Daniel Kramer

Daniel Kramer

Trial Lawyer

Contact Information

Practice Areas

Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Employment

Education

J.D., Southwestern Law School 2008
B.A., Political Sciences and History,
University of Colorado Boulder 2004

About

Daniel Kramer is the founder of Kramer Trial Lawyers and CAALA’s 2026 Trial Lawyer of the Year, the highest honor awarded by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. He represents families and individuals in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, government liability, and employment cases, and he takes them to trial. Dan has not lost a jury trial since 2021. Since August 2023 alone, he has tried ten cases to verdict as lead counsel, in courtrooms from San Diego to Contra Costa County. His last 12 trials, dating back to August 2022, have all ended in seven-figure verdicts, 11 of them multimillion-dollar awards.

His recent results include an $11.5 million verdict against Caltrans for a cyclist who suffered a traumatic brain injury on a dangerous stretch of Pacific Coast Highway; an $11,069,517 verdict against the County of San Bernardino, later affirmed on appeal; a unanimous $6,002,314 verdict against San Bernardino County, with the jury finding the County 100% at fault; a $5.175 million verdict in Contra Costa County; and a $3.7 million verdict for an assistant principal, broadcast gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network. Earlier verdicts include $12,622,238.75 for an electrician injured by a defective roof hatch, one of the first trials in downtown Los Angeles during COVID, and $11 million for a pedestrian struck by a distracted driver. In 2024, he resolved a catastrophic damages case for $39 million.

Dan’s peers have recognized that record. Beyond Trial Lawyer of the Year, he was named to the Los Angeles Times 2026 Consumer Attorneys of Southern California Visionaries list and is a 2026 finalist for CAOC’s Street Fighter of the Year (also a finalist in 2021), was runner-up for CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2021 and a nominee in 2025, and was twice a finalist for CAALA’s Rising Star award. He has been named to The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2021 and a Southern California Super Lawyer every year since 2022, and his verdicts and settlements earned more than 20 TopVerdict rankings in 2024 and 2025 alone, including eight #1 rankings in California and its counties.

Dan is equally committed to the civil justice system outside the courtroom. Elected CAALA Secretary for 2027, he is on track to serve as CAALA President in 2032. He serves on the CAOC Board of Directors and the LA-ABOTA Executive Committee, and is a past president of Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities (2021), which honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024, and served as president of the Southwestern Law School Alumni Association (2024). In 2017 he became one of the youngest lawyers admitted to the Los Angeles chapter of ABOTA, and he founded the ABOTA-LAUSD Mock Trial Program, which introduces inner-city high school students to civil jury trials and the Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury.

Dan also serves on the adjunct faculty of Southwestern Law School, his alma mater, where he taught Law Firm and Civil Litigation Practice in the Graduate Legal Academic Program from 2013 to 2017 and has taught jury selection since 2023. He has spoken at more than 100 programs for trial lawyers and law students, including the CAALA and CAOC conventions, the LA-ABOTA Trial School, the ASCDC Annual Seminar, NAPLA, and the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. He co-hosts Picking Justice with jury consultant Harry Plotkin, a nationally recognized podcast devoted entirely to jury selection, and writes on trial practice for Advocate, Plaintiff, The Gavel, and the Daily Journal. He trained at the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, CAALA’s Plaintiff Trial Academy, and the Trojan Horse Method. Before founding KTL in 2020, he co-founded Kramer Holcomb Sheik LLP.

When he is not in trial, Dan coaches Little League and is a die-hard Colorado Buffaloes, Atlanta Braves, and Falcons fan, still working to get his wife, son, and daughter on the bandwagon.

