Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP

What Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP does

Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP is a Sacramento, California-based civil defense litigation boutique founded in 1974. The firm maintains approximately 17 attorneys (7 partners and 10 associates) and operates from a single headquarters at 3638 American River Drive, serving clients across California with appellate appearances extending to the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Ninth Circuit. The core service is retained defense counsel in high-exposure civil matters — specifically employment litigation, public entity defense and government tort liability, catastrophic personal injury, product liability, trucking and transportation, construction defect, fires and explosions (including wildfire litigation), premises liability, and complex commercial litigation. Practice areas are delivered as specialized litigation services with active partner oversight of every matter from retention through trial, supported by ALFA International network membership for cross-firm referrals.

The firm generates revenue through professional-service fee arrangements (retained counsel, hourly, and likely contingency/flat-fee matter billing) on litigation matters for enterprise clients. The primary customer segment is large national and international insurance carriers that retain Matheny Sears for high-exposure liability defense, with secondary segments comprising corporate defendants, state and local government entities (cities, school districts, special districts), and selective individual engagements. Documented client relationships include Pacific Gas & Electric, Sierra Pacific Industries, Suburban Propane, Cakebread Cellars, and credit unions approved via CUNA. Notable reported outcomes — a $32.4 million sanctions award in the Moonlight Fire case and a $23 million summary judgment in a breach-of-contract and promissory note action — frame the firm's positioning around "smoke-jump" engagements and dispositive-motion trial readiness rather than volume practice.

The business is structured as a privately held California limited liability partnership with no external equity, funding, or public listing. There are no technology products, APIs, or software components; the firm's "platform" is its partner bench (Managing Partner Matthew C. Jaime, Senior Partner Rick Linkert, and partners Klauschie, Levine, Shepard, Simmons, and Sweetin) and the institutional reputation accrued across nearly fifty years of defense-side verdicts and reported decisions. The firm's growth is driven by lateral partner development (Sweetin's 2020 promotion), continued associate hiring from regional law schools, and incremental practice-area additions rather than geographic expansion.

Name

Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP

Legal name

Matheny Sears Linkert & Jaime, LLP

Website

https://mathenysears.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP is a Sacramento-based civil defense litigation boutique founded in 1974, with roughly 17 attorneys serving insurance carriers, corporations, and California public entities in high-exposure matters including employment, product liability, trucking, and wildfire defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Litigation Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Civil litigation defense
• Employment law defense
• Public entity defense
• Products liability defense
• Trucking transportation defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Professional Services: The firm provides legal counsel, litigation services, and courtroom advocacy on a fee-for-service basis for large insurance companies, corporations, government agencies, and individuals. Revenue is generated through legal fees for retained counsel across various practice areas including employment law, public entity defense, product liability, trucking, construction, and complex litigation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP is a Sacramento-based civil litigation defense firm retained by large insurance companies, corporations, and government agencies to defend catastrophic injury, employment, products liability, trucking, construction defect, fires and explosions, public entity, and complex commercial matters. The firm delivers courtroom trial representation, dispositive motion practice, and appellate advocacy throughout California and in federal appellate courts. Legal services are provided on a retained-counsel, fee-for-service basis through direct engagement rather than through intermediaries.

