[Following is the text of a litigator profile that appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal Verdicts & Settlements supplement on December 15, 1995.]

HE SPECIALIZES IN TURNING TOUGH CASES INTO WINNERS

Thomas C. Zaret, Esq.
Law Offices of Thomas C. Zaret
100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Telephone: (310) 576-4848
Facsimile: (310) 917-2828
E-mail: tz@latriallawyer.com
Website: www.latriallawyer.com

EDUCATION:
University of San Francisco (J.D., 1984)
Michigan State University (B.S. Psychology, 1981)

AFFILIATIONS:
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
Consumer Attorneys of California
Beverly Hills Bar Association
Los Angeles County Bar Association

Length of Time Practicing Law: Since 1984

Types of Cases: Plaintiff's tort litigation

BACKGROUND:
Zaret, a sole practitioner, was inspired to practice law in elementary school when he participated in a mock trial in the sixth grade. He decided to become a lawyer because he wanted to help people who are not capable of helping themselves in the legal system. He prepared for the practice of law by doing externships with Justice Joseph R. Grodin (retired California Supreme Court Justice) and Judge Frank W. Shaw, Jr., a San Francisco trial judge. Zaret authored a law review article, "Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress: Reconciling the Bystander and Direct Victim Causes of Action" 18 USF Law Rev. 145 1983). In Thing v. La Chusa, 48 Cal.3d 644 (1989), the California Supreme Court cited to Zaret as one of the scholars who noted confusion in the state of the law concerning emotional distress. Justice Mosk's dissent quoted Zaret's interpretation of the law as providing a simple answer to the complex issues confronted by the Court. Since 1984, he has been a trial lawyer representing plaintiff's rights. He spent six years learning the practice from Erwin Sobel before starting his own practice. He has tried premises liability, motor vehicle and dog bite cases.

KEYS TO SUCCESS:
Zaret attributes his success to using a common sense approach to make the case simple for the jury, a good sense of humor, a desire to win, and a little luck. He also attributes his success to preparation and hard work. Zaret has had success with cases that have inherent difficulties such as low medical specials, aggravations of preexisting injuries, or questionable liability. The challenge of turning a case around excites him and makes him work harder to win the case. His sense of humor is a tool he utilizes in presenting his case to a jury. He enjoys "making people laugh...making people happy." He believes that when the jury starts out, everyone is on edge and uncomfortable. At the appropriate time, he will make an off the cuff joke that he feels helps ease the tension of the jury. Zaret has turned a number of low specials cases into six figure verdicts and settlements. He accounts for his success in not having preconceived notions limiting the case because he feels they can be self fulfilling.

In the case at focus, [a dog attack resulting in a fall down a flight of concrete steps, which was settled on the day of trial for over $488,500.00] Zaret attributed the settlement in excess of forty times the medical specials to detailed preparation. In that case, he researched the background of the defendant's orthopedic expert. He obtained copies of transcripts where the doctor had testified in other cases similar to his case as an expert for plaintiffs and defendants. That research enabled him to cross-examine and convert the expert to his own witness. Finally, Zaret calls himself lucky--lucky in his personal life and his professional life. The luck he attributes to his professional life sound a lot like hard work, a winning attitude, and confidence in himself and his clients. He indicates that "in my cases, I feel that sometimes I can maximize recoveries...and there is an element of luck" that is probably the result of hard work and preparation.

FAVORITE TRIAL MOMENT:
Zaret worked his magic in the Thompson v. Roxbury case (published in the May 6, 1994, Verdicts & Settlements) where he represented a swimsuit model who slipped and fell down the stairs at a restaurant and scarred her knee. It was Zaret's favorite case because of the difficulties that had to be overcome, including medical bills of $10,000.00. The jury awarded his client $325,000.00. Zaret's favorite and least favorite trial moment came in one of his first trials, a premises liability case, where his client, the plaintiff, was "not exactly the pillar of society." During cross-examination, the client admitted to having been convicted of a felony robbery and purse-snatching. All the female jurors clutched their purses. Although Zaret knew he was in trouble, he convinced the jury that everyone is entitled to equal justice.

PERSONAL:
Zaret loves to spend his free time with his wife, Liz and three children--two daughters and a son. A doting father and husband, he believes that his wife is the best thing that ever happened to him. His wife has a master's degree in psychology and assists him in voir dire preparation, one of Zaret's favorite aspects of trial practice because he has to make split-second judgments and interpret the jurors' answers on their feelings about issues affecting the case. Zaret tries to play a game of tennis when possible.

WHAT OTHER LAWYERS AND JUDGES SAY ABOUT THIS ATTORNEY:
The Hon. Richard Neidorf of the Los Angeles Superior Court--West District, called Zaret "the magician," referring to a case Zaret tried in his own courtroom where Zaret was able to procure a verdict of approximately $80,000.00 with low medical damages.

Judge Neidorf stated that "Zaret won the first plaintiff's verdict in my court"...in about eighteen months. Attorney Erwin Sobel of the Law Offices of Erwin Sobel, Zaret's mentor, described Zaret as "a very talented trial lawyer...He's got a great ability to persuade juries." Sobel characterized Zaret as an "aggressive but very honest" litigator. Abram Zukor of Zukor & Nelson described Zaret as "smart, hard working," and "fun to work with." Abram Zukor noted that "the most important thing is that he gets excellent results for his client."