Leighton M. Anderson

Leighton M. Anderson has over 40 years of litigation experience, as a trial and appellate lawyer, and in administrative hearings and commercial arbitration. He has a wide array of subject-matter expertise including state and local tax matters (SALT), antitrust, corporate, entertainment, environmental, probate, intellectual property (including trademark, copyright and trade secret matters), real estate and securities litigation. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and has filed briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also represented clients in U.S. District Court for the Districts of Nevada and Utah.

As a trial and appellate attorney, Leighton has been involved in cases leading to numerous published opinions in federal and California courts, including a landmark antitrust case, Rebel Oil Co. v. Atlantic Richfield Co., 146 F. 3d 1088 (9th Cir. 1998); and a leading case on attorney liability for malicious prosecution, Cole v. Patricia A. Meyer & Associates, APC, 206 Cal.App.4th 1095 (2012). He has tried cases in state and federal court, including cases involving property-tax disputes against California counties, and has represented clients in complex and multi-district litigation matters. He is the author of "As Easy As ABC: Applying the Rule Against Secondary-Line Price Discrimination to California Intra-State Transactions, "Competition (Journal of Antitrust & Trade Regulation Section, State Bar of California), Summer, 1998, as well as numerous articles for annual "Year in Review" publications of the American Bar Association Section on Environmental, Energy & Resources Law. In addition to his primary focus on litigation matters, Leighton assists clients of the firm in the formation of business entities.

While pursuing his active law practice, Leighton has also been engaged in volunteer and public-service activities. He has held elected public office (1997-2022) as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Whittier Union High School District, and has been an elected member of the Delegate Assembly and Board of Directors of the California School Boards Association. He serves on the boards of directors of local non-profit organizations and is a 30-year member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. Leighton and Diane Anderson have been married since 1982 and have three adult children and 11 grandchildren.

Education:
Columbia University Law School, J.D., 1978
Claremont McKenna College, B.A., magna cum laude, 1976