Timothy D. McGonigle
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Los Angeles, California
McGonigle Law
Practice areas: Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Insurance Coverage; view more
Licensed in California since: 1984
Education: Pepperdine University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2006, 2008 - 2026 
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10850 Wilshire BlvdSuite 825
Los Angeles, CA 90024 Phone: 800-713-5260 Email: Timothy D. McGonigle Visit website
A Seasoned Litigator Committed to Exceptional Advocacy
For over four decades, Timothy D. McGonigle has built a reputation as one of California’s premier trial lawyers. As the founder and lead attorney at McGonigle Law, Tim has dedicated his career to representing individuals and businesses harmed by professional negligence, workplace injustice, and corporate misconduct. His work spans legal malpractice, employment law, catastrophic injury, and mass tort litigation—including wildfire claims impacting thousands across California.
Tim began his academic journey at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1980. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University in 1983, followed by a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Securities Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. This unique educational foundation gave Tim a sharp understanding of complex financial, regulatory, and business systems—skills that now set him apart in litigation involving high-value claims and professional wrongdoing.
After starting his legal career in corporate defense, Tim shifted his focus to advocating for plaintiffs, using the knowledge he gained from defending law firms and institutions to build stronger cases on behalf of those they harmed. Since founding McGonigle Law, he has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients and earned a reputation for delivering results in even the most complex or high-conflict cases.
Tim is known for his deep strategic insight, commanding courtroom presence, and unwavering client advocacy. Whether he’s cross-examining expert witnesses, negotiating multi-million dollar settlements, or advising co-counsel in a legal malpractice matter, Tim is relentless in his pursuit of justice.
Mr. McGonigle's versatility and extensive legal expertise have earned him the respect of his peers and the broader legal community. He has received numerous accolades through peer reviews and nominations, and is frequently called upon to provide expert testimony in cases involving attorney fee disputes and breach of duty claims.
He is admitted to practice in both California and the District of Columbia and is a long-standing member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has been named a Super Lawyer every year from 2011 to 2022 and previously served on the Executive Committee of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of California. He is also a proud member of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles.
At McGonigle Law, Tim leads a team of driven litigators committed to combining sharp legal skill with exceptional client care. The firm is especially known for taking on cases that others turn down—cases with legal complexity, emotional weight, or major obstacles. For Tim, the goal is always the same: to help clients rebuild and reclaim their future after serious legal harm.
Regardless of the complexity of the case or the nature of the client, Timothy D. McGonigle brings an unparalleled level of experience, strategic thinking, and tenacity to every matter he handles. Clients can trust that they will have a seasoned litigator fighting tirelessly on their behalf to secure the best possible outcome.
Practice areas
Business Litigation, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Insurance Coverage, Professional Liability: Plaintiff, Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFirst Admitted: 1984, California
Professional Webpage: https://mcgoniglelaw.com/about/
Bar / Professional Activity
- California, 1984
- Member, Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member
- Member, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- Member, Angeles County Bar Association
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Verdict in favor of doctors wrongfully terminated by medical clinic in the amount of $6.7 million, 2017
- Mr. McGonigle represented an elderly couple in a case against their insurance company for claims that included breach of contract and bad faith. The couple’s house suffered substantial water damage, which subsequently caused flooding, damage to property, mold, and other environmental contamination. After the insurer failed to reasonable adjust their claim and made an offer that was much less than the damage, the couple brought suit, with the trial court granting summary judgment in favor of the insurer on all grounds. Mr. McGonigle successfully reversed the trial court’s ruling, specifically rejecting the insurer’s argument that the mold exclusion was a bar to the couple’s claim.
- Mr. McGonigle represented a former District Attorney in a case against him for fraud and legal malpractice. In the underlying case, a businessman hired the former District Attorney to represent him in litigation involving a dispute over attorneys fees owed to the businessman’s lawyers from a dispute over a business venture. The businessman then dismissed the former District Attorney and substituted in new counsel, who went on to lose the case. The businessman then sued the former District Attorney for fraud and legal malpractice. Mr. McGonigle defended the former District Attorney in a five-week jury trial and, just before final arguments, settled the case at no cost to his client.