  • Awards
    • CAALA Charlie O'Reilly Trial Lawyer of the Year 2026
    • Los Angeles Times Consumer Attorneys of Southern California Visionaries 2026
    • Finalist for CAOC's "Street Fighter" of the Year Award 2026
    • Southern California Super Lawyer 2022-2026
    • #1 Verdict in California 2025, three categories: Slip and Fall Accidents, Restaurant Premises Liability, and Parking Lot Accidents (TopVerdict)
    • #1 Verdict in Los Angeles County 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • #1 Verdict in San Diego County 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • #1 Settlement in California 2025, T-Bone Collisions (TopVerdict)
    • #1 Settlement in San Bernardino County 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Three Verdicts Named to the Top 100 Premises Liability Verdicts in the United States 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Two Verdicts Named to the Top 20 Premises Liability Verdicts in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Two Verdicts Named to the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in Los Angeles 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Four Verdicts Named to the Top 100 Personal Injury Verdicts in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 100 Verdicts in California 2025 (TopVerdict)
    • Nominee for CAALA's Charlie O'Reilly Trial Lawyer of the Year Award 2025
    • Association for Bar Professionals and LexisNexis Community and Education Outreach Award 2025 (for the Beverly Hills Bar Association wildfire property-claims webinar)
    • #1 Verdict in San Mateo County 2024 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in California 2024 (TopVerdict)
    • Top 100 Personal Injury Verdicts in California 2024 (TopVerdict)
    • LATLC Lifetime Achievement Award 2024
    • Top 50 Verdicts in CA 2022
    • The Best Lawyers in America© 2021-present
    • Runner-Up for CAALA's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award 2021
    • Finalist for CAOC's "Street Fighter" of the Year Award 2021
    • Top 10 Premises Liability Verdicts in the U.S. 2021
    • Top 10 Personal Injury Verdict in CA 2021
    • Top 50 Verdicts in CA 2021
    • Top 10 Truck Accident Settlement in CA 2021
    • LATLC Presidential Award for Outstanding Dedication & Services 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
    • Super Lawyers "Rising Star" 2018-2020
    • Pasadena Top Attorney 2013-2020
    • Top 100 Personal Injury Verdict in CA 2019
    • Top 20 Premises Liability Verdict in CA 2019
    • Attorney at Law Magazine Trial Lawyer of the Month, December 2018
    • #2 Construction Accident Verdict in CA 2018
    • Top 20 Premises Liability Verdict in CA 2018
    • Finalist for CAALA's "Rising Star" Award 2017, 2018
    • Top 50 Personal Injury Settlement in CA 2017
    • Top 50 Labor & Employment Verdict in CA 2017
    • Top 50 Personal Injury Verdict in CA 2016
    • Top 10 Premises Liability Verdict in CA 2016
  • Memberships & Boards
    • Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) - Secretary 2027; on the officer track to serve as President 2032; Board of Governors 2022-present; Bench-Bar Committee Chair 2026; Finance Committee
    • Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) - Board of Directors 2019-present
    • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) - Member since 2017; LA-ABOTA Executive Committee 2019-present; Founder, ABOTA-LAUSD Mock Trial Program; Faculty, LA-ABOTA Trial School
    • Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (LATLC) - Board of Directors 2016-present; President 2021
    • Southwestern Law School Alumni Association - Board of Directors 2016-present; President 2023-2024
    • Beverly Hills Bar Association - Board of Directors 2019-2024; Founding Member and Chair, Personal Injury Section
    • American Association for Justice (AAJ)
    • Los Angeles County Bar Association
    • American Bar Association
    • Trial Lawyers Inn of Court
    • Southwestern Young Alumni Association - President 2012-2013
    • Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) - Board of Directors, elected 2013 as its youngest member ever
  • Publications
  • Lectures & Speaking Engagements

    Teaching

    • Professor: Jury Selection in Civil Cases, Southwestern Law School (co-taught with Robert Glassman), 2023-present
    • Professor: Law Firm and Civil Litigation Practice, Graduate Legal Academic Program, Southwestern Law School, 2013-2017

    2026

    • Speaker: CAOC 65th Annual Convention, San Francisco, November 2026
    • Speaker: Closing Arguments (premises liability demonstration), CAALA Vegas 2026, September 4, 2026
    • Presenter: Maximizing Noneconomic Damages: The Matrix Method for Past and Future Harm in Closing, Trial Guides CLE, July 30, 2026
    • Speaker: Demonstrations: Voir Dire and Jury Selection, CELA Trial College, Southwestern Law School, May 28, 2026
    • Speaker: The Anatomy of a Trial from Beginning to End (jury selection), ASCDC 65th Annual Seminar, May 2026
    • Speaker: Using Demonstrative Evidence at Trial, CAALA New Trial Lawyers Seminar, March 21, 2026

