Alan Van Gelder is an accomplished attorney with a laser focus on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, business litigation, and legal malpractice. His impressive track record includes successful representation in numerous high-profile and intricate cases, securing multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements against major corporations, State and City governmental entities, law firms, and celebrities.
Notably, Alan played a pivotal role in representing the family of actor Bill Paxton in a wrongful death case. In another landmark victory, he obtained a $12.2 million verdict for Jessica Vu, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a fall down a flight of stairs. The jury returned the verdict in Jessica's favor, holding her 0% at fault, despite the defendants blaming her for the fall and denying the existence of her brain injury.
Alan's dedication to securing justice is evident in his representation of Katherine Keck, where he obtained a $15 million verdict against the Bel Air Bay Club for the wrongful death of her son due to their failure to promptly call 911, leading to a heat-related illness. He also played a key role in securing justice for Tomislav George, whose arm was nearly amputated in a horrific crash caused by a property manager for Firstservice Residential California LLC. Alan successfully held the company fully responsible for the drunk driver's actions.
Alan's contributions extend to securing significant settlements, including an $11.75 million settlement with the County of Los Angeles for the wrongful death of Milton Olin, a cyclist struck by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy. Alan's investigation exposed the Deputy's false claims and revealed that he was texting on his cell phone shortly before the collision.
Alan's formidable expertise led to an excess of $20 million settlement in a case involving contractor negligence and an excess of $15 million settlement in a professional negligence claim. He secured an $18 million confidential settlement for a firefighter who suffered a spinal injury due to a defective product on a fire engine and a confidential $11.5 million settlement for a man who suffered severe injuries after a fall from height. Alan also obtained a $10 million settlement in a case involving a crash between a farm truck and a high school student and a $7 million confidential settlement for a young woman burned by a defectively designed firepot.
Recognized for his excellence, Alan has been named as a Super Lawyer from 2014 to the present. Before this, he was featured in Southern California Rising Stars Magazine/Los Angeles Magazine from 2005 to 2013. Alan is a distinguished member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and the American Association for Justice. He actively contributes to the legal community as a board member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Los Angeles Chapter.
Beyond his legal accomplishments, Alan actively supports Bet Tzedek, a non-profit organization providing free legal services to low-income individuals and at-risk children, families, and seniors.
Alan earned his B.A. degree in political science summa cum laude from California State University at Northridge in 1999. He then graduated magna cum laude with a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in 2002, where he served on the Southwestern Law Review and authored an influential paper on abolishing the Supervisor Exception to the Independent Employee Action Defense in Cal-OSHA Cases.
With his exceptional advocacy skills and unwavering commitment to his clients, Alan Van Gelder continues to make a significant impact in the legal arena, securing justice for those who need it most.
