William Litvak - Los Angeles, CA

Overview

Mr. Litvak focuses his practice on high-stakes, complex commercial and municipal litigation, with an emphasis on legal challenges faced by governmental entities, companies of all sizes, property owners and high net-worth individuals. Mr. Litvak has particularly specialized experience in the areas of real estate litigation, land use and zoning, partnership disputes and dissolution, contract disputes, where he regularly represents both plaintiffs and defendants. Due to his extensive experience as both a litigator and negotiator, the Los Angeles Superior Court has called upon Mr. Litvak to serve as an arbitrator, settlement officer and judge pro tem.

Over the past 45 years, Mr. Litvak has litigated thousands of cases in both state and federal courts, including as lead counsel in over 100 trials that have gone to verdict. Mr. Litvak recently served as lead counsel for a commercial property owner in a series of disputes with the operator of the world-famous Standard Hollywood Hotel, in which the court ruled in favor of Mr. Litvak’s client and entered an order that would require the Hotel operator to pay Mr. Litvak’s client approximately $90 million. Mr. Litvak later represented the property owner in its $122.5 million sale of the property.

Mr. Litvak has also handled dozens of appeals throughout his career, including as lead counsel for the City of Culver City in the landmark case, People v. Gray (2014) 58 Cal 4th 901, in which the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Mr. Litvak’s client. Mr. Litvak also served as lead counsel for the City of Sierra Madre in the matter of City of Sierra Madre v. Suntrust Mortgage, Inc. (2019) 32 Cal.App.5th 648, in which the Court of Appeal agreed with Mr. Litvak and definitively ruled as a matter of first impression that receiver’s were entitled to super-priority liens in nuisance abatement action.

Mr. Litvak is a member of The State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability. Mr. Litvak has also been selected as a Super Lawyer in the areas of Business Litigation, State, Local and Municipal Litigation, and Real Estate 14 times, including in each of the last nine years. The esteem in which Mr. Litvak is held by his colleagues has helped him to earn a rating of AV Preeminent through the peer ratings firm Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest rating possible, and it is reserved for attorneys who, in the eyes of their peers, reflect the highest ethical standards of the legal profession.