Attorneys

Eric R. Maier

Eric R. Maier

In 2010, for the second straight year, Los Angeles Magazine selected Eric R. Maier as one of its “Rising Stars” among Southern California lawyers, recognizing him as one of the best young lawyers in the area of business litigation. The selection is based on peer recognition, professional achievement, and ethical standards.

Eric began his career as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan, a position to which he was appointed in 1996. There, he prosecuted tax fraud, campaign-finance fraud, contraband smuggling, and other white collar crime.

From 2000 until 2006, Eric worked as a litigation associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles. There, he represented some of the world’s best-known financial institutions, retailers, and energy companies, as well as the officers and directors of a wide range of public companies, against claims of securities fraud, unfair business practices, antitrust violations, breach of fiduciary duty, and other business torts.

Since 2007, Eric has been a partner of Maier Shoch LLP. At Maier Shoch, Eric has continued to represent large companies against claims such as breach of contract, unfair business practices and securities fraud, and he also represents smaller companies and individuals in cases involving contract disputes, business torts, partnership disputes, employee-rights claims, and intellectual property disputes. Among many other matters that Eric has handled successfully since 2007, he has handled the following representative matters:

  • Lead Counsel for a world-renowned golf-course architect against claims for breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and interference with prospective economic advantage concerning the construction of various golf courses in China and Korea. Successfully moved the Court to throw out a majority of the claims early in the proceeding. Following discovery, convinced the plaintiff and the plaintiff’s attorneys to settle the remaining claims on the eve of trial for zero dollars rather than face a certain defense verdict and award of attorneys’ fees and costs, resulting in a complete victory for the client.
  • Co-Counsel for an IRA trust company in the defense of an IRA trust company in a class action for breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and aiding and abetting fraud by brought by a class of investors who used their IRAs to invest in what turned out to be the biggest Ponzi scheme in California history. Successfully moved the court to dismiss several of the claims early in the proceedings. Following discovery, the remaining claims were settled for less than 10% of the investors’ actual losses.
  • Lead Counsel for an out-of-state real-estate holding company and its principal shareholder against claims for breach of fiduciary duty brought by a disgruntled minority shareholder. Successfully moved the court to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds, resulting in a complete victory for the client.
  • Lead Counsel for a computer consultant in employment-related claims against his former employer. When it became apparent that the former employer was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, developed evidence and a strong argument that the company was really an “alter ego” of the company’s former majority shareholder, resulting in a very favorable settlement for the client with the employer’s former majority shareholder.
  • Lead Counsel for an out-of-state computer consulting company against various employment claims brought in California by a former employee. Successfully moved the court to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds, resulting in a complete victory for the client.

Eric has been admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court; federal courts of appeal for the Sixth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits; every federal district court in California; and all courts in the State of California, Michigan, and Florida.

Eric received a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan in 1992, and he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1995.