Lawrence J. Conlan is a founding partner of Presidio Law Firm LLP and one of California’s leading trial lawyers.
A strategic counselor known for his steady command under pressure and disciplined approach to complex disputes, he has spent more than two decades representing clients in high stakes class action, business, real estate, and personal injury litigation.
Mr. Conlan has successfully litigated and tried cases involving insurance bad faith, class actions, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition, real estate disputes, financial elder abuse, claims of conspiracy and aiding and abetting, fiduciary and shareholder conflicts, lender and trustee liability, and investment fraud in venues across California, New York, Nevada, Idaho, New Hampshire, and the Cayman Islands. He is frequently retained to advise and litigate for premier cannabis businesses.
Mr. Conlan’s landmark victories include winning one of the nation’s top jury verdicts of 2024 for insurance bad faith against Starr Indemnity & Liability Company. As class counsel and trial counsel in the Plains Oil Spill cases, he helped secure $320 million in settlements for property owners, fishers, and oil workers. Combining deep legal insight with strategic judgment, as a plaintiff’s lawyer, he has achieved exceptional results for clients.
Before co-founding Presidio Law Firm, Mr. Conlan led litigation teams at prominent firms in California and New York City, earning a reputation as a forceful litigator with utmost professionalism and integrity in high stakes cases.
A lifelong advocate for justice, his practice reflects Presidio Law Firm’s mission to protect, secure, and advance what clients have built, and to help them rebuild when everything is on the line with precision, vigilance, and results.
J.D
University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (Hastings) Hastings Law Journal, Articles Editor
B.A.
English, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, English literature
State Bar of California
New York State Bar
U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central,
Eastern & Southern Districts of California
U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Class actions
Partnership and fiduciary duty disputes
Commercial business conflicts
Real estate fraud and elder abuse cases
Catastrophic loss, wildfire, and property damage claims
Wrongful death and major injury actions
Cannabis disputes
Best of the Bar 2024 – Nationwide Top 100 Verdicts;
Top 100 California Verdicts
National Trial Lawyers – Civil Plaintiff, Top 100
Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating
Santa Barbara County Bar Association – Board Member 2018-2021
American Bar Association – Member
State Bar of California
New York State Bar Association
Oil Spill Litigation | $320 Million in Settlements
Trial counsel and class counsel for fishers, property owners and oil workers injured by the Plains Oil Spill.
Insurance Bad Faith | $21 Million Jury Verdict and Judgment
Lead trial counsel in one of the nation’s largest insurance bad faith verdicts of 2024.
Business Torts | $30 Million Dispute
Lead trial counsel in defense jury verdict on contract and aiding and abetting claims arising from disputed attorney fees.
Cannabis Partnership | $30 Million Dispute
Lead counsel resolving multi entity partnership litigation involving real estate, regulatory, and licensing issues.
Wildfire & Mass Tort | Multi-million dollar Settlements
Lead counsel representing individual homeowners and businesses impacted by Thomas Fire and the Montecito Mudslide.
Trade Secret & Unfair Competition Wins
Trial counsel in plaintiff and defense jury verdicts in business competition cases.
Elder Abuse Defense
Lead trial counsel in complete defense verdict in a high-profile family probate action.