Mike Arias is the founding and managing partner of Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP. He is a past president of both the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), two of the largest trial lawyer associations in the nation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Numerous publications and peer organizations have recognized Mr. Arias as one of the top trial attorneys in the country. He has been named California Lawyer of the Year by the Daily Journal and Trial Lawyer of the Year by CAOC. The Daily Journal has also honored him as one of the Top 30 Plaintiff Attorneys in California and one of the Top 100 Attorneys in California. The National Law Journal has honored him a Plaintiff Trailblazer, The Recorder honored him as a California Trailblazer, and Lawdragon has recognized him as a Top 500 Plaintiff Attorney in the nation. Mr. Arias has also been a Super Lawyer every year since 2009 and a Best Lawyer every year since 2019.
During his 40-year career, he has litigated and tried matters throughout the United States in both state and federal court. He has served as lead, co-lead, or liaison counsel in hundreds of class and mass tort/plaintiff actions, including actions against some of the largest corporations and institutions in the nation.
He was co-liaison counsel for the plaintiffs in the University of Southern California/Dr. George Tyndall litigation on behalf of over 700 women who were sexually abused and assaulted by the disgraced USC gynecologist. Mr. Arias was instrumental in obtaining legislation to allow the survivors to pursue their claims and which ultimately led to a historic $852 million settlement, the largest known settlement in a sexual abuse case in U.S. history, as well as the largest-known personal injury settlement against a university.
His trial experience is as diverse as the firm’s practice. Mr. Arias’ last several trials have included serious personal injury, wrongful death, employment, consumer class actions and mass wage and hour claims. He has recently resolved several class actions and mass plaintiff matters involving antitrust, toxic torts, consumer, wage and hour, environmental issues, product liability, and sexual assault. During his career, he has resolved hundreds of matters, resulting in well over a billion dollars in recovery for the firm’s clients.
Mr. Arias is very involved in political fundraising and has been integral in helping bring greater representation and equity throughout the political arena through his political fundraising efforts on behalf of pro-civil justice and consumer-friendly political candidates at both the state and federal levels.
He is admitted to practice law in California, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. He also is admitted before numerous federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Arias holds an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell. The “AV” rating is the highest rating given and is awarded only upon reaching “heights” of professional excellence, both in terms of legal ability and ethical standards.
Verdicts & Settlements
- $852 million settlement on behalf of 710 plaintiffs, the largest sexual assault settlement in history, against USC and George Tyndall, who sexually abused thousands of USC students during his time on campus.
- $243 million settlement against UCLA for decades-long institutional sexual misconduct case involving disgraced OBGYN James Heaps.
- $38.5 million settlement on behalf of a person whose injuries left them a quadriplegic, believed to be the largest settlement in the history of the subject state in a case involving a single plaintiff.
- $32.5 million settlement against Uber on behalf of a group of consumers who alleged Uber misled them about safe ride fees and the quality of its drivers’ background checks.
- $19 million settlement in Hardie v. Cal-ISO after trial for grid control room operators due to misclassification.
- $8 million wage & hour class action settlement against Lithographix on behalf employees who were not provided with timely and duty-free meal periods, proper pay, break times, overtime and more.
Bar Admissions
- California
- New York
- New Jersey
- District of Columbia
Leadership Positions
- American Association for Justice (AAJ): Member – AAJ Executive Committee; Co-Chair – AAJ PAC Development Committee; Member – AAJ Organization Review Committee; Member – AAJ National Finance Council; Member – AAJ Evergreen Advisory Committee; Past-Chair – AAJ Council of Presidents; Past-Chair – AAJ PAC Task Force; Past-Chair – AAJ Convention Planning Committee; Past-Chair – AAJ Leaders Forum Advisory Committee; Past Co-Chair – Class Action Litigation Group
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC): President (2019); Past Chair – CAOC PAC; Past Chair of the Legislative, Education and Membership Committees
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA): President (2018); Founding Chair/Faculty – Plaintiff Trial Academy; Past Vice-Chair Education Committee
- Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA): Past Member – Litigation Section Executive Committee
- Southern Connecticut State University Foundation Board of Directors – Member
Association Memberships
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Belli Society
- California Employment Lawyers Association
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- National Civil Justice Institute
- Public Justice
- Orange County Trial Lawyers Association
- San Diego Trial Lawyers Association
- Western Trial Lawyers
Awards & Honors
- California Lawyer of the Year – Daily Journal (2022)
- Consumer Attorneys of Southern California – Los Angeles Times (2023-2024)
- Leading Commercial Litigator – Daily Journal (2022,2025)
- Trial Lawyer of the Year – CAOC (2021)
- California Top 40 Plaintiff Lawyers – Daily Journal (2018-2024)
- Top 100 Attorneys in California – Daily Journal (2019, 2021-2024)
- Top Rated Lawyer – Martindale-Hubbell™ (25+ years)
- 500 National Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers – LawDragon (2019-2024)
- Plaintiff Trailblazer – National Law Journal (2020)
- California Trailblazer – The Recorder (2019)
- Best Lawyers in America (2019 – 2025)
- Super Lawyers (2009-2025)
- President’s Distinguished Service Award 2015, 2020, 2022 – AAJ
- Above and Beyond Award 2016, 2017, 2022 – AAJ
- Wiedemann & Wysocki Award 2019 – 2023 – AAJ
- Citizen of the Year by the Los Angeles Police Department – Pacific Division Boosters
- Entrepreneur of the Year by the Loyola Marymount University – School of Business
- Volunteer of the Year – Westchester Family YMCA of Los Angeles
- Community Service Award – LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce
- YMCA Kids Need Heroes – Community Pillar Award
- Inducted into the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles’ Golden Book (the Y’s highest honor, in recognition of his many years of service)
Pro Bono/Volunteer
- Settlement Officer – Joint CAALA/ASCD/ABOTA Settlement Program
- Arbitrator – Beverly Hills/Los Angeles County Bar Association Fee Dispute Program
- Settlement Officer – Los Angeles County Superior Court Personal Injury and Employment “Crash Settlement” Programs.
Community Service
- Past President – Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa del Rey
- Past Vice-President Governmental Affairs – LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce
- Past Chair – Westchester Family YMCA Board of Managers (two terms)
- Board of Directors – Westchester Playa Del Rey Youth Foundation
- Board of Directors – LAPD Pacific Area Boosters Association
- Past Board of Directors – Westchester Rotary Club
- Chaired several charity golf tournaments
- Coach/Manager – Little League/Babe Ruth baseball, Jr. Lakers basketball, Pop Warner football and AYSO soccer teams
Other
Mr. Arias has been certified as an agent with the National Basketball Players’ Association, Major League Baseball Players’ Association and National Football League Players’ Association and has negotiated millions of dollars in contracts for dozens of professional athletes.
Contact Mike Arias at mike@aswtlawyers.com or by phone at (310) 304-2890.
