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Dick A. Semerdjian specializes in civil litigation and trial practice. In
that capacity, he has represented manufacturers of products and equipment in
product liability actions and publicly traded companies, businesses,
franchisers/franchisees, dealers/manufactures and organizations and
individuals in labor and employment counseling, employment litigation
matters and business and commercial litigation cases. He has also
represented seriously injured individuals and families in personal injury,
insurance claims and wrongful death cases. Currently, he is Vice Chairman of
the Business Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association and in
that capacity, works with attorneys and clients throughout the United States
on complex business, commercial and employment litigation matters involving
the legal theories of tort and breach of contract, including unfair
competition, trademark, infringement, fraud, negligence and misrepresented
theories. He was an appointed Member by the California State Bar Board of
Governors to the prestigious American Bar Association House of Delegates for
nine years. Dick is
licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court and all
California and Federal Courts, including the Northern, Central, Eastern and
Southern Federal District Courts In
February 2010, Dick was elected Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association
Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. Dick has
been named in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the most
respected referral list of attorneys in practice, in the specialty of
Personal Injury Litigation.
In 2009, Dick was a semi-finalist as a top Civil
Litigator in San Diego County by the San Diego Daily Transcript.
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 Dick was named as top Business
Litigator in San Diego in the Super Lawyers Magazine: Corporate Counsel
Edition.
In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, Dick was named as a
Southern California Super Lawyer in the practice area of Business Litigation
and recognized as among the top 5% of all San Diego area practicing
attorneys after an extensive peer review and evaluation conducted by Law &
Politics published in Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine - San Diego
Edition.
In September of 2006 and 2008 Dick was nominated as one of the San Diego Daily
Transcripts Top Influentials.
In July of 2006, Dick was named one of
the Ten Best Attorneys in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript.
 Business
& Commercial Litigation
Employment
Litigation
Personal
Injury & Wrongful Death
Product
Liability
Unfair
Competition Litigation
University of
California at San Diego (B.A., with provost honors, 1981)
University of
San Diego School of Law (J.D., 1985)
Member and
Liaison: American Bar Association Standing Committee on Judicial
Independence (2008-2009)
ABA/TIPS -
National Trial Academy
Board of
Governors- San Diego County Bar Association (2003-2006)
Board of
Directors (Council)- American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance
Practice Section (2006-2009)
2007 Chairman -
San Diego International Sports Council and Foundation
2009 Chairman,
University of California San Diego Athletic Board
San Diego
County Bar Association (Member, Client Assistance and Arbitration/Client
Relations and Bench and Bar Committees)
American Bar
Association (Member, Sections of: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice; Vice
Chairman, Business Litigation Section)
State Bar of
California since 1986
Defense
Research Institute (Member: Products Liability and Commercial Litigation
Sections)
Board of
Directors San Diego Trial Lawyers Association and Consumer Attorneys of San
Diego (Sustaining Member) and Co-Chairman - Trial Awards Committee
(1989-1991)
San Diego
Defense Lawyers Association
The Association
of Trial Lawyers of America and American Association for Justice
Association of
Business Trial Lawyers
California
Consumer Attorneys Association
Master, William
B. Enright Inn of Court
Board of
Managers, San Diego County YMCA, Human Development Department and Board
Emeritus Member 1984-1993
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports Commission
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports Board of Directors, Torrey Pines High School Foundation,
Torrey Pines Pop Warner Football and Solana Beach Little League
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports University of California San Diego Chancellor Associate and
Alumni Association
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports Alumni Advisor, University of San Diego School of Law
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports San Diego County Bar Association Delegate and Floor Leader
of the Conference Delegates, 1992-1994
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports San Diego Inn of Court, Workshop Leader on Evidence (1998)
Board of
Directors and Executive Committee and Chairman, San Diego Sports Council and
San Diego Sports Million Dollar Advocates Forum (recognition for verdicts,
awards and settlements achieved for clients in excess of one million
dollars)
Speaker:
Fundamentals of Employment Law (January 2010 Steerling Education Services,
Inc.)
Speaker: Legal
Challenges to Chinese Companies doing business in the United States
(September 2009 -ABA International Law Committee, Tsinghua University
Beijing, China)
Program Chair-
2008 “Masters of the Courtroom: A Display of Innovative and Proven Trial
Techniques” (March 2005- American Bar Association, Phoenix, Arizona)
Faculty Member
- 2008 National Trial Academy (April 2008- The National Judicial College,
Reno, Nevada)
“Expert
Witnesses” (CEB April 2004-2005)
“Fundamentals
of Pre-Trial Practice: (CEB April 2002)
“Discovery
Plans in Civil Litigation” (CEB July 2001)
“Preparing for,
Taking and Using Depositions” (CEB February 2000)
“Discovery:
Strategies and Tactics for Success” (CEB July 1998 and March 1999)
“Strategic Tips
for Successfully Propounding and Opposing Written Discovery” (CEB July 1999)
“Effective
Advocacy for Plaintiff and Defense Attorneys” (CEB September 1995)
Premises
Liability, Landowner Liability for Criminal Acts, San Diego Trial Lawyers
Association (May 1994)
Reported Cases:
(Federal) Upper Deck Authenticated Ltd. v. CGP Direct et al. 931 F. Supp.
1337 (So. Dist. Cal. 1997); (California) Lynch v. Warwick, 95 Cal.App.4th,
115 Cal. Rptr. 2d 391 (4th Dist. 2002)
Mr. Semerdjian
is also a lecturer for Continuing Education of the Bar in areas of civil
discovery, trial practice and trial techniques. He has been the Discovery
Law Editor of the Trial Bar News since 1996. |