- Mr. McGonigle and of counsel, George Braunstein, resolved a case involving the suspension of an obstetrician’s hospital privileges in the doctor’s favor. A hospital summarily suspended the staff privileges of a highly successful and well-loved obstetrician after false allegations were made against her by competitor doctors. The doctor’s privileges were suspended for 18 months while an administrative hearing was conducted that concluded that the summary suspension was unwarranted and unreasonable. During this 18-month period, the doctor suffered significant damages from loss of income and loss of value to her medical practice, and Mr. McGonigle and Mr. Braunstein ultimately obtained a reinstatement of the doctor’s hospital privileges and a successful resolution of a civil suit that was brought to recover damages resulting from the reinstatement.
- Mr. McGonigle is representing several brokers in disputes against their former brokerage house, Merrill Lynch. These cases all involve the issuance of loans that were to be forgiven over time, known as Employee Forgivable Loans (EFL), by the brokerage house to the brokers as an incentive to employment. After Merrill Lynch was acquired by a national bank, numerous issues such as harassment and failure to pay commissions, resulted in the brokers’ forced resignation in favor of seeking new employment. Merrill Lynch then sought to recover the balance of the EFLs issued to its former brokers. Mr. McGonigle is representing the brokers in their claims for damages, and defending them against the brokerage house’s suit to recover the balance of the EFLs.
- Mr. McGonigle gained a favorable award for a homeowner in a legal malpractice case against her former attorney. Due to her attorney’s failure to properly litigate a previous case, the homeowner was forced to pay $174,000 to her contractor who had sued her for breach of contract due to nonpayment for work performed. After a 12-day trial, Mr. McGonigle obtained a favorable jury verdict for the homeowner. Because the jury disagreed on damages, Mr. McGonigle re-tried the case, and received a $323,069 award in favor of the homeowner.
- Mr. McGonigle was retained by the insured business owner, who was sued by a hospital for multi-million dollar environmental claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act after the hospital moved into the business’s former location. The liability carrier for the business denied the claim, claiming that the terms and conditions of its general liability policy did not provide a duty to defend and indemnify the insured for the hospital’s claims. In the business owner’s suit against the carrier for bad faith, the trial court granted the insured’s motion for summary judgment on the duty to defend. The insured reached a very favorable settlement with the carrier.
- Mr. McGonigle is currently representing two plaintiffs in a case against their former attorney, Robert Victor. The plaintiffs allege that Mr. Victor borrowed $510,000 from them with the assurance that it would be paid back within 30 days of request, with $200,000 of the loan to be secured by a trust deed on Mr. Victor’s home. However, after the loan was made it was discovered both that the delivered trust deed was defective and that Mr. Victor had transferred ownership of his home to his wife. Mr. McGonigle represented the plaintiffs in a case against Mr. Victor, which resulted in a finding by the court that, among other things, he acted in an attempt to hinder, delay or defraud the plaintiffs in the collection of their claim. The jury trial portion of the case is set to begin shortly.
- Mr. McGonigle obtained a $700,000 Jury Verdict on behalf of his client in a Malpractice Case against the Intellectual Property Law firm, Fulwider Patton LLP and achieved a dismissal of an $18 Million Malpractice case against a former District Attorney after a five week jury trial.
- Mr. McGonigle represented Alberto Aguilera Valadez, professionally known as Juan Gabriel, an international-renowned singer and composer, in a lawsuit brought by his promoter. In a case involving business torts, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and malpractice on the part of in-house attorneys for the promoter, Mr. McGonigle successfully defeated attempts by the promoter to enjoin Valadez from performing worldwide at concerts produced by anyone other than the promoter. The case ultimately settled in favor of Mr. Valdez.
- Mr. McGonigle was retained by a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee in multi-million dollar lawsuit alleging legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty against a bankruptcy debtor’s former attorneys. The former attorneys are accused of misrepresenting the bankruptcy debtor in multiple, high-value cases by, among other things, failing to communicate settlement offers which the debtor would have accepted.
Educational Background
- Georgetown University, LL.M.
- University of Notre Dame, B.B.A, 1980
Honors
- AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Southern California Super Lawyer six times
Industry Groups
- Businesses
- Individual Clients
- Professional Services
- Trusts and Partnerships
Office location for Timothy D. McGonigle
10850 Wilshire Blvd
Suite 825
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2006, 2008 - 2026