Pacific Trial Attorneys

What Pacific Trial Attorneys does

Pacific Trial Attorneys is a privately held, business trial law firm headquartered in Orange County (Newport Beach), California, founded in 2004. The firm concentrates on high-stakes commercial litigation with a "trial-first" posture: the firm states it has tried over two dozen cases to verdict with a win rate above 80%, recovered more than $300 million cumulatively for plaintiff clients, and led more than 100 class actions as lead counsel. Founding partner Scott Ferrell individually recovered in excess of $500 million across several dozen cases, including a $47.1 million punitive damages verdict in a federal trade secrets case for Nortel and a $51 million cash settlement in a breach of warranty matter for a digital infrastructure client; partner John C. O'Malley has secured over $200 million in verdicts and settlements over the last eight years. The firm also maintains a defense practice, notably obtaining a defense judgment after a month-long environmental contamination trial for a Fortune 500 corporation.

The practice spans multiple substantive areas including class action litigation (prosecution and defense), trade secret, intellectual property, Proposition 65 defense, ADA Title III and website accessibility litigation, employment law, business and corporate disputes, and adjacent consumer-facing matters (family, criminal, personal injury, real estate, tax). Court admissions extend across California state and federal courts, plus multiple U.S. states (New York, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois-region states, Alaska, Minnesota, Alabama, Missouri, Iowa, Washington, Idaho) and British Columbia, Canada, enabling national counsel roles.

The firm operates an outcome-aligned revenue model combining traditional hourly/fixed fees with contingency fee arrangements for plaintiff work and reverse contingency fee arrangements for defense work, under which the firm is only paid if it wins. Distribution is direct: phone and email intake (the firm states it does not respond to email inquiries seeking legal advice and is currently not accepting new clients) supplemented by a professional website, social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), and Super Lawyers directory presence. Client acquisition is primarily reputation- and referral-driven. The firm is privately held with partner-level ownership and no external investors, parent company, or funding rounds.

Name

Pacific Trial Attorneys

Legal name

Pacific Trial Attorneys

Website

https://pacifictrialattorneys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Trial Attorneys is a Newport Beach-based business trial law firm founded in 2004 that represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes commercial litigation, with attorneys admitted across California and multiple U.S. states plus British Columbia. The firm operates primarily on contingency and reverse-contingency fee arrangements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Litigation Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Business trial law
• Class action litigation
• Contingency fee representation
• Trade secrets litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

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. Contingency Fee Arrangements: The firm handles plaintiff cases on contingency fee arrangements, where attorneys' fees are contingent upon obtaining a favorable verdict or settlement for the client. This aligns firm incentives with client outcomes.
2. Reverse Contingency Fee Arrangements: The firm also defends clients under reverse contingency fee arrangements, where the firm does not receive payment until and unless they win the case. This was exemplified in the defense of a Fortune 500 corporation in an environmental lawsuit where the plaintiff sought nearly $20 million.
3. Traditional Hourly/Fixed Fee Arrangements: Based on practice descriptions and case outcomes, the firm may also utilize traditional fee arrangements for certain matters, including hourly billing or fixed fees for specific legal services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pacific Trial Attorneys is a business trial law firm that represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation. Core services include class action defense and prosecution, trade secrets disputes, intellectual property litigation, ADA Title III and website accessibility cases, Proposition 65 defense, environmental litigation, breach of warranty claims, and consumer class actions. The firm also offers practice areas covering corporate, real estate, insurance, family, personal injury, car accident, criminal, child support, education, divorce, and tax matters, with fee arrangements including contingency, reverse contingency, and traditional hourly or fixed fees.

