Partner John Harabedian advocates on behalf of his clients in commercial disputes including breach of contract, intellectual property disputes, trade secret misappropriation, antitrust violations, breach of fiduciary duty, and tortious interference. His experience as former legal counsel of a public investment company with over $1.5 billion in assets under management has fine-tuned his business acumen, negotiation and litigation skills, delivering a solid advantage when resolving cases or structuring deals.
As a trial attorney, Mr. Harabedian is a former Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office where he conducted over 100 preliminary hearings and managed case calendars for felonies and misdemeanors. He took numerous trials to verdict, handling all aspects of voir dire, opening and closing statements, direct and cross-examination of fact and expert witnesses. Prior to becoming a prosecutor, Mr. Harabedian practiced complex commercial litigation at one of the world’s largest multinational law firms, representing corporations and their officers and directors in professional responsibility, securities, and white collar matters. He began his journey in the legal profession as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Josephine Staton in the Central District of California.
In addition to his legal career, Mr. Harabedian served as Councilmember and Mayor for the City of Sierra Madre from 2012 to 2020, and currently serves as Regional Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and President (Governor Appointee) of the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Acupuncture Board. He is also a former CORO Fellow in Public Affairs. Mr. Harabedian is currently the Democratic nominee for the 41st State Assembly District in the upcoming November election.
Representative Matters
- Represented technology company as plaintiff in breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty suit against former executive hired by competitor.
- Defended multiple public companies in the oilfield services, pharmaceutical, and security industries in various putative class action suits alleging claims under Section 10b of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act and related derivative actions.
- Defended former and current directors of public manufacturing company in multiple shareholder derivative suits and related S.E.C. investigation.
- Defended international financial services company in U.S. Department of Justice’s anti-money laundering investigation.
- Represented medical diagnostic and laboratory services company as plaintiff in breach of contract suit against former executive.
Practice Areas
- Commercial Litigation
- Securities Litigation
- White-Collar Litigation
Clerkships
- The Honorable Josephine Staton, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2010 – 2011
Education
- Stanford Law School, J.D., 2010
Honors: National Champion and Award for Best Brief – American Constitutional Society’s 2009 National Moot Court Competition; Certified student-attorney in Immigrants’ Rights Clinic - Oxford University, M.Sc., Comparative Social Policy
- Yale University, B.A., Political Science
Bar Admissions
- California
