About Horvitz & Levy LLP

Horvitz & Levy LLP is the largest civil appellate law firm in California. The firm was founded in 1957 by Ellis Horvitz and since has grown to over 30 lawyers. The firm is based in Encino. All our partners and senior associates have extensive civil appellate experience, and our newer attorneys receive intensive training in appellate practice after joining the firm.

As lead counsel or as amicus curiae in appellate matters, we regularly represent manufacturers and other business organizations, the insurance industry, the entertainment industry, the health care industry, public entities, and business and professional trade associations. (See a representative list of our clients.) Among our areas of practice are insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, healthcare, entertainment law, employer liability, toxic torts/product liability, legal malpractice, and punitive damages. We also provide pro bono appellate services to a number of local and national nonprofit organizations.

As reported by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, Horvitz & Levy has an outstanding record of success in obtaining reversals or reductions of judgments against its clients, and we appear more frequently in civil cases in the California appellate courts than any other firm in California. Since 1990 we have participated in over 90 cases before the California Supreme Court. (Read summaries of our recent high-profile appeals.)

Horvitz & Levy LLP has achieved particular success in challenging punitive damages awards. In fact, during the past decade the firm has obtained the reversal or reduction of over $1.4 billion in punitive damage awards it has challenged on appeal. With respect to punitive damages awards, we have obtained the reversal of over $.95 of every dollar of punitive damages assessed against our clients.

Horvitz & Levy LLP has received top rankings in the 2007 edition of Chambers and Partners' USA, widely recognized as one of the primary arbiters of achievement in the legal profession. The firm was also ranked #1 in appellate law in both the United States and California in the 2007 Annual Guide to Appellate Law published by The Best Lawyers in America.

Appeals Practice

Ordinarily, we associate with trial counsel either immediately after trial or when the record is lodged in the Court of Appeal. (Read "Why Hire an Appellate Expert.") Initially, we evaluate the case and provide an objective assessment of the likelihood of success on appeal. If the appeal has merit and the client elects to proceed, we consult with trial counsel on the factual and legal issues, prepare all necessary briefs, present oral argument, and seek or oppose further review in the California Supreme Court and, in some cases, the United States Supreme Court. (We can answer even the most arcane questions about appellate practice like, "What is a 'doghouse' in appellate court parlance?")

Writ Practice

We also have an extensive writ practice. In appropriate cases involving non-appealable orders, we seek emergency review from the appellate courts by means of a petition for extraordinary writ. As with appeals, we assess the merits of the petition, advise the client and, if the decision is to proceed, prepare the petition and other necessary documents, present oral argument, and seek further relief as necessary.

Consulting Services

At the trial stage, we consult with clients and trial counsel in planning strategies and preserving issues for appeal, particularly in complex cases and cases raising issues of first impression. In this role, we often assist trial counsel in preparing dispositive pre-trial motions, trial briefs, special jury instructions, and post-trial motions in the trial court. But we do not conduct discovery or try cases.

Publications

In addition to writing articles for legal periodicals, magazines, and law reviews, we maintain an annual review of recent significant decisions and cases pending before the California Supreme Court. In addition, we publish substantive manuals which are updated yearly to reflect the current law in the healthcare field.

Studies and Research Projects

From time to time we prepare studies for business and insurance clients analyzing new legislation, important court decisions and other matters that substantially affect our clients' interests. We also present seminars on these and other issues relating to the appellate process.

Finally, we participate in evaluating and drafting proposed legislation. For example, we have prepared comprehensive constitutional analyses of Proposition 213 (enacting Civil Code section 3333.4, which limits uninsured motorists' recovery of noneconomic damages), Senate Bill 1899 (enacting Code of Civil Procedure section 340.9, which extended the one-year suit provision for Northridge earthquake claims), and the California Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975 (MICRA), whose constitutionality we successfully defended on behalf of the healthcare community in the California Supreme Court. One of the firm's attorneys, Thomas Todd, was the principal consultant to the Uniform Law Commission's drafting committee for the Uniform Periodic Payment of Judgments Act. We have also prepared studies concerning the constitutionality of punitive damages and have filed briefs for clients and amicus curiae in California's appellate courts and in the United States Supreme Court addressing the constitutionality of punitive damages and the appellate standard of review for such awards.

Home | Firm Directory | About H & L | Practice Areas | H & L News
Seminars | Publications | Recruiting | Directions | Links | Site Map