David H. Raizman

Mr. Raizman has established himself as one of Southern California’s leading employment and disability rights lawyers.

In the employment arena, Mr. Raizman specializes in representing management in all types of litigation. He has served as lead counsel in numerous bench and jury trials, as well as arbitrations and administrative proceedings. He has substantial experience with discrimination claims, disputes over wage/hour laws, sexual harassment claims, disputes over family and medical leave laws, breach of employment contract claims, and employment torts. In addition, Mr. Raizman has extensive experience in helping clients avoid litigation by providing counsel regarding disciplinary decisions, the development of best practices, workforce reductions, legal compliance, and employment-related transactions. And he regularly advises national clients on how to formulate restrictive covenants that the California courts and other jurisdictions will enforce.

Within the employment arena, Mr. Raizman has developed an expertise in the area of trade secrets and noncompetes. In addition to his repeated experience litigating the emergency motions and related proceedings that are common in these types of cases, Mr. Raizman also advises clients on how to draft enforceable restrictive covenants, how to manage the departure of senior or other key employees with access to trade secrets, and how to hire such employees from a competitor. Mr. Raizman writes and speaks frequently on these subjects, including acting as a Contributing Editor on the California chapters of several BNA treatises.

In the disability rights arena, Mr. Raizman has advised numerous clients with respect to disability compliance matters, both in the employment context and in complying with architectural and operational mandates for disabled access. From 1993-1997, Mr. Raizman served as the Director of Litigation and then the Executive Director of the Western Law Center for Disability Rights (now the Disability Rights Legal Center). This experience has proven invaluable to Mr. Raizman’s extensive advisory work with clients on ensuring compliance with disability laws. Mr. Raizman is a frequent lecturer and writer concerning disability rights.

Mr. Raizman began his legal career at Irell & Manella in 1987. From 1993 to March 1997, he was an Associate Professor of Law at Loyola of Los Angeles Law School, teaching courses in disability rights, trial and advocacy skills, and legal ethics. In 1997, he joined Bryan Cave LLP, where he served as the lead partner of the Labor & Employment Group in the firm’s Santa Monica office. Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics have repeatedly named Mr. Raizman as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers.”

Mr. Raizman has been appointed to three terms on the Attorney Settlement Officer Panel of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, where he serves the Court in settling cases of all types, focusing on disability and employment litigation.

Mr. Raizman graduated from Vassar College in 1983, earning an A.B. in Economics and gaining admission to Phi Beta Kappa. He received an M.S.J. from Columbia University in 1986, and his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1987. During law school, Mr. Raizman was a member of the Board of Editors of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.