MICHAEL K. MAHER

Mr. Maher is a highly regarded business and trial lawyer who has been in practice in Southern California for over 30 years. Mr. Maher is AV-Rated, the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability, which is awarded to only 10% of attorneys after extensive peer reviews. Mr. Maher has held his AV rating for over 25 years. Prior to forming his own firm in Orange County in 1992, Mr. Maher was a partner for 15 years with the Los Angeles office of the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie, and its predecessor, MacDonald, Halsted & Laybourne.  Mr. Maher was also a partner in the Orange County office of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith. 

Mr. Maher received his J.D. in 1975, graduating cum laude from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California.  Mr. Maher was a recipient of the Faculty Scholarship and was elected to the St. Thomas More Honor Law Society while at Loyola.  Mr. Maher received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Economics from the University of Dayton.  Mr. Maher personally financed his legal education through full-time employment, including a position as a Senior Underwriter for Transamerica/Occidental Life Insurance Company in Los Angeles.

Mr. Maher's practice encompasses both the handling of litigation as well as serving as counsel to businesses in employment, insurance coverage, contract, and business transaction matters.  Because he is an accomplished trial lawyer, he is able to bring a unique perspective in his alternative role as corporate counsel and adviser, assisting clients in identifying litigation risk and either preventing litigation from occurring or placing the client in the best strategic position possible if a dispute does occur.

Mr. Maher’s litigation practice encompasses virtually every type of civil litigation matter, including business contract and commercial disputes, employment law and wrongful termination, securities and shareholder derivative matters, class actions, intellectual property, insurance coverage and bad faith, director and officer liability, professional liability, will contests, trust disputes, unfair competition, construction defect, eminent domain, and environmental litigation. Mr. Maher has had extensive civil jury trial experience in both state and federal court.

Mr. Maher is known in the legal community as a tenacious advocate, a skilled cross examiner, an outstanding legal analyst and strategist, and as a lawyer who is able to find creative and cost effective solutions to resolve the most difficult legal problems.

Mr. Maher is admitted to all Federal District Courts in California, Arizona and Hawaii, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Tax Court.  He is a member of the Los Angeles and Orange County Bar Associations, and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Maher grew up in the Philadelphia area. He has been married for over 20 years and has 4 children.