October 30, 2024 – Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
The firm is pleased to announce that it has been selected for inclusion in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal’s highly competitive “Top Boutiques in California” 2024 issue, which celebrates the best “small but mighty specialized firms” in California. One of only 20 law firms named to the list, Yukevich | Cavanaugh was selected based on its uncompromising reputation as an aggressive, trial-ready firm representing corporations and individuals targeted in civil litigation.
“This is an adversarial profession, and you need the strength and skills to answer any complaint,” the firm’s founding partner, James (Jim) Yukevich, explained in an interview with the Daily Journal. “We’re the stoppers. We are ready to go in and fight… Passivity is out. There are a lot of non-aggressive defense lawyers out there, and that’s not us.”
“We strive to hire people who look on this work as a career, not a job,” added partner Todd Cavanaugh, noting that their approach extends throughout the firm’s 38 lawyers, who staff offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, and Walnut Creek. “Then we lead by example."
Specifically highlighted in the firm’s profile was its successful defense of Honda Motor Co. earlier this year in Gardner v. American Honda Motor Co., a precedent-setting personal injury case with claims totaling $32.5 million. The outcome of the case was significant because it explored the limits of a consumer expectations test established a decade ago by a state appellate opinion.
“Nobody thought we could win. Over the last 10 years or so, no one has tried a case like this, because it seemed impossible for manufacturers to win them,” said Jim of the complete defense verdict, which was quickly returned after the firm effectively demonstrated to jurors that the auto’s design aligned with consumer expectations. “Consumers expect Honda quality, and that’s what they got.”
To read the firm’s full profile in the special issue, click below.