Mardirossian & Associates Inc. has become Mardirossian Akaragian LLP, as Armen Akaragian, who’s worked with his uncle, Garo Mardirossian, for 20 years, becomes a partner.
Mardirossian & Associates Inc., a Los Angeles based boutique personal injury firm, is changing its name to Mardirossian Akaragian LLP, its leaders announced Friday.
“Armen Akaragian has been with me for over 20 years, ever since he was in undergraduate school, and he’s contributed immensely to my practice and so the least I could do is add his name to it,” firm founder Garo Mardirossian said.
Akaragian, who is Mardirossian’s nephew, began working at the firm in 1999 as a bookkeeper before attending Southwestern University School of Law.
Mardirossian said he has had more than a dozen eight-figure verdicts and “that success comes from the people around me.”
He described Akaragian as a hard worker and a great strategist with amazing trial skills, but most importantly a person who is well liked by his colleagues and those around him.
“The significance to me is the fact that I get to continue something that he has done an excellent job in establishing,” said Akaragian in an interview. “And that going forward the firm continues to thrive as it thrives now with him and that if one day – hopefully in a long time – he decides to retire … people won’t think that Garo is just gone and that’s the end of it. I can continue that legacy.”
Notable cases the two have litigated together include: representing a former UCLA football player, who won a jury award of $35 million in 2017 for an accident that resulted in the loss of his leg. Ekbatani v. United Independent Taxi Drivers Inc., BC504902 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed April 4, 2013).
Founded in 1981 as a solo practice by Mardirossian, the firm now includes five attorneys and 15 support staffers. The firm represents plaintiffs in cases related to auto and tire defects, bicycle accidents, catastrophic injuries, defective products, product liability and wrongful death, in addition to civil rights cases.
“Our core belief is that our clients are all on a first name basis with us. They’re not just a number. They’re not just, ‘What am I going to make on this case?’” said Akaragian. “We truly believe that these are people that we serve and we are not only just their lawyers, but we’re also their counselors. They come to us for help and it’s our job to help them.”
Mardirossian said he does not plan significant expansion. “I’m very happy with just one office in one location,” he said. “In this day and age you don’t need to have offices all around the city or around the state or around the country. You can do everything remotely. . . . If you’re spread too thin, you’re not going to be able to provide that personal service. . . . So I’d like to maintain or get slightly larger.”
“But as I have people like Armen come in and weigh in on this, they might decide otherwise,” he added. “But I’ll try to give them my advice and stay small. You can just get a lot more accomplished for these clients and have much better control over what goes on with those cases and around you.”
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