Cyndie M. Chang

is the Managing Partner of the firm's Los Angeles office. Ms. Chang litigates complex business, class action, and commercial disputes involving contracts, products liability, product safety and recall, business torts and fraud, unfair competition, antitrust, construction defect, trademarks, trade secrets, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California Proposition 65, entertainment, and real estate law. Further, she litigates insurance coverage issues, including significant environmental, asbestos, toxic tort, commercial general liability, and long tail liability claims, as well as subrogation, contribution, bad faith, extracontractual, and reinsurance disputes. Her services have spanned various industries, including fashion, retail, and consumer goods, service providers, insurance, manufacturing, energy, utilities, and telecommunications .

Ms. Chang has represented many public and private businesses, including Fortune 500 companies and celebrities, and has obtained favorable results serving as first chair in state and federal bench trials, jury trials and arbitration, leading joint defense groups in complex cases, and resolving cases through creative settlements and dispositive motions. Ms. Chang has also been featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal, Above the Law, Ms. JD,The American Lawyer, Diversity Journal, Diversity Executive, the Daily Journal and other legal publications.

She was recognized as 2019 Top 50 Women Super Lawyer in Southern California. In 2018, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) honored her with the EDGE Award for Greater Equality and Loyola Law School honored her with the Board of Governors' Recognition Award. She was selected in 2018 as one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers and nominated as a “Leader in Law” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) awarded Ms. Chang with its first-ever Trailblazer award based on achievements in her legal career, her championing of issues affecting immigrants and other marginalized communities, and overall dedication to the APA community. She has been honored by Best Lawyers Magazine, Spring Edition 2016, as one of 15 women in the legal profession leading the charge for achievements in the practice and policy, on both local and national levels. She was also recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the 2014 Top 100 Women Lawyers in California. The award honors 100 women lawyers whose extraordinary talent and experience are helping to shape industry and the law. In 2014-2019, she received the Super Lawyer distinction in the Super Lawyers Magazine, an honor limited to no more than 5% of attorneys in the state. From 2010 to 2013, she was named a Rising Star in Los Angeles Magazine's Super Lawyer Rising Star section, given to no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state, and in 2012-2017 was listed in its The Top LA Women Lawyers. She is also AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that the lawyer's reviewed peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards. The Recorder named Ms. Chang a 2013 Lawyer on the Fast Track. Selections for the honor were based on attorneys' career achievements and leadership roles within their practice, organization and community. Ms. Chang was also named in the Lawyers of Color Inaugural Hot List, which honored 100 early-to-mid-career minority attorneys for excellence in the legal profession. In addition, Ms. Chang was named the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association ( NAPABA ) 2010 Best Lawyers under 40, awarded to 20 lawyers across the country.

Her service to the bar includes service as President of NAPABA for the 2016-2017 term, with previous service as its President-Elect, Vice-President of Communications, Secretary and Regional Governor for the Central District, which encompassed over ten minority interest bar organizations in Southern California. NAPABA is the national voice for the Asian American legal profession and represents the interests of over 50,000 Asian American lawyers and over 75 national, state, and local bar associations. She is also the Past President of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association ( SCCLA ), one of the oldest and largest Asian-American bar associations in the country.

Ms. Chang also serves as one of 12 Commissioners on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession (co-chairing the 2019 Margaret Brent Awards) and a board member of the National Association of Women Lawyers ( NAWL ). She also has served on the Joint Committee of Law Firm Partners and Corporate Counsel for the National Judicial College ( NJC ). She previously participated in the ABA's Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section ( TIPS ) 2010 Leadership Academy, selected with a group of approximately 20 lawyers in the nation identified to be emerging bar leaders. Further, Ms. Chang was appointed as the Vice-Chair of the ABA-TIPS Business Litigation Committee. In addition, she was her firm's office Pro Bono Coordinator and an inaugural fellow to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity ( LCLD ), a dynamic leadership training program comprised of high-potential attorneys from major law firms and corporations in the country. Ms. Chang has also served as a board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles ( APABA ) and an appointed member of the ABA's Center for Human Rights Advisory Council and the ABA-TIPS Standing Committee on Diversity in the Profession. She is an elected member of the Chancery Club (one of Los Angeles’ association of distinguished lawyers who have held position of honor and responsibility in legal, judicial, academic, governmental and civic organizations). She is a lso a proud lifetime member of SCCLA and APAWLA, as well as continuing member of NAWL.

