Brian Richard Short

Brian R. Short is the founder of ShortLegal, APC, a San Diego employment litigation firm that represents California employees — never employers — in serious workplace disputes: wage and hour claims, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination and harassment, class and PAGA actions, and severance agreement review.

Brian has more than 20 years of complex litigation and class action experience. His employee-side work has helped recover more than $50 million for employees. Earlier in his career, as part of the litigation teams at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, he was involved in cases that recovered more than $1.7 billion for clients.

Brian is a trial lawyer, not a settlement mill. In a 2025 trial, the court entered judgment for the full amount his client sought — plus attorney's fees and costs several times the client's damages — after the employer refused to pay what it owed. That willingness to try a case is what gives clients leverage in negotiation, and sophisticated defense firms negotiate accordingly.

Clients work directly with Brian — not an intake coordinator or a rotating cast of associates. Most matters are handled on a contingency fee (no fee unless there is a recovery); severance and separation agreement reviews are handled on a flat fee, agreed up front.

Brian is admitted to practice before all California state courts and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California. He is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, and the San Diego County Bar Association, and volunteers as an employment advocate at the Employee Rights Center. He earned his J.D. from California Western School of Law in San Diego and his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.

Outside the office, Brian is a lifelong San Diegan and a competitive motorcycle road racer.