V. James DeSimone Law

V. James DeSimone ("Jim") graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1981 and earned his law degree from UCLA in 1985 He was admitted to practice law in California in 1985 and has dedicated his law career to providing vigorous and ethical representation to achieve justice and make a difference for those whose civil and constitutional rights are violated by corporations or government entities.
Overview Of Experience

James DeSimone is one of the most highly regarded employment lawyers and civil rights advocates in Los Angeles. From 1987 to 1990, he was a staff attorney at Westside Legal Services, in Santa Monica, California where he was the lead trial lawyer representing lower income families and individuals who could not afford a lawyer. In 1990, DeSimone founded the cutting edge civil rights law firm Schonbrun & DeSimone. Later known as Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman, the firm established a reputation as one of the most prestigious civil and employment rights law firms in the State of California and in the entire country.

After twenty-five years as a partner, Jim decided to carve out his own path by establishing V. James DeSimone Law, a California law firm dedicated to representing individuals in civil rights cases, with an emphasis on employment discrimination and harassment, employment wage and hour class action cases, police misconduct and brutality cases, including wrongful death, excessive force, and false arrest cases, and personal injury cases.

DeSimone also accepted an Of Counsel position with the Bohm Law Group, partnering with Lawrance Bohm to establish a team of lawyers dedicated to achieving justice for persons who are harmed by discrimination, harassment, excessive force or other damaging conduct. Bohm Law Group is renowned for bringing advanced technology into the court room to achieve justice. Coupled with DeSimone's thirty plus years experience as a civil rights trial lawyer, the team of DeSimone Bohm vigorously advocate for the rights of their clients in and out of the court room.
Trial Lawyer For The People

James DeSimone Law represents clients who cannot afford a lawyer on a contingency fee basis. Some of DeSimone's recent trial victories include:

DeSimone represented Plaintiff Yowan Yang at trial where a jury awarded $7,393,540 in an employment retaliation case. The Defendant, a major corporation, terminated Mr. Yang because of his involvement in an incident where he was the victim of workplace violence. Plaintiff Yang proved that the assailant was acting in the course and scope of employment when he threatened and assaulted Yang resulting in a verdict under California civil rights law.
DeSimone was the lead trial attorney in the case of Harris v. City of Los Angeles, where a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded his client $1,686,000.00 in compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of a disabled man who was subjected to excessive force by the LAPD.
DeSimone was lead trial counsel in the case of Xue Lu et al. v United States America, and achieved a $1,200,000 verdict on behalf of the two Plaintiffs, where an asylum officer employed by the United States, demanded sex and money in return for approving asylum applications. DeSimone's fifteen year legal battle on behalf of the two Plaintiff's resulted in the California Lawyer Magazine, sponsored by the State Bar of California, naming him Civil Rights Lawyer of the Year in 2014.
DeSimone was lead trial counsel in the case of Alicia Benham v. Walgreens et al.,achieving a $2,100,000 jury verdict on behalf of a female customer of Walgreens for false arrest and civil rights violations. The $2,100,000 verdict is believed to be the largest verdict ever in a false arrest case involving one night in jail. This remarkable achievement resulted in the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles nominating DeSimone for Trial Lawyer of the Year.
DeSimone was lead counsel in the case of Roozrokh v. Loma Linda University Medical Center, venued in San Bernardino, where the jury awarded $1,500,000 in a defamation action on behalf of a transplant surgeon who made ethical complaints against the Director of Transplant Surgery. In the ensuing investigation, defamatory statements were made against Dr. Roozrokh also resulting in a punitive damage finding against the Director of Transplant Surgery.
In May of 2017, he was lead counsel in the case of "DG" v. City of Los Angeles and achieved a $885,000.00 judgment, with a finding that the off-duty police officer was acting under Color of Law and in the course and scope of employment when he assaulted Plaintiff while arresting him for an alleged kidnapping.
In December of 2018, DeSimone was lead counsel in Lopez v. Wheel Group Holdings Inc. and achieved a $515,000 verdict in a wrongful termination in violation of public policy case, when a corporation fired its employee because she had Cancer.
In Taylor Ewing v. City of Los Angeles, DeSimone achieved a $500,000 judgment where an LAPD officer handcuffed Ms. Taylor Ewing too tightly. The excessive force and civil rights verdict also resulted in a finding of punitive damages against the individual officer.
In Marcos Valdes v. Liberman Broadcasting, DeSimone prevailed in a jury trial based on violations of California Labor Code. The Jury found that Liberman Broadcasting misrepresented the length of employment to Marcos Valdes, a well-known Spanish speaking talk show host, to induce him to move from Mexico to Los Angeles resulting in a $156,000 verdict.
In DiGiandomenico v. City of Los Angeles, DeSimone prevailed in a civil rights case based on a false arrest where four Los Angeles Police Department Officer's claimed his client was resisting arrest. The jury found the Officers acted negligently and awarded $175,000.00 in damages.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Marina del Rey,	8

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Labor & Employment	7