Litigation Goals and Quick Facts

Jonathan specializes in 7-figure business litigation, including intellectual property, trade secret misappropriation, securities laws, as well as business torts often covered by insurance and fraud.

Jonathan has been lead trial attorney for business litigations, or negotiated sensitive contractual matters, in California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, and the countries of China, Germany, Holland, Israel and Vietnam.

His experience includes over 200 days of business litigation trials. Jonathan is also a strong tactician who uses motions and discovery to shape litigations in progress. He is a highly skilled and pithy draftsman. For important motions, he is adept at quick but penetrating case law research. He prepares depositions with a battery of documentary exhibits and elicits lines of testimony on their most important points.

Jonathan seeks a fulltime employment position, but one which he can fill without relocating from Santa Barbara, CA. While he is still is capable of 7-day weeks, with 24/7 availability for shorter periods of time, Jonathan welcomes a less strenuous schedule as the norm.

Education

Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School JD’83. Editor on Vols. 130 and 131 of U.Pa.L.Rev. Wharton Business School, 4 semesters in accounting and finance. Coach and player, Penn Rugby.

Harvard College BA ’79. Magna cum laude Economics. Harvard Rugby, Harvard Crew.

Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, 1975. Six prizes in math and science. Varsity crew.

Work Experience Chronology

Browne George Ross O’Brien Annaguey & Ellis, LLP 2019-20.

Prestigious litigation boutique with offices in Los Angeles, Century City, San Francisco and New York City. Mid-seven-figure securities litigation. Won summary judgment motion by reconfiguring all evidence to date; researching over 200 cases and case settled immediately thereafter. Furloughed by COVID.

Constangy Brooks Prophete & Smith, LLP 2017-18.

Senior Counsel, Century City Office of Atlanta-based labor law firm. Firmwide expert on executive compensation. Trade secret misappropriation cases and settlements.

Law Offices of Jonathan Stein, P.C. 1992 to present.

Complex business litigations (7- and 8-figures) in over a dozen states, on myriad business topics. Usually representing plaintiffs on an hourly basis, Jonathan habitually litigates against 10 to 20 lawyers, often alone; and has won over 90% of his cases.

Old Ivy Homebuilders, Inc. 1988 – 1992.

Chairman and CEO. Developer and general contractor for 28 new single family homes and detached PUDs in South Bay. Formed economic basis for Law Offices of Jonathan Stein.

Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison 1988.

Los Angeles office. Represented large national bank in $100+ MM agricultural loans to multiple 900-acre farming entities. Left when Old Ivy’s real estate development became fulltime.

Hughes Hubbard & Reed 1986 – 88.

Los Angeles office. Successfully represented ARCO and former CEO gaining dismissal of $180-million securities fraud case. Hallmark Cards 8-figure copyright litigation. Written up in American Lawyer for role tracking down ZZZ Best fraud.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 1983 – 1986.

New York office. Recruited out of law school. Over $2 billion in leveraged lease transactions involving offshore drilling rigs, power plants, multiple 747 purchases.

State Bar Admissions. California 1986 – present. New York 1984 – present.

Languages. Spanish. Wife is Shanghainese, speaks and writes Mandarin as first language.

Significant Representations

2016 – 2020

Mid-seven figure securities litigation. Won summary judgment motion brought by defendant under a variety of technical securities law doctrines and federal evidentiary rules. Jonathan did so by re-configuring all of the discovered evidence in the case, to avoid FRE 408 and 403 doctrines against the use of many SEC consent decrees. The “win” lead to immediate and favorable settlement in favor of well-known former Hollywood Studio CEO.

Intellectual Property Theft case, USDC Southern District of Iowa and Eastern District of Louisiana. Mr. Stein represented Plaintiffs whose computer software for the casino industry was stolen by a competitor. The case ended in 7-figure settlement with Midwest casinos that used the competitor’s software and the competitor was driven into bankruptcy.

Trade secrets action for F500 corporation in federal court. Initial complaint and computer expert forensic review of new employee who allegedly brought with him trade secrets from his former employer and a competitor to the F500 corporation.

Initial complaint for private equity fund which finances international VOIP receivables. Trade secret lawsuit quickly settlement against a former officer of the fund, who started a similar company based in London.

Litigation settlement for Dallas subsidiary of French fashion company. Settlement with former employee included the buyout of employee’s Option Agreement.

Termination of COO of creative advertising company. One year of legal work and negotiations accomplished termination with cause, avoiding generous severance provisions. Eventually an advantageous settlement was reached for advertising company, avoiding any litigation.

Obtained “Doe subpoena” for cybersecurity breach in the Hong Kong office of a major toy company. Email records obtained from F100 email provider to track down the cybersecurity breach.

2010 – 2015

7-figure Hotel investment fraud action in San Jose, CA. concerning a highly successful hotel built across the street from Apple corporate headquarters. The defendant developers treated plaintiff’s investment as if it was a loan to avoid paying out phenomenal returns. A confidential 7-figure settlement was reached.

