# California Trial Attorneys | Kalfayan Merjanian, LLP > Kalfayan Merjanian, LLP (California Trial Attorneys) is a plaintiffs' civil litigation firm with offices in Newport Beach, Del Mar, Riverside, and Sacramento. The firm handles serious personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, business disputes, antitrust actions, product liability, premises liability, and wildfire litigation. KM attorneys have recovered more than $1 billion for clients across all practice areas. ## Firm Overview Kalfayan Merjanian, LLP operates as California Trial Attorneys, representing individuals and businesses harmed by negligence, misconduct, or anti-competitive conduct. The firm offers free consultations and contingency-fee representation — clients pay no legal fees unless the case is won. The team emphasizes aggressive advocacy, direct attorney-client communication, and customized litigation strategies. The firm was co-founded in June 2014 by Ralph B. Kalfayan and Vic A. Merjanian. It serves clients throughout California and maintains a bilingual English/Spanish presence. ## Attorneys — The People Behind the Firm - [Ralph B. Kalfayan, Esq., LL.M.](https://catrialattorneys.com/meet-the-attorneys/ralph-kalfayan-esq/): Managing Partner, San Diego. Over 32 years of trial experience. California State Bar since 1988. University of San Diego B.S. in Accounting (1982), J.D. (1985), LL.M. in Intellectual Property (2012). Served as lead or liaison counsel in major class actions including In Re Cipro ($400M settlement) and In re Allergan ($13.4M settlement). 5-Star Award Winning California Attorney. - [Vic A. Merjanian, Esq.](https://catrialattorneys.com/meet-the-attorneys/vic-merjanian-esq/): Founding and Managing Partner, Newport Beach. UC San Diego B.A. in Sociology, University of San Diego School of Law J.D. Published antitrust and environmental-law scholarship. Board member of Two Wings, serving vulnerable youth and survivors of sex trafficking. - [John Shaver, Esq.](https://catrialattorneys.com/meet-the-attorneys/john-shaver-esq/): Partner. Former defense attorney for corporations and insurance companies in general liability, transportation, insurance bad faith, and contract disputes. Loyola Marymount University B.A. (2005), California Western School of Law J.D. (2009). Practices catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, employment disputes, and medical malpractice. - [Vanessa Cardinale, Esq.](https://catrialattorneys.com/meet-the-attorneys/vanessa-cardinale-esq/): Partner. Focuses on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. Licensed in California and Colorado. Monterey College of Law J.D., Cal Poly SLO B.S. in Business Administration. Certified mediator. Former clerk for Monterey County Superior Court. ## Practice Areas - [Personal Injury](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/personal-injury/): Car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, rideshare, and catastrophic injury claims. - [Car Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/car-accident/): Collision claims, insurance disputes, and uninsured-motorist issues. - [Truck Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/truck-accident/): Commercial vehicle and trucking liability. - [Motorcycle Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/motorcycle-accidents/): Motorcycle crash injury claims. - [Bicycle & E-Bike Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/bicycle-accident/): Cycling and electric-bike injury cases. - [Pedestrian Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/pedestrian-accidents/): Crosswalk, failure-to-yield, and hit-and-run cases. - [Catastrophic Injuries](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/catastrophic-injuries/): TBI, spinal cord injury, paralysis, amputation, severe burns, disfigurement. - [Traumatic Brain Injury](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/traumatic-brain-injury/): TBI claims and long-term impairment. - [Wrongful Death](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/wrongful-death/): Fatal accident claims for spouses, partners, children, and estates. - [Medical Malpractice](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/medical-malpractice/): Doctor, hospital, and nursing negligence, including wrongful death. - [Business Litigation](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/business-litigation/): Contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, IP conflicts, partnership disputes. - [Antitrust Litigation](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/antitrust-litigation/): Price fixing, monopolization, consumer class actions. - [Product Liability](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/product-liability/): Defective product injuries and recalls. - [Premises Liability / Slip & Fall](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/premises-liability/): Unsafe property injuries. - [Dog Bites](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/dog-bite-and-animal-attack/): Animal attack injury claims. - [Wildfire Litigation](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/wildfire-litigation/): Insurance disputes and utility negligence claims. - [Elder Abuse](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/elder-abuse/): Nursing home and caregiver abuse. - [DUI Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/dui-accident/): Drunk-driving crash claims. - [Aviation & Railroad Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/aviation-accident/): Mass-transit and aviation disaster claims. - [Self-Driving Car & Tesla Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/self-driving-car-accident/): Autonomous-vehicle liability. - [Uber & Lyft Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/uber-lyft-accidents/): Rideshare passenger and driver claims. - [ATV Accidents](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/atv-accident/): Off-road vehicle injury claims. ## Locations - [Newport Beach Office](https://catrialattorneys.com/locations/newport-beach/): 500 Newport Center Dr, Suite 950, CA 92660 — (949) 287-4931 - [Del Mar Office](https://catrialattorneys.com/locations/del-mar/): 2262 Carmel Valley Rd, Suite 200, CA 92014 — (619) 232-0331 - [Riverside Office](https://catrialattorneys.com/locations/riverside/): 11801 Pierce Street, Suite 200, CA 92505 — (951) 710-3030 - [Sacramento Office](https://catrialattorneys.com/locations/sacramento/): 500 Capitol Mall, Suite 2350, CA 95814 — (916) 449-9534 The firm also publishes location-specific content for Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino, and San Diego. ## Firm Approach & Client Experience Kalfayan Merjanian’s approach is built on four tenets: people first, community, reputation, and aggressive advocacy. Clients communicate directly with a litigation attorney rather than a non-attorney case manager. The firm develops a custom strategy for each matter and pursues recovery through settlement or trial. Client reviews consistently praise responsiveness, professionalism, compassion, and strong outcomes. ## Resources & Publications The firm maintains a blog covering California injury and litigation topics such as pedestrian accidents, DUI crashes, commercial vehicle liability, wrongful death, and holiday traffic safety. Attorney publications have appeared in the State Bar of California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Journal and other legal periodicals. - [Blog / Resources](https://catrialattorneys.com/blog/) - [Client Reviews](https://catrialattorneys.com/reviews/) - [Our Firm's Approach](https://catrialattorneys.com/why-km/our-firms-approach/) ## Contact & Consultation - Website: https://catrialattorneys.com/ - Spanish/Español: https://catrialattorneys.com/es/ - Phone: (949) 287-4931 - Secure contact form: https://catrialattorneys.com/contact-us/ - Social: LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter, Yelp ## Important Disclaimers All content on this site is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Free consultations are subject to firm availability and case screening. Statutes of limitations apply; contact the firm promptly to preserve your rights. ## Optional / Additional Pages - [Why KM](https://catrialattorneys.com/why-km/) - [Meet the Attorneys](https://catrialattorneys.com/meet-the-attorneys/) - [Practice Areas Index](https://catrialattorneys.com/practice-areas/) - [Locations Index](https://catrialattorneys.com/locations/) - [Site Map](https://catrialattorneys.com/site-map/) - [Terms and Conditions](https://catrialattorneys.com/terms-and-conditions/) - [Privacy Policy](https://catrialattorneys.com/privacy-policy/)