Product overview

Matheny Sears Linkert & Jaime, LLP is a Sacramento-based civil litigation law firm providing comprehensive legal services. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The firm's core offerings consist of litigation and legal defense services across multiple specialized practice areas, including Employment Litigation, Government Tort Liability Defense, General Civil Law, Appellate Practice, Business Solutions, Charitable & Nonprofit Organizations Defense, Complex Litigation, Construction Law, Fires & Explosions Defense, Personal Injury Claims Defense, Products Liability Defense, Public Entity Defense, and Trucking & Transportation Defense. The firm serves insurance companies, corporations, government agencies, and individuals throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment Litigation Legal representation for employers in employment-related disputes including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour matters, FEHA claims, class actions, labor relations, and HR support.
• Public Entity Defense Defense of state, county, and local government entities including cities, school districts, regional districts, special districts, and joint powers districts against catastrophic personal injury, premises liability, employment litigation, sexual abuse claims, and excessive force and pursuit torts.
• Appellate Practice Appellate representation before California Courts of Appeal, California Supreme Court, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, including administrative appeals.
• Business Solutions Business litigation and counseling services including real estate disputes, employment disputes, fair credit litigation, auto finance, ADA compliance, transactional representation, and creditor rights and collections.
• Charitable and Nonprofit Organizations Defense Legal representation for nonprofit agencies including employment counseling, litigation, errors and omissions claims, regulatory compliance, licensing, and business consultation.
• Complex Litigation Handling of complex litigation matters including construction defect, product liability, fire suppression cost recovery, mobile home park claims, elder abuse, professional liability, and insurance coverage disputes.
• Construction Law Legal services for developers, contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals covering contract disputes, indemnity issues, licensing, construction defect, delay damages, and site personal injury claims.
• Fires and Explosions Defense Defense of clients against high-exposure claims from wildfires and fuel explosions, including propane and fuel company representation and defense against government fire suppression cost recovery actions.
• Personal Injury Claims Defense Defense of personal injury claims for plaintiffs and defendants spanning automotive accidents, trucking, construction accidents, premises liability, products liability, wrongful death, and wildfire cases.
• Products Liability Defense Defense of product liability lawsuits for designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers across automotive, boating, construction equipment, consumer products, firearms, industrial devices, and power tools.
• General Civil Litigation Broad civil litigation services encompassing various legal disputes and courtroom advocacy for individuals, corporations, and government entities.
• Trucking and Transportation Defense Representation for commercial carriers including pre-accident risk management, accident investigation, regulatory compliance, and litigation defense for big rig and commercial vehicle accidents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Obtained terminating sanctions and award exceeding $32 million in the Moonlight Fire case — one of the largest sanctions awards of its kind in the country
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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.

• ALFA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatheny Sears Linkert & Jaime is a member of ALFA International — a premier global network of 145 independent law firms (80 in the United States). Membership enables the firm to draw upon collective wisdom and experience of member firms worldwide while providing cost-effective, high-quality legal services. Membership also provides clients access to educational programming including seminars, webinars, and legal compendia.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP: Long-standing California insurance defense boutique founded in 1937 with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the Bay Area. Directly comparable as a California-focused insurance defense firm serving carriers, public entities, and corporations on tort, products, employment, and construction matters.
• Tyson & Mendes LLP: California-based insurance defense firm with a national practice focused on tort, products, transportation, and premises liability. Directly comparable in insurance defense orientation and California origins, with a slightly broader geographic footprint.
• Selman Breitman LLP: California-headquartered defense firm serving insurance carriers, public entities, and corporations in tort, products, employment, and commercial matters. Directly comparable in practice mix, with similar boutique scale and strong insurance carrier relationships.
• Nossaman LLP: California-headquartered mid-size firm with a strong insurance, public entity, and complex litigation defense practice. Directly comparable to Matheny Sears in serving large insurance carriers, public agencies, and corporations on high-exposure matters, with a similar mid-boutique scale and California focus.
• Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP: California-founded insurance and casualty defense firm with offices across the U.S. Highly comparable to Matheny Sears in core practice areas (insurance defense, products, premises, transportation) and California roots, with additional geographic reach.
• Borton Petrini LLP: California-based litigation defense firm with offices including Sacramento, providing insurance defense, employment, construction, and public entity defense. Closely comparable to Matheny Sears in size, California geographic focus, and insurance defense orientation.
• Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi LLP: California-based insurance defense boutique serving carriers, public entities, and employers in general liability, products, transportation, and employment matters. Directly comparable in California defense focus and boutique scale.
• Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney: Sacramento-based litigation firm serving insurance carriers, public entities, and corporate clients in complex civil, employment, and tort matters. Closely comparable as a Sacramento-headquartered defense firm of similar size to Matheny Sears.

Emerging players

• Pollara Law Group: Northern California-based insurance and civil defense boutique serving carriers and self-insureds on personal injury, products, and premises matters. Comparable in geographic focus and boutique insurance defense orientation, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP: One of the largest U.S. insurance defense firms with deep California roots and a full-service practice spanning tort, transportation, products, employment, and public entity defense. Comparable practice mix, but at materially larger scale and with a national office footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Matheny, Sears, Linkert & Jaime, LLP