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Brian Panish

Brian Panish is a graduate of California State University, Fresno (B.S., Cum Laude, 1980), where he received the Fresno State Scholar Athlete Award and Athletic Directors Award and was also selected as California State University, Fresno’s 2010 Outstanding Alumni. While attending Southwestern Law School (J.D., Cum Laude, 1984), he won the American Jurisprudence Award in Wills and Trusts, Legal Professions Secured Transactions, Entertainment Law and Product Liability.

Verdicts and Settlements

Brian Panish has obtained more than 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000), including 10 jury verdicts in excess of Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000), and one for Four Billion Nine-Hundred and Seven Million Dollars ($4,907,662,321), the largest personal injury and product liability verdict in history. The following is a brief list of a few of the landmark cases that he has been a part of:

*including attorney fees

Honors and Recognitions:

In 1999, Brian Panish was honored as Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles. He is ranked among the “100 Most Influential Attorneys” in the State of California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

This recognition of professional excellence highlighted Brian’s work as lead counsel on the liability action against General Motors. The suit involved a defective fuel system, resulting in burn injuries to four children and two adults. The resulting $4.9 billion verdict is the largest personal injury and product liability verdict in American judicial history.

Previously, the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice selected him as national finalist for Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1990 and 1995. He earned similar recognition from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles in 1992, 1995 and 1998, when they named him as a finalist for the Trial Lawyer of the Year.

His involvement in high profile cases includes serving as a member of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the tryptophan litigation and on the State Fen-Phen Diet Drug Litigation Plaintiff Executive Committee.

Mr. Panish’s published decisions include Johnson v. Pratt & Whitney (1995) 28 Cal.App.4th 613 and Pashaie v. Hollywood Memorial Park (1992) 3 Cal.App.4th 184 and Hecht v. Superior Court.

More Honors & Recognitions:

Memberships / Organizations:

Mr. Panish is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of California where he sits on the Board of Governors. Brian is a frequent lecturer on all aspects of trial procedure in California and throughout the United States. He served as Co-Chairperson of the Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Lake Tahoe Seminar in 1999 and 2000. Groups he has addressed include: The American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Attorneys Information Exchange Group, Western Trial Lawyers Association, Inner Circle of Advocates, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, and Alabama Trial Lawyers Association.

The following is a list of some of the organizations Mr. Panish is involved in:

Articles by Brian Panish

GM should stop passing the buck

  • Dayton Daily News – Richard W. Shapiro, who wrote the Nov. 25 letter to the editor “Perpetuating untruths undermines justice,” was a member of the trial team that defended General Motors in the Anderson case.

Experimenting with the Consumer

  • pdf Trial Magazine – Brian Panish gives his review of Marshall S. Shapo’s book, “Experimenting with the Consumer.”

Multiple Choice

  • Los Angeles Lawyer – Separate choice of law analysis is required for each legal issue arising in a case.

Take Technology to Trial

  • Trial – To prevail at trial, a lawyer must present a simple, understandable case that makes a lasting impression with the jurors. But words are not enough.

Jury Trials in The US

Brian Panish in the News:

Brian J. Panish Bio:

  • Born Los Angeles, California, April 19, 1958
  • Languages: Spanish
  • Courts Admitted: U.S. District Court, Central, Southern and Northern Districts of California

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