Gary A. Dordick

Dordick's legal career began somewhat unconventionally. Fresh off a short stint competing in and teaching taekwondo, he was looking for a career with fewer occupational hazards.

He started in the mail room of a boutique personal injury firm and worked his way up as a legal assistant and law clerk, eventually skipping college to go straight to law school. He worked full-time at the firm while attending law school at night, and upon graduating, he hung his own shingle. Now, three decades later, his son has joined his firm.

"I liked that you can fight for people," he said. "I think we're fortunate to represent people that desperately need help."

Dordick recently won a $7 million verdict for former Baldwin Park police chief Lili Hadsell in a gender discrimination case that stood out for its sheer volume of evidence, he said. Hadsell v. City of Baldwin Park, BC548602 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Oct. 8, 2014).

"In gender discrimination, there's never any direct evidence," Dordick said. "Nobody ever says, 'The problem is I don't like working with women.' You have to expose them for the liars they are to win the case."

Hadsell was fired in 2013 after a five-year tenure, largely based on a no-confidence vote held by the police officers' union.

Dordick argued City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco and then-Capt. Michael Taylor helped orchestrate her ouster and presented emails between the two discussing employment terms for Hadsell's job prior to the vote. The jury also heard audio of Pacheco calling a female city councilwoman an "ass," which he had denied on the stand. Witnesses from the department testified to Hadsell's effectiveness as chief.

"She devoted her entire career to public service, and then because they didn't want a woman doing what they called a man's job, they fired her," he said.

In March, after just over two hours of deliberation, the jurors unanimously decided for Hadsell.

The case was also the first Dordick tried with his close friend Carney R. Shegerian of Shegerian & Associates Inc.

In another particularly emotional case, Dordick represented a mother whose 21-year-old son was killed after his motorcycle collided with a City of Covina utility truck. The plaintiff was reluctant to go to trial because of the emotional toll but was left no choice after the city's offer was untenable, Dordick said.

The trial was painful for everyone involved, Dordick said, but in October, the jury awarded $7 million in damages, 10 times the city's final offer. Asencio v. City of Covina, BC620177 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed May 12, 2016).

After the verdict, jurors sought out the plaintiff in the hallway to give her a hug, a testament to the impact of her story, he said. It's those moments of vindication that are the most rewarding, he said.

"I only take cases I truly believe in where I can make a difference in people's lives," he said. "If somebody comes here and whines at me that their neck and back is sore, I'm not the lawyer for them. I need them to be in a position where I can really do something to hopefully help change their whole life, turn terrible circumstances around."

-- Erin Lee