What Wai & Connor does

Wai, Connor & Hamidzadeh, LLP (doing business as Wai & Connor) is a California-based law firm founded in 1997 that specializes exclusively in the defense of workers' compensation matters. The firm represents large self-insured employers — primarily Fortune 1000 companies — alongside insurance carriers, third-party administrators, brokers, and public entities. It defends clients across the full spectrum of California workers' compensation exposure, including Workers' Compensation Appeals Board litigation, appellate work through the California Supreme Court, alternative dispute resolution, walk-through settlements, Labor Code Section 132a discrimination defense, Serious and Willful Misconduct defense, fraudulent claims investigation, expert cross-examination, and COVID-19 claims defense under Senate Bill 1159.

The firm operates from four California offices — Los Angeles (headquarters), Irvine, Westlake Village, and Concord — providing coverage of all Workers' Compensation Appeals Board venues statewide. Its professional staff includes California Board of Legal Specialization Certified Specialists in Workers' Compensation and senior attorneys with decades of defense-side experience, including representation of professional sports leagues, public entities, and high-exposure catastrophic matters. The firm is certified as a Minority Women Owned Business (MBE/WBE) by the California Public Utilities Commission and has been designated as exclusive counsel for workers' compensation matters by many large employers.

The business model is straightforward professional services: fee-based legal representation quoted per matter based on complexity and scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with corporate legal departments, insurance carrier claims operations, TPAs, and brokers — augmented by a training partnership with Sedgwick Claims College and a referral network reinforced through exclusive-counsel designations. There is no technology platform, software product, or API layer; revenue is generated entirely by attorney time and matter outcomes.

Name

Wai & Connor

Legal name

Wai, Connor & Hamidzadeh, LLP

Website

https://waiconnor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wai & Connor is a California law firm specializing in workers' compensation defense for Fortune 1000 self-insured employers and insurance carriers. Operating from four offices statewide, it provides litigation, appellate, and advisory services across all California WCAB venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services — Workers' Compensation Defense

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Self-Insured Workers’ Compensation Programs (FSAJAEAD), Managed Workers’ Compensation (Loss Control, Claims & Return-to-Work Programs) (FSAJAEAH)

Keywords

• Workers compensation defense
• Legal defense services
• Appellate litigation
• Insurance defense counsel
• Labor code defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Defense Services: Legal services for workers' compensation defense matters, including claim analysis, litigation, appellate work, and alternative dispute resolution for employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Wai, Connor & Hamidzadeh, LLP provides specialized workers' compensation defense legal services to self-insured employers, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, brokers, and public entities throughout California. The firm delivers full-spectrum representation including claim analysis, aggressive litigation before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, appellate work through the California Supreme Court, alternative dispute resolution, walk-through settlements, defense against Labor Code Section 132a discrimination claims and Serious and Willful Misconduct claims, fraudulent claims investigation, and expert cross-examination.

Product overview

Wai, Connor & Hamidzadeh, LLP offers comprehensive workers' compensation defense legal services through a unified practice model. The core offering is workers' compensation defense representation for self-insured employers and insurance companies. This encompasses multiple integrated service modules including claims analysis, litigation, appellate work, alternative dispute resolution, walk-through settlements, serious and willful misconduct defense, Labor Code Section 132a discrimination defense, fraudulent claims investigation, expert cross-examination, COVID-19 claims defense, and training/education services. The services are delivered across four California office locations covering all Workers' Compensation Appeals Board jurisdictions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workers' Compensation Defense Legal Services Full-service legal representation defending employers, insurance carriers, third-party administrators and brokers in workers' compensation matters throughout California, including claim analysis, litigation, appellate work, alternative dispute resolution, settlements, misconduct and discrimination defense, fraudulent claims investigation, and COVID-19 claims defense.
• Workers' Compensation Claims Analysis Full analysis of workers' compensation claims to identify issues and formulate defense strategy for self-insured employers and insurance carriers.
• Workers' Compensation Litigation Proactive litigation tactics and aggressive defense strategies before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) on behalf of employers and insurance carriers.
• Appellate Work Full appellate handling of workers' compensation matters, including Petitions for Removal, Reconsideration, Appellate Writs before the Court of Appeal, and Petitions for Review before the California Supreme Court.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Representation in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) of workers' compensation cases, applying governing rules and regulations to achieve efficient resolution.
• Walk-Through Settlements Complete preparation, submission and walkthrough of workers' compensation settlement documents, including assessment of medical reports and appearance before the WCAB.
• Serious and Willful Misconduct Defense Defense against claims of employer Serious and Willful Misconduct, including thorough investigation and legal strategy formulation to minimize potential exposure.
• Labor Code Section 132a Defense Defense against discrimination claims under California Labor Code Section 132a, examining circumstances in relation to employer personnel policies to defeat the claim.
• Fraudulent Claims Investigation Investigation and evaluation of potential fraudulent workers' compensation claims, including coordination with Special Investigations Units (SIUs) and law enforcement.
• Expert Cross-Examination Services Strategic cross-examination of expert witnesses throughout case duration to minimize employer exposure in workers' compensation matters.
• COVID-19 Claims Defense

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sedgwick Claims CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm participates in training and education through Sedgwick Claims College, providing instruction on Practices and Procedures of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board for client training programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Clyde & Co US LLP: Global insurance and reinsurance law firm with a substantial California workers' compensation and casualty defense practice. Competes for the same large carrier and self-insured RFPs but operates at significantly larger scale and with multi-state reach that Wai & Connor lacks.
• Sedgwick Claims Management Services: Large national third-party administrator and insurance services firm with claims management, managed care, and affiliated legal defense capabilities touching the same workers' compensation ecosystem. Wai & Connor trains at Sedgwick Claims College, evidencing an ecosystem overlap even where Sedgwick is not a direct outside counsel competitor.

Direct peers

• Hanna, Brophy & MacPhail LLP: Major California-based workers' compensation defense firm with statewide coverage and a similar client base of insurance carriers, TPAs, and self-insureds. Closely comparable in scale, geographic footprint, and exclusive-counsel positioning.
• Albert & Mackenzie LLP: California workers' compensation defense firm serving insurance carriers and self-insured employers with multiple offices throughout the state. Competes directly for the same carrier and self-insured panel work that anchors Wai & Connor's book of business.
• Cole Pedroza LLP: California-based workers' compensation and employment defense firm representing employers, carriers, and TPAs across WCAB venues. Similar boutique-to-mid-market profile with statewide coverage and defense-side practice focus.
• Bradford & Barthel LLP: California workers' compensation defense firm with multiple offices statewide representing carriers, employers, and TPAs. Directly competes on enterprise panel placements and has comparable tenure in the California WCAB system.
• Mullen & Filippi LLP: Long-established California workers' compensation defense firm with a similar model of representing insurance carriers, TPAs, and self-insured employers across multiple California offices. Most direct head-to-head competitor for panel placements on the same type of Fortune 1000 and carrier accounts.
• Michael Sullivan & Associates LLP: California workers' compensation defense firm representing employers, insurance carriers, and TPAs before the WCAB. Comparable niche focus and client mix to Wai & Connor's defense practice.
• Longyear O'Donnell & Spaeth LLP: California workers' compensation defense firm with offices across the state serving carriers and self-insured employers. Direct competitor for panel and exclusive-counsel engagements.
• Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi LLP: California-based workers' compensation defense firm serving insurance carriers and self-insured employers. Comparable in scale, statewide coverage, and exclusive-counsel positioning for enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wai & Connor