Partner
Neal Salisian is a founder and the Managing Partner of Salisian | Lee LLP. He focuses his practice on complex litigation and serves as business formation and development counsel for a cross-section of entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized businesses throughout California.
Mr. Salisian has represented the legal and business interests of clients in both state and federal courts, as well as in complex business negotiations and arbitration proceedings. He is particularly adept at managing legal issues related to contracts, leases, fraud, tortious business practices, insurance recovery claims on behalf of policyholders, real estate disputes, class actions, bankruptcy litigation, and technology and internet-based matters.
Mr. Salisian co-founded Salisian | Lee with a view to harness the experience, training, and legal knowledge he acquired from years on the front lines of “big firm” litigation, and offer it to emerging businesses and entrepreneurial individuals. Joining forces with former colleague and co-founder Richard Lee, the two partners established Salisian | Lee to cater specifically clients who want the experience and knowledge gleaned from a larger firm, but with the attention and efficiency only a smaller firm can provide.
Since launching the firm in 2010, Mr. Salisian has handled prominent cases throughout the region, including the defense position in a highly-publicized series of cases against some of the largest real estate developers in Southern California and successfully taking on far larger and global firms at trial and winning those battles time and time again. In the years since formation, Salisian | Lee LLP has become a leader in the Southern California legal community and beyond.
Prior to forming Salisian | Lee LLP, Mr. Salisian was a litigator in the Los Angeles offices of the international law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius, where he focused on litigating cases on behalf of prominent regional, national, and international business clients. And before joining Morgan Lewis, Mr. Salisian served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge Ellen Carroll in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California and clerked for the legal defense fund Public Counsel.
Born and raised in California, Mr. Salisian earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he was a member of the Hale Moot Court Honors team and president of the Corporate Law Society. Mr. Salisian completed his undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude with a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in Computer Applications. Mr. Salisian was a two-time Monogram recipient for the NCAA Division I Fencing program at Notre Dame.
Mr. Salisian is admitted to practice in California and before the United States District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- Won a week-long jury trial in Orange County Superior Court in front of Judge Stephanie George Case in a business dispute over medical device equipment. After all evidence was presented, we moved for directed verdict which was ultimately granted entirely in our favor.
- First-Chaired a federal court jury trial in the Central District of California on behalf of a Plaintiff and Cross-Defendant in a seven-figure equipment finance and business fraud dispute. Obtained a unanimous jury verdict in my client’s favor, awarding 100% of damages sought in our complaint and a complete dismissal of all counterclaims against my client.
- First-Chaired a two-week jury trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of a Plaintiff in a dispute over the development of two major retail outlets in Los Angeles. The jury verdict resulted in a breach of contract and business fraud victory, including a finding of punitive damages. Ultimate judgment obtained was nearly 10 times the face value of the original contract in dispute.
- First-Chaired a two-week jury trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of a business owner/investor who was defrauded by his partners. Jury verdict resulted in damages of nearly a million dollars.
- First-Chaired a week-long bench trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Wells Fargo Bank. The Judge came back with a complete defense verdict in favor of our real estate professional client. Wells Fargo appealed, and that effort was defeated as well, by the California Court of Appeal affirming our trial victory.
- First-Chaired a contempt trial on behalf of a judgment creditor, resulting in jail time ordered by the Judge for the judgment debtor and all attorney’s fees reimbursed.
- First-Chaired a week-long jury trial in the Orange County Superior Court on the defense-side that resulted in a very favorable settlement during the middle of trial.
- Successfully resolved a $100 million arbitration between two competing companies in the internet marketing industry.
- Secured an early victory in a “bet the company” litigation for an aerospace company through extensive motion practice to preserve its rights to use critical machinery. This was obtained through the bankruptcy court system in the face of competitors attempting a hostile take-over of that company’s defense contract relationships.
- Successfully resolved major, headline-grabbing social media case in favor of client. The case related to the responsibility social media networks had over independent affiliates, and could have resulted in complete collapse of client’s company. Opponent was originally seeking over $1 billion against client – in an attempt to put them out of business. After a lengthy arbitration, client’s business was saved, and only paid out a nominal amount to the client’s relief and the opponent’s extreme disappointment.
- Successfully litigated to victory and collected on a judgment worth over $3 million based on a promissory note and personal guarantee on behalf of a real estate developer client. Successfully collected on another judgment of over $2 million on behalf of a title company client.
