Brian D. Whelan
Brian has a bachelor’s degree in history from U.C. Berkeley (with honors, 2005) and a law degree (J.D.) from Rutgers University (2008), where he served as an editor on the Journal of Law and Religion.
Over the years, Brian has represented a variety of clients who range from multi-national corporations to local companies and individuals. Brian has tried or second-chaired seventeen civil trials, including thirteen jury trials and has handled numerous pre-trial motions and discovery matters. Brian handles a diverse array of complex business and employment litigation. Some of Brian’s accomplishments include the following: In 2017, a jury awarded Brian’s client $24,289,696.00 (King v. U.S. Bank National Association).The verdict was California’s largest defamation verdict in 2017, and one of the 100 largest verdicts in the United States for that year. Brian co-tried a race harassment trial which resulted in a $5.2 million jury verdict against a large national retailer in favor of our client. Recently, Brian defensed a fraud and breach of contract claim which involved allegations that Plaintiff’s husband had attempted to set fire to Brian’s client by sabotaging an airplane. Brian has achieved other multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements for his clients when representing plaintiffs and has defeated or agreeably resolved claims when representing clients as defendants. Brian has repeatedly been named to the Rising Star and Super Lawyer’s list and was nominated by the Consumer Attorneys of California as a CAOC Street Fighter of the Year.
Brian is a member of the Labor & Employment Section of the California Bar and was selected by the Board of Governors to serve on the California State Bar’s Committee for Administration of Justice. By Fresno City Council appointment, Brian serves on the City of Fresno Capital Projects Oversight Board. On the Storyland and Playland Board, Brian has worked to protect and preserve the parks for the next generation, and has played an important role as a board member on the San Joaquin River Association Board to bring awareness to local residents and farmers impacted by laws affecting the San Joaquin River. Brian’s other interests include being a pilot in training, wine-making, travel (42 states, 55 countries, 5 continents and counting), basketball, and foreign languages. Brian is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian. In 2012, Brian was the party nominee for the United States Congress in the 2012 election for the 16th Congressional District (Fresno, Madera, and Merced Counties).