Erik D. Slechta

Erik Slechta is Senior Counsel in the Los Angeles office of GRSM and is a member of the Employment Law practice group.  His practice focuses on all stages of litigation including pre-litigation investigations through trial and appeals including advising clients on policies and practices to avoid future litigation. 

Erik’s experience includes defending clients in a wide variety of cases including product liability, catastrophic injury, employment, and wrongful death claims. He also has experience defending companies related to asbestos claims and commercial litigation.

Erik has a broad range of corporate leadership experience with a deep understanding of how corporate departments, business processes and information and technology systems function. This experience allows him to efficiently gather, understand and filter relevant information and documentation needed to defend cases. This knowledge uniquely positions him as a valuable business partner in not only resolving cases, but also changing business processes or procedures to mitigate potential future liability exposure.

Admissions

• California
• 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. District Court, Northern District of California

• Represented a client in a four-week wrongful death jury trial in Tulsa County District Court in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2018. After seven years of litigation he substituted in as counsel of record in 2016 to try the case. The jury returned a defense verdict resulting in zero liability to the defendant.
• Co-counsel on behalf of defendant in an 11-week jury trial where the jury found that a fatal aircraft accident at Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska was caused solely by the negligence of the aircraft’s pilot. The verdict completely vindicated the client.
• Prevailed on a motion to bifurcate damages and liability portions of trial ultimately resulting in a highly favorable settlement for his client.
• Prevailed on multiple motions to dismiss/motions to quash service of summons for lack of personal jurisdiction.

J.D., cum laude, Syracuse University College of Law, 1999

• Syracuse Law and Technology Journal, founding member, Chief Article Editor
• Journal of Legislation and Policy, Associate Editor

B.A., Economics, University of California, san Diego, 1996