Attorneys

Ross H. Hirsch

Partner
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Ross Hirsch Bike AttorneyRoss Hirsch, a partner in the Los Angeles office, has over twelve years of experience litigating civil and complex civil cases.  He represents small, medium, and large companies and individuals in all phases of civil litigation specializing in environmental law, contract disputes, complex business litigation, insurance issues, employment litigation, and personal injury cases capitalizing on his hands-on knowledge of cycling issues and cycling collisions.  He commutes daily to the office and court by bike.

Mr. Hirsch has successfully litigated dozens of cases in multi-million dollar actions.  He has helped clients avoid adverse judgments, negotiate favorable settlements, save money on legal fees, and obtain insurance benefits from recalcitrant insurance companies. 

This year, Mr. Hirsch defended a steel and aluminum foundry in a case brought by one of the nation's largest school districts.  The district was seeking the recovery of over $84 million it spent investigating and remediating alleged hazardous substance contamination at a school site.  The action represented one of the largest filed under California's Hazardous Substances Account Act (HSAA), the state's CERCLA Superfund statute, and also it included claims for nuisance and trespass due to the alleged chemical contamination.  Through research and detailed consultation with experts in the field, Mr. Hirsch and his colleagues were able to present a case demonstrating that the majority of the costs in question were attributable to the actions of other parties--and not the client.  The case was settled, and defense fees were paid by the insurance carrier.

Click this Los Angeles Times article that discusses the successful results of a car-on-cyclist hit-and-run case where Mr. Hirsch represented the cyclist/victim, Mr. Magos, in his plight to obtain justice and recover his economic losses.  You can listen to a radio interview here where Mr. Hirsch discusses new cyclist anti-harassment legislation that he helped draft with the Los Angeles City Attorney and Los Angeles City Council Transportation Committee Chair Councilmember Bill Rosendahl's office designed to give greater enforcement rights to cyclists.  You can also listen to this KPCC 89.3 radio interview that further explains the groundbreaking first-in-the-nation legislation.

Mr. Hirsch's practice regularly requires him to work closely with many government agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Cal EPA (including its sister agencies the State Water Boards and the Department of Toxic Substances Control or DTSC), Los Angeles and Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Boards (LARWQCB and SARWQCB), United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal OSHA or DOSH), Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and other state and municipal governments and agencies.

With a B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, Mr. Hirsch brings scientific understanding to his cases, whether they touch upon fields of chemistry, toxicology, geology, hydrogeology, engineering, or accident reconstruction.  This is among the most challenging--yet intellectually rewarding--aspect of defending clients with complex legal/technical issues.

Mr. Hirsch is on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Environmental Law Section--and working with the Marketing Committee, he has launched the Section's profiles on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter to expand the reach of the section and attract a new generation of attorneys.

Mr. Hirsch has been repeatedly selected as a "Super Lawyer Rising Star."  Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named as Super Lawyers in any given year.

Mr. Hirsch bikes--he commutes by bike, he is involved in various bike advocacy campaigns designed to make biking easier, safer, and more widely integrated into peoples' lives, and he has served as lead trial counsel in cyclist injury and hit-and-run cases.  Mr. Hirsch is also an active member and sits on the Business Development and Outreach Committee of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.  He is also on the Families and Bikes Executive Committee with C.I.C.L.E., Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange, and is also an Urban Expedition Ride Leader.   He also co-founded the MidDay Ridazz and Bici-Chamacos--with a group of other cycling parents whose missions it is to get more families and kids on bikes.  The MidDay Ridazz and Bici-Chamacos put together group rides and various biking activities so familes can enjoy biking together and have a great time.

Education:

J.D., Southwestern University School of Law, 1999

B.S., Biochemistry/Cell Biology, University of California, San Diego, 1992

  • Law Review, Lead Articles Editor Southwestern Law Review
  • Law Review, Staff Member
  • Dean's Merit Scholar
  • CALI "Excellence for the Future" Awards (multiple recipient)

While in law school, Mr. Hirsch externed at the United States Department of Justice, Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington, D.C.

Licenses & Certifications:

Affiliations:

Drafted Briefs for Reported Decisions:

Yeroushalmi v. Miramar Sheraton, 88 Cal.App.4th 738, 106 Cal.Rptr.2d 332 (2001)

Department of Toxic Substances Control v. Interstate Non-Ferrous Corp., 99 F. Supp. 2d 1123 (E.D. Cal. 2000) 

Publications and Speaking Engagements:

First-of-its-kind Cyclist Anti-harassment Becomes Law in Los Angeles, Streetsblog Los Angeles, September 27, 2011.

Mr. Hirsch regularly provides testimony at legislative sessions, legal seminars, and press events related to his current projects.