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Dana Levitt is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in its Los Angeles office. Dana is a member of the Trial Department, where his practice is concentrated on complex commercial disputes and trial work. Dana has represented a variety of companies, entities and individuals in a broad range of cases.
Representative Experience
Representation of a publicly traded company in a series of trademark, franchise and contract disputes filed in eight states and ultimately litigated before three-judge arbitration panels. In the course of this representation, which lasted over five years, all but one of the cases was favorably settled or tried to a successful conclusion and Dana first-chaired over 125 days of arbitration during the course of which he and the legal team he led defeated class certification motions; defeated consolidated motions; secured vacatur of arbitration award in Federal Court; secured vacatur of attorneys’ fees and costs award in Federal Court; defeated multiple applications filed in Federal Court to enjoin arbitrations; secured orders compelling arbitration in both State and Federal Courts; and filed and argued multiple motions in arbitration, including motions to disqualify arbitrator, motions to disqualify counsel, motions to dismiss and summary judgment motions.
Represented a condominium association in a case against a developer for failing to meet the requirements of the California Earthquake Code. This case was tried to a jury and resulted in a multimillion dollar verdict for the association.
Represented a medical device manufacturer in a series of product liability cases and an outdoor advertiser in disputes involving municipal sign ordinances.
Representation of banks, public relations firms and defense contractors in cases involving allegations of racial discrimination, sexual discrimination and sexual harassment.
Various companies have enlisted Dana to conduct investigations into allegations that company officers were guilty of sexual harassment or age discrimination. These investigations culminated in lengthy reports with detailed factual and legal findings, which were relied upon in settling or defending litigation.
Before coming to McDermott, Dana was the managing partner at another law firm and a member of that firm’s Executive Committee. Earlier in his career, he was the Litigation Director at Security Pacific National Bank. In that capacity, he supervised the work of law firms throughout the country and worked closely with the Bank’s outside auditors.
Dana has written and lectured on numerous topics, including techniques for arbitrating large cases and techniques for cross-examining plaintiff’s experts in disability discrimination claims.
While in law school, Dana was a National Moot Court finalist and won the Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Award For Excellence in Advocacy. Dana is active in the American Bar Association as a member of the Franchise Law, Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections. Dana is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a membership limited to attorneys, judges and law professors whose careers demonstrate outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. He is a member of the Asian Pacific Bar Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the Board of the Children’s Bureau of Southern California.
Education:
Duke University School of Law, J.D., 1977
University of Massachusetts Amherst, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1974 | 