Attorneys‎ > ‎

Donald G. Norris




At the present time Mr. Norris is handling 950 consolidated cases on behalf of Cerberus Capital Partners; and prosecution of RICO and antitrust claims against a group of insurance companies on behalf of major medical providers.

Before founding Norris & Galanter LLP with Douglas Galanter in 2003, Mr. Norris had been a partner in Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP, Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLP, and Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP.

Mr. Norris’s practice focuses on business litigation, including litigation in the intellectual property, securities, and entertainment areas. His clients have included investment companies, securities brokerage firms, banks, accounting firms, film and television studios, entertainers, internet companies, major medical providers relative to workers’ compensation issues, and plaintiffs in civil rights cases.

Mr. Norris’s wide-ranging experience has included:

  • Representation of founders and shareholders in a dispute over control of a document storage company

  • Defense of a major steel company against claims brought by former high executives

  • Defense of a $100 million arbitration claim brought by an introducing broker against an investment banking firm

  • Serving as day-to-day lead and trial counsel in defense of an investment banking firm facing $500 million in claims by FSLIC

  • Representation of a well-known entertainment figure in a defamation case arising from publication of his autobiography

  • Representation of a major media company against a media buyer relative to $10 million in television advertising

  • Handling a complex RICO case brought by an Asian computer manufacturer

  • Defense of an internet gatekeeper company against copyright infringement claims

  • Prosecution of false advertising and trademark claims on behalf of an international health products company

  • Representation of a prominent entertainment figure against his business manager for claims of malfeasance

  • Defense of a claim of design patent infringement on behalf of one of the world’s largest makers of sunglasses

  • Prosecution of a copyright infringement action against the largest toy company in the world

  • Defense of an antitrust case brought by independent record companies against one of the three largest music companies in the world

  • Prosecution of a legal malpractice case on behalf of a securities brokerage firm

  • Defense of a ticket brokerage company against internet-related claims brought by the world's largest ticket distribution company

  • Prosecution of a claim of tortious interference with the career of a professional golfer

Mr. Norris has tried over 35 cases, including over 17 jury trials to verdict. He also has regularly argued appeals in state and federal courts. 


Education

J.D., Stanford Law School, 1979

B.A., University of California Los Angeles, 1976

Clerkship

Honorable Lawrence T. Lydick, United States District Judge for the Central District of California, 1979-1980

Admissions

Northern District of California

Southern District of California

Eastern District of California

Central District of California

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

California

Court Service

Los Angeles Superior Court Arbitrator, 1993 - 2000.

Publications

Editor, Stanford Journal of International Law, 1978-79

Languages

Spanish