Chris Arledge
Partner
Direct Dial: (949) 502 - 2872
Email: carledge@onellp.com
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"We often refer our clients to Chris Arledge because we trust him. As
outside general counsel, a bad referral puts our client relationships at
risk. With Chris, we know our clients will get a creative problem-solver
who works efficiently." Fred Hasani, Fortis General Counsel.
Litigate with a Purpose
So much litigation activity is wasteful, unnecessary, and even
counterproductive. Many lawyers operate out of mere habit—do the same
litigation tasks in the same order—with no regard to big-picture
strategy. The client gets large bills, and often little else.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Different clients have different needs,
resources, and goals; there is no good reason to handle every case the
same way. Everything a litigator does should be part of a strategic plan,
not mere habit, and must be carefully designed to achieve that client's
specific goals.
Use the Tools of Persuasion
Above all else, a lawyer’s primary job is to persuade. A lawyer can know
the law or understand complex technologies, but if he or she is unable to
persuade a judge, jury, or opposing counsel, that lawyer is useless to
the client. Chris has spent substantial time studying and teaching the
art of persuasion—the scientific literature and the works of elite
lawyers, advertisers, psychologists, even actors and directors—to
guarantee that his motions, oral arguments and trial presentations are
calculated to have the most persuasive impact.
Chris' skills as an oral advocate have made him in high demand as a
speaker and debater; he is a regular contributor to talk radio programs
as a legal expert, and he has participated in numerous conferences and
debates at programs hosted by groups such as Chapman Law School, Whittier
Law School, the Anti-Defamation League, the Federal Bar Association, and
the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Protect your most important property
Chris began his career as a
general civil litigator, and he has experience litigating a wide-range of
matters—everything from contract disputes for international software
companies to church-property disputes to free-speech claims.
But these days Chris’ practice primarily concerns disputes over
intellectual property, especially disputes over patents, copyrights,
trademarks, and trade secrets. Often, this intellectual property is the
most important asset a company owns. Some representative matters include:
Copyrights
- Representing Chuck DeVore, a candidate for the United States
Senate, in a lawsuit against Don Henley of the Eagles.
- Representing a Hollywood entertainment company in a copyright
infringement lawsuit against celebrity blogger Perez Hilton involving
the unauthorized use of photographic images.
- Representing a songwriter in a lawsuit against Daddy Yankee, one
of the world’s best-selling performers, for theft of a musical
composition.
Trademarks
- Representing a popular clothing manufacturer against claims by a
competitor.
- Representing a large regional marina and recreational site in
trademark infringement lawsuits regarding performing and name rights
to particular industry and public display shows.
- Representing a leading consumer product company in the extreme
sports space regarding protection of its marks.
Trade Secrets
- Representing a national security software company in a theft of
trade secrets dispute involving a competitor and employees, with
federal (FBI) involvement also.
- Representing a national software utility-measuring software
supplier for housing communities in protecting its trade secrets from
theft from a competitor.
- Representing a leading software company in a dispute over theft of
its software source code.
Patents
- Representing a publicly traded company in patent infringement
litigation involving hand-held celestial object locator devices and
computerized telescopes.
- Representing an advanced anti-proton physics company regarding
inventorship of patents.
- Representing a company regarding marching band carrier technology
in a patent infringement lawsuit involving multiple patents and
anti-trust claims.
- Representing a company in patent infringement litigation involving
consumer shelf-liner products.
Media Appearances and Special Events
Chris is an active and popular speaker who frequently gives speeches,
engages in debates, and appears as a legal commentator in the mass media.
Speeches and Presentations
Chris is an expert in persuasion techniques for lawyers. He currently
teaches “Lawyers, Persuasion and the Limits of Logic” to law firms and
bar groups, and has given that presentation to many of the largest,
most-prestigious law firms in the country, including Munger, Tolles &
Olsen, O’Melveny & Myers, and Jones Day.
Chris also gives frequent speeches and presentations on intellectual
property law, including “What Every Business Owner Must Know About
Intellectual Property Law,” which he has presented to bar groups and
conferences sponsored by KFI’s Handel on the Law, “Why Superman and
Copyright Matter to You,” a program he has presented to the American Bar
Association and many local bar associations, and “Trademark and Copyright
for Artists,” which he has presented at a program sponsored by California
Lawyers for the Arts.
Mass Media Appearances
Chris is frequently asked to give expert commentary in the mass media
and has made dozens of appearances on nationally syndicated radio
programs, including multiple programs on KFI in Los Angeles, “The Phil
Hendrie Show,” and Barry Lynn’s “Culture Shocks.”
Debates
Chris is an experienced and engaging debater. He has debated numerous
issues of constitutional law at programs sponsored by organizations like
Chapman Law School, Whittier Law School, the Federal Bar Association, the
Anti-Defamation League, and various Inns of Court.
Education
University of Southern California: J.D.; Order of the Coif; Arthur
Manella Scholarship winner (awarded to the top-ranked student in the
class at the end of the first year); Law Review.
William Jewell College: B.A.; magna cum laude.
Jurisdictions
Chris is admitted to practice in California and Nevada.
Articles
“The King of Pop, Sir Paul, and the Right to Reclaim Copyrights”
Big Hollywood, July 2009.
“Is Copyright Law Stifling Creativity?”
Big Hollywood, July 2009.
“Don Henley’s Lawsuit Against Chuck DeVore Threatens First Amendment”
Big Hollywood, June 2009.
“The End of American Conservatism?”
Red County, October 2008
“Standing Under The Unfair Competition Law Is Unlikely To Exist For
Competitors”
OC Lawyer, September 2008
“Keeping the Judiciary in Check”
Red County, April 2008
"Is the Supreme Court's Independence Under Attack?"
Communique, February 2007
"When Does
a Contract Breach Also Give Rise to a Tort Claim? A Primer for
Practitioners"
OC Lawyer, July 2006
"Originalism and its Discontents"
OC Lawyer, September 2005
"Is the California Supreme Court Confusing the Boundaries of the
Economic Loss Rule?"
OC Lawyer, May 2005
"Gould and Phillips: How the Court of Appeal has abused Tameny's
wrongful-termination doctrine."
OC Lawyer, March 2005
"Pitfalls in Defending the Rule 30(b)(6) Witness."
OC Lawyer, November 2004
Items of Interest
Chris clerked for the Honorable Charles E. Wiggins of the Ninth United
States Circuit Court of Appeals.
In law school, Chris was selected by William Rehnquist, the Chief Justice
of the United States Supreme Court, as one of only 11 law students
nationwide to be granted an interview as finalists in the Chief Justice's
clerkship-selection process.
Chris has been named a Rising Star by Southern California Super Lawyers
magazine.
Chris has been an adjunct professor at California Baptist University,
where he taught constitutional law, and Chapman University Law School,
where he taught The Art of Persuasion for Lawyers.
Chris is a member of the Lincoln Club of Orange County.
Chris is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Magnolia Memorial Park.
Chris is a Trustee of California Baptist University.