Avoiding foreclosure on $15-million home in Orange County. Mr. Stein sued the foreclosing bank on behalf of the homeowner, stopping foreclosure for three years and allowing construction to finish, among other things. A settlement reduced the 8-figure loan amount.

Employment Agreements for two “mutiny-ing” creative executives. Helped Charmain and CEO of a Hollywood creative advertising firm to squash “mutiny” by its leading creative executives, without losing them. Over one year spent to successfully bind them to long-term employment contracts with Company, avoiding any litigation.

Multiple Inter-related Bankruptcy Litigations. A chain of litigations in Idaho, Washington and California were resolved with resort to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Mr. Stein represented the properties’ developer, who avoided personal guarantees on 8-figures worth of real estate developments.

Multiple family law litigations and one murder trial. Mr. Stein enjoys new experiences and broadening his legal understanding.

Before 2010

Trail of Pamela Anderson Lee. Helped win trial that lasted several months and covered daily on television. Won trial using a controversial “agency theory”, prompting adverse LA Times op-ed articles.

Represented creator of “Joe Camel” in FTC v Reynolds Tobacco Litigation. Mr. Stein represented a high-profile advertising firm owner, who created the cartoonish figure at the heart of the multi-billion-dollar Federal Trade Commission proceedings against Reynolds Tobacco. The FTC Case was a high point of President Clinton’s administration fight against under-aged smoking, but Mr. Stein’s client was exonerated.

Trademark Litigation over “21^st Century Insurance”. Mr. Stein represented a small, long-established insurance agency named 21^st Century Insurance. A favorable 7-figure confidential settlement was procured after difficult litigation against the famous insurance company.

Litigation and Sale of Mississippi Land-based casino. Mr. Stein represented the casino owner, who unbeknownst to others was terminally ill. During litigation with investors, a sale was arranged to a “white knight”. With Mr. Stein’s help, the closing occurred several months before the owner’s death.

Lengthy trial of a real estate partition action. Mr. Stein represented the former husband and proved that his name was forged on a title document. A favorable 7-figure settlement was reached before the punitive damages phase.

Honors and Recognitions

Beverly Hills Bar Association Litigation Awards Dinner. Mr. Stein was Dinner Chair and Master of Ceremonies for its first seven years for the, the second largest of over 225 events staged annually at BHBA.

Beverly Hills Bar Association. Distinguished Service Awards (2017 and 2013)

Beverly Hills Bar Association. President’s Award (2011)

Professional and Civic Associations

United States Team, Maccabiah Olympics, Israel July 2009 Gold Medal, Cycling. Captain, Masters Triathlon

United States Team, Maccabiah Pan Am Games 2007 (Buenos Aires). Bronze Medal, Masters Triathlon

Amateur Rugby. 20 years on amateur league teams in LA, NYC and Boston. 6 international tours.

Publications

Sovereignty Struggles and Native Rights in the United States, etc. (Univ. of North Carolina Press 2012). Co-author of Chapter 2, “State Recognition of American Indian Tribes, etc”.

Koenig and Stein, “Federalism and State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A Survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes Across the US”, 48-1 Santa Clara Law Review 79 (2008)

Koenig and Stein, “Lost in Shuffle: State-Recognized Tribes and the Tribal Gaming Industry”, 40-2 Univ. of San Francisco Law Review 327 (2006)

Stein and Gallaway, “Swapping Out Debt: Solving The Riddle Of Debt-Asset Swaps And Triangular Deal Structures”, Global Gaming Business Magazine (April 2009)

First Annual Native American GRAMMY® Nominee Showcase (2002). Producer of theatrical show with 112 performers for sellout black-tie crowd at the Kodak® Theatre in Hollywood (home of the Academy Awards).

Speaking Engagements

October 2011, IAGA Annual Meeting, “Tribal Law Update on Land-Into-Trust Issues”

August 2011, BHBA, “Trial Proceedings Key Topics, Civil Litigation A – Z series”

Feb 2011, BHBA, “Stars of Litigation V: Advanced Cross-Examination Techniques and the Appropriate Use of Objections”

June 2011, BHBA, “Inaugural Judicial Town Hall, with the Presiding Judges of Los Angeles Superior Court”

May 2010, BHBA, “Stars of Litigation IV: Tom Girardi, et al”

April 2010, BHBA, “Stars of Litigation III: Waged Battle: Litigating the Big Dollar Wage Hour Class Action Case”

Feb 2010, BHBA, “Stars of Litigation II: Picking A Jury With Browne Greene”

Oct 2009, BHBA, “California E-Discovery”

June 2009, BHBA, “Navigating Attorney-Client Fee Disputes Through The Revolving Doors Of Arbitration And Litigation (And More Arbitration): Strategies For Promoting Efficiency And Minimizing Risk”

May 2009, BHBA, “Litigation A to Z: Pre-Litigation Considerations”. ####