Ms. Chang was featured in the documentary Opening the Door: Personal Stories of Groundbreaking Los Angeles Lawyers and Judges, which was screened during the LA Law Library's Pro Bono Week in October 2016. The Library also featured Ms. Chang in an exhibition during Pro Bono Week. This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org .

Ms. Chang previously served as judicial extern to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Chang is a graduate of Loyola Law School, where she was a published Note and Comment Editor for the Entertainment Law Review, the Student Editor of the ABA Student Lawyer national magazine and a member of the National Moot Court Team and Scott Moot Court Honors Board. She previously was a member of the ABA Law Student Division Board of Governors, a liaison to the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession and an elected officer of the Loyola Student Bar Association. Further, Ms. Chang is a graduate, with honors, of Johns Hopkins University and was awarded the Senior Leadership Award for her class and the Multicultural Student Affairs Award. She was elected into the academic honor societies of Pi Sigma Alpha for Political Science, Psi Chi for Psychology, and the Order of Omega. Ms. Chang served as the chair of the Inter-Asian Council, chair of Asian Awareness Month, and a convocation speaker with civil rights activist Myerlie Evers-Williams for Black History Month. She also obtained the National Leadership Award in her sorority and the Louis Azrael Fellowship for writing excellence.

In the community, Ms. Chang currently serves on the Board of Directors for Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Asian Pacific Community Fund ( APCF ), a non-profit organization that supports Asian Pacific Islander communities in need and generates funding for 29 affiliate agencies in Southern California. She also serves on the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA) Pro Bono Advisory Council. She also represented AAAJ in a highly-publicized pro bono matter regarding the constitutionality of a proposed business sign ordinance requiring use of the modern Latin alphabet (e.g., English) in the City of Monterey Park. Ms. Chang is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker.

Resume

Honors and Awards

•Named one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2019

•2019 Super Lawyers Top 50 Women Lawyers (Southern California)

•2018 Council Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) EDGE Award Greater Equality honoree

•2018 Loyola Law School Grand Reunion Board of Governors Recognition Award recipient

•Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) Trailblazer award, May 2018

•Selected as one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers by the Los Angeles Business Journal

•Nominated as a Leader in Law by the Los Angeles Business Journal
•Elected to the Chancery Club, one of Los Angeles' esteemed associations of lawyers
•Ms. Chang was featured in the documentary Opening the Door: Personal Stories of Groundbreaking Los Angeles Lawyers and Judges, which was screened during the LA Law Library's Pro Bono Week in October 2016. The Library also featured Ms. Chang in an exhibition during Pro Bono Week. This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.
•National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Board of Governors
- President, 2016-2017
- President-elect, 2015-2016

•National Association of Women Lawyers ( NAWL ) Board of Governors, 2019-2020

•National Judicial College ( NJC ) Joint Committee of Law Firm Partners and Corporate Counsel

•Best Lawyers Magazine, Spring Edition 2016, profiled as one of 15 women in the legal profession leading the charge for achievements in the practice and policy, on both local and national levels.
•AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that the lawyer's reviewed peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
•Attended Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA), a leadership program initiative by the ABA and national minority bar associations, Seattle, June 2016
•Recipient of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles( AAAJ-LA ) Pro Bono Service Award for firm's work on business sign ordinance issue in Monterey Park, 2014
•Named one of the 100 Top Women Lawyers by The Daily Journal, 2014