    2025

    • Speaker: Two Chairs, One Strategy: Trial Team Dynamics That Win, CAOC 64th Annual Convention, November 14, 2025
    • Speaker: CAALA Vegas 2025, August 29, 2025
    • Speaker: CSIMS MedLaw Tricon 2025, Coronado, August 23, 2025
    • Speaker: Trial Tutorials: Dealing with Bad Facts and Bad Witnesses, Beverly Hills Bar Association, August 20, 2025
    • Speaker: Picking Justice Live: Framing in Jury Selection, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, August 18, 2025
    • Faculty: Jury Selection, LA-ABOTA Trial School, Loyola Law School, August 5, 2025
    • Keynote: Southwestern Law School Admitted Students Dinner, May 2025
    • Organizer: 3rd Annual ABOTA-LAUSD Mock Trial, Spring 2025
    • Speaker: Sample Closing Argument, CAALA New Lawyers Trial Skills Seminar, March 2025
    • Moderator: Employment Law: From Soup to Nuts From a Judge's Perspective, February 2025
    • Speaker: A Guide to Property Damage Claims Following a Natural Disaster, Beverly Hills Bar Association webinar, January 14, 2025

    2024

    • Moderator: The Final Blow: Winning Closing Arguments and Strategies Utilized in Trial, CAOC 63rd Annual Convention, November 2024
    • Lecturer: Closing Arguments, UCLA, October 2024
    • Speaker: Radiological Issues, Traumatic Brain Injury Panel, CAALA Las Vegas 2024, August 2024
    • Speaker: Cross-Examination of Defense Orthopedists and Neurosurgeons at Trial, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Convention, August 2024
    • Speaker: Trial Skills: Dealing with Bad Facts and Bad Witnesses, Beverly Hills Bar Association, July 2, 2024
    • Emcee: 33rd Annual Southwestern Law School Alumni Awards Gala, June 20, 2024
    • Speaker: The LAUSD Mock Jury Trial, LA-ABOTA Chapter Meeting, June 18, 2024
    • Speaker: CalChiro Personal Injury for All (PI4ALL), Newport Beach, June 15, 2024
    • Speaker: Navigating the Challenges in Evaluating mTBI, Beverly Hills Bar Association, June 11, 2024
    • Commencement Speaker: Southwestern Law School Graduation, May 17, 2024
    • Speaker: The Ins and Outs of Premises Liability, CAOC, Palm Springs, May 3, 2024
    • Organizer: ABOTA-LAUSD Mock Trial, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, April 11, 2024
    • Speaker: Southwestern Law School Alumni Association 50/50 Reception, February 2024
    • Speaker: Premises Liability Tips from the Front Lines, ASCDC 63rd Annual Seminar, February 9, 2024
    • Moderator: New 2024 Developments Impacting Personal Injury and Employment Cases, CAALA webinar, January 25, 2024

    2023

    • Speaker: Opening Statements, CAOC 62nd Annual Convention, November 17, 2023
    • Moderator: May It Please the Court: The Judges' Perspective on What We Can Do Better at Trial, Beverly Hills Bar Association, November 8, 2023
    • Lecturer: Jury Selection, Opening, and Closing, Loyola Law School, November 1, 2023
    • Speaker: Crossing Defense Experts, Law-Di-Gras 2023, San Diego, October 2023
    • Lecturer: Closing Arguments, UCLA, October 12, 2023
    • Keynote: LACBA Solo and Small Firm Conference, October 6, 2023
    • Speaker: The Art of Storytelling at Trial, Southwestern Consumer Law Society, September 20, 2023
    • Speaker: Discovery Plans in Premises Liability Cases, CAALA Las Vegas 2023, August 31, 2023
    • Speaker: Welcome to the Danger Zone: Deconstructing Construction Accident and Public Sidewalk Trip and Fall Cases, CAALA webinar, May 25, 2023
    • Speaker: Premises Cases and Trial Debate, TLU Beach, Huntington Beach, May 19-20, 2023
    • Speaker: Doing the Deep Dive in Voir Dire, NAPLA Annual Convention, Chicago, May 5, 2023
    • Speaker: Taking Depositions of Medical Experts, Beverly Hills Bar Association, April 14, 2023
    • Lecturer: California Civil Procedure, Loyola Law School, April 12, 2023
    • Speaker: From Law Student to Trial Attorney, Southwestern Consumer Law Society, March 22, 2023
    • Speaker: Voir Dire and Trial Strategy from a $12.6 Million Premises Verdict, NAPLA webinar, March 15, 2023
    • Speaker: Jury Selection in Premises Cases, TBI Med Legal Conference, San Diego, March 10, 2023
    • Speaker: $3,076,000.01 Knee Replacement Verdict, Trial Lawyers University webinar, March 3, 2023

