Matthew McNicholas Named "Top 100" Lawyer in California.

     Recognized by Daily Journal for Remarkable Representation of Police Officers Experiencing Harassment and Retaliation on the Job

     LOS ANGELES -- McNicholas & McNicholas LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Matthew S. McNicholas was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of California's "Top 100" attorneys of 2011 for his cutting-edge representation of police officers who have been harassed or retaliated against for their race, gender, sexual orientation, and whistleblowing actions. Now in its 14th year, the Top 100 list honors attorneys at the peak of the legal profession who perform outstanding legal work that impacts both the legal community and California at large.

     McNicholas has represented more than 40 Los Angeles Police Department ("LAPD") officers in employment related matters, including the first African-American member of the LAPD Bomb Squad, the first African-American member of the LAPD K9-Unit, the first Asian-American handlers in the LAPD K-9 Unit, and the only female in the LAX Bomb Detection Unit. In the five cases he has taken to trial (all of which went to jury verdict against the LAPD), McNicholas secured over $19 million in results. In the police-related employment matters that did not go trial, McNicholas obtained more than $35 million in results. 

      His most recent police-related verdict came in November 2010 when he obtained a $4.4 million judgment in Los Angeles Federal Court on behalf of a single LAPD officer who had been retaliated against for testifying in a lawsuit against the department (Romney v. City of Los Angeles). As a result of that ruling and his other victories, the Los Angeles Times reported that the LAPD and the City have begun to modify the process by which they handle retaliation allegations. Among his currently pending cases, McNicholas represents ten motor officers who have alleged retaliation for refusing to follow unlawful ticket quotas.

     "It's truly an honor to be included on the Daily Journal's Top 100 list for my work on behalf of police officers," said Matthew. "There are far too many instances of powerful institutions treating their employees unjustly - this is not an issue confined to police departments. While it is certainly satisfying to help my clients prevail in court, it's also rewarding to see real changes being implemented at the highest levels, which will hopefully prevent these types of abuses from occurring the future."

          McNicholas was recently named Panel Counsel to the Los Angeles Police Protective League ("LAPPL"), where he works with the union on select strategic matters and counsels individual officers on their workplace issues. In addition to his work with police officers, McNicholas has a strong background representing consumers who suffered catastrophic injuries (such as prominent entertainer DJ AM after his plane crash), victims of sexual abuse, victims of defective products, and high-profile and high-net worth individuals in a variety of actions (including assisting an officer from a large corporation in securing a separation package worth more $32 million).

     McNicholas has been honored for his achievements in the past, including his 2002 selection to the Daily Journal's "Top 20 under 40" list and his designation as Los Angeles Magazine "Super Lawyer" every year since 2004.

ABOUT MCNICHOLAS & MCNICHOLAS LLP 

      McNicholas & McNicholas LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm that was founded by a family of attorneys spanning three generations. The firm handles a broad spectrum of civil litigation on behalf of individuals and businesses, primarily on a contingency fee basis, and has taken on many high-profile entities, including the State of California, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), BNSF Railroad, Goodyear, Michelin, Toyota, and Home Depot. Since it was formed in 1993, McNicholas & McNicholas has achieved great success through jury trials, having obtained more than $1 billion in results for clients in direct actions, mass actions, and class actions ranging from sexual abuse, and employment discrimination to consumer fraud and catastrophic injury. In 2011 alone the firm secured more than $80 million on behalf of its clients. Matthew McNicholas, Patrick McNicholas, and father John McNicholas are the only family - locally or nationally - to have three members in American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).