Our Firm

LaMontagne & Terhar LLP provides high quality, sophisticated and cost-efficient legal representation in the areas of aviation, product liability, premises liability, general liability, "toxic tort," insurance coverage and civil appeals. All of the named partners and most of the partners in the firm hold the highest ratings and evaluations given by the prominent national legal directories. All have extensive jury trial experience and/or appellate experience. Many of the attorneys in the firm also bring their own expertise to the table as more fully set forth in the individual profiles, including licensed pilots.

The firm has heavily invested in technology to allow it to take on large cases, large law firms, and well-funded and aggressive adversaries. LaMontagne & Terhar LLP’s computer network and document management software allows any attorney or staff to instantaneously search and share the firm's work product. The network can be remotely accessed so that the attorneys have access to this material 24/7 from anywhere. This means that our clients are not paying to "reinvent the wheel," which is the point of hiring experienced attorneys. All attorneys have direct access to legal and public record internet databases including Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis and have access to computerized court forms, jury instructions and national jury verdicts and settlements.

With over a century of litigation experience, the attorneys in the firm have an extensive list of expert witnesses with whom we have worked in many fields, including mechanical engineering, material sciences (metallurgy, fracture mechanics, ceramics, and composites), structural engineering, civil engineering, aeronautical engineering, piloting, aircraft maintenance (A&P mechanics), air traffic control, accident investigation and reconstruction, human factors and ergonomics, safety engineers, labeling and warnings, premises security, crowd control, Olympic-level sports coaching and training, orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, psychology, toxicology, vocational rehabilitation, life care plans, and economics. We typically retain doctorate level experts in their respective fields, when available and appropriate. These experts have impeccable credentials and provide honest, neutral and supportable opinions which will allow the client to accurately assess its liability and damage exposure and whose opinions and credentials will withstand the rigors of cross-examination.

The key to cost-effective representation of our clients is to evaluate the case as soon as possible at the senior level and to continue to reassess, reevaluate and promptly report as the case progresses. If you hire a litigation firm you have the right to expect that the firm is ready, willing and able to take the matter to trial. Part of the cost of effective legal representation includes consideration and use of creative alternatives to protracted and expensive litigation, including early mediation, non- binding and binding arbitration, “high-low” agreements, "good faith" settlements and sliding scale ("Mary Carter") agreements. In addition to participating as litigators, all of the senior attorneys have acted as volunteer mediators, arbitrators, or judges pro tem.

The attorneys in our coverage/appellate department have authored over 600 coverage opinions and have over 150 appeals to their credit. Due to the significant or novel issues addressed in many of these appeals, over 40 of the appeals have resulted in published appellate decisions. The appellate attorneys in the firm are well respected and clients often come to the firm requesting that the firm handle appeals in cases in which another firm represented the client at the trial level.

Our main office is in Los Angeles and we also have a Central Valley office in Fresno, California. Our success and cost effectiveness has resulted in litigation assignments throughout the State of California as well as special (pro hac vice) assignments in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, and many other states.

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