Product overview

Pacific Trial Attorneys is a law firm providing legal services, not a technology product company. The firm operates as a single integrated legal practice offering multiple practice areas including Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Insurance Law, Family Law, Business Law, Personal Injury, Criminal Law, Class Action Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Employment Defense, and specialized ADA/Privacy litigation services. The firm has a strong trial focus with over two dozen cases tried to verdict, winning over 80%, and has recovered over $300 million for clients. Notable practice specialties include website accessibility litigation (first attorney to obtain judgment for inaccessible websites), Proposition 65 defense, and class action work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Trial Litigation Plaintiff and defense representation in complex business and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on trying cases to verdict rather than settling.
• Class Action Litigation Defense and prosecution of consumer and employment class action lawsuits, with the firm having served as lead counsel on over 100 class actions.
• Trade Secrets Litigation Representation of plaintiffs and defendants in trade secrets disputes, exemplified by a $47 million unanimous verdict for a telecom client in federal court.
• Proposition 65 Defense Defense of California Proposition 65 cases, including securing a defense judgment in only the eighth Proposition 65 case ever tried to judgment.
• Environmental Litigation Defense of environmental contamination lawsuits under reverse contingency fee arrangements, including for Fortune 500 corporations facing multi-million dollar claims.
• Americans with Disabilities Act Title III Litigation ADA Title III litigation including physical access cases, with over a dozen cases tried to verdict by the firm.
• Website Accessibility Litigation ADA Title III litigation targeting website accessibility, including the first judgment holding a defendant liable for an inaccessible website.
• Privacy Violation Litigation Privacy violation litigation including first liability established for privacy violations involving website chat features and emerging theories involving internet tracking pixels.
• Intellectual Property Litigation Intellectual property litigation services, including trade secrets cases, delivered as part of the firm's complex commercial litigation expertise.
• Breach of Warranty Litigation Breach of warranty litigation services, exemplified by a $51 million cash settlement for a digital infrastructure client.
• Commercial Litigation Commercial dispute resolution and creative resolution of complicated commercial disputes for corporate clients.
• Corporate Law Legal services for complex business transactions, mergers, and corporate compliance matters.
• Real Estate Law Legal services for real property transactions, development, and disputes.
• Insurance Law Legal support for insurance coverage disputes, claim negotiations, and compliance matters.
• Personal Injury Legal representation for individual personal injury claims.
• Car Accident Law Legal representation for individuals in car accident cases.
• Family Law Legal assistance for divorce, custody, and family support matters.
• Criminal Law Criminal defense legal representation for individual defendants.
• Education Law Legal services related to education matters for individual clients.
• Tax Law Legal services for tax-related matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% trial win rate on over two dozen cases tried to verdict
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Largest litigation-only global firm, with strong presence in California. Directly competes for complex commercial litigation, class actions, and high-stakes trials but operates at materially greater scale and with a wider geographic and practice footprint.
• Irell & Manella: Larger Los Angeles litigation and transactional firm with a strong trial practice and broader practice portfolio. Comparable as a higher-end California litigation competitor but with materially larger scale and a broader mix of services.
• Greenberg Traurig: Major AmLaw firm from which Pacific Trial's Of Counsel Richard Hikida and others were trained. Overlaps with Pacific Trial in commercial litigation and class action work but offers a far broader, full-service practice.
• Munger, Tolles & Olson: Elite Los Angeles-based firm with a premier trial and appellate litigation practice. Comparable in trial quality and California-centric positioning, though substantially larger and with broader corporate and appellate capabilities.

Direct peers

• Bartko, Zankel, Bunzel & Miller: San Francisco trial boutique known for complex commercial, antitrust, IP, and class action litigation. Comparable to Pacific Trial in boutique scale, plaintiff-side capability, and California-centric trial focus.
• Keker, Van Nest & Peters: San Francisco-based premier trial and litigation boutique with a similar reputation-driven, trial-ready model focused on complex commercial, IP, and white-collar matters. Closely comparable in boutique size, selectivity, and concentration of high-stakes trial work in California.
• Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks & Licenberg: Los Angeles-based elite trial boutique with a comparable focus on high-stakes commercial litigation, bet-the-company matters, and class actions. Directly comparable as a California boutique competing for similar plaintiff and defense engagements.
• Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy: Burlingame-based trial boutique specializing in complex commercial litigation, class actions, and whistleblower matters. Comparable to Pacific Trial in boutique scale, contingency fee use, and plaintiff-side complex litigation reputation.
• Susman Godfrey: Elite trial boutique founded on contingency and high-stakes commercial litigation, with offices in Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York. Directly comparable to Pacific Trial Attorneys in selective intake, contingency fee orientation, and reputation-driven plaintiff-side and defense-side trial work.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: San Francisco-based national plaintiff-side complex litigation and class action boutique. Directly comparable in contingency fee orientation, class action leadership, and bet-the-company plaintiff representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pacifictrialattorneys
• Xtwitter.com/pacifictrialattorneys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-trial-attorneys

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 Pacific Trial Attorneys