Thomas B. Cummings

Partner

Mr. Cummings started his legal career in 1968 with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, prosecuting misdemeanors for about one year. He then worked for approximately 3 years in the Civil Liability Division of the City Attorney's Office, defending personal injury litigation. In those 3 years he tried approximately twenty civil jury trials to conclusion involving automobile accidents, dangerous conditions of public property, landslides and claimed civil rights violations committed by Los Angeles police officers.

He has been in private practice, specializing in the defense of personal injury litigation since 1972.

Mr. Cummings obtained membership in the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 1973. He has now tried approximately 140 civil jury trials to conclusion. He holds the rank of Diplomate in ABOTA, which is the highest rank conferred by that organization. In order to be awarded the rank of Diplomate in the American Board of Trial Advocates, the member must have completed a minimum of 100 jury trials to conclusion. There are approximately 6,000 members in the ABOTA nationwide, but only approximately 200 members hold the rank of Diplomate.

Mr. Cummings served on the Executive Committee of the ABOTA, Orange County Chapter, from 1982 to 1988, and was President of the Chapter in 1987. He has served on the National Board of Directors of ABOTA from 1986 to 1988, and again from 2002 to 2008.

Mr. Cummings holds an AV rating by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory.

He has served as an Arbitrator for both the Los Angeles Superior Court and the Orange County Superior Court from 1973 to the present. Mr. Cummings is admitted to the State Bar of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as the United States Supreme Court.

Representative Cases Tried To Judgment

Click here to see summaries of cases tried by Thomas Cummings

Bar Admissions

• • California, 1968
• • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1968
• • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1986
• • U.S. Supreme Court, 1991

Education

• • University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles, California, J.D.
• • University of California, Berkeley, California, A.B. - Major: History
• • Pepperdine University, Strauss Institute

Classes/Seminars Taught

• • Masters in Trial, American Board of Trial Advocates
• • Property Management Certification Program, Apartment Association of Orange County.
• • Trial Practices, Continuing Education of the Bar
• • Trial Practices, National Business Institute

Professional Associations and Memberships

• • American Board of Trial Advocates, 1973 - Present
• • Robert A. Banyard American Inns of Court, 1986-1991

Honors

• • Mr. Cummings has been awarded an AV rating by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory, which is the highest rating awarded.
• • Mr. Cummings is the 2009 recipient of the Orange County Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates Award for Professionalism, Integrity and Civility

Alternative Dispute Resolution

• • Arbitrator, Los Angeles Superior Court, 1973 - 1977
• • Arbitrator, Orange County Superior Court, 1977 - Present

Ancillary Businesses

• • Officer and Director, Apartment Association of Orange County
• • Member, Apartment Owners Association
• • Member, Apartment Association California Southern Cities
• • Member, South Coast Apartment Association

Audrey L Myer

Partner

Ms. Myer is an experienced trial attorney, having tried to jury verdict multiple cases as lead counsel. She has also previously worked for State Farm Insurance Company in-house, which position she held for over ten years. In this role, she managed extra-contractual litigation in the states of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Hawaii, Washington and California.

Representative Appellate and Verdict Cases

Click here to see representative cases by Audrey Myer

Bar Admissions

• • California, 1985
• • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1986
• • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1986
• • U.S. Supreme Court, 1991

Education

• • Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California, J.D. - Honors: With Distinction
• • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, B.A. - Major: Psychology

Classes/Seminars Taught

• • Sexual Harassment Training
• • College of Trial Advocacy, Orange County Bar Association, 1995
• • Communication with Outside Retained Counsel, Orange County Bar Association, 2000

Professional Associations and Memberships

• • Southern California Mediation Association, 2007 - Present
• • Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 2006 - Present

Past Employment Positions

• • State Farm Insurance, Counsel, 1995 - 2006
• • Cummings & Kemp, Partner, 1986 - 1995

Alternative Dispute Resolution

• • Arbitrator, Orange County Superior Court, 1992 - 1995
• • Arbitrator, Orange County Superior Court, 2006 - Present
• • Mediator, Los Angeles Superior Court
• • Arbitrator, FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)

Email

amyer@cummingsmyer.com

William H. Lawson III

Of Counsel

William Howard Lawson III is the recently retired Managing Attorney of Lawson, Macrae, Gress and Edrington, House Counsel for the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies for Orange County, California. Mr. Lawson has 45 years of experience handling Civil Claims including 10 years in Claims and 35 years as an attorney including 25 years as the Managing Attorney of the Farmers Santa Ana Branch Legal Office of 15 to 22 attorneys until his retirement in 2006.

Mr. Lawson did his undergraduate work at California State University, Northridge where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English in 1965. His Juris Doctorate Degree was earned from USFV College of Law (presently La Verne University) in 1973.

He was admitted to practice by the State Bar of California and to the United States District Court for the Central District of California in 1974. He currently enjoys an "A. V." rating by Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings which is their highest rating obtainable for ethical standards and legal ability.

Mr. Lawson is an experienced trial attorney with over 30 jury trials and has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates since 1991. He has handled litigation matters of varying complexity from serious automobile accidents to complex litigation of high exposure including medical malpractice, product liability, construction defect, wrongful death, permanent injury and disability matters.

He has participated in hundreds of Civil Arbitrations and Mediations both as an attorney primarily representing defendants as well as an assigned and as an agreed upon Arbitrator and Mediator. He has also been on the Orange County Superior Court Arbitration Panel and has served as an active Orange County Superior Court Settlement Conference Officer for over 25 years.

In 2008 he was recognized by the Orange County Superior Court as the Settlement Conference Officer who handled the most cases for them over the past year. He also has served as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association for approximately 5 years when he lived in Los Angeles County before moving with his family to Irvine in 1979.

Mr. Lawson has also successfully briefed and argued two cases before the California Court of Appeal in both the Second and Fourth District.

Bar Admissions

• • California, 1974
• • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1974

Education

• • USFV College of Law (presently La Verne University), La Verne, California, 1973, J.D.
• • California State University, Northridge, California, 1965, B.A., Major: English

Honors and Awards

• • "A. V." Rating by Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Associations and Memberships

• • American Board of Trial Advocates, 1991 - Present Member
• • American Arbitration Association Arbitrator
• • Robert A. Banyard American Inns of Court

Past Employment Positions

• • Lawson, Macrae, Gress and Edrington, Managing Attorney
• • Farmers Insurance Group of Companies for Orange County, California, House Counsel
• • Farmers Santa Ana Branch Legal Office, Managing Attorney