Laurel Halbany

My parents were the first in their families to attend college, and my mother went to law school at a time when the barriers for women were much higher than they are today. I was inspired by her hard work and professional success to follow a career in law. While I thought that I would also become a lawyer representing well-off corporate interests, the labor law courses I took in law school changed my mind and put me on a lifelong path of seeking justice for ordinary people against powerful wrongdoers.

After graduating and moving to the West Coast, I paused in my career to begin a family. When I returned to the workforce, I took a temporary position at a Big Law firm in Silicon Valley. One day, I overheard two new associates talking about turning down a job at an ‘asbestos firm’ that did important work representing people hurt by asbestos. I quietly applied to that firm, was hired a few months later, and have had the incredible privilege of representing the victims of asbestos and their loved ones ever since.

Wayne State University Law School, J.D., 1995

University of Michigan, B.A., Mythology, 1989

California State Bar, 2003

United States District Court, Northern District of California

United States District Court, Central District of California

United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California

United States Supreme Court

Marvin E. Lewis Award, 2021

Consumer Attorneys of California, Board of Governors

American Association for Justice, Board of Governors; Former Chair, LGBT Caucus

Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, Secretary

Publications:

“Your Plaintiff Died. Now What?”, Plaintiff Magazine, April 2023

“Major Changes to Survival Damages in the Wake of Covid-19”, The Trial Lawyer, Spring 2022

“Chasing Rabbits: Attacking affirmative defenses and denials to put the burden of proof on the defense”, Plaintiff Magazine, December 2020

“To Be Continued… Combating motions for summary judgment using CCP section 437c(h)”, Plaintiff Magazine, December 2019, Advocate Magazine, March 2020

“Two Can Play at That Game”, Plaintiff Magazine, December 2018

“Expediting Trial through Motions for Preference”, Plaintiff Magazine, December 2017, Advocate Magazine, February 2018

“Motion for summary adjudication: A tool for plaintiffs”, Advocate Magazine, December 2011

Presentations:

“What the Company Knows: Getting the PMQ Deposition”, Donald L. Galine Sonoma Travel Seminar, March 8, 2024

“Preference Trials: Getting and Managing Expedited Trial Dates”, CAOC Hawaii Seminar, December 2023

“Pre-Death Pain and Suffering: A New Horizon in California Damages”, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Webinar, February 24, 2022

“Preparing to Oppose MSJs – Before, During, and After”, CAOC Annual Convention, November 2021

“Bias, Diversity, and Money: How Business as Usual Hurts Your Business”, CAOC Annual Convention, November 2018