•Southern California Super Lawyers, 2014-2019

•American Bar Foundation, Life Fellow, 2014-present
•Named a Top 50 California Lawyer on the Fast Track by The Recorder, 2013
•Named in the inaugural Hot List by the Lawyers of Color, 2013
•Named in NAPABA's 2010 Best Lawyers under 40
•Rated 10.0 Superb by Avvo
•Named a Rising Star in Los Angeles Magazine's Super Lawyer Rising Star section, 2010-2013
•Listed in The Top LA Women Lawyers, 2012-2015
•fellow to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity ( LCLD ), 2011
•Graduate of the American Bar Association's Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section ( TIPS ) Leadership Academy, 2010
•Graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel ( IADC ) Trial Academy
•Graduate of the Committee of 100 ( C100 ) Leadership and Mentorship Program, 2010-2011
•Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association President's Award for outstanding service and commitment to association
•Scott Moot Court Honors Board, Top Ten Brief
•Women Lawyers of Long Beach, Scholarship Recipient
•Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, Scholarship Recipient

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Selected Publications

•Contributor, Duane Morris Insurance Law Blog
•Quoted in The Era Of Video Mediation Is Here - Or Is It?, Law 360, April 6, 2020

•Featured in On the Move: Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association Trailblazer Award, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 14, 2018

•Quoted in More Asian-Americans On Lawyer's Path, But Few Get Far,' Law360, July 18, 2017

•Featured in Rise in Hate Crimes, Divisive Rhetoric Prompts Bar Groups to Act, ABA Journal, April 1, 2017
•Featured in For Bar Association President, Loyola Planted Seeds of Leadership by Loyola Law School, Dec. 2016
•Featured in NAPABA President And Managing Partner Cyndie Chang Aims To Continue Her Family's Legacy of Community Building, Above the Law, November 11, 2016
•Interviewed for Attorneys Across America: Featuring Cyndie Chang, Ms. JD, March 17, 2015
•Co-Author, Sign Languages, Los Angeles Lawyer, January 2015
•Profiled in Top Women Lawyers Supplement, Daily Journal, May 7, 2014
•Profiled in New Guard at Duane Morris: Young Leaders with Deep Ties, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 1, 2014
•Profiled in Giving Back to Her Community, Diversity Journal, March/April 2014
•Interviewed for Pro Bono Spotlight: Cyndie M. Chang & Duane Morris LLP, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA Blog, February 20, 2014
•Profiled in Three for Three: Three Questions for Three Loyola Alumni Who Are Dedicated to Pro Bono Work, Loyola Lawyer Magazine, 2013 Edition
•Profiled in How Obstacles Were an Impetus for One Lawyer's Success, Diversity Executive, August 21, 2013
•Featured in Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association: Developing a New Generation of Leaders, Diversity & the Bar, January/February 2013
• Exploring Internet Privacy Through Cable Broadband Struggles; ISPs Walk a Fine Line Between Privacy and Security, Loyola Entertainment Law Review

Selected Speaking Engagements

•Speaker, COVID-19 Effects on Communities of Color, ABA Real Property & Probate and Trust Section Diversity and Inclusion Conference and Virtual Spring Leadership Meeting, May 6, 2020

•Speaker, What Will Drive Change: Law Firm Leaders Weigh In, Spring Summit For Advancing Women in the Law, Chicago, March 3, 2020
•Speaker, Presenting Yourself with Power and Projecting Authority: Using Improv to Elevate Your Presence, NAPABA Convention 2019, Austin, Texas, November 9, 2019

•Panelist, Vision 2025: The LCLD Leaders Challenge, Tenth Annual Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Membership Meeting, September 24, 2019

•Speaker, Where Are the Women of Color? Experiences of Women of Color in the Legal Profession, ABA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, August 10, 2019

•Speaker, Perspectives on Civil Litigation, 14th Annual Journalist Law School, Loyola Law School, June 5, 2019

•Panelist, Trends in the Retention of Women Lawyers Over the Last 10 Years, Los Angeles County Bar Association and Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles program: A Decade After A Call to Action: Where Are We Now, May 2, 2019

•Moderator, Boost Profits: How Diversity & Inclusion Boost Your Bottom Line, Western Bankers Association (WBA)’s Diversity and Inclusion Forum, April 30, 2019

•Speaker, Women of Big Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, April 17, 2019

•Speaker, Loyola Law School, Preview Day, Los Angelos, April 5, 2019

•Panelist, Mentoring Circle Dinner, Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance and Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, Los Angeles, February 28

