Neil S. Lerner
Top rated Transportation & Maritime attorney in Los Angeles, California
Cox Wootton Lerner Griffin & Hansen, LLP
Practice Areas: Transportation & Maritime, Insurance Coverage, Business Litigation; view more
Licensed in California since: 1988
Education: The George Washington University Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2012 - 2025 Call today:
310-440-0020
Cox Wootton Lerner Griffin & Hansen, LLP
12011 San Vicente Blvd.,Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90049 Visit website
Details
Neil is a partner in Cox Wootton Lerner Griffin & Hansen, LLP in Los Angeles. He practices maritime & transportation law. He’s been designated a Southern California "Super Lawyer" and been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. He represents domestic and foreign insurers in first and third-party cases, & local maritime & transportation companies in business litigation.
Neil has been featured in the LA Times, the LA Daily Journal, Forbes Magazine & LA Magazine. He was one of the first Certified Admiralty & Maritime Law Specialists in California (2012-2/2018) and served on the Admiralty Law Advisory Commission until 2/2018.
An emerging practice area is advising private equity in due diligence. He has provided transportation legal advice to Och-Ziff re its participation in Uber’s Series E Financing, ABRY Partners re its acquisition of SambaSafety, Carlyle Group re its acquisition of CB URS Holdings Corporation, York Capital Management re its acquisition of Mode Transportation LLC, Mode Transportation LLC in connection with its effort to acquire TSG, Mode Transportation LLC in connection with its effort to acquire SunteckTTS, Olympus Partners in connection with its effort to acquire Superior Bulk Logistics and Gamut Capital Management, L.P. and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation in connection with their investment in PS Logistics.
He often speaks on panels re transportation law. He was interviewed recently in Lawyer Monthly Magazine and, from that interview, delivered a prescient speech entitled "Change is Everywhere in the Maritime and Transportation Industries," which forecasted the disruption in transportation stemming from driverless, blockchain, the emergence of state courts in transportation and the rise of private equity. In 2024, he's spoken to AMUSF and AIMU on "The Conception Dive Boat Fire," and on marine insurance at the Pacific Admiralty Seminar.
Neil is best known for beating notorious fraudster Rex DeGeorge, in a major insurance fraud case, which started off the coast of Italy and ended in downtown LA with DeGeorge going to federal prison for sinking his vastly over-insured yacht on its maiden voyage in the Med. His true crime book about that 12 year saga, which involved “credible” death threats, Hollywood insiders and ancient maritime doctrines, and which Federal Judge J. Spencer Letts called "the single most incredible story I’ve ever heard from the stand," is entitled "An Act of Piracy," and is contracted with NY publisher Morgan James.
(This may constitute attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)
Practice areas
Transportation/Maritime, Insurance Coverage, Business LitigationFocus areas
Admiralty & Maritime Law, Bad Faith Insurance, Insurance, Insurance Defense, Transportation Law
- 70% Transportation/Maritime
- 20% Insurance Coverage
- 10% Business Litigation
First Admitted: 1988, California
Professional Webpage: http://cwlfirm.com/members/neil-s-lerner/
- Appointed to California's Admiralty and Maritime Law Advisory Commission, expired in February 2018.
- State Bar California, Admiralty Law Specialist Certification Program, expired February 2018.
- Perez v. Pacific Crane Maintenance, et al., Case No. NC 042866, Hon. Judith A. Vander Lans Presiding, 2011
- Trial-Defense Verdict, Unfair Business Practices-Maritime Law-Pacific Adventure Cruises Inc., v. Sea Planes, Inc. Verdicts & Settlements, LA Daily Journal, August 29, 2008
- Marine Insurance Judgment-Pacific Insurance v. Kent, 120 F. Supp. 2d 1205, 2000
- Insurance policy time for suit provision upheld. Grober v. Markel American Insurance Co., 2006 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 8090, 2006
- People ex rel. Harris v. Pac Anchor Transportation., Inc
- Maritime law applied to uphold settlement after mini-trial. In the Matter of the Complaint of Bruce Gibson, 2009 AMC 2249, 2009
- Marine insurance rescission. N.H. Ins. Co. v. C'Est Moi, Inc., 519 F.3d 937, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 5836, 2008 A.M.C. 931, 2008
- Trial and appeal-Verdict for rescission of marine insurance policy. Cigna v. Polaris Pictures Corp., 159 F.3d 412, 1998
- Elimination of tort of bad faith denial of contract. Freeman & Mills, Inc. v. Belcher Oil Co., (co-counsel) 11 Cal. 4th 85, 44 Cal. Rptr. 2d 420, 900 P.2d 669, 1995
- Victory in a five week jury trial in Superior Court, San Diego, Department C-71, Case No. 37-2008-00090249, Hon, Ronald S. Prager presiding, 2010
- Commercial marine open cargo insurance policy coverage requires proof of actual physical loss. Meridian Textiles, Inc., v. Indemnity Insurance Company of North American, 2008 AMC 1411. , 2008
- June 24, 2009. Admiralty jurisdiction established. In re the Matter of the Complaint of Mission Bay Jet Sports, LLC., 570 F.3d 1124, 2009
- Appeal win in case of Brandwein v. Butler et all, Case # D059413, Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, upholding several fundamental principles of maritime law issued August 9, 2013
- Trial- Verdict for rescission of marine insurance policy., Markel American Insurance Company v. Fitt, 528 F. Supp.2d 1010., 2007
- Trial and appeal, motor carrier litigation. TOBIAS RENTERIA, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. K&R TRANSPORTATION INC., a California corporation; 423 F.3d 1079, 2004
- One occurrence rule applied to multiple thefts under an inland marine motor truck cargo policy. Budway Enterprises, Inc. v. Federal Insurance Company, 2009 WL 1014899, 2009
- Marine insurance rescission and voiding granted for misrepresenting and concealing material facts on the insurance application. Markel American Insurance Company v. Woolard, 2007 AMC 2597, 2007
- Markel American Insurance Company
- Harbor Breeze Cruises
- Princess Cruise Lines
- Chartis Marine
- Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
- Cal Cartage Corporation
- Travelers Insurance
- Boat U.S.
