Alicia A. Baiardo has more than a decade of experience handling financial services litigation, complex commercial cases, and trust and estate disputes. She successfully advocates for her clients at all stages of litigation by obtaining dismissals and beneficial settlements.
Her cases include nationwide consumer class actions brought on behalf of millions of plaintiffs as well as statewide cases alleging unfair competition, fraud, and violation of various consumer protection statutes. Ali additionally has significant experience with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, mortgage and auto finance matters.
Ali has defended numerous class actions and multi-district litigation, involving all phases of class action litigation including e-discovery, class certification and class settlement. She has litigated numerous cases which triggered application of Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code. She has also represented mortgage servicers through trial and post-trial work.
Ali has additional experience assisting clients in trust and estate litigation matters involving undue influence allegations, accounting disputes, life estate valuations, inter-family disputes over distribution of assets, and special trustee’s fiduciary duties in administering family trusts. In one matter, Ali successfully defended a challenge to her client’s $18 million estate plan, which ultimately resulted in a $500,000+ award of fees and costs back to the client.
Additionally, Ali has significant pro bono experience litigating asylum and prisoner right’s cases. Ali served as a law clerk to the Honorable William Alsup of the U.S. District Court of Northern District of California.
EXPERIENCE :
- Defended major national banks in multidistrict class action litigation and individual class actions while navigating regulatory implications.
- Defended major national banks in trust and estate litigation matters involving undue influence allegations, accounting disputes, and claims concerning corporate trustee fiduciary duties.
- Defended major national banks in litigation triggering Articles 3 and 4 of the Commercial Code, including customer obligations, unauthorized signatures, know your customer requirements, electronic funds transfers and applicable federal preemption.
Education :
- Santa Clara University School of Law, JD, cum laude, Editor in Chief, Santa Clara Journal of International Law; Pupillage Member, The Honorable William A. Ingram American Inn of Court Advocacy, Best Oralist Award; CALI Award for Excellence in Constitutional Law II; Order of the Coif, 2007
- Gonzaga University, BA, Criminal Justice, minor in Spanish, magna cum laude, 2003
Admissions :
- California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
Cost
Rate : $$$