Alan Van Gelder

Alan Van Gelder focuses on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, business litigation, and legal malpractice. He represented the family of actor Bill Paxton in his wrongful death case. He obtained a $12.2 million verdict for a client who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a fall (the jury found 0% fault against the plaintiff), a $15 million verdict in Keck v. Bel-Air Bay Club for wrongful death due to heat-related illness, and a $15 million verdict in George v. Firstservice Residential for severe injuries caused by a drunk driver found 100% liable through his employer. He secured an $11.75 million settlement with Los Angeles County for the wrongful death of cyclist Milton Olin (struck by a texting Sheriff's deputy), an $18 million confidential settlement for a firefighter injured by a defective product on a fire engine, and a $10 million settlement in a crash between a farm truck and a high school student. He earned his B.A. summa cum laude from California State University Northridge (1999) and his J.D. magna cum laude from Southwestern University School of Law (2002), where he served on the Law Review.