Mr. Barrera is proud to be a trial lawyer. He knew he wanted to be a trial lawyer at a young age, after watching "And Justice For All," a film in which Al Pacino portrayed a lawyer trying to free a wrongly imprisoned client while battling corruption. Since 1990, Mr. Barrera has been committed to obtaining justice for hardworking individuals and businesses and to protecting the rights of his clients from wrongdoing.
Mr. Barrera has tried or settled cases resulting in recoveries exceeding $100 million for his plaintiff clients and he is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Mr. Barrera successfully handled Prata v. Superior Court, 91 Cal.App.4th 1128 (2001), a case where the Court held that a credit card company engaged in deceptive advertising. Mr. Barrera has been appointed by the Court as class counsel on behalf of California consumers and on behalf of employees. Mr. Barrera has also obtained defense verdicts for the firm's business clients.
Pat Barrera has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer for eleven consecutive years by Los Angeles Magazine and California Super Lawyer Magazine. The Super Lawyers selection process is a combination of balloting, blue ribbon panel review and independent research. Mr. Barrera is also AV-Rated, for ethical standards and legal ability, which is the highest ranking issued by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2011 and 2012, Mr. Barrera was profiled in South Bay Magazine. Mr. Barrera was also profiled in Forbes magazine.
Mr. Barrera is licensed to practice law in California and Texas. He is admitted to practice in federal court. Mr. Barrera is a member of the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Texas, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and California Employment Lawyers Association.
Mr. Barrera is frequently asked to speak on panels at continuing legal education seminars. Mr. Barrera has served as a Judge Pro Tempore with the Los Angeles Superior Court and he has guest lectured at the University of West Los Angeles on litigation topics. Mr. Barrera previously served as a volunteer prosecutor with the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. Mr. Barrera served on the Board of Directors of Inside Out Community Arts and on the Board of The Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Barrera is the founder and consultant to Trial + Depo Services, Inc. (TADS), a trial consulting firm that conducts mock trials, videotapes depositions, and prepares video clips for use at jury trials.
Areas of Practice
Employment Law 70%
Business Litigation 10%
Class Actions 10%
Serious Personal Injury 10%
Bar Admissions
California, 1990
Texas, 1998
U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1991
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2012
Education
The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
J.D. - 1990
Honors: Legal Research Board
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
B.B.A. - 1987
Honors: Student Government - Supreme Court Justice
Major: Accounting
Representative Cases
Husman v. Toyota, 12 Cal. App.5th 1168 , 2017
Prata v. Superior Court, 91 Cal. App.4th 1128, 2001, California Second District, Court of Appeal
Classes/Seminars
Bridgeport Continuing Education CLE Seminars, 2008 to 2017
Honors and Awards
AV Rated, Martindale Hubbell
Named to The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
Super Lawyers
Nominated by CAALA for Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, 2018
Professional Associations and Memberships
American Board of Trial Advocates, 2017 to 2017
National Employment Lawyers Association, 2017 to 2017
Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1990 to Present
California Employment Lawyers Association, 1999 to Present
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), 2010 to Present
Past Positions
Marcin Barrera LLP, Partner, 2002 to 2007
Language
English
Spanish
Fraternities/Sororities
Phi Kappa Theta