W. Allan Edmiston

Allan Edmiston is a trial lawyer with deep experience and a proven track record in high-stakes, difficult cases. He is also one of Loeb’s General Counsel, responsible for overseeing legal ethics and risk management matters across Loeb’s eight offices.  

Allan leads Loeb’s multidisciplinary Professional Services Litigation team. He defends professional services firms, including law firms and their lawyers, against claims for malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, aiding and abetting, malicious prosecution, and fraud, arising out of a variety of contexts and practice areas. In a recent legal malpractice arbitration, Allan obtained a defense award, including prevailing-party attorneys’ fees, for an Am Law 200 law firm.

Allan also litigates major real estate disputes involving breach of contract claims, preemptive rights, landlord-tenant issues, title insurance coverage and bad faith claims, priority rights, and easements. Allan’s trial victories in this area include a defense verdict – after a seven-week jury trial – for a leading title insurer in a case involving a bad faith claim seeking $100 million in damages.

Most recently, following years of litigation, a trial and an appeal, Allan obtained a published appellate decision affirming that the renowned Claremont Colleges are entitled to enforce – as equitable servitudes dating back decades, to 1957 – a right of first offer and an educational use restriction, both burdening the former campus of the Claremont School of Theology.

…You have done an outstanding job arguing this case. Your client should be very proud of your representation. I really mean that. CA Superior Court judge commenting on Allan’s advocacy following closing argument during trial

Finally, Allan has considerable experience litigating complex corporate matters, including shareholder derivative suits, investor actions, and contests over corporate control, as well as business and other commercial disputes involving claims for breach of contract, unfair competition and business torts, among others.

As part of his pro bono efforts, Allan has served as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, trying misdemeanors including battery, trespass, theft and vehicular hit-and-run.