Ronald N. Richards
Top rated General Litigation attorney in Beverly Hills, California
Law Offices of Ronald Richards & Associates
Practice areas: General Litigation, Criminal Defense, Bankruptcy; view more
Licensed in California since: 1995
Education: The University of La Verne College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2008, 2027 Call today:
310-556-1001
Law Offices of Ronald Richards & Associates
PO Box 11480Beverly Hills, CA 90213 Visit website
Ronald N. Richards is the founder of the Law Offices of Ronald Richards & Associates in Beverly Hills, California, where he represents clients in a range of legal matters involving general litigation, criminal defense and business and corporate law. With extensive experience in multiple areas of practice, he provides legal representation tailored to the needs and circumstances of individuals and businesses facing complex legal challenges.
Mr. Richards’ work encompasses legal disputes and proceedings requiring strategic analysis, advocacy and careful attention to the interests of his clients. Through his practice, he represents clients navigating a variety of legal issues, drawing on his experience across both litigation and business-related matters.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Richards maintains professional affiliations with several prominent legal organizations. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. His involvement with these organizations reflects his engagement with the broader legal profession and the development of legal practice.
Mr. Richards earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992 before obtaining his Juris Doctor from the University of La Verne College of Law and Public Service in 1995. He is admitted to practice law in California and Washington, D.C. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of California. These admissions allow him to represent clients in a broad range of state and federal legal proceedings.
Practice areas
General Litigation, Criminal Defense, Bankruptcy: Business, Business/Corporate, Creditor Debtor Rights: Business, Real Estate: BusinessFocus areas
Bankruptcy Law, Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Criminal Law, Litigation
- 30% General Litigation
- 30% Criminal Defense
- 10% Bankruptcy: Business
- 10% Business/Corporate
- 10% Creditor Debtor Rights: Business
- 10% Real Estate: Business
First Admitted: 1995, California
Professional Webpage: https://ronaldrichards.com/biography/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Admitted to practice in California and Washington, D.C.
- Admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar
- Admitted to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- Admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Former Student-Faculty Representative in law school, advocating for students facing disciplinary proceedings
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Obtained numerous jury verdicts and more than 100 bench-trial results, including matters in state and federal courts.
- Successfully defended a 39-count federal jury trial in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
- Obtained dismissal of a 29-count federal indictment before trial.
- Obtained dismissal of murder charges against an impoverished defendant.
- Obtained an acquittal in the first state prosecution involving MDMA/ecstasy in March 2002.
- Obtained dismissal of a major Los Angeles County MDMA case in 2003.
- Obtained a $800,000 defense judgment in a civil matter.
- Obtained a $630,000 settlement against Tom Cruise's former wife in 2011.
- Obtained a $1 million judgment against a Las Vegas real estate developer in 2011.
- Won more than $40 million in commercial guaranty and borrower-enforcement judgments in 2012 and collected additional amounts through ADR and pretrial resolutions.
- Obtained a $15 million summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in 2013.
- Obtained a $373,566.54 judgment in Orange County in 2014.
- Obtained an $1.8 million judgment in a car-wash purchase fraud matter in 2014.
- Collected more than $40 million in managed debt for clients in 2015.
- Won a $15,924,421.29 judgment in 2016.
- Obtained defense verdicts for a real estate developer and a local accountant in 2016.
- Obtained a $2 million result for a client following the California Supreme Court's 2019 decision in Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb.
- Successfully obtained and defended a federal injunction concerning the prosecution of a California cannabis cultivator; the Ninth Circuit affirmed the injunction in 2020.
- Obtained a $26,387,498.80 judgment against Mohamed Hadid for breach of guaranty in 2021.
- Obtained a $30,775,500 fraud-and-theft judgment against Sara King in 2023.
- Obtained a defense verdict for Dr. Leevil in an Orange County wrongful-foreclosure case in December 2024, where the claim exceeded $10 million.
- Obtained a defense judgment in 2025 for Franco Noval, Jake Nova, and Secured Capital Partners, LLC following a nine-day bench trial.
- Obtained an $11,421,355 jury award in January 2026 for homeowners in a breach-of-fiduciary-duty case involving diverted home equity.
- The trial court subsequently entered judgment in favor of the homeowners on February 5, 2026; post-trial motions were denied on April 17, 2026.
Videos
Representative Clients
- Mohamed Hadid
- Erika Jayne (Erika Girardi) and related entities, in connection with the Girardi Keese bankruptcy matter
- LDR International Limited
- Secured Capital Partners, LLC
- Dr. Leevil
- Haim and Lucinda Revah
- Franco Noval
- Jake Nova
Transactions
- Assisted in closing more than $100 million in debt transactions in 2012.
- Assisted in the acquisition of $14 million in healthcare-related debt instruments in 2014.
- Handled the acquisition of undervalued land assets and the management of debt instruments and other undervalued assets.
- Represented a lender entity in a 2022 auction involving 65.63 acres of vacant land in the Beverly Hills Post Office area.
- Successfully liquidated a hotel site in Buena Park, California, for a lender creditor involving debt exceeding $30 million.
- Settled a $7.8 million note purchase matter in Nevada and a $14 million note purchase matter in New Jersey in 2015.
Special Licenses / Certifications
- Qualified as an expert witness on marijuana in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Pro bono / Community Service
- Regularly accepted pro bono and low-fee matters for clients whose financial circumstances and case facts warranted assistance.
- Successfully obtained reversal of a contempt citation against a low-income domestic-violence victim who had refused to testify.
Educational Background
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — Bachelor of Arts, 1992
- University of La Verne College of Law and Public Service — Juris Doctor, 1995
- Beverly Hills High School — Debate team; established the school's record for debate wins
- UCLA Debate Team (CIDA) — National champion for two consecutive years; also received numerous individual event titles and honors
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Published article concerning Proposition 215 and California's medical-marijuana statute, cited by West Publishing and incorporated into statutory annotations.
- Contributes articles on legal topics to publications including Los Angeles Lawyer.
- Guest lecturer at UCLA for a sex-crimes course.
- Lecturer at California State University, Los Angeles on poverty and the law.
- Continued lecturing at UCLA on legal topics through the period described in the source.
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Has numerous published opinions in state and federal courts and has participated in cases that established or changed legal precedent.
- Authored the only published attorney article identified in the source concerning Proposition 215, California's medical-marijuana statute; the article was cited by West Publishing and included in annotations to California Health and Safety Code § 11362.5.
- Became the first attorney identified in the source to obtain a federal injunction halting a federal marijuana prosecution in United States v. Pisarski in 2017.
- Argued before the California Supreme Court in Dr. Leevil v. Westlake Health Care Center in 2018 and Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb in 2019.
- The California Supreme Court affirmed Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb in 2019, establishing a significant precedent concerning successive loans secured by the same property.
- Appointed Special Litigation Counsel to the Chapter 7 Trustee in the Girardi Keese bankruptcy in the Central District of California in 2021.
- Obtained published appellate decisions addressing foreclosure, bankruptcy, lender rights, attorney fee agreements, and forfeiture proceedings.
- Served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, including coverage of the Michael Jackson trial beginning in 2005.
- Has lectured at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles on legal topics.
Honors
- American Jurisprudence Award in Bankruptcy
- Invited to membership in Lawyers of Distinction, 2016
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2008, 2027