- Lead a commercial collections team to recover multiple millions of dollars on behalf of institutional lenders and leasing companies. Managed hundreds of lawsuits per year to successfully recover lent funds and equipment leases that were unpaid.
- Successfully represented web-based company offering celebrity greetings in a hotly contested legal battle with competitor represented by a large, global law firm and which was the focus of much media attention.
- Represented the Chief Financial Officer in the sale of a company with EBITA in excess of $25 million/year, which included a favorable share buy-out and severance package.
- Handled groundbreaking litigation that resulted in setting precedential law. Represented plaintiff in an insurance recovery dispute in trial court and on appeal with a resulting recovery of over $4 million in insurance claims for policyholder client.
- Directed statewide foreclosure litigation defending a nationwide mortgage registration company in the wake of the real estate market collapse. Plaintiffs were challenging client’s authority to foreclose on properties across the country. The deed and contract interpretation cases were resolved in favor of client such that they retained their legal authority to proceed with foreclosure actions in California.
- Obtained summary judgment and a successful motion to dismiss respectively in two cases as part of a large statewide class action against a well-known printer company, averting a potential $10+ million loss to the company.
- Litigated a major insurance recovery case with over $5 million obtained for the client against their insurance company for bad faith denial of right to defend underlying antitrust litigation. Exposed unclean hands at insurance company which helped increase ultimate settlement amount.
- Defended large statewide sales tax class action for two of the largest pharmacy and drug store chains in the United States.
- Defeated a motion for summary adjudication seeking $38 million in damages for purported fraud asserted against a former business partner.
- Handled three distinct arbitrations related to health insurance providers and achieved favorable settlements in each case, twice as counsel for respondents and once on behalf of a petitioner.
- Defended entrepreneurs in litigation that could have resulted in a complete loss of all assets for the company. Secured dismissal of case even though Plaintiff was seeking over $70 million in a dispute over rights to purchase the company.
- Represented plaintiff business in an Internet dispute involving the reclamation of a domain name from a cybersquatter.
- Successfully defended dozens of preference and fraudulent transfer adversary matters in the Bankruptcy courts throughout California.
- Obtained a judgment for over half of a million dollars on behalf of a commercial landlord for breach of a commercial lease.
- Operated as Outside General Counsel for a number of emerging Southern California-based businesses.
- Successfully defended numerous lawsuits based on the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), and its California equivalent, on behalf of a wide variety of Southern California-based businesses.
Inc. Magazine
November 2019 Issue – “So You’ve Been Sued: 3 Ways to Fight Back” – quoted in article.
Los Angeles Magazine
Super Lawyers – Recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in Business Litigation in Southern California from 2014 -present.
Daily Journal
December 13, 2017 – “A Step in the Right Direction for Family Rights at Work” – co-authored with Associate Jay Lichter.
Daily Journal
September 7, 2017 – “Justices to Weigh Complex M&A Safe Harbors” – co-authored with Associate Stephanie Chau.
Law 360
July 13, 2015 – “4 Ways Dewey Changed BigLaw Forever” – quoted in article.
Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles, CA
July/August 2015 – “New Consumer Data Protections Increase Liability Risk” – co-authored with Associate Katharine Miner.
Daily Journal
February 3, 2015 – “Rolling the Dice on iGaming” – co-authored with Associate H. Han Pai.
Monitor Daily
October 2014 – “Bridging the Gap to Turn the Economic Corner” – co-authored with Associate H. Han Pai.
Los Angeles Daily Journal, Los Angeles, CA
May 6, 2014 – “Potential High Court Headaches for Architects” – co-authored with Associate Katharine Miner.
Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles, CA
2012, 2013, 2014 – Selected as a Southern California SuperLawyer “Rising Star”.
Pasadena Magazine, Pasadena, CA
2010, 2012, 2013 – Recognized as a Top Attorney in Business Law/Litigation in the San Gabriel Valley.
Law 360
July 24, 2013 – “Courthouse Budget Cuts Spell Headaches for LA Attorneys” – co-authored article with Associate Han Pai.
Law 360
July 2, 2013 – “Associates Can Live Like Top Dogs In Texas Cities” – quoted in news article.
Law 360
April 26, 2013 – “Five Tips for Leveraging Associates” – quoted in news article.
KTLA Channel 5
March 26, 2012 – KTLA 5 Evening News – interviewed by Manny Medrano as a legal source on restraining orders.
Armenian Bar Association, Los Angeles, CA
December 1, 2010 – “Asset Protection: Its Use and Its Pitfalls,” ArmenBar CLE panel speaker.