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ELIA YURIDITSKY

EDUCATION

ELIA YURIDITSKY received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business, with a Double Major in Finance and Accounting. He went on to attend the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor and graduated in the top 20% of his class.

BACKGROUND

Mr. Yuriditsky began his legal career as a contractor for a prominent Criminal Defense firm, where he researched and analyzed case law for summary judgment motions and wrote internal legal memoranda on tort, contract, and real estate issues. He went on to intern for a busy Civil Litigation firm, where he participated in arbitration hearings, wrote resulting award letters, and assisted in negotiating settlements with insurance companies. As an intern for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, he prepared appellate briefs and motions for habeas and prepared presentations for expert testimony. Mr. Yuriditsky also has years of experience as Legal Consultant in Corporate, Contract, Trademark, Patent, and Commercial Litigation.

Since then, Mr. Yuriditsky has been practicing Workers’ Compensation Defense, putting his client’s interest at the utmost priority. He is accustomed to handling a large caseload, and is aggressive in his approach to early closure of his cases. Being familiar with all Northern California venues, Mr. Yuriditsky is a great asset to our clients and their needs.

Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown is pleased to have Mr. Yuriditsky in our San Francisco Office.

JONATHAN LUNDGRIN

EDUCATION

Jonathan Lundgrin received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Walla Walla University in Washington and his Masters of Business Administration from La Sierra University. He obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego Law. Mr. Lundgrin was a McLennon Moot Court Honor participant and wrote for the San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law.

BACKGROUND

While in Law school Mr. Lundgrin worked as a law clerk at the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender. He also was a Legal Intern at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office where he acted as a trial attorney and prosecuted a DUI trial with a guilty verdict.

Since passing the California State Bar, Mr. Lundgrin has gained experience handling workers’ compensation and personal injury cases. Mr. Lundgrin’s strategic negotiation skills have led him to many successful and cost-effective settlements for his clients. Mr. Lundgrin has appeared at and gained useful working knowledge of all the Southern California Workers Compensation Appeals Boards as well as a vast majority of the Workers Compensations Judges. Mr. Lundgrin’s criminal and civil trial experience provides him with an effective and assertive deposition technique that he has utilized when deposing many AME/QME physicians and hundreds of applicants.

Mr. Lundgrin has obtained multiple “take nothing” decisions at
AOE/COE Trials and Lien Trials.

Jonathan Lundgrin is an associate in our Newport Beach office.

DELINI M. SAMARASINGHE

EDUCATION

Delini M. Samarasinghe attended University of California, Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s of Art in History. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law where she received the CALI Award while working in the Elder Law Clinic.

BACKGROUND

As a pre-med student interested in the possibility of practicing medicine, Ms. Samarasinghe explored her options and worked as a medical assistant. It was there she realized that she was fascinated with science and medicine in theory and application, but not within a medical setting. Ms. Samarasinghe decided to pursue a legal degree so she could practice law and apply the medical knowledge that she had gained as a pre-medical student as well as a medical assistant.

During law school, she interned at Chapman’s Family Violence Center, in association with the Anaheim Justice Center, where she represented victims of domestic violence. As an intern, she independently developed a recurring (and still ongoing) workshop for the Anaheim Justice Center, which was open to anyone who has filed a restraining order.

Following her graduation from Chapman, Ms. Samarasinghe began her career as an associate attorney representing mainly peace officers and firefighters. Accordingly, she gained experience with both Police and Fire claims, including cases where presumptive industrial injuries and LC 4850 benefits.

From her experience as an associate attorney, Ms. Samarasinghe has become well versed in reviewing medical reports and performing depositions. She has a broad knowledge of the terms and information in medical labs and doctor’s reports as well, having a thorough understanding of how they are interpreted in a legal perspective. Ms. Samarasinghe also has experience conducting hearings, negotiations, mediations and motions.

Ms. Samarasinghe is an attorney in our Corona office.

DAVID UTLEY

EDUCATION

DAVID UTLEY graduated from Whittier College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Western State University College of Law in 1977, and has been a member of the California Bar since 1978.

BACKGROUND

Mr. Utley has forty-six years of personal injury and workers’ compensation trial and litigation experience in California and Federal court venues. He has expertise in the litigation of claims arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Defense Base Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Nonappropriated Funds Instrumentalities Act, and the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He has additional experience handling subrogation claims in multiple forums.

He served as a Court-appointed Mediator in personal injury lawsuits for the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1999 to 2014 and prior to that time upon that court’s Arbitration and Settlement Conference volunteer panel. He has been an invited speaker at the 2009 Northwest Longshore Claims Administrators Seminar, 2010 Longshore Claims Association Seminar, 2012 Chartis Defense Base Act Seminar, 2013 Signal/LCA Maritime Conference, 2014 Annual Loyola Longshore Conference, 2016 Advance Consulting Inc. DBA Conference, 2019 and 2022 Longshore Claims Association seminars. He is available to serve as a Mediator in association with Longshore-DBA Mediators, Inc.

Mr. Utley has received a “AV- Preeminent 5.0 out of 5″ Martindale-Hubble Peer Review Rating for the past 26 years. Following a thirty-two-year career representing injured workers, he was invited to come to Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown in 2011 where his focus is upon the defense of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Defense Base Act claims, and the representation of the subrogation interests of employers and carriers.

JAMES A. MORRISON

EDUCATION

JAMES A. MORRISON received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Business Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1979. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Dowling College in New York in 1981. Mr. Morrison received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1986. He was admitted to practice in the State of California in 1987.

BACKGROUND

Beginning in 1987, Mr. Morrison has been a Workers’ Compensation defense attorney for Wausau Insurance, Kemper Insurance, and TIG Insurance Company. He joined the Long Beach office of Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown in February of 1999 solely practicing Workers’ Compensation Defense.

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