About The Firm

Lafayette & Kumagai LLP is an eleven-lawyer litigation firm located in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District.  Established in 1994, the firm has earned a reputation for excellence with a proven track record of successfully representing its clients in all aspects of litigation.  The firm takes pride in the recognition it receives from clients and the legal community for its litigation and trial skills.  Lafayette & Kumagai has extensive experience in both state and federal courts throughout California, and has a distinguished record for motion practice, jury trials and appeals.  Lafayette & Kumagai is one of few minority-owned firms to argue before the United States Supreme Court.  Clients trust the firm’s handling of high-profile cases with media exposure.

Lafayette & Kumagai is the 2011 recipient of the Minority-Owned Law Firm Client Service Award, presented by the California Minority Counsel Program for outstanding client service.  Our recent victories include:

• obtaining a defense verdict in a sexual harassment and retaliation trial involving three plaintiffs;
• obtaining a nonsuit in an age discrimination/termination trial, in Contra Costa County Superior Court;
• obtaining a Judgment as a Matter of Law before Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in a disability discrimination and failure to accommodate case;
• defeating two Motions for Class Certification, thereby successfully resolving two major wage and hour class actions;
• prevailing in a number of Motions for Summary Judgment, including two age discrimination cases brought on behalf of attorneys against the legal departments of two of our corporate clients; and
• successfully representing the client on appeal in one such age discrimination case, resulting in a recent published opinion, Reeves v. MV Transportation, Inc., 186 Cal.App.4th 666 (2010).

The firm’s practice also includes successful representation of clients in mediation, arbitration, other ADR procedures and hearings before administrative agencies.

Lafayette & Kumagai’s clients include Fortune 500 companies and governmental entities.  The firm’s relationships with clients are longstanding and built upon a foundation of trust through open and honest communication and outstanding results.  The firm’s attorneys closely monitor the management of cases from their commencement and continuously re-evaluate them throughout the litigation process.  The goal is to find the best solution for a successful outcome.  Lafayette & Kumagai places a high priority on superior work product and creative resolutions to cases at the earliest possible stage.

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