James S. Azadian

Associate
jazadian@enterprisecounsel.com

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Appellate Litigation
• Complex Civil Litigation
• Intellectual Property Litigation

EXPERIENCE

James Azadian is admitted to practice in the California state courts, District of Columbia courts, the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Ninth, and Federal Circuits, as well as the United States District Courts for the Central District of California, the District of Columbia, and the District of Maryland. Before joining Enterprise Counsel Group, Mr. Azadian was a litigation and appellate associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin LLP, and earlier held judicial clerkships with the Honorable Consuelo M. Callahan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Honorable Ricardo M. Urbina of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Azadian’s practice focuses on appellate and complex civil litigation. Mr. Azadian has represented clients in the telecommunications, aerospace, pharmaceutical, agricultural, entertainment, insurance, and banking industries, among others, as well as religious institutions and trade and sports associations. He has authored numerous briefs and pleadings in cases before state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. He has substantial experience litigating high-stakes disputes involving complex issues and overseeing substantial discovery production and review of sensitive information in a variety of forums, including state and federal regulatory agencies. He also has substantial experience in internal corporate investigations, high-profile congressional and U.S. Department of Justice investigations, and in creating and implementing strategic mass-media and public-relations campaigns to preserve client interests. Mr. Azadian frequently serves as special counsel to other law firms to prepare advocates for oral argument and to assist with the drafting of appellate briefs as well as critical motions at the trial court level.

In addition, Mr. Azadian is an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses for Legal Ethics at the University of Southern California, and Appellate Advocacy at Pepperdine University School of Law. He has also served as an adjunct professor for an undergraduate course in Law and Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and supervised students of the Northwestern University School of Law Supreme Court Practicum in preparing merits briefs, petitions for certiorari, and in conducting moot courts for lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr. Azadian has been named among the top attorneys, 40 years old or younger or practicing law for 10 years or less, in Super Lawyers’ 2010 Southern California Rising Stars. Super Lawyers selects attorneys who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and personal achievement; only 2% of the lawyers in the state are named to the list.

PUBLIC SERVICE & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

In August 2009, Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski appointed Mr. Azadian to the Ninth Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Rules and Internal Operating Procedures. The Committee makes recommendations to the Circuit Judges concerning the court’s rules of practice, procedures for the conduct of court business, and rules of the Circuit Judicial Council. Mr. Azadian also serves as a court-appointed supervising officer of the Voluntary Settlement Conference Panel for the Los Angeles Superior Court. As a Settlement Conference Officer, Mr. Azadian hears presentations from both sides of pending commercial cases and facilitates and designs settlements for the parties.

Mr. Azadian founded and directs the Ninth Circuit Civics Leadership Program and serves as an instructor and mentor for the California Appellate Court Experience Program, enabling at-risk youth to gain first-hand knowledge of state and federal judicial systems and encouraging their pursuit of higher education. He has been the recipient of various Pro Bono Awards, and his work with schools has been featured in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s newsletter, Circuit Voice. In addition, Mr. Azadian is frequently asked by national and local news media to summarize Supreme Court and other appellate court decisions on the day of their release, and he regularly serves on speaking panels before the judiciary, industry leaders, law faculty, and members of the federal and state bars. Mr. Azadian has also served as a member of a televised panel discussion on the impact of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Tools Against the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act) on trial and appellate courts at the Federal Judicial Center, commenting on the legal issues that courts face with changes made to sentencing procedures by the PROTECT Act.

EDUCATION

Mr. Azadian received his Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

“Appeals, Writs and Post-Trial Motions,” 2008 California Litigation Review (Co-author, State Bar of California Litigation Section, 2009)

“How to Make a Proper Record for Appeal,” State Bar of California Skill-Builder Magazine (Nov. 2009)

“Preserving an Evidentiary Objection for Appellate Review” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine (Feb. 2010)

RECENT COURT DECISIONS

Koszdin v. State Compensation Insurance Fund, California Court of Appeal (2010) (successfully upholding in full trial court’s judgment of dismissal following the trial court’s sustaining of a demurrer to multiple class action complaints for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction)

Chapman v. Allied Waste Industries, California Court of Appeal (2010) (successfully upholding in full trial court’s judgment on a jury verdict in a personal injury action)

Clarendon National Insurance Company v. State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Company, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2009) (successfully upholding in full trial court’s grant of summary judgment in a diversity jurisdiction case involving the interpretation of the California Insurance Code and insurance policy terms)

Sentry Insurance v. U.S. Reports, Inc. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2009) (successfully securing a reversal and remand of the trial court’s dismissal of an unfair business practices claim)