Five Decades of Advocacy: Stradling Builds an Orange County Litigation Powerhouse

Stradling Builds an Orange County Litigation Powerhouse

As Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth commemorates 50 years, it’s a time to reflect upon how Stradling’s litigation practice evolved to serve Orange County. Each decade brought new practice areas designed to help Orange County companies thrive.

A Foundation of Trial Excellence

Launched as a corporate boutique, Stradling quickly expanded into business and employment litigation to fully serve its clients. Stradling began by recruiting renowned trial lawyer Rich Goodman in 1977, launching a litigation era defined by decisive wins, including a $17.5 million jury verdict in a contract dispute and one of California’s largest verdicts in a major construction dispute. That tradition continues today, with multiple recent defense trial wins involving more than $100 million at stake and numerous multi-million-dollar plaintiff victories.

Stradling’s Labor & Employment group grew to meet client needs in California’s constantly evolving regulatory environment. Today, the firm counsels employers navigating California’s complex workplace laws and defends wage-and-hour class actions, PAGA disputes, and individual employment actions.

Stradling Adds Acclaimed Securities and Intellectual Property Litigation Practices

As Orange County matured into a technology hub in the 1990s, more local companies accessed the public markets. Anticipating the need for securities and intellectual property litigation expertise, Stradling launched leading practice groups in both areas.

The securities litigation practice compiled significant wins in securities fraud actions for Orange County companies such as Endologix, Quest Software, and Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, as well as merger disputes for public companies including CKE (Carl’s Jr.), Ceradyne, and Cardiac Science. More recently, Stradling successfully defended a stock-drop class action win before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for Playtika and obtained sanctions for a placeholder complaint in a groundbreaking decision for Harbor Biosciences. These results have earned Stradling national recognition from The Legal 500.

Stradling’s intellectual property litigation group also became a powerhouse, representing Orange County institutions including Kingston Technology, Quest Software, and Endologix. Among many notable cases, Stradling secured a critical victory for surgical robotics pioneer Computer Motion, leading to its merger with Intuitive Surgical. The firm’s success expanded to intellectual property litigation for technology leaders such as Edwards Lifesciences, Western Digital, and Medtronic.

White Collar, Investigations & Regulatory Defense

Growing regulatory scrutiny led to the formation of Stradling’s Corporate Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice in 2009, anchored by former SEC enforcement attorneys and a former federal prosecutor. The group’s effective engagement with government agencies has produced successful outcomes, including more than 40 SEC and DOJ declinations.

Privacy & Consumer Litigation

With the emergence of California’s novel privacy laws, Stradling is positioned at the forefront of consumer privacy litigation, defending companies against class actions under the CCPA, CPRA, and federal statutes. A dedicated Consumer Litigation and Regulatory team guides companies through compliance and disputes involving subscription models, greenwashing, AI-washing, and false advertising.

Looking Forward

As businesses face unprecedented complexity, Stradling remains a steadfast partner. With 50 years of sound judgment and a future-focused mindset, the firm continues to help companies transform challenges into clarity, strategy, and competitive advantage.