Attorneys

Michael J. Grobaty

Of Counsel

(949) 794-4000
mgrobaty@murtaughlaw.com

After graduating from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, Michael has been a trial attorney in Orange County for thirty two years. He was the founding partner of a boutique litigation firm in Newport Beach. In just thirteen years after its founding, his firm was named as one of Benchmark Litigation’s top tier litigation firms in the United States, and was named of one of California’s “BEST LAW FIRMS” by US News & World Report.

Michael has tried over 50 civil cases in state and federal courts throughout California. His successful trial record has resulted in his being invited into the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and has also resulted in his selection by Law and Politics Magazine as a “California Superlawyer” for fifteen years in a row. This is an honor bestowed upon the top 5% of all attorneys in California. He has also been featured in the Los Angeles Daily Journal for his outstanding trial results, and has been named as one of the “Top Attorneys in Orange County” by Orange Coast Magazine.

Michael's wide-ranging trial practice has resulted in his representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad variety of litigated cases involving employment related issues, complex business litigation, legal malpractice, probate and personal injury. Having represented parties to all sides of a dispute, Michael is sensitive to the needs and unique struggles faced by individuals who are up against large corporations and insurance companies. He is likewise sensitive to the difficult economic and business decisions faced by corporations and insurance companies when they are faced with the difficulties and challenges caused by unwanted litigation.

In addition to his active trial practice, Michael has recently devoted a portion of his practice to assisting parties with the mediation of their civil disputes. He has earned his certification for mediation from the Pepperdine University Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, one of the world’s foremost programs dedicated to mediating the litigated case.

Attorneys

Devin E. Murtaugh

Partner

(949) 794-4000
dmurtaugh@murtaughlaw.com

Devin is the firm’s appellate practitioner, and has been successful on nearly every appeal he has worked on. He also handles general civil litigation and probate litigation, and has tried numerous cases to verdict throughout Southern California. Most of his cases involve business, real estate, construction, and inheritance disputes. He has lectured for the AIA Orange County, and is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Outside the office, he plays and coaches flag football, and is one of the longest-serving captains in Orange County’s Beach City Sports league.

Education: Vassar College (B.A., 2009), University of Southern California (J.D., 2013)

Bar Admissions: California, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California

Representative Matters:
• Obtained a defense verdict in a dispute over 20 years of apartment rental profits (jury trial);
• Obtained a defense verdict in favor of a major structural-engineering firm in an alleged design-malpractice case (jury trial);
• Obtained a defense verdict in a real estate partition action (court trial);
• Obtained a judgment of nonsuit in a Marvin v. Marvin “palimony” action (jury trial);
• Obtained a defense verdict in a partnership business-opportunity dispute (court trial);
• Obtained a defense verdict in a business-defamation case (jury trial)
• Obtained a $2 million reduction in damages on an elder-abuse jury verdict;
• Obtained a $1.2 million reduction in damages on a partnership-dispute court judgment;
• Successfully appealed a court judgment modifying a family trust to alter the distribution of a family home;
• Vacated a $770,000 judgment for lack of personal jurisdiction.