•Speaker, Communication & Persuasion: Improv Acting Techniques for Lawyers, Duane Morris Experience: Capital Records Tower CLE Lunch and Learn for In-House Corporate Counsel, Hollywood, December 3, 2018

•Moderator, Resume Ninja Warrior, 2018 NAPABA Convention, Chicago, November 10, 2018

•Speaker, Inaugural Lawyers Conference on Diversity & Inclusion Education, Kelly McNamara Corley Institute for Diversity & Inclusion Education, Arlington, Virginia, November 5, 2018

•Panelist, Gender + Race: Addressing Issues of Diversity and Inclusion, Association of Corporate Counsel, Webinar, September 11, 2018

•Speaker, Fellows at the Top: A Conversation with Current and Former Presidents of Diversity Organizations, LCLD Fellows Alumni Leadership Symposium, Los Angeles, June 22, 2018

•Panelist, Empowering Our True Selves for Success: Recognizing and Overcoming Race-Based Implicit Bias in the Workplace, Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles, May 31, 2018

•Panelist, Maintaining A Diverse Work Environment: A Discussion of the Past, Current and Future of Diversity in Law Firms and In-House, NAPABA Southeast Regional Conference, Atlanta, April 13, 2018

•Speaker, Women, Leadership & the Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, April 4, 2018

•Panelist, Life Balance Conundrum: Time Management for Lawyers, HNBA 2018 Corporate Counsel Conference, San Francisco, March 16, 2018

•Speaker, A Collaborative Approach to Moving Diversity Forward, National Association of Women's Lawyers Mid-Year Conference, Miami, March 2, 2018

