Geoffrey S. Wells has succeeded in obtaining impressive recoveries for his clients, resulting in more than 250 multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in complex legal actions. These include cases Segal v. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – $7.7 million; Willis v. Figueroa – $4 million; motor vehicle injury, Quezada v. Motor Coach Industries – $8.15 million; Mehdipour v. The city of Santa Monica – $2.65 million; wrongful death and Murillo v. U.S. Border Patrol – $3.3 million; a confidential settlement in a wrongful death case of $8.6 million.
Among the high-profile cases that Geoff has handled is a $36.1 million jury verdict he secured on behalf of an injured child in a trial involving negligence by a school bus driver. He was named a Finalist for CAOC’s Consumer Attorney of The Year Award in 2018 for that verdict in the case of Escamilla v. Durham School Services. Geoff also represented plaintiffs in the Santa Monica Farmers Market crash which resulted in a total settlement of over $26 Million.
Additionally, Geoff was one of the lead plaintiffs’ counsels in the Castillo v. DYK case involving multiple plaintiffs which resulted in a combined settlement and jury verdict of over $40 Million. He also succeeded on behalf of the victim in an amusement park ride lawsuit. The plaintiff, who fell approximately 35 feet to the ground when the lap bar on a Ferris wheel ride at Pharaoh’s Lost Kingdom Amusement Park failed, was awarded $4.9 million in a binding arbitration agreement.
Geoff is an elected member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and was given ABOTA’s Lee Wenzel Civility Award in 2019. He is also a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, American Association for Justice and was the president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles in 2014. Geoff is a frequent lecturer on trial preparation and practice in California. Other professional organizations that Geoff is a member of include the Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations, Santa Monica Bar Association, Eighth Street Trial Lawyers, served as the 2019 CAOC Executive Committee Secretary, and is currently the 2022 2nd VP elect. From 2004-2022 Geoff was named a Super Lawyer by Law & Politics’ Southern California Super Lawyers which lists the top five percent of established Los Angeles and Orange County attorneys. From 2007-2021 Geoff was also named by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in L.A. County. In 2006, Geoff was named to the Lawdragon 500 New Stars, New Worlds list. He was also named one of the Best Lawyers in America by Woodward/White, Inc. based on a survey of his peers.
He is a graduate of the University of Washington, (B.A., 1981) and was a pitcher on the college baseball team. Geoff received his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law (1985) and was a member of the Pepperdine Law School National Trial Competition Team. After being admitted to the bar in 1986, he began his legal career as a defense attorney with a focus on medical malpractice, hospital liability and special event and auto racetrack liability. Geoff worked for a plaintiff’s sole practitioner for five years, where he tried 20 cases to verdict before joining GBW in 1992.
Geoff is actively involved in volunteering as a judge for mock trial advocacy. He is a current board member for Fund Her, an organization dedicated to getting more women involved in elected political office. He is a member of the University of Washington’s Diamond Dawg Group which supports the University of Washington Men’s Baseball Program. He is a member of the Sierra Club. Geoff is also a supporting member of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and is an active PTA member. He and his wife Janet Ray support a variety of community causes including music, the arts, and the Cardiac Arrhythmia Foundation.
Representative Cases
- Quezda v. Motor Coach Industries
- Mehdipour v. City of Santa Monica
- Sanchez v. Durham School Bus Services
- Hoffman v. City of Santa Monica
Bar Admissions
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court Central District of California
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
Education
- Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California – 1985
- Honors: Member, Pepperdine Law School National Trial Competition Team
- University of Washington
Published Works
- Knowing What You Are Fighting For, Forum Magazine, 2024
- Arguing General Damages at Trial, Advocate Magazine, June 2019
- Arguing General Damages at Trial, Advocate Magazine, January 2018
- Reflecting on the defeat of medical malpractice reform, Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 21, 2015
- Get the most out of your experts while maintaining cost control, Advocate Magazine, March , 2013
- Back to Nature: Beware of immunity traps, Advocate Magazine, November, 2012
- Using vocational rehab experts and life-care planner to prove general damages, Advocate Magazine, November, 2007
- Starting With A Lot of Changes, But Remembering Where We Came From, CAALA, January, 2014
- Reflections on Representing Senior Citizens, CAALA, February, 2014
- CAALA Installation Dinner, CAALA, March, 2014
- Trust Your Instincts and You’ll Make a Difference, CAALA, April, 2014
- The Power of Forgiveness: Never Apologize for Being a Trial Lawyer, CAALA, May, 2014
- Pack Patient Safety Act – It’s About Time!, CAALA, June, 2014
- Wrong Death of a Child – No Justice, No Peace, CAALA, July, 2014
- Reflections on Our History and The Importance of Fathers, CAALA, August, 2014
- Never Give Up, CAALA, September, 2014
- Inspiration – A Labor Day Weekend in Las Vegas with Over 2,200 CAALA Members, CAALA, October, 2014
- Democracy and Our New Citizens’ Right to Vote, CAALA, November, 2014
- My Year as President, CAALA, December, 2014
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association, Member
- Santa Monica Bar Association, Member
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, President
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Executive Committee Secretary, 2019
- Consumer Attorneys of California, 2nd Vice President Elect, 2022
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Member
- American Association for Justice, Member
- Eighth Street Trial Lawyers, Member
- Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles, Arbitrator, 1995 – Present
Classes / Seminars
- Lecturer, Trial Preparation and Practice, California
Honors & Awards
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers Guide, 2020– 2023
- Southern California Super Lawyers 2004 – 2023
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyer, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2011 - 2023
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyer, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2007 – 2023
- Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in L.A. County, 2007 – 2017
- Top 100 – Super Lawyer, Law & Politics’ Southern California Super Lawyer, 2004 – 2022
- Lawdragon 500 New Stars, New Worlds List
- CAOC Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist, 2018
- CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist, 2018
- ABOTA Lee Wenzel Civility Award, 2019
