David Alden Erikson Bio
David Erikson is a seasoned commercial litigator, practicing on Larchmont Boulevard in Los Angeles.
He grew up in Marin County and attended UCLA. Erikson spent the next fourteen years there full-time (always with distinction), earning bachelor’s degrees in economics and philosophy, followed by six years in the philosophy Ph.D. program and eventually law school. Among other accomplishments, David earned the American Jurisprudence Award for receiving his class’s highest grade in civil procedure — the stock in trade of a litigator.
He then signed on with a prestigious top-100 law firm: the Los Angeles office of venerable Bryan Cave LLP, founded in 1873.
Over the next five years, he specialized in general commercial litigation, working on matters large and small: from cases worth millions for Boeing, Lloyds of London and AT&T, to our client’s smaller matters.
During these years, he battled through a number of high stakes and complex trials, usually as second chair. And, as with all litigators, the lion’s share of his time was spent in the pre-trial phase of litigation, which determines the outcome of a trial, as well as the clients’ bargaining power in settlement talks.
While few people truly enjoy their experience as a young lawyer at a big firm, David found himself at one of the best firms to be at. Bryan Cave has a long tradition not only of top-level legal work, but also of great integrity and devotion to its people. David not only gained invaluable experience representing A-list clients under the most exacting standards, he also worked under a number of the city’s best lawyers who saw it as part of their mission to mentor their young lawyers such as David.
In 2004, Erikson opened a boutique solo law practice — a dream for most lawyers, but a risky one. Since then, he has been fortunate to attract devoted long-term clients and earn a reputation that attracts more.
David regularly goes up against (or works with) the largest law firms in the nation. The days when a solo lawyer couldn’t compete with the big guys are long gone. We beat the big guys by working just as smartly, but much more flexibly and without the layers of bureaucracy that can stifle truly effective representation. Without those layers of bureaucracy and staggering overhead, our office can get the job done at half the cost.
David has recently begun referring to himself in the third person