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Neil Gehlawat

Neil Gehlawat

Neil Gehlawat

Location: Los Angeles, California

Email: Email Me

Neil Gehlawat concentrates his practice in the areas of serious personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights, and sexual abuse. Prior to joining Taylor Ring, Neil was a partner at a prominent plaintiffs’ firm in the Central Valley, before moving to Los Angeles and practicing at another top-rated firm in the area. Over the course of his career, he has obtained verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients in excess of $100 million.

Some of Neil’s successes on behalf of his clients include:

  • $20.2 million settlement in a wrongful death case involving the drowning of a 7-year-old child.
  • $15 million settlement in a wrongful death case against a prominent ride-sharing company.
  • $10 million settlement in a disputed liability motorcycle crash resulting in a below-the-knee amputation of the plaintiff.
  • $8.8 million settlement in a wrongful death case against the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, where a sheriff’s deputy struck and killed two pedestrians in an unmarked crosswalk.
  • $7.5M settlement in a wrongful death case where Kurt Reinhold was shot to death by police officers in San Clemente. This is the largest settlement against the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for a police shooting.
  • $3.4 million settlement in a civil rights case against the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, where deputies caused the death of an unarmed man by restraint asphyxia.
  • $2.1 million settlement (the largest known in California against a public entity) on behalf of a woman who suffered injuries after being bitten by a police K-9 dog.
  • $1 million settlement against a police department for the sexual assault of a young woman.

Many of Neil’s cases have received significant media attention, including his representation of the family of David Sal Silva, who was beaten and asphyxiated by Kern County Sheriff’s deputies. This case, along with others, prompted The Guardian to author a five-part series about law enforcement abuse in the Central Valley, entitled “The County: The Story of America’s Deadliest Police.” He, along with John Taylor, is currently representing the family of Kurt Reinhold, an unarmed, homeless Black man killed by deputies in the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office. Neil and John have filed a wrongful death claim against the department. His work on behalf of victims of police misconduct has also been profiled in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.

Neil has been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine since 2016, an honor bestowed upon the top 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40 in California. He serves on the Board for the Consumer Attorneys of California, and is a member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), American Association of Justice (AAJ), and National Crime Victim Bar Association (NCVBA).

Neil earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with highest honors. He then went on to obtain his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review. In his spare time, Neil enjoys playing tennis and watching sports.

Education

  • J.D., The University of Texas School of Law
    • Notes Editor, Texas Law Review
  • B.A. Political Science and Rhetoric, University of California – Berkeley

Honors and Awards

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • “The Nuts and Bolts of Practicing in Federal Court,” CAOC Hawaii Travel Seminar, December 2019
  • Speaker, UC Irvine School of Law Civil Rights Litigation Clinic, February 2020

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • State Bar of California, Member
  • American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member
  • Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), Board of Directors
  • Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), Member
  • National Crime Victim Bar Association, Member
  • National Police Accountability Project, Member