongful Death - Elder Care INSURANCE / BAD FAITH - Wrongful Denial of Claims COMPLEX BUSINESS LITIGATION - Real Estate Litigation - Breach of Contract - Unfair Business Competition Yield not to evils, but attack all the more boldly. - Virgil, Aenid
LEADING TRIAL LAWYERS Guided by oath, duty and obligation, the profession of the law possesses extraordinary power. We must be prepared to hold our profession to the highest ideals of competency and integrity. OUR VISION At Makarem & Associates, we are committed to providing effective lawyering for our clients. Our lawyers work closely with clients and implement creative practical strategies to protect our clients interests. MAKAREM & ASSOCIATES 11601 Wilshire Bl. Ste. 2440 Los Angeles, CA 90025 310.312.0299 tel 310.312.0296 fax www.makaremlaw.com makaremlaw