Randall Aiman-Smith

About Randall Aiman-Smith

I consider myself fortunate. Despite not completing high school or college, I managed, through immense effort, to secure admission to and excel at one of the country's premier law schools: U.C. Berkeley's School of Law. During my time there, I had the privilege of serving as an editor for the California Law Review and as a Member of the Moot Court Board, offering guidance on brief writing and appellate advocacy to fellow students. Following law school, during my early years in practice, I taught legal writing and appellate advocacy at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Additionally, I have been a presenter at various continuing legal education events.

With 35 years of experience as an attorney, I have dedicated my practice exclusively to representing employees, consumers, and investors in state and federal trial courts and courts of appeal. I find fulfillment in advocating for my clients in court and have successfully tried numerous jury cases in both state and federal courts.

For instance, in 2010, I served as the lead attorney in Williams v. Union Pacific Railroad, where, after four years of preparation, our firm secured a jury verdict of $1,670,000 for an African-American female employee. In Rivero v. Surdyka, I acted as lead trial and appellate counsel in a civil rights case that spanned 15 years, including a full trial and three appeals to the Ninth Circuit, ultimately resulting in a judgment for plaintiffs exceeding $2,300,000. These cases exemplify our firm's ethos: dedication yields results. Commitment to a case, even over an extended period, is crucial to achieving the outcome our clients deserve.

While victories in the trial court are not always guaranteed, our commitment compels us to take cases to the next level and pursue appeals. In the Rivero case, for instance, despite losing in the trial court, we appealed and secured a victory for our clients, successfully defending it through two more appeals.