Overview

Complex projects involving novel issues do not always require substantial resources. Clients hire Neil Lloyd to help them reduce their litigation investments in complex cases by quickly identifying the critical nuance that will matter most to trial and appellate judges. Neil brings the same insight, dedication, and passion to each project, whether it is a major representation or a quick-hit consultation.

Neil is certified as a specialist in appellate law by The State Bar of California. He concentrates his practice in litigation strategic consulting. He works with businesses, individuals, and law firms to develop and execute targeted, cost-effective strategies that solve their thorniest legal problems. Clients repeatedly call on Neil to sharpen and polish their briefs and oral presentations, to tackle issues of first impression, and to rescue them from bad results by judges and juries.

While clients often hire Neil at the outset of a case, at other times they bring him in during a crisis or ask him to partner with existing counsel. In each situation, clients return, knowing that Neil consistently adds value. As each case shifts and develops, he helps ensure that his client’s litigation investment aligns with its litigation risk.

In his rescue litigation practice, Neil has persuaded trial judges to change their minds mid-case. He has also convinced both trial and appellate judges to set aside or pare back substantial jury verdicts. Neil recognizes that rescue situations involve more than uphill battles with high financial stakes: they are often anxiety producing for outside counsel, inside counsel, and business decision-makers. Not only does Neil quickly develop a rescue strategy, he also works collaboratively to build relationships with all stakeholders. His approach saves clients money by lowering tensions, fostering cooperation, and leveraging the client’s previous investment in trial counsel.

Over the past 25 years, Neil has written and edited thousands of trial court and appellate briefs. He has served as in-court trial counsel for legal issues and appellate preservation in three, complex, multi-week jury trials involving emerging product liability issues and one complex multi-week bench trial involving environmental compliance. He has argued appeals in state and federal courts across the country, including in the Seventh and Tenth Circuits, the California Court of Appeal, and the Illinois Appellate Court and Supreme Court. He has successfully tried cases involving personal injury claims, ambiguous contracts, punitive damages, and the interplay between statutory and contractual obligations.