    2022

    • Speaker: Best Practices for Effective Depositions, Part Two, Beverly Hills Bar Association, December 13, 2022
    • Speaker: Overcoming Biases During Voir Dire with a Non-English Speaking Plaintiff, CAOC 61st Annual Convention, November 2022
    • Speaker: $11 Million Auto v. Pedestrian Verdict, TLU Live Las Vegas, October 2022
    • Speaker: Best Practices for Effective Depositions, Part One, Beverly Hills Bar Association, September 23, 2022
    • Speaker: $11 Million Auto v. Pedestrian Verdict, Trial Lawyers University webinar, September 14, 2022
    • Speaker: Preserving Evidence for Future Litigation, CAALA Vegas 2022, September 2, 2022
    • Speaker: Winning the Case in Opening: How to Structure Every Opening, PSBR Trial College, July 28, 2022
    • Speaker: Trial Skills, Law-Di-Gras 2022, Carlsbad, July 2022
    • Speaker: $218,400 Auto and Spine Injury Verdict, Trial Lawyers University webinar, June 8, 2022

    2021

    • Speaker: Winning Closing Statements in Auto Accident Cases, CAOC 60th Annual Convention, November 19, 2021
    • Speaker: CAALA Vegas 2021, September 3, 2021
    • Speaker: The Power of Opening Statements, Trial Lawyers University Live at LA Live, June 18, 2021
    • Speaker: Locking in Liability for Your Slip, Trip, and Fall Cases, CAOC webinar, May 25, 2021
    • Panelist: An Insider's Perspective: Life as a Trial Lawyer, Southwestern Law School, May 24, 2021
    • Speaker: $850,000 Slip and Fall Verdict, Case Analysis webinar, May 18, 2021
    • Speaker: Premises Liability Masterclass, Part 1: Construction Cases, TBI Med Legal, April 1, 2021
    • Speaker: $1,900,000 Mild TBI Verdict in Orange County, Case Analysis webinar, March 26, 2021
    • Moderator: Southwestern Law School Debate, March 23, 2021
    • Speaker: Mastering Your Depositions, Loyola Law School Consumer Law Society, March 18, 2021
    • Moderator: Turning a $15,000 Offer into a $13,000,000 Verdict in a Premises Trial, Case Analysis webinar, February 22, 2021
    • Speaker: $2.9 Million Non-Economic Construction Site Fall Verdict, Case Analysis webinar, February 5, 2021
    • Moderator: Cross-Examining the "Independent" Medical Examiner, Case Analysis webinar, January 28, 2021
    • Speaker: $29,000,000 Mild TBI Trial, Case Analysis webinar, January 7, 2021

    2020

    • Moderator: Trying Cases in COVID: Breaking Down Actual Trials from Jury Selection to Verdict, CAALA webinar, December 10, 2020
    • Speaker: Remote Depositions, CAALA Legal Staff webinar, November 16, 2020
    • Speaker: $2.2 Million Slip and Fall Against LAX, Case Analysis webinar, November 5, 2020
    • Speaker: Premises Cases: Advanced Theories, TBI Med Legal Web Jam, October 2020
    • Moderator: Slip and Fall Resulting in CRPS Diagnosis, Case Analysis webinar, September 25, 2020
    • Panelist: Virtual Career Paths, Southwestern Law School, September 16, 2020
    • Co-Host: Non-Economic Damages: $26 Million Verdict, Case Analysis webinar, August 7, 2020
    • Co-Host: Employment School, Case Analysis webinar, August 6, 2020
    • Speaker: Jury Selection in Personal Injury Cases in a Post-COVID-19 World, CAALA webinar, May 21, 2020
    • Co-Host: Trucking Opening Statement, Case Analysis webinar, May 20, 2020
    • Speaker: Breaking Down the Structure of a Wrongful Termination Opening Statement, Case Analysis webinar, May 8, 2020
    • Co-Host: Wrongful Termination Opening Statement, Case Analysis webinar, April 14, 2020
    • Co-Host: $20 Million Speed Trial Verdict, Case Analysis webinar, March 20, 2020
    • Speaker: Premises Liability Jury Selection, TBI Med Legal, 2020

