LESLIE M. WERLIN

Leslie M. Werlin is co-counsel for the League of Residential Neighborhood Advocates (LRNA) and as a partner of the prestigious law firm of Van Etten, Suzumoto & Becket, he is professional chairperson of the firm’s Professional Responsibility and Risk Management Committee. His practice is concentrated in the areas of business and commercial litigation including real estate, creditor’s rights, secured transactions, contract, corporate and partnership disputes. Before Van Etten, Suzumoto and Becket LLP, Mr. Werlin was the litigation partner in charge of Friedlander & Werlin LLP. He previously served as law clerk at the Hon. Robert J. Kelleher, United States District Court, Central District of California.
Mr. Werlin has served as lead counsel in over 30 trials that have gone to verdict. His trial experience includes the areas of contracts, business torts, real estate litigation, bankruptcy, and commercial landlord-tenant disputes. In more than 25 years of commercial and business litigation practice, Mr. Werlin has also served as lead counsel in hundreds of commercial and business based disputes in a diverse range of areas which include contracts, business torts, secured transactions, unfair competition, real estate, antitrust, trademark, and corporate and partnership responsibility.
Mr. Werlin has served as counsel for buyers and sellers, foreclosure trustees and lien holders in many types of real estate litigation matters, including commercial lease disputes, lenders’ rights and obligations, homeowners’ associations, and foreclosure actions. He was lead counsel in Fidelity Mortgage Trustee Service, Inc. v. Ridgegate East Homeowners Association, (1994), 27 Cal.App.4th 503.
Mr. Werlin has served as counsel in a broad range of commercial disputes which include breach of contract, secured transactions, the duties of corporate officers and directors, stockholders rights, real and person property secured transactions, business torts, bankruptcy, antitrust, trademark, real estate, and employment based litigation. Over the years, Mr. Werlin’s clients have included Imperial Bank, MBNA America Bank, Far East National Bank, Boys Clubs of America,Twentieth Century-Fox and Link Staffing Services.
Mr. Werlin has served as counsel in many employment-based litigation including discrimination, wrongful discharge, breach of loyalty, breach of contract, and unfair competition. He is also the co-author of Forum Selection Covenants in American Practice: Bremen in Perspective. He received his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles where he also received his B.A. He is a member of the Order of the Coif.