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Areas of Expertise
- Employment Law
- Business and Real Estate Litigation
Representative Experience
Mr. Levinson advises management on employment law practices and procedures;
preparation of employment handbooks, counseling on state and federal
employment acts (such as EEOC, FEHA, ADEA, ADA, etc.), counseling on
hiring, firing, wage and hour and other employment questions. He has
written or reviewed hundreds of employee handbooks. He and his litigation
team defend employers against administrative claims for violation of DLSE,
FEHA, EEOC and ADA access laws, handling over 125 administrative claims
with only one ever proceeding to formal accusation. He and his litigation
team defend employers in state and federal courts in wrongful termination,
wage and hour, class action and discrimination/harassment/retaliation
actions. He has had numerous successful defenses of wage claims before
the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. In 2007 he successfully
defended a major international company in a month+ long jury trial
against claims of discrimination and commissions owed (12-0 vote on
all 4 counts). He has represented scores of entrepreneurial size
companies ($1 million to $100 million in sales), both publicly and
privately traded. He is approved on several employment insurance
liability defense panels.
Mr. Levinson has been lead trial counsel (by court and jury) in major business litigation cases involving disputes in contracts, accounting, corporate/partnership dissolutions, probate and trust, attorneys' fees, disability insurance denials, purchase and sale of businesses, professional negligence, taxation and fraud. He obtained $2.5 million judgment after eight-day trial for his client, California Insurance Commissioner, in contractual/real estate litigation, after having dismissal of the case reversed on appeal. He was the lead trial counsel in a major Tax Court case, saving client $2 million in taxes -- published decision in T.C. Memo. 1994-187 [L&B Pipe & Supply v. Commissioner]. In the last seven years, he has had jury trial victories in cases regarding invalidating over $220,000 in attorneys’ fees, conversion (with punitive damages being awarded), commercial lease litigation, residential lease litigation, employment litigation and boundary claims. In the same period of time, he has had successful court trials or binding arbitrations in a variety of cases involving disability insurance entitlement, probate, partnership dissolution, wrongful termination defense and defense of government medical reimbursement claims among others.
Mr. Levinson has been the lead trial counsel (by court and jury) in cases involving boundary disputes, the purchase and sale of real property, large commercial and residential leases, partition actions and broker liability claims. He was the lead trial and appellate counsel on case of Bank of America v. Insurance Commissioner, 56 Cal.App.4th 1167 (1997), which successfully upheld a judgment denying the Bank’s claims for $10 million of secured real estate surety bonds. In 2003, Mr. Levinson was also the lead trial attorney in jury case for a large national bank against a commercial landlord with an award of over $500,000 after four-week long jury trial. He has had numerous trials (court and jury) involving unlawful detainer and lease actions, with specialization in complicated commercial lease litigation.
In 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Mr. Levinson was voted a “Super Lawyer” by Los Angeles Magazine, an honor given to only 5% or less of practicing state bar members.
Professional Affiliations
Mr. Levinson served as retained counsel for California Department of Insurance in various real estate issues involving fraud in the purchase or sale of property, title to and possession of property, trust and equitable claims form 1991 to 1999. He also served as retained counsel for the Montana Commissioner of Insurance in various real estate litigation matters from 1991 to 1999.
Mr. Levinson was an Arbitrator with the Los Angeles County Bar Association Fee Arbitration Panel from 1983 to 2000 and Judge Pro Tem at the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1988 to 1998.
Presentations and Articles
Mr. Levinson is the co-author of article “Do Commercial Property Tenants Possess Warranties of Habitability?” 14 Real Estate Law Journal 59 (Summer 1985), cited by Professor Myron Moskovitz in the California Eviction Defense Manual.
Community Activities
Mr. Levinson volunteered for many years at Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
Academic Background
Mr. Levinson received his JD from UCLA School of Law where he was a member of the Moot Court Honors program. He attended the University of Southern California School of Business where he received a BS degree Magna Cum Laude.
Interests
Mr. Levinson has been an avid collector of medieval coins for over 30 years. His work with numismatics was profiled in an article, “Lawyer Blends Hobby, Career in His Practice of Coin Law,” in the Daily Journal Extra, of January 6, 2003. He is the published author of an award-winning book on medieval coins, "The Early Dated Coins of Europe 1234 - 1500." He has also had eight articles published on the subject of medieval coins and tokens.