Bristol Who’s Who Recognizes Thomas V. Girardi
“Now, whoever has courage and a strong and collected spirit in his breast, let him come forward, lace on the gloves and put up his hands.” – Virgil, the Aenid.
One of the world’s few real superheroes, Thomas Girardi fights courageously for the “little guy” and wins. Founding partner of Girardi and Keese, the downtown Los Angeles law firm is known for being the behemoth of class action law suits. With a strong moral compass guiding them, the firm of over 40 lawyers and 30 clerks believe in fighting for the right side. This ethical platform is demonstrated in every aspect of their practice: 99% of the work they do is for the plaintiff’s side, all of their cases are contingency cases and they fund cases that would otherwise be lost in a sea of costs and delays. Knowing that all of society benefits when Girardi and Keese take on the “big guys,” they put their money, hard work and best talent where their mouth is. Their areas of specialization include product liability, business litigation, professional litigation and toxic torts.
After graduating with an LLM/SJD from New York University in 1965, Thomas Girardi hit the ground running; in 1970, Girardi became the first attorney in the state of California to win a $1 million-plus award for a medical malpractice case. He has tried over 100 cases to conclusion and handled more than 300 settlements in the 7 and 8 figure dollar range. Some of his more well known cases include: Anderson v PG&E, with an eventual settlement of the entire litigation for $333,000,000 and which the movie Erin Brockovich is based; Orozco v Lockheed involving two trials, 9 and 7 months long respectively, the verdicts of which eventually resulted in a settlement for $90,000,000 for 25 plaintiffs; Perrett v Syntex, resulting in a $4,000,000 verdict; Liston v St. Francis Hospital which, resulted in a $17,000,000 verdict and a complete change in hospital protocol and Bienfield v KLM, a case which resulted in a $2,000,000 verdict and changes to the B-1 cockpit evacuation mechanism.
Known by all as one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, Girardi has received many professional honors. Some of the most recent include an Induction into the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame (2014); the Jack Webb Award by the Los Angeles Police Department (2013); an induction into the 2013 Hall of Fame by the Association of Southern California Defense Council (named the plaintiff’s lawyer they fear the most); recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal (2013) and the Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Beverly Hills Bar Association (2012). Girardi was the youngest member to ever be admitted to the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an organization limited to 500 lawyers. He was president of the academy from 2005 to 2006. He is also a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization limited to 100 lawyers who have obtained the largest verdicts in the United States. In 2010, he was honored as a “Compassionate Gladiator,” one of three in the United States. He is a past national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been listed in the “Best Lawyers in America” for 20 years and the Daily Journal’s top lawyers in California since the list was first printed. In a recent survey of 65,000 lawyers to determine the finest lawyer in California, Mr. Girardi received the most votes.
Since 1976, Thomas Girardi has been an adjunct Professor of Law at the Loyola Law School where, he teaches in the areas of Medical Legal Law, Trial Practices and Ethics of the Trial Lawyer, a course designed to be filmed for PBS. He gives more than two lectures a month to the legal community and has a radio show; “Champions of Justice.” He has been or is currently affiliated with the Italian American Lawyers Association (President); the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (National Advisory Board Member); the Library of Congress (Trust Fund Board Member); the Judicial Council of California (Commission for Impartial Courts) and the University of California-Irvine (appointed to the Dean’s Advisory Council). He has published hundreds of articles for legal education. His best advice is to “find out what you want to do in life and go for it.”
Deeply passionate about his work as a trial lawyer, Girardi continues to embody his long held belief that an individual has the ability to change the way things are being done. The most rewarding aspect of his job lies in the moment the jury signals to the court that they have reached a verdict and that verdict is in favor of his client. Always aiming powerfully for the best outcome, Girardi has been successful in most of his cases. The cases he remembers however are the ones he lost.
When Thomas Girardi isn’t creating massive change in the cultural landscape of America he can be found playing golf in Los Angeles, California where he lives.
Bristol Who’s Who Centurion Member, VIP Member and Member of the Year Thomas V. Girardi, LLB, LLM can be found on the Who’s Who Directory where he is looking forward to networking with you.
