Prepared to Win
Contact
Khashayar Law Group
1350 Columbia Street, Suite 303
San Diego, CA 92101
How Daryoosh Khashayar and His Team Deliver Justice Through Relentless Preparation, Teamwork, and Personal Investment
"Judges and juries are smart. You can’t look them in the eye honestly and with confidence to present a case effectively unless you really know—and I mean really know—your client. If there’s one difference between now and seven years ago, it’s our increased commitment to investing time really getting to know every client, and their particular situation” says Daryoosh Khashayar, Founder of Khashayar Law Group.
Physically, the firm has changed, too. They moved the main office to Little Italy with two more offices in San Diego and one in San Francisco. They currently have two full-time associates and three part-time associates supported by a dedicated staff of four full-time assistants. They also are in the process of hiring two additional part-time assistants.
The firm has adopted several new technologies to enhance efficiency and client service. They have integrated cloud-based case management software to streamline document handling, calendaring, and client communication, ensuring the team stays organized and responsive. They have also implemented secure e-signature tools and client portals to make interactions more convenient, especially for clients who prefer remote engagement. They are also beginning to incorporate AI-powered tools for legal research and document review, which allows them to deliver faster, more cost-effective results without compromising quality.
Khashayar says expansion in facilities and personnel is important, but their ongoing total commitment to spending real time learning who their clients are, their worries and concerns, and their real needs is a key factor in the firm’s continuing success. “We have to be genuine and to do that you have to spend serious time with your clients. I’ve probably done a lot more of that in the last seven years than before. The more you do that, more it pays off for the client and the firm.”
He cites two cases that exemplify the type of client who faces not only legal challenges, but serious injuries and the accompanying mental and emotional challenges.
A client suffered a life-altering injury after slipping and falling outside the hotel entrance of a unit in a major hotel chain. He has had difficulty walking ever since. After a year of litigation, attorney Angela Ness secured an admission of liability from the defendants and is now focused on proving the full extent of the damages he’s endured.
Another trial, scheduled for later this year, involves a devastating incident where the client was struck by a commercial truck while riding a scooter. As a result, he is now confined to a wheelchair. Regaining his ability to walk is at this point uncertain. The defense denies liability, claiming the Khashayar client was at fault for riding on the wrong side of the road. “It’s a tough case, but one we are fully committed—because it’s a fight worth taking on,” Khashayar says.
Kamran Amintaheri (Associate), Alicia Ramos (Office Manager), Sheila Khashayar, Daryoosh Khashayar (Founder), Angela Ness (Associate), Jessica Mason (Legal Assistant), Gianna Rivera (Legal Assistant), Taylor Marks (Associate).
An Increase in Referrals
Another shift in focus during the past seven years is a greater emphasis on taking referral cases to trial. Sixty to seventy percent of the firm’s caseload comes from referrals from other law firms who are aware of the firm’s willingness to take a case to trial if necessary. Khashayar says they can usually wrap up such cases in six months or less—sometimes within a month and a half.
“We only consider settlement when it aligns with our client’s wishes. Our focus is more on taking the cases that are not settling and where insurance companies are not paying. When another firm has a case that does not settle, they’ll try to settle it either at mediation or by themselves. When that doesn’t work, they call us and we’ll take it to trial. During the past seven years we’ve focused more on taking cases when they’re probably about 80 percent done and just setting it up and going to court. And winning,” he says.
“I have had the pleasure of working for Mr. Khashayar. I have watched him first hand in the courtroom and can tell you that he is the guy you want on your side because his performance only gets better under pressure. In addition, he goes to great lengths to care for each client and their case. I highly recommend Mr. Khashayar.” —Neda Shoushtari, litigation lawyer
Khashayar says, “I’ve actually gotten a couple of cases in Los Angeles where opposing counsel has referred me. In one case in Northern California where the opposing expert that I had cross-examined on a case that went to trial, the expert referred me to the other law firm and said, ‘Hey, call this guy to go try your cases.’”
Kamran Amintaheri (Associate), Angela Ness (Associate), Jessica Mason (Legal Assistant), Daryoosh Khashayar (Founder), Gianna Rivera (Legal Assistant), Taylor Marks (Associate), Alicia Ramos (Office Manager), and Sheila Khashayar.
Beating the Odds
The firm’s attorneys regularly collaborate with law firms across California, stepping in to assist with cases that need to be positioned for trial. One notable example involved a case in Los Angeles County referred by a local LA firm. Their client had received a “take it or leave it” offer of $700,000 from the insurance company for mold-related injuries to the plaintiff. After evaluating the case, Khashayar’s team believed its true value was significantly higher. They took over, conducted multiple depositions, brought in the right experts, and built the case for trial. Just one week before jury selection, the defense accepted a settlement demand, and the case resolved for $2.8 million. “While this case didn’t go to trial, the rigorous preparation and pressure we applied made the difference—resulting in an outcome that both the client and referring firm were extremely satisfied with,” Khashayar says.
