Brett Bitzer

In 2003, Mr. Bitzer obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Reno where he majored in Criminal Justice and was a member of the Division 1-A tennis team. In 2009, Mr. Bitzer graduated Order of the Coif and With Great Distinction from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. After passing the California bar in December 2009, Mr. Bitzer worked for a very successful boutique civil litigation firm in Sacramento specializing in trial work. In 2015, Mr. Bitzer got married to Jessica Jorgenson, a Southern California native, which brought Mr. Bitzer to beautiful Southern California.

Mr. Bitzer learned early on in his career that while many attorneys hold themselves out as civil litigators very few of them are actually trial attorneys. Mr. Bitzer chose to be a trial attorney and has dedicated himself to the craft ever since.

Mr. Bitzer’s greatest strength is his ability to successfully and efficiently prepare a case for trial using his trial tested methodology that he has refined over years of practice. Mr. Bitzer prepares cases for trial with an emphasis on evidence and procedure. Mr. Bitzer is always analyzing what is the best evidence needed to win or defend the case and what is the best procedure to maximum the intended result for the client.

Mr. Bitzer has successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants in diverse subject matters including business litigation, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, breach of contract, employment and labor law claims, trademark infringement, professional malpractice, fraud, financial elder abuse, and class actions.

While not every case should be tried, Mr. Bitzer is a firm believer that the only way to maximize a case’s settlement value, for either a plaintiff or defendant, is to prepare it as if it is going to trial. For example, Mr. Bitzer represented an employee who had been wrongfully terminated and not paid his stock options. The defense did not prepare the case for trial and, for that reason, was forced to quadruple its settlement offer the day before trial once it was made clear that Mr. Bitzer was prepared to take the employment lawsuit to verdict.

Similarly, Mr. Bitzer substituted in as counsel for a plaintiff in a complex legal malpractice action two months before trial and after the case had been pending for over three years. Mr. Bitzer quickly prepared the case for trial, successfully amended the complaint to allege more precise claims and damages, and the case settled days before trial for over double the settlement offer obtained by the prior counsel. The reason being, Mr. Bitzer was prepared to take the case to verdict and the defense was not.

Mr. Bitzer has successfully represented plaintiffs in wrongful death lawsuits in which their loved ones have been killed as a result of the negligent or criminal actions of others. Mr. Bitzer brings a unique perspective to representing wrongful death plaintiffs as Mr. Bitzer was once a wrongful death plaintiff himself when his father was killed in a boy scouting accident in 2005 before Mr. Bitzer went to law school. Mr. Bitzer’s personal experience allows him to better empathize with his clients because he has been their shoes and understands exactly what they are going through.

Mr. Bitzer is also one of few attorneys in California who has successfully employed the “Alter Ego” doctrine on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Specifically, Mr. Bitzer obtained a judgment (including attorneys’ fees) on behalf of an Orange County business owner who sold his medical laboratory and was not paid the final installment payment. The main defense was that the judgment should be solely against a defunct defendant entity that had no assets which would have resulted in a pyrrhic victory for the client. In response, Mr. Bitzer was able to present overwhelming evidence to successfully persuade the Court that the corporate veil should be pierced holding the individual defendants personally liable and making the judgment collectible for his client.

In a defense action, Mr. Bitzer represented two defendants who were being sued solely on the theory that they were the “alter egos” of the defendant employer who was alleged to have wrongfully terminated and discriminated against an employee. Mr. Bitzer, using the best procedure, had the issue of “alter ego” tried first and, using the best evidence, was able to obtain judgment in favor of the defendants on the grounds that they were not the alter egos of the defendant employer. That judgment was affirmed by the Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal.