Los Angeles
6080 Center Drive
Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Tel: (310) 215-7734
Fax: (310) 215-7300

Practice Areas

Appellate

Education

Bachelor of Law, 1964, University of Madras, India, Third in a class of 441 students, First in a class of 530 students, first year law examinations, Recipient, Sir William Ayling Memorial Prize for Real Property and tied for the gold medal in Constitutional Law, Morehead Law Scholarship, 1963-1964, Won several prizes in inter-collegiate debating and oratorical competitions
Bachelor of Science, 1962, University of Madras, India

Rita Gunasekaran

Biographical Information

Ms. Gunasekaran is a Partner in Haight Brown & Bonesteel’s Los Angeles office. She is the Practice Group Leader of the Appellate Law Practice Group and is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in appellate law and is a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Ms. Gunasekaran has filed over 250 appellate briefs and writ petitions, all arising from complex civil litigation. The areas covered include employment law, legal malpractice, toxic torts, personal injury and premises liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, labor law, federal banking law, trade secrets, constitutional law, and family law.

Published decisions include:

Cebular v. Cooper Arms Homeowners Association (2006) 142 Cal.App.4th 106
Summers v. McClanahan (2006) 140 Cal.App.4th 403
Sunderland v. Lockheed (2005) 130 Cal.App.4th 1
Yamaguchi v. Harnsmut (2003) 106 Cal.App.4th 472
Hartwell Corp. v. Superior Court (2002) 27 Cal.4th 256
Lugtu v. California Highway Patrol (2001) 26 Cal.4th 703
20th Century Insurance Co. v. Schurtz (2001) 92 Cal.App.4th 1188
Penn v. Prestige Stations, Inc. (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 336
Cruz v. HomeBase (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 160
Carlton v. Quint (2000) 77 Cal.App.4th 690
Kurinij v. Hanna and Morton (1997) 55 Cal.App.4th 853
Montrose Chemical Corporation of California v. Admiral Insurance Company (1995) 10 Cal.4th 645
Todd v. Thrifty Corporation (1995) 34 Cal.App.4th 986
Fredrics v. Paige (1994) 29 Cal.App.4th 1642

Prior to joining Haight Brown & Bonesteel, Ms. Gunasekaran worked as a research attorney in the Court of Appeal of the Second Appellate District from January 1984 to September 1986, and as a legal intern from October through December 1983, while awaiting Bar results.

Honors

Best Lawyers in America – Appellate Law, 2008 to date
National Asian Pacific American Bar (NAPABA) – Trailblazer Award, 2007
National South Asian Bar – Trailblazer Award, 2004
Super Lawyers – Listed among the top 50 women lawyers, 2004, and among the top appellate lawyers of Southern California from 2004 to date
South Asian Bar Foundation of Los Angeles – Trailblazer Award, 2005

Reported Decisions & Case Studies

News

Appellate Victory - Appellate Court Reverses $6.2 Million Verdict Against City of Los Angeles
February 18, 2010
Haight Brown & Bonesteel Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America 2010
November 17, 2009

Presentations & Publications

Author, How to Snatch Victory from the Jaws of Defeat: Writs, Post-Trial Motions, and Appeals, The Corporate Law Departments Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Summer 2010
Anticipating Appeal; Protecting the Record; Nuts and Bolts of Civil Appeals and Writs - Sempra Energy, BP, CIGNA
Appellate Practice: Raising the Bar; and Legal Ethics in Civil Appeals - State Bar Conventions
Protecting the Record in the Trial Court – State Bar Litigation Section’s all day seminar on appeals
2005 Update: Amendments and Changes to SLAPP Motions - CAALA Annual Convention
Civil Appeals; Writs - L.A. County Bar Appellate Court Walk Through Program
Insurance Coverage - California Consumer Attorneys' Annual Convention
Protecting the Record on Appeal - Los Angeles County Bar and Orange County Bar
Proper Practice of Opinion Writing: Through the Looking Glass - Judicial Research Attorneys Institute

Bar Admissions

California

Court Admissions

California
Madras, India (Inactive)
Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court

Professional Affiliations

Judicial Council of California, Member, Appellate Advisory Committee, 2006-2012
State Bar of California, Chair, Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) Commission, 1996; Vice-Chair, 1995; and member of the Commission, 1993 and 1994; Appellate Courts Committee, Member, 1992-1993
Los Angeles County Bar – Trustee at Large, 2002 - 2004; Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Appellate Courts Committee, 1997-1999
Public Counsel - Member of the Board, 1997-2003; Executive Committee, 1998-2003
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Member of the Board, 2003 to present; Executive Committee, 2004 to present
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles, President, 2001-2002
Women Lawyers' Association of Los Angeles, Member of the Board, 1989 to 1994; and officer, 1992 to 1994