Christopher P. Wesierski

• Wrongful Termination
• Medical Malpractice
• Coverage
• Defense of Bad Faith Cases
• Products Liability
• Defamation
• Breach of Contract
• Sexual Harassment
• 17200 Claims
• Agent Malpractice
• Malicious Prosecution
• Appraiser Malpractice
• Business Litigation
• Auto Liability
• Legal Malpractice

• Wrongful Termination
• Medical Malpractice
• Coverage
• Defense of Bad Faith Cases
• Products Liability
• Defamation
• Breach of Contract
• Sexual Harassment
• 17200 Claims
• Agent Malpractice
• Malicious Prosecution
• Appraiser Malpractice
• Business Litigation
• Auto Liability
• Legal Malpractice

• Wrongful Termination
• Medical Malpractice
• Coverage
• Defense of Bad Faith Cases
• Products Liability
• Defamation
• Breach of Contract
• Sexual Harassment
• 17200 Claims
• Agent Malpractice
• Malicious Prosecution
• Appraiser Malpractice
• Business Litigation
• Auto Liability
• Legal Malpractice

• University of San Diego, 1978, J.D.
• California State University at Long Beach, 1975, B.A.

Prior to forming Wesierski and Zurek LLP, Mr. Wesierski was the managing senior partner at the Orange County office of a large defense firm. He also served on the executive management committee for that firm.

Mr. Wesierski attended California State University at Long Beach, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975. He studied law at the University of San Diego and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1978. Mr. Wesierski was admitted to the California State Bar in 1979.

Mr. Wesierski has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in both state and federal court in such diverse areas of law as wrongful termination, medical malpractice, premises liability, insurance coverage bad faith, products liability, defamation, breach of contract, sexual harassment, 17200 claims, agent malpractice, malicious prosecution, appraiser malpractice, and auto liability. Mr. Wesierski has also arbitrated numerous cases to a successful conclusion. He has achieved the highest status in ABOTA with over 100 trials to verdict.

• Top 10 Labor Law Attorney 2023 – Best of the Best Attorneys
• 10 Best Labor & Employment Attorneys 2021 – California, as Published by the American Institute of Legal Counsel
• Top Attorneys in Southern California Orange County 2020
• Southern California “Super Lawyer” every year Since 2004
• CAL-ABOTA Trial Lawyer of the Year 2018 (Recognized as the Highest Honor a California Trial Lawyer Can Receive, the CAL-ABOTA Trial Lawyer of the Year Is Awarded Annually to a Recipient Exhibiting the Best Traits of a Trial Lawyer – Excellence in Advocacy, a Distinguished Career & a Reputation for Civility, Ethics, & Fair Play)
• America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement Award 2016
• America’s Most Honored Professionals Top 1% 2016
• Top Employment Attorney in California 2016 – Daily Journal
• ABOTA Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year 2015
• Top 50 Attorneys in Orange County of 2013 – Super Lawyers
• Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment 2013 – American Lawyer Media & Martindale-Hubbell
• Top 75 Employment Attorneys in California of 2012 – Daily Journal
• Top 20 Defense Verdicts of 2011 – Daily Journal
• O.C.’s Top Lawyers 2009 – OC Metro
• Top 5 Employment Defense Attorneys in Orange County Since 2008 – OC Metro
• AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell (Highest Ranking)
• 10 (Out of a Possible 10) by AVVO

• 2025 – President International Society of Barristers
• 2020 – President CAL-ABOTA 2020
• 2018 – Board Member & Chair, Orange County Bar Association Masters Division
• 2016-2017 – Board of Directors & Executive Committee & Co-president, Robert Banyard Inn of Court (20 Years)
• 2015 – President of Orange County Bar Foundation
• 2014 – President of OC Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates
• American Bar Association
• American Board of Trial Advocates – Diplomat (100+ trials) 
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• American College of Trial Lawyers
• Defense Research Institute
• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel
• Hispanic Bar Association
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Limited to 500 Lawyers Worldwide)
• International Society of Barristers (Limited to 600 Lawyers Worldwide) Board Member
• Labor & Employment Law Section of the California State Bar & Orange County
• Litigation Counsel of America – Senior Fellow
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Foundation – Board of Directors & Executive Committee

He has also been admitted to the Ninth Circuit of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for all districts in California. He was on the editorial board for James Publishing’s sexual harassment publications.

Chris Wesierski is a specialist in Mary Carter agreements and has consulted as an expert in this area. He has published an article concerning Mary Carter’s agreements in the Insurance Counsel Journal and has been quoted in the California State Bar Magazine on that topic. Mr. Wesierski has lectured for the Rutter Group and has been asked to teach a trial practice course for a local law school. He has also given trial seminars to various insurance companies, corporations, and other companies, as well as such groups as the California Hotel and Motel Association and the National Food Service in Portland, Oregon and Beaver Creek, Colorado, as well as Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California. He has cases that have been published on appeal in employment matters. He has published articles on Employment Law in magazines (found below).

