SUMMARY
Erin R. Dunkerly is a trial attorney and partner at the firm’s Pasadena office. Her practice focuses on professional liability and public entity defense.
Ms. Dunkerly has been with the firm since 2007. She has been rated a Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2012 and 2015-2018. She has tried cases in both state and federal courts and has presented on issues related to professional negligence to the Pasadena Bar Association and the American Institute of Architects. Ms. Dunkerly is a member of the American Bar Association (Center for Professional Responsibility, Section of Litigation, and Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section); Federal Bar Association, Los Angeles Chapter; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Pasadena Bar Association; Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles; and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. She is an active member of the community, volunteering as a suicide prevention advocate at the state and national levels.
Ms. Dunkerly obtained her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. At Loyola Law School, Ms. Dunkerly was a Public Interest Scholar and served as an extern for a United States District Court Judge, a California Court of Appeal Justice, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. She graduated with a Master’s Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Barnard College at Columbia University.
EXPERIENCE
Defense Verdict for Engineering Firm: Ms. Dunkerly represented a geotechnical engineering firm in an action alleging professional negligence and intentional torts related to a new residential development of luxury homes. Ms. Dunkerly’s team successfully tried the case and obtained a defense verdict.
Defense Verdict in Peace Officer Shooting: Ms. Dunkerly obtained a defense verdict for a public entity client arising out of a shooting of a handcuffed hospitalized arrestee who grabbed a deputy’s gun. Ms. Dunkerly obtained a defense verdict in a December 2014 jury trial held shortly after widely-viewed demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri relating to police violence.
Allegations Stricken and Lawsuit Against Attorney Dismissed: Ms. Dunkerly represented an attorney sued by a third party who alleged negligence and intentional torts. Ms. Dunkelry successfully moved to strike several causes of action and obtained an award of attorney fees as costs. Ms. Dunkerly later successfully argued that the remaining causes of action should be dismissed.
Summary Judgment on Dangerous Condition of Public Property Upheld on Appeal: Ms. Dunkerly won summary judgment based on lack of a dangerous condition and design immunity on behalf of a public entity after plaintiffs were severely injured in a multivehicle car accident. Summary judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeal and California Supreme Court.
Summary Judgment for Emergency Driving Upheld on Appeal: Ms. Dunkerly won summary judgment for a law enforcement entity and its officer by persuading the court that the peace officer met the standard of care while driving to an emergency. Summary judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Defense Verdict in Civil Rights Case: Ms. Dunkerly represented a law enforcement entity and peace officer who were alleged to have violated various constitutional rights of a woman during her detention and arrest. Plaintiff sought punitive damages. Ms. Dunkerly successfully tried the case and obtained a defense verdict, which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court.
Plaintiff’s Verdict in Personal Injury Case: Ms. Dunkerly represented a child injured on her school’s property. Ms. Dunkerly tried the case to verdict and obtained an award for her client.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- State Bar of California
- American Bar Association (Center for Professional Responsibility, Section of Litigation, and Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section)
- Federal Bar Association, Los Angeles Chapter
Los Angeles County Bar Association - Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
- Pasadena Bar Association
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society
- Southern California Development Forum
PUBLICATIONS/SEMINARS
- “Key Component of Settlement Agreements Requires Updating.” In Daily Journal, Feb. 5, 2019
- California Contract Law: A Protective Big Brother
- “Time Element.” In Insurance Agency Risk Management: E & O Exposures By Line of Business, edited by Dr. James W. Kallman et al., 591-625. New York: Thompson Reuters, 2014.
- Brochurebiage
- No Place Like Home: Forum-Selection Clauses
- Not Your Average Architect: Lessons Learned about the Standard of Care
- To Observe or Not to Observe
- Designing a Solid Foundation in Construction Administration