Appellate Lawyer

John J. Metzidis

John Metzidis is an appellate lawyer with a broad practice covering civil matters.  John spent the first 15 years of his career litigating matters mostly at the trial level, first at a large international law firm and then at a trial litigation boutique.  He knows

Laura Lim

Laura Lim’s behind-the-scenes experience with the California and federal courts helps her craft effective, compelling arguments as an appellate advocate. Before joining GMSR, Laura was a research attorney for Justice John S. Wiley Jr. at the California Court of Appeal and a law clerk for

Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland Welcomes Stefan Caris Love

Stefan clerked for Judge Paul J. Watford at the Ninth Circuit prior to joining GMSR. As a clerk, he honed his writing skills and saw up close how judges decide cases. He has also worked as a litigator at a large firm, where he analyzed

Alana H. Rotter

GMSR partner Alana Rotter is a go-to lawyer for appeals and writ petitions in many fields.  Clients and trial lawyers seek her out for her clear writing, thorough research, and efficiency.  Alana respects client relationships, and is adept at working hand-in-hand with trial lawyers.  Her

Jeffrey Gurrola

GMSR partner Jeff Gurrola is a dedicated appellate lawyer who thrives on providing efficient, excellent legal analysis in high-pressure appeals and fast-paced writ proceedings.  Having worked previously both as a trial litigator and as an in-house litigation attorney, Jeff has a deep understanding of the

GMSR’s Ted Xanders and Nadia Sarkis discuss tactics for combating inflated non-economic tort damages in IMLA Municipal Lawyer

In a two-part series published in IMLA Municipal Lawyer, entitled “Reptiles, Picassos, and Stealth Bombers: Combating Inflated Non-economic Tort Damages,” Ted Xanders and Nadia Sarkis discuss various tips for combating tactics that plaintiffs’ lawyers are using in personal-injury actions to increase non-economic damages.  Part One,

Prime Real Estate

Legal writing, like any other type of writing, should strive to keep the reader’s attention.  But any reader faced with a huge stack of paper (or the digital equivalent) is likely to lose focus eventually.  That makes the first pages of any brief or other

Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship v. County of Riverside (9th Cir. 2020) 948 F.3d 1172

GMSR prevails in major land use appeal

GMSR prevails in major land use appeal

In Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship v. County of Riverside, the Ninth Circuit affirmed judgment for GMSR’s client, the County of Riverside, in a suit asserting that a County zoning ordinance was facially invalid under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) as purportedly disallowing religious organizations to operate in the zone. The Ninth Circuit held that the zoning allowed construction of special occasion facilities. Nothing on the face of the statute indicates that a religious group would not be granted a permit to construct such a facility and use it for religious purposes, so there was no violation of RLUIPA. The statute merely requires public entities to treat religious uses the same as secular uses.

Endurance American Specialty Insurance Company v. Bennington Group, LLC (Jan. 31, 2020, B285909) 2020 WL 502631

Court of Appeal affirms summary judgment in favor of insurance carrier, foreclosing $11 million claim