• Chris Wesierski has been asked by ABOTA to teach at their National Trial Academy in Chicago at the Northwestern Law School in 2024
• Direct & Cross Examination for the College of Trial Advocacy on May 5, 2015, at Chapman University
• Closing Arguments at the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association’s Seminar on April 23, 2015, at the Tustin Ranch Golf Club Located at 12442 Tustin Ranch Road in Tustin, CA
• “Trial Practice”, Western State College of Law, 2014
• “The Reptile Theory”, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, 2014
• Effectively Preparing, Defending, & Arguing Summary Judgement Motions Presented to the Orange County Bar as Part of Their Last Dash Program at Whittier Law School, 2014
• “Selected as Overall Coordinator”, ABOTA Masters in Trial, 2014
• Valuing Employment Cases: A Peek Behind the Curtain, Orange County Bar Association, November 2013
• “Tactics & Strategies as Well as the Theory Behind Reptile”, Santa Barbara Professional Liability Conference, September 2013
• “Advocacy in an Impersonal World: Does Civility Matter?”, American Inns of Court National Symposium, New Orleans, 2013
• “Civility Matters”, ASCDC 52nd Annual Seminar, 2013
• “Medicine in the Law”, Tustin Ranch Golf Club, OCTLA, 2013
• “Ethics & Civility in Law”, Chapman School of Law, ABOTA, 2013
• Presenter, ABOTA Jury Trial, 2013
• “Presentation Re: Juries” Through the Constitutional Rights Foundation at Saddleback Junior College, 2013
• “Legal Ethics: Sexual Relations with Clients”, Banyard Inn of Court, 2012
• “The Jury System”, 6th Annual Constitution Day Conference, 2012
• “Civility”, the Antidote to Bullying, 5th Annual Constitution Day Conference, 2011
• “Civility Matters”, Chapman University School of Law, 2010
• “Experts: Who Do You Need 7 How Do You Examine Them?” OCTLA, 2010
• “Clash of the Titans”, Head of the Defense Team for the Masters in Cross-Examination Program at Chapman Law School, June 2010
• “Presentation on Cross-Examination”, Banyard Inn of Court, 2010
• “Voir Dire Examination”, Banyard Inn of Court, 2009
• “Mock Trial Examination”, OCTLA, University of California Irvine, 2009
• “Putting the ‘Civil’ Back in Civil Litigation”, Whittier School of Law, 2009 & 2013
• Cross Examiner, ABOTA Masters in Cross, 2003, 2006, & 2008
• Presenter, ABOTA Masters in Trial, 2000 & 2013
• Defense Coordinator, ABOTA Masters in Trial, 1999, 2001, 2009, & 2010

• “Project SELF: Twenty Years of Mentoring”, Orange County Lawyer, October 2015, Vol. 57, No. 10 (p. 48-50).
• “Mary Carter Agreements & Good Faith Settlements”, Insurance Counsel Journal, 48 Ins. Counsel J. 639, 1981.
• “The Continuing Violation Doctrine”, Verdict Magazine, Vol. 1, 1997 (p. 34-43).
• “Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act: Practical Considerations for Employers”, CEB Employment Section, Vol. 22, 2006.
• “The Continuing Violation Doctrine: Implications of Shelley v. Geren”, Verdict Magazine, Volume 1, 2012 (p. 17-20).
• “When Bad-Mouthing the Boss is Protected by Law”, Orange County Lawyer, June 2012, Vol. 54, No. 6 (p. 14-17).
• “The Fallacy Behind Recent Employment Class Action Decisions”, The Advocate, August 2012 (p. 89-93).
• “Weighing the Balance”, Los Angeles Lawyer, October 2012 (p. 36-39).
• “Employment Litigation Legislative Update”, Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) Report, Vol. XIV No. 4, Fall 2012: 4, 16-19.
• “The Name of the Game”, Verdict Magazine, Volume 3, 2012 (p. 34-35).
• “Thomas R. Malcolm: Attorney, Teacher, Mentor, & Legend”, Orange County Lawyer, June 2013, Vol. 55, No. 6 (p. 20-23).
• “Social Media, Discriminating, & Privacy Rights in an Employment Context”, Verdict Magazine, Volume 2, 2012.
• “To Waive or Not to Waive? California Employers Question Whether to Include Class Action Waivers in Employment Contracts”, Orange County Lawyer, July 2013.

In 2015 Mr. Wesierski was inducted as a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

In 2014 Mr. Wesierski was inducted as a member of the Litigation Counsel of America which is composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.

He was also inducted in 2014 into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, which membership is limited to 1% of the lawyers in any individual State.

Mr. Wesierski was inducted as a Barrister into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2013, where membership is limited to 500 lawyers worldwide.

March 2013 – Chris Wesierski was selected to serve on the Board of the Orange County Bar Association Masters Division. Thereafter, he served as the chairperson for the Masters Division. According to the OC Bar, the Master’s Division is an elite division of attorneys who have been in practice for at least 25 years. Its Board members and Officers are “an impressive and diverse group of leading jurists and attorneys from Orange County.”

He was also inducted as a Barrister into the International Society of Barristers in 2011, which is limited to 600 lawyers worldwide.

In November 2003, Mr. Wesierski was presented the prestigious Angelo Palmieri award for maintaining the legal profession’s highest tradition of professionalism and civility by the Robert Banyard Inn of Court.

Chris Wesierski was selected as one of the top attorneys in Orange County for both Employment/Labor matters and Insurance situations by OCMETRO. As the cover of the magazine stated, “OC’s Top Lawyers – Is your attorney among them? It’s the list every business owner and savvy professional Must Read!” He received this accolade five years in a row.