Joseph K. Jeffrey

Mr. Joseph K. Jeffrey is a dynamic trial attorney, having litigated a wide range of business and real estate litigation matters.  He has an impressive track record that includes both jury and bench trials in state and federal courts and has successfully guided clients through arbitration and mediation of their disputes.  Mr. Jeffrey manages all phases of litigation, including client meetings, preparing all pleadings, determining and implementing a strategic discovery plan, taking and defending depositions, selecting and working with expert witnesses, attending settlement conferences and mediations, and all aspects of pretrial preparation.  Mr. Jeffrey also has significant experience representing clients in appellate matters before the California Courts of Appeal, as well as the Federal Courts of Appeal.

Mr. Jeffrey has represented a wide range of clients from small businesses and individuals to large corporations.  No matter who he is representing, Mr. Jeffrey is highly attentive to his client’s needs in strategically and successfully navigating the litigation process. Mr. Jeffrey regularly represents title insurers and their insureds in a wide variety of real estate litigation matters, including escrow claims, easement and encroachment disputes, lien priority, bad faith and fraud claims.  Mr. Jeffrey has also litigated bankruptcy matters, personal injury and property-casualty matters, complex partnership disputes, business torts, contract disputes, professional liability and malpractice claims and trade secret and unfair competition disputes.

Mr. Jeffrey obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California State University, Fullerton.  He graduated cum laude with honors.  Mr. Jeffrey obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.  He is currently admitted to practice before all courts in the State of California and all Federal District Courts within the State of California.  Mr. Jeffrey is also a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Orange County Bar Association.

Representative Matters

Mr. Jeffrey represented a target defendant in a Ponzi scheme with damaging allegations of over $10 million in a jury trial, after settling all other co-defendants of client.  Mr. Jeffrey’s client prevailed on appeal and was awarded costs.

Mr. Jeffrey represented a private school at trial against a lawsuit brought by a neighboring property owner attempting to assert nuisance and trespass claims and to establish easement rights over the school’s property.  After a one-week trial, judgment was entered in favor of the client, successfully eliminating all easement claims.

Mr. Jeffrey successfully represented an innocent property owner who was defrauded by well-known career criminals in a complex real estate fraud case. At the conclusion of the civil trial that resulted in a decision in favor of the property owner, the adverse parties and witnesses were arrested by the Orange County District Attorney’s office for forgery, recording and filing false instruments, preparing false evidence and perjury.

Mr. Jeffrey represented a real estate developer at trial in a real estate litigation matter against a municipality to quiet title to the developer’s right to construct an access road for a large residential real estate development.  The municipality attempted to block construction of the road based on alleged superior rights.  The trial court’s favorable judgment confirmed the client’s right to construct the access road as designed and approved.

Mr. Jeffrey represented former co-managers of a limited liability company in an arbitration proceeding regarding entitlement to extraordinary profit percentage share relative to successful 12-year state court litigation for the company.  Mr. Jeffrey settled the matter in favor of the client for $4.3 million after prevailing on arbitrator jurisdictional motions.