Another standout case was Brownlee v. The City of San Diego in which their client suffered a trip-and-fall injury in Pacific Beach. Right before trial, the city offered only $100,000 and insisted they would win at trial due to the client’s 0.08 blood alcohol level. They further threatened to seek costs and fees because, they claimed, the case lacked merit. Khashayar and co-counsel Oliver Shami took the case to trial in September 2022. After four weeks the jury returned a $4.5 million verdict in their client’s favor voting 12-0 on 100 percent liability on the city. In another case, their clients were being offered $2 million while the matter was still with a different law firm. After taking over representation, Khashayar and his people aggressively prepared the case for trial. A year later, just before jury selection, they settled the case for $4.9 million.
In 2024, the firm participated in a high-profile, seven-week trial in San Diego involving two well-known local personal injury law firms. They represented one of the firms in this widely publicized case, which drew daily audiences of 90–100 people via Microsoft Teams. It was an intensely contested and closely followed trial. They tried that case with Co-counsel Bob Semnar and Oliver Shami.
“To earn those types of victories, often against great odds, you really must spend the time and make sure you understand what these clients are going through and how their day-to-day lives have changed. That’s the only way to give a glimpse to the jury of what these people’s lives have turned out as a result of these injuries. We may take fewer cases than some, but we win and we win big,” Khashayar says.
Khashayar is passionate about automobile speed racing. Several times a year he and a few friends race tracks in Palm Springs or Las Vegas.
Managing by Teamwork
My management philosophy for a law firm is pretty much to have everyone here united as a team. The way that I run my law firm is, if someone makes a mistake, it’s okay, because we all make mistakes. We’re all human. I make sure that they’re all getting what they need to fully perform,” Khashayar says. He says his two associates exemplify the knowledge, experience and the caring attitude an attorney needs for success in their practice areas.
Angela Ness and Taylor Marks have been with the firm since 2016 and each has handled multiple trials and has been vital to the firm’s success in many of their court victories. Taylor Marks has handled a wide range of cases—from catastrophic car accidents throughout California and trip-and-fall incidents at residences and businesses, to business disputes involving contracts and easements, property trespass, maritime wrongful death cases in Mexico, and medical malpractice. Angela Ness focuses her practice on business and real estate. Her current caseload is focused more on litigation than transactional matters.
Khashayar says, “I don’t think people like to be micromanaged and I don’t think that the business will function fully if you’re always micromanaging because you have to always be doing it. That means I can’t be doing what I want to do, which is go to court and fight for my clients. Find and trust the best people and you can’t lose. I don’t micromanage.”
One success factor that hasn’t changed is the team’s commitment to quality over quantity in client selection. Khashayer says he would rather have 100 cases and get 98 to 100 percent of value than 10,000 cases where the client only receives 50 cents on the dollar. “We don’t want to get 10,000 clients walking into our door because then I won’t be able to have the manpower to give each client 100 percent of what they need. I don’t take every case that arrives because we couldn’t invest the time one-on-one to make sure we get maximum value,” Khashayar says.
Not only does Khashayar represent a wide variety of people in his community, he is actively engaged in improving the condition of people and families within southern California. At least three or four times a year he and members of the family and firm feed the homeless in downtown San Diego. He was inspired by his brother, also an attorney, who passed away of epilepsy. “He was heavy into feeding the homeless and I wanted to keep his legacy going. We’ve been doing this since 2016. Khashayar carries that commitment a step forward and has founded LOKK for Epilepsy, which is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.
“Now my kids are old enough, they come with us in working with the homeless. We’ll order 200-300 In-N-Out burgers and hand them out ourselves with a bunch of blankets in the winter and little tents for the summer,” he says.
Khashayar and his wife of 19 years have two kids—a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. The husband and wife are active in volunteering for parental school activities. These days he says his hobbies and interests focus on his kids, such as involving them in charitable activities and attending his son’s wrestling matches and his daughter’s volleyball matches.
Outside of the office and family fun and games, Khashayar is passionate about automobile speed racing. Several times a year he and a few friends go to race tracks in Palm Springs or Las Vegas. “We go on the track and try to push these cars to the limit as much as possible to try to get some of the adrenaline like in the courtroom while cross-examining a defendant. Pushing a car to its maximum level is a real thrill.”
That go-for-broke attitude is an asset in court knowing that the other side has the backing of huge corporations with experts flying in from all over the world. Khashayar isn’t intimidated by the odds. “At the end of the day, this is what I love about our justice system - no matter how much money you’ve got, and you’re a big corporation, and you have so many lawyers on that side, at the end of the day, we have 12 regular jurors. Each side gets the opportunity to express their case to 12 random people that don’t know either side and let them choose. Just look them in the eye with confidence and honesty and watch things play out in your client’s favor.”
» Education
- John F. Kennedy School of Law – 1999-2003
- San Francisco State University, Psychology – 1998
» HONORS & AWARDS
- Top 10% in U.S. Civil Litigation –
Lawyers of Distinction, 2017 - Winner of Top Verdicts in California – 2016 ($61,587,000.00)
» PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
- California State Bar – 2005-Present
- Consumer Attorneys of San Diego – 2007-Present
- Member of State Bar of California
Business Section – 2008-Present - Member of State Bar of California
Litigation Section – 2008-Present - Member of State Bar of California
Real Property Section – 2008-Present
» BAR ADMISSIONS
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st District
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