Jerry Dagrella is a 23-year veteran trial lawyer who routinely serves as lead trial and appellate counsel in a wide range of complex and high-stakes disputes. He has been involved in over 100 trials, arbitrations and mediations and earned a reputation as a tenacious, strategic and effective advocate. He has cross-examined officers of billion-dollar companies, gone toe-to-toe with some of the most highly-regarded law firms in the nation and defeated trial lawyers from such top schools as Harvard, Stanford and Yale. Notable results include:

• Obtained a complete defense judgment in high-profile case following a 17-day trial, which was affirmed on appeal (Court of Appeal Opinion), and resulted in total vindication and victory for client in dispute over $10 million estate. (See: News)
• Awarded a $7.89 million judgment for fraud against developer on behalf of investor client — 52 times more than the opponent’s pre-trial settlement offer of $150,000!
• Consistently shut down frivolous lawsuits, winning dismissals with sanctions and attorneys’ fees under Code of Civil Procedure Section 128.7, and successfully pursued disciplinary charges against lawyers who abused the legal system. (See: Articles)

(See Court Victories for a more extensive list of impressive verdicts, dismissals and settlements.)

Mr. Dagrella was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in a military family in Salinas, California—a rough neighborhood where drugs and crime were so prevalent that media dubbed it the “youth murder capital of California.” (See VICE News.) The experience made him tough, aggressive and uncommonly successful. With hard work, grit and determination, he worked three jobs and grinded his way through college and grad school in record time. He attended CSU—Monterey Bay (former Fort Ord military base) on an academic scholarship and Golden Gate University’s Graduate School of Taxation. By age 19, he was accepted into the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He received numerous academic accolades during his time in law school and became one of the youngest graduates in the school’s history upon receiving his Juris Doctor in 2001. He wrote for well-respected publications, including the Global Business & Development Law Journal and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Your Civil Liberties (Chapter 23—”Taxing Matters: Internal Revenue Service.”).

Following law school, Mr. Dagrella honed his skills as a trial lawyer in the Los Angeles office of a 1,000-attorney international law firm—one of the largest, most prestigious in the world—with clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to high profile celebrities. He afterwards joined and was elected partner at Best Best & Krieger, LLP, one of the oldest and largest law firms in Southern California. Throughout the years, many of his cases have been profiled by print and television media.

Mr. Dagrella is a member of the Los Angeles County, Riverside County and American Bar Associations.  He gives back to the community by volunteering his time to legal services organizations that help those with limited means and has been recognized for his pro bono work, receiving the Wiley W. Manuel Award from The State Bar of California. He has been married over 15 years to Tongjai, a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente, and they have two children, Roy and Rose.