•Speaker, Women's Leadership Workshop Luncheon and Successful Leadership Transitions for Women and Outgoing President's Remarks at the NAPABA 29th Anniversary Gala, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention, Washington, November 3, 2017
•Speaker, Bad Faith Nightmares: Recent Trends & Themes in Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Insurance Litigation Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Annual Convention, Kansas, September 8, 2017
•Speaker, The Portrait Project: A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law, NAPABA (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association) Northeast Regional Conference, Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017
•Speaker, Bad Faith Nightmares: Recent Trends & Themes In Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Insurance Litigation, HNBA (Hispanic National Bar Association) Kansas City, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017
•Speaker, The Portrait Project: A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law, NAPABA Central Regional Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, August 25, 2017
•Speaker, Complex Litigation: Win the Business and Win the Case, NAPABA Western Regional Conference, Silicon Valley, California, July 22, 2017
•Speaker, Center for Women in the Law (CWIL): Consortium for Advancing Women Leaders, New York, July 21, 2017
•Speaker, Moving Diversity Forward - A Collaborative Effort, National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon, New York, July 20, 2017
•Speaker, Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy, the ABA, NAPABA, NBA, HNBA, NNABA, and National LGBT bar, Minneapolis, MN, Jun 26, 2017
•Speaker, Let's Handle Those Difficult Situations: How Do You Deal With Crisis? and Working Lunch Plenary Session: How We Work Together, Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy, Minneapolis, MN, June 26, 2017
•Keynote Speaker, California Law Academy Support Council (CLAS), San Francisco, June 16, 2017
•Speaker, Power Networking Reception, Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment's Women, June 1, 2017
•Speaker, Boost Your Bottom Line: Why Retaining and Promoting Minority Talent is Good Business Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association Rainmakers Forum, Atlanta, GA, May 25, 2017
•Speaker, George Boyer Vashon Lecture, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2017
•Keynote Speaker, Southwestern Law School Asian Pacific American Law Student Association Installation Banquet, Los Angeles, April 14, 2017
•Speaker, Portrait Project, NAPABA Southwest Regional Conference, Texas, April 7, 2017
•Speaker, Breaking Through to Excellence, APIS Conference, Austin, Texas, April 7, 2017
•Presenter, Advocacy and efforts of the Coalition of Bar Association of Color, National Native American Bar Association's Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, April 5, 2017
•Speaker, Communication and Persuasion: Combining Improv Techniques with Advocacy, Legal Department of Southern California Edison, July 28, 2016
•Co-Moderator, Communication and Persuasion: Improv Skills Every Lawyer Should Know, DRI's Annual Trial Tactics Seminar, Phoenix, Arizona, March 9-11, 2016
•Speaker, Examining Opening Statement Strategies for Plaintiffs and Defense Attorneys, 2015 Annual Meeting of The State Bar of California, Anaheim, California, October 8, 2015
•Speaker, Women@theTable: The Woman Factor - How Women at the Top Impact Organizations, Lim Ruger & Kim LLP and LACBA Diversity in the Profession Committee, June 25, 2015
•Speaker, 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act: A Time to Celebrate, Reflect, and Recommit, Diversity for Success Seminar, The Voice of the Defense Bar (DRI), June 11-12, 2015
•Panelist, Duane Morris Diversity Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2015
•Speaker, Are Warriors the Ideal Litigators? How Stories Infect Our Behavior and Our View of the World, American Bar Association, Webinar, February 26, 2015
•Speaker, It's Only Forum Shopping When It's Coming from the Other Side?, 2015 Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, Tucson, AZ, March 4-7, 2015
•Panelist, Committee of 100 Leadership and Mentoring Program: Graduation and Kickoff, Committee of 100, Rosemead, CA, December 6, 2014
•Speaker, NAPABA Pre-Law Conference: Career Panel, 2014 NAPABA Annual Convention, Scottsdale, Arizona, November 8, 2014
•Speaker, The Rise of the AAPI Managing Partners: Wisdom and Stories from the Field, 2014 NAPABA Annual Convention, Scottsdale, Arizona, November 7, 2014
•Speaker, 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act: Our Responsibilities as Lawyers-A Time to Celebrate, Reflect and Recommit, DRI Annual Convention, San Francisco, October 24, 2014
•Moderator, Leadership in the Boardroom, CAUSE Women in Power Quarterly Luncheon, Los Angeles, August 1, 2014
•Keynote Speaker, Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association and Joint APA Bar Summer Associate Mixer, Los Angeles, July 16, 2014
•Panelist, Phoenix Rising: Asian American Lawyers as Advocates and Leaders, Loyola Law School, January 2014
•Panelist, Affiliate Leadership Summit, Annual NAPABA Convention, Kansas City, Missouri, November 2013
•Panelist at Associate Business Development Program and Speaker at Diverse Attorney Meeting, Duane Morris Annual Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 2013
•Speaker, Opening Remarks for the Investiture and Swearing-In of Judge Curtis A. Kin to the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles, August 23, 2013
•Panelist, Leadership Competencies, Duane Morris Diversity Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2012
•Speaker, Committee of 100 ( C100 ) Gala, Pasadena, California, April 19, 2012
•Co-Moderator and Co-Chair, Acting for Lawyers II workshop, 23rd Annual NAPABA Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2011
•Co-Moderator and Co-Chair, Acting for Lawyers workshop, 22nd Annual NAPABA Convention INSPIRE, Los Angeles, California, November 2010
•Panelist, Examples of Successful Marketing, Duane Morris Annual Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 2010
•Panelist, Balancing Responsibilities: Are Law Firms Doing Enough to Promote/Recruit Lawyers of Color to Partnership? How Can Corporate America Help? Duane Morris Diversity Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2009
•Panelist, Insurance Practice, Duane Morris Annual Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 2008
•Panelist, Duane Morris Diversity Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2008
•Speaker, Career Workshop, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California, January 2008
•Moderator and Chair, Phoenix Rising, full day CLE program presented by the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, Loyola Law School, October 2007
•Panelist, Marketing and Business Development Philadelphia, Duane Morris Annual Retreat, Pennsylvania, October 2007
•Panelist, Duane Morris Diversity Retreat, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2007
•Presenter, Pellicano: How Do You Hire and Supervise Private Detectives, and What Happens When Things Go Wrong? MCLE presentation for the Southern California Business Litigation Inn of Court, Los Angeles, California, October 2006 - Received Circle of Excellence Award from the American Inns of Court for placing second in Top Programs of 2007