Michele B. Friend is a principal attorney in the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group with over 20 years of experience in matters involving contracts, fiduciary duties, fraud, real estate, business dissolutions, employment, trade secrets, trademarks and trusts. Michele also provides general counseling for mid-size businesses and religious organizations. She has resolved numerous breach of contract actions, employment disputes, and commercial real estate lease issues. Before practicing law, Michele was a licensed Certified Public Accountant at a national commercial real estate management company.
Representative Matters
- Won complete defense verdict and $1.25 million judgment on cross-complaint in real estate partnership dispute trial
- Successfully defended the President of a family office in a widely publicized, $650 million breach of fiduciary duty and fraud action relating to a billionaire’s estate
- Won arbitration against California Interscholastic Federation regarding school placement for high school sports competitions
- Successfully defended the President of a global manufacturing company accused of stealing Trade Secrets from a prior employer in a jury trial
- Resolved numerous contract and real estate disputes
- CSU Law - Cleveland State University (J.D.)
- Miami University (B.S.)
- Accounting and Finance
- California
- United States District Court for the District of California
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Past President, American Academy of Attorney-CPAs
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Irish American Bar Association
- Los Angeles World Affairs Council
- Past Barrister President, Beverly Hills Bar Association
- Fellow of American College of Attorney-CPAs
- Super Lawyer, Southern California, Rising Star
- Beverly Hills Bar Association Distinguished Leadership Award
- Beverly Hills Bar Association Lawrence J. Blake Award
