Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP proudly announced today in a press release that it is changing its name to Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP. The firm’s updated name reflects the significant contributions of firm partner Rahul Ravipudi who joined the firm in 2006 as an associate and was promoted in 2012 to firm partner.
“Since his days as a law student, I have watched Rahul grow and develop into an incredible trial lawyer. He has embraced the firm’s commitment to our clients, lawyers, and staff. He serves as a mentor and teacher to those wishing to be trial lawyers and advocates,” said Brian J. Panish of Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP. “His skills as a trial lawyer, mentor, and teacher have significantly contributed to the growth and success of the firm. We are honored to be partners with Rahul and to place his name alongside ours.”
Mr. Ravipudi has spent his legal career handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving commercial vehicles, pedestrians, industrial or construction accidents, utility negligence, dangerous conditions of public and private property, as well as cases of sexual abuse and sexual assault. He currently serves in several litigation leadership roles including as Public Entity Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel representing school districts in the JUUL Labs Product Cases as well as Plaintiffs Co-Lead Counsel in the Southern California Fire Cases litigation arising out of the 2017 Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flows in Montecito, California.
Licensed in both California and Nevada, Mr. Ravipudi has obtained numerous landmark verdicts including a $160.5 million jury verdict for a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a vicious beating by security personnel for a Nevada nightclub, as well as a $20.5 million jury verdict for the mother of a Southern California high school student who was killed while walking to a school bus stop. In the last five years, two school injury cases arising from the death of a student and led by Mr. Ravipudi have been the catalyst for change in California legislation — the “Paul Lee School Bus Law” requiring all school buses in the state to be equipped with a child safety alarm system that must be deactivated by the bus driver before departing the bus, and “Alex’s Law” requiring a school district or charter school to have at least one adult with valid CPR certification present at an event where children will be in or around a school swimming pool.
Mr. Ravipudi has served as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School since 2008 where he has taught Trial Advocacy at his alma mater for the past 13 years. Beginning in Spring 2022, he will be teaching a newly developed course on Jury Selection that will include the art and skill of selecting a jury as well as a focus on the substantive law relating to juries. This is believed to be the only law school course solely dedicated to jury selection offered at any law school in the country.
As a result of his outstanding trial efforts and trial advocacy, Mr. Ravipudi has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications. He is honored to be named the 2021 recipient of the Consumer Attorneys of California’s Robert E. Cartwright, Sr. Award presented in recognition of excellence in trial advocacy and dedication to teaching trial advocacy. He is also named among the 2021 finalists for Consumer Attorney of the Year – this is the sixth consecutive finalist recognition for Mr. Ravipudi. He has previously been recognized by the National Law Journal as a 2020 Plaintiffs Lawyer Trailblazer, received the 2019 Trailblazer Award from the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, and named 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year by Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.
A Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Ravipudi is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, and an Associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the South Asian Bar Association (SABA), and the Nevada Justice Association. He serves on the Board for Loyola Law School, on the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of ABOTA, on the Board of Governors for CAALA, on the Steering Committee for SABA, and on the Board for Public Counsel.
Mr. Ravipudi received his law degree from Loyola Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Minor in Chemistry from the University of California, Riverside. He resides in La Cañada Flintridge with his three sons and wife Smitha, who serves as Chief Executive Officer at USC Care & Ambulatory Care Services at Keck Medicine of USC.