- Certified Legal Specialist in Admiralty and Maritime Law by the State Bar of California, April 5, 2012, expired February 2018
- AVVO rating "Superb", 2012
- ExclusiveTransportation Law Expert, California, The Global Law Experts, 2015
- Selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, 2015
- Appointed in April 2015 to February 2018. , State Bar Admiralty and Maritime Law Commission, 2015
- Selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, 2013
- Selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, 2016
- Selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, 2012
- Best Maritime Law Firm-California, Corporate America, Legal Elite Award, 2015
- Selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, 2014
- Designated a Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators for Southern California, Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators, 2018
- Bristol University (UK), B.A., Honor's Program of Political Study, Bristol England, 1980
- Tulane University, B.A., Political Science, 1982
- In the port trucking sector, for more than thirty years, California, at the behest of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has sought to impose a state policy favoring the use of employee drivers over independent contractor drivers on motor carriers. To date, those efforts have been thwarted by a federal law that prohibits states from regulating motor carriers, which was specifically enacted to preempt an early California effort to impose that very policy. Thus, any current state enforcement action is preempted and unconstitutional. (Available upon request), CALIFORNIA’S ONGOING UNCONSTITUTIONAL INTERFERENCE IN PORT TRUCKING, (Preemption And Transportation), 2012
- Speaker, Admiralty Law, Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club Annual Seminar, 2008
- Speaker, Insurance Fraud, NHCAA (Institute for Health Case Fraud Prevention), 2008
- Speaker, Transportation Law, Transportation Law Association Annual Conference, 2007
- Speaker, Marine Claims, Markel American Insurance Company Seminar, Cabo San Lucas, 2007
- Speaker, Marine Insurance Fraud, International Association of Marine Investigators, 2005
- Speaker, The Rex DeGeorge Case, Houston Marine Insurance Seminar, 2004
- Honorary Speaker, State of Texas House of Representatives, 2004
- Speaker, Marine Insurance Fraud, International Association of Special Investigations Unit (IASIU), 2003
- Speaker, The Rex DeGeorge Case, IAMI, 2003
- Speaker, Maritime Law, Marine Underwriters of Southern California, 2000
- Speaker, Marine Insurance, American Marine Insurance Forum, 1999
- Speaker, Rescission of Marine Insurance Case Study, Board of Marine Underwriters of San Francisco, 1998
- Speaker, Seattle Marine Claims Association, "Pirates on the High Seas: New Risk, Old Risk or Fraud Risk?", 2010
- Speaker, San Francisco Marine Claims Association, "The Effective Use of Plicy Rescission in Litigating Marine Coverage Disputes" , 2012
- Panel Participant, Markel American Marine Insurance Defense Summit, 2010
- Author of (high seas) true crime book entitled "An Act of Piracy," about the Rex DeGeorge maritime-legal drama, scheduled to be published, under a publishing contract, by New York book publisher Morgan James Publishing, www.anactofpiracy.com
- Speaker, CNA/U.S. Marine Claims, "The Role and Effective use of Policy Rescission in Litigating Marine Coverage Disputes", 2011
- Panel Participant, Markel American Marine Summit, invitee of Markel to participate in roundtable discussions about legal, insurance and maritime issues, 2012
- Panel participant, International Association of Marine Investigators, 22nd Annual Training Seminar, 2012
- Speaker, "Suggested Procedures For A Marine Terminal Incident" Long Beach, California, 2011
- Panel participant, Markel Claims Counsel at the DRI seminar in NYC, "Recent trends in California Insurance Law," December 5th, 2012
- "Special Tribute to America's Best Lawyers," produced by Sky Radio Network and broadcast on the Forbes Radio Channel on American Airlines, featured guest interviewed on air
- "Meet American's Best Lawyers-LA's & OC's Finest," KTLK AM 1150
- Admiralty And Maritime Law Advisory Commission (until 2/2018)
- Maritime Law Association
- Transportation Law Association
Office location for Neil S. Lerner
12011 San Vicente Blvd.,
Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: 310-440-0020
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2012 - 2025
