Leila J. Noël joined the firm in 1986 and became a partner in 1993. She primarily represents plaintiffs in lender liability, complex business litigation, employment discrimination litigation and in banking and financial transactions.

Ms. Noël co-tried several of the firms largest business, lender liability and employment cases, and has obtained jury verdicts in excess of $100 million, including a $70.8 million jury verdict for an aircraft manufacturer against General Electric Capital Corporation, and a $23.1 million wrongful termination verdict against Johnson Controls, Inc. Besides her trial work, Ms. Noël has successfully completed numerous settlements on behalf of the firm’s clients resulting in more than $70 million in loan discounts and cash payments. Ms. Noël obtained $2 million in settlements for medical product liability claims against Sulzer Orthopedics, Inc. Ms. Noël also litigated and negotiated a favorable $54.8 million buyout of a multi-complex real estate subdivision.

Ms. Noël has been co-lead counsel in class action cases within the firm that have resulted in millions of dollars in compensation to class members. She was instrumental in settling a long-standing dispute against Boeing regarding toxic air contamination in neighborhoods adjacent to Boeing facilities near Simi Valley and in the San Fernando Valley -- both suburbs of Los Angeles. The 8 1/2-year case involved 59 personal injury claims and 117 wrongful death claims by the family members of 37 deceased individuals. The illnesses suffered included numerous forms of cancer, including bladder, brain, kidney, pancreatic, spinal cord, thyroid, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. In addition, plaintiffs were afflicted with a number of other diseases, including myasthenia gravis, lupus, Hashimoto’s disease, Graves disease, scleroderma and birth defects.

Ms. Noël is the co-author of "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Testimony Preparation: Enhancing A Plaintiffs Credibility and Confidence," which appeared in Women Lawyers Journal.

Education
Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland
University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A. with honors, 1980
Marshall-Wythe School of Law, College of William and Mary, J.D., 1983

Admitted
State Bar of California, 1984
U.S. District Court, Central and Eastern Districts of California, 1986
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 2004

Member
Santa Barbara County Bar Association
State Bar of California