    2019

    • Speaker: How Jury Selection Is Conducted, Loyola Law School Consumer Law Society, November 13, 2019
    • Faculty: Plaintiff's Opening Statement Demonstration, 32nd Annual Jack Daniels ABOTA Trial School, Loyola Law School, July 30, 2019
    • Moderator: Seminar on the Sea, MotionLit Services, June 10, 2019
    • Speaker: Southwestern Law School Admitted Students Reception, May 2019
    • Speaker: Trying Cases, CAALA New Lawyers, April 16, 2019
    • Panelist: Closing Arguments for Achieving Justice, Southwestern Law School Alumni Association CLE, January 30, 2019

    2018 and Earlier

    • Moderator: Gun Control and Mental Illness Debate, Inn of St. Ives, Southwestern Law School, March 22, 2018
    • Speaker: The Horse in Action, Trojan Horse Method, October 26-27, 2017
    • Speaker: From the Tea Room to the Court Room: Developing Skills to Become Elite Trial Attorneys, Southwestern Consumer Law Society, October 17, 2017
    • Speaker: From Classroom to Courtroom for Law Students, CAALA, October 13, 2016
    • Moderator: Jury Selection: Lessons from the Masters, Beverly Hills Bar Association, June 14, 2016
    • Speaker: Crash Course on How to Steer an Auto Accident Case from Inception to Trial, Beverly Hills Bar Association, April 9, 2015
    • Honored Speaker: Southwestern 50/50 Annual Reception, March 24, 2015
    • Speaker: How to Prepare for Your First Trial, October 2, 2014
    • Moderator: The Personal Injury Trial: Winning Strategies from the Masters, Beverly Hills Bar Association, March 27, 2014
    • Lecturer: Make It Rain: How to Bring in Business Through Networking, Southwestern MCLE, January 28, 2014
    • Moderator: Law Firm Growth: What Partners Should Tell Their Associates, ASCDC Annual Seminar, February 28, 2013
    • Speaker: Mediation Strategies and Tactics for Achieving the Most Favorable Results for Clients, Southwestern Law School, January 23, 2013
    • Speaker: I'm Not a Lawyer, But I Play One on TV: When Actors Need Legal Counsel, SAG Foundation, October 23, 2012

    Media & Podcasts 

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Case Results

View All
$39 Million

2024 Confidential Settlement.
$12.6 Million
Personal Injury

On August 6, 2021, following six days of testimony and under three hours of deliberation at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles, a panel of 12 jurors awarded $12,622,238.75 in favor of plaintiff, represented by Kramer Trial Lawyers’ Dan Kramer and Teresa Johnson.
$11.5 Million
Government Liability

A raised section of sidewalk on Pacific Coast Highway in Harbor City appeared in Caltrans’s own photographs as far back as 2012. In 2019, another rider crashed on it and sued. The hazard was still there when our client’s bicycle hit it two years later, causing a traumatic brain injury. A Long Beach jury has […]
$11 Million
Personal Injury

On August 22, 2023, following a 3-week automobile versus automobile trial against the County of San Bernardino, a panel of 12 jurors awarded $11,069,517 for Plaintiff, represented by Kramer Trial Lawyers’ Dan Kramer and Brandon Salumbides.
$11 Million
Personal Injury

Kramer Trial Lawyers is proud to announce that on August 29, 2022, a Santa Monica jury awarded an eight-figure verdict on an automobile versus pedestrian case.  This verdict was achieved by KTL attorneys Dan Kramer and Teresa Johnson, along with co-counsel Alex Eisner of Shawn Steel Law Firm. 
$6.15 Million
Personal Injury

Adan Flores was seriously injured when an 80,000 pound tanker illegally pulled out in front of him cause multiple fractures throughout his body and a traumatic brain injury, leaving Mr. Flores in a coma for nearly a month. The case settled for $6,150,000 on December 6, 2021, just over thirty days before trial. 
$6 Million
Government Liability

After four weeks of trial against skilled defense counsel, Kramer Trial Lawyers secured a unanimous $6,002,314 verdict on behalf of their client in Butler v. San Bernardino County — with the jury finding the County 100% at fault.
$5.175 Million
Car Crash

After years of fighting for justice, our client has received a $5.175 million jury verdict in Contra Costa County. She suffered permanent spinal injuries after being struck by a distracted driver in a Trader Joe’s parking lot in 2017.