Edward Lara

LITIGATION EXPERIENCE: 

Edward Lara is a trial lawyer and partner of LARA & LUNA, APC. Mr. Lara has been practicing law since 2000 and has successfully litigated numerous disputes before Courts and arbitration tribunals throughout the State of California.  Mr. Lara is a dedicated advocate of employee rights and regularly prosecutes claims relating to discrimination, retaliation, and harassment on the basis of disability, age, sex, race, and other protected categories under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.  Mr. Lara also prosecutes claims relating to Labor Code violations, including wage & hour claims and claims of retaliation under California’s Whistleblower laws designed to protect employees who report what they reasonably believe are legal violations by their employer.  Mr. Lara has represented both management and non-management level employees in a wide variety of industries including but not limited to: manufacturing, construction, hotel, entertainment, job staffing, restaurant, sales and marketing, large and small retail business, aerospace, medical, home-care, hospice, non-profit, grocery, automotive, property management and technology industries.    

Prior to co-founding Lara & Luna APC Mr. Lara spent several years practicing law and learning his craft with large prestigious firms in West Los Angeles, a boutique litigation firm in Long Beach, and his own private practice.  Mr. Lara’s passion for employment law stems from his working-class family upbringing in the southeast region of Los Angeles County (in the areas of Pico Rivera, Whittier, and Santa Fe Springs).  Mr. Lara frequently draws upon not only his legal experience and education, but also the common sense and “street smarts” he learned growing up in the area which he now proudly serves.  Mr. Lara is a staunch advocate of the legal protections he seeks to enforce and sincerely believes that adherence to and prosecution of these laws benefits not only employees but also employers and ultimately our society. 

Mr. Lara is proud that Lara & Luna APC always seeks to staff its matters with teams of highly qualified trial lawyers who passionately believe in their clients and who can readily confront any large or small defense counsel retained employers or their insurance companies.   

EDUCATION:

Mr. Lara is a year 2000 graduate of Columbia University School of Law in New York City. While at Columbia, Mr. Lara served as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Lara also served as the Vice President of the Latin American Law Student Association and was a staff editor for both the Columbia Business Law Review and the Columbia Human Rights Law Review.

Mr. Lara graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997 with a B.A. in double major in Political Science and Sociology. While at UC Berkeley, Mr. Lara was a California Alumni Association Leadership Scholar and a Philanthropy Chair with the Mortar Board National Senior Honors Society.  He is a Golden Bear Lifetime Member of the California Alumni Association.

BAR ADMISSIONS:

State Bar of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California

PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT: 

California Employment Lawyers Association

Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles

 Mexican American Bar Association

Orange County Hispanic Bar Association

Los Angeles County Bar Association

LANGUAGES AND INTERESTS:

Mr. Lara is fluent in Spanish and his interests primarily include spending time with his biggest blessings - his wife and children.  He also enjoys basketball, hot yoga, traveling, art, movies, and is an avid sports fan.