Our History

Before Devoting His Career to Consumer Advocacy, Our Founder Used to Defend A Manufacturer Against Consumers’ Lemon Law Claims

There are two sides to every story—and every lawsuit. While California’s lemon law provides purchasers and lessees with clear legal rights, auto manufacturers will often vigorously dispute their customers’ claims for legal remedies. They are well within their rights to do so (as long as they do so in good faith), and it would be irresponsible for their lawyers not to assert any viable defense they have available.

This is a fact our firm’s founder, attorney Payam Shahian, knows very well.

Before founding Strategic Legal Practices, Payam worked as a defense lawyer for Ford Motor Company. He focused his practice specifically on defending Ford against customers’ California lemon law claims. He was successful in this role—and in fact, his abilities were so apparent that Ford sought to prevent him from representing customers after he left the company to enter private practice.

Ford lost, and it has been losing California lemon law cases against our firm ever since.

Firm Founder Payam Shahian Wins Appeal to Represent Customers Against Ford

Four years after he left Ford, Payam filed a lawsuit against the company on behalf of a customer who had purchased a 2008 Lincoln Navigator. Rather than defend against the customer’s lemon law claim directly, Ford initially sought to defend against the claim by seeking to have Payam disqualified. Ford’s defense lawyers argued that Payam was “privy to confidential client communications and information relating to the defense of” California lemon law claims and that he should not be allowed to handle claims against the company as a result.

After a Los Angeles Superior Court judge sided with Ford initially, Payam appealed the decision and won. Presiding Justice Norman Epstein wrote that “Ford’s bare-bones evidence, in this case, is insufficient to establish that Shahian’s previous representation of Ford in California Lemon Law cases exposed him to confidential information that would be material to his current representation.”

A Consistent Track Record of Success in California Lemon Law Cases

This case went to court in 2013. Since then, Payam and the firm’s other attorneys have handled cases against Ford—which they have won over 99% of the time.

In addition to our firm’s success against Ford, we have won thousands of cases against other auto manufacturers since our founding in 2010. While our firm has always been devoted to consumer advocacy, we have transitioned to focusing on California lemon law claims exclusively. This focus has produced over a 99% success rate, and it has allowed us to help individuals throughout California stand up for their legal rights against some of the biggest companies in the world.

Speak with an In-Take Specialist at Strategic Legal Practices

Do you have a lemon law claim against Ford or another auto manufacturer? Contact us to find out. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an In-Take Specialist at Strategic Legal Practices, call 888-757-5366 or request an appointment online today.