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Cynthia Chihak

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CYNTHIA CHIHAK is a graduate of Pepperdine University Law School.  She has been honored with numerous awards by her peers.  She was named by the Los Angeles Daily Transcript as one of the top 50 female attorneys in the State of California for five consecutive years, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Ms. Chihak has received the Outstanding Trial Lawyer award by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, formerly San Diego Trial Lawyers, 8 times. In 1994 she was honored as Trial Lawyer of the Year. Ms. Chihak was named as one of the best lawyers in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 by San Diego Magazine for personal injury and medical malpractice, and one of the top 100 lawyers in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 by Super Lawyers.  She was named one of the Top 25 Lawyers in San Diego in 2010 and 2014 by San Diego Metro Magazine.  In 2007, Ms. Chihak received the Daniel T. Broderick III Memorial award recognizing her for the highest standards in civility, integrity and professionalism.  In 2014 Ms. Chihak was selected by her peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury. In 2017 Ms. Chihak was named as one of the top 30 Plaintiff lawyers in Ca by the DJ.

Ms. Chihak also serves the legal community by sharing her skill and experience. She served as Secretary of the Consumer Attorneys of California in 1989 and 1990, and was the President of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego in 1992 and 1993. She is an Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and served as President in 2008. Ms. Chihak is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. She has been invited to lecture for the Consumer Attorneys, CEB, San Diego County Bar, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego Inn of Court, ABOTA, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and the American Bar Association.

An article on Ms. Chihak written by SuperLawyers Magazine can be found here.

An article on Ms. Chihak published in the San Diego Attorney Journal can be found here.

Areas Of Practice

  • Personal Injury Law
  • Medical Malpractice

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1977

Education

  • Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California
    • J.D. - 1977
  • UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)
    • B.A. - 1974

Published Works

  • California Civil Practice Procedure, Bancroft-Whitney
  • Professional Malpractice - Medical Malpractice , Bancroft-Whitney
  • Editor of Legislative Analysis Column, Trial Bar News, 1991

Classes/Seminars

  • Lecturer, Discovery, C.E.B., 1991
  • Lecturer, UM Arbitration, SDTLA, 1992
  • Lecturer, Anatomy of a Civil Jury Trial, SDTLA, 1992 to 1994
  • Lecturer, Anatomy of a Civil Jury Trial, SDTLA , 1996 to 1997
  • Lecturer, Premises Liability, SDTLA, 1992
  • Lecturer, Expert Location & Usage, CTLA, 1992
  • Lecturer, Proposition 51 & Apportionment of Verdicts, SDTLA, 1993
  • Lecturer, Discovery in a Medical Malpractice Case, CTLA, 1993
  • Lecturer, Civil Litigation Before Trial, CEB, 1993
  • Lecturer, Avoiding Medical Malpractice Litigation, San Diego Urological Society, 1994
  • Lecturer, Litigation Seminar, RIMS, 1994
  • Lecturer, Law and Motion Seminar, SDTLA, 1994
  • Lecturer, Medical Malpractice & Products Liability, CTLA - Annual Seminar, 1994
  • Lecturer, Medical Malpractice, CTLA - Travel Seminar, 1994
  • Lecturer, Expert Witness in Medical Malpractice, CTLA - San Francisco Seminar, 1995
  • Lecturer, Arbitration Seminar, SDTLA, 1995
  • Medical Malpractice Cases - Playing to the Prejudices of the Jury, CAOC - Beaver Creek Seminar, 1996
  • Medical Malpractice Panel - Co-Moderator, CAOC - Tahoe Seminar, 1996
  • Closing Argument in a Medical Malpractice Case, CAOC - Tahoe Seminar, 1997
  • Medical Malpractice - A Discovery Plan to Avoid Defense A Verdict , CAOC - Beaver Creek Seminar, 1997
  • Trial by the Masters, ABOTA, 1997
  • Opening Statement, San Diego Inn of Court, 1997
  • Difficult Causation Issues in Medical Malpractice Cases , CAOC - Beaver Creek Seminar, 1998
  • How to Avoid Malpractice, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, 1998
  • CAOC Annual Seminar , Jury Selection in a Medical Malpractice Action, 1998
  • Trying a Medical Malpractice Case , University of California, San Diego, Pre-Law, 1998
  • Pre-Law - Trying a Medical Malpractice Case, San Diego Inn of Court, 1998
  • Jury Selection in Medical Malpractice Cases, CAOC - Tahoe Seminar, 1998
  • San Diego Inn of Court - Cross Examination , CASD World Series of Torts, 1999
  • Chair, Medical Malpractice, CAOC Annual Seminar, 1999
  • The Obstetrician Practice, Avoiding Liability, ABOTA - Trial by the Masters (1999) Page 3 University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, 2000
  • Cross Examination, Inns of Court - Trial Practice Program, 2000
  • Cross Examination, Inns of Court - Trial Practice Program, 2002
  • Inns of Court, ABTL Trial Symposium, 2002
  • Basic Training: Civil Procedure, The Rutter Group, 2003
  • Depositions, CAOC Annual Convention, 2006
  • Trial by the Masters, ABOTA, 2006
  • Trial Advocacy - Closing Argument, CALA, 2006
  • Case Handling, CASD, 2006
  • San Diego and San Bernardino, ABOTA Trial by the Masters, 2007
  • Work Study Session, BETA Healthcare Group, 2077
  • Work Study Session, BETA Healthcare Group, 2007
  • Lecturer, Trial by the Masters, Orange County, ABOTA, 2008
  • Lecturer, Inns of Court, 2008
  • Litigating Medical Malpractice Claims, ALI-ABA, 2008
  • Trial by the Masters, Portugal, ABOTA, 2008

Honors And Awards

  • One of the Top 25 Lawyers in San Diego by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine
  • One of San Diego's Top Attorneys by San Diego Magazine
  • Recognized as a Top Attorney by SuperLawyers
  • Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Szkorla v. Vecchione, M.D. (Plastic Surgery - Medical Malpractice Verdict)
  • Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Corso v. Doublewood Contractors, Inc. (Construction site fall)
  • Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Howsmon v. Ricci (Medical Malpractice Verdict)
  • Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Campbell v. Pacific Propane (Fire and Product Liability)
  • Outstanding Trial Lawyer - Mercado v. Kaiser (Med. Malpractice Arbitration Award)
  • Trial Lawyer of the Year
  • California’s Top Woman Litigators, named by Los Angeles Daily Journal
  • Daniel T. Broderick, III Memorial Award
  • Top 50 Lawyers in California, named by Super Lawyers Magazine
  • Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Named as one of the top 30 Plaintiff lawyers in Ca by the DJ

Professional Associations And Memberships

  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
  • Consumer Attorneys of California
  • San Diego Trial Lawyers Association (Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
  • California Trial Lawyers (Consumer Attorneys of California)
  • California Trial Lawyers Association (Consumer Attorneys of California), Board of Directors, 1988 to 1996
  • California Trial Lawyers Association, Secretary, 1989 to 1990
  • San Diego Trial Association, Board of Directors, 1988 to 1994
  • San Diego Trial Lawyers Association, President Elect, 1991
  • San Diego Trial Lawyers Association, President, 1992 to 1993
  • San Diego Superior Court, Pro-Tem Judge, 1995
  • CAOC, Medical Malpractice Committee, 1997 to 1998
  • ABOTA, Treasurer, 2005
  • ABOTA, President Elect, 2007
  • ABOTA, President, 2008