Firm Overview

A Former Navy JAG Corps Attorney with More Than 20 Years of Trial Experience

CL Ludmer, A Law Corporation is a well-respected San Diego civil litigation law firm that represents clients in jurisdictions throughout California.   Chris Ludmer has more than 20 years of litigation experience and has tried more than 70 cases to verdict and resolved hundreds more through strategic negotiations and mediation.

Representing both plaintiffs and defendants depending on the case, Chris helps to resolve complex business disputes involving contracts, commercial fraud, trade secret misappropriation and employment law from the defense and plaintiff’s perspectives. He acts as outside general counsel for numerous companies that can rely on him for the full breadth of risk mitigation and dispute resolution needs, without the cost of a full time in-house attorney.  He regularly partners with other attorneys who require behind the scenes experienced litigation assistance or need a polished lead or second chair trial counsel on a case.  As a former U.S. Navy JAG Corps attorney, Chris is also proud to serve military personnel who face court martial proceedings in the military justice system.

An Experienced Trial Attorney

Chris began his legal career as the supervising prosecutor and senior trial counsel for the U.S. Navy Trial Service Office Southeast and was selected to serve as the principal assistant at the Pentagon to the Navy’s senior uniformed lawyer and legal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy.  He was also team leader in the navy’s Civil Litigation Division, where he defended the Department of the Navy in all manner of civil lawsuits filed in federal courts.  Chris was also a special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and a partner in the litigation department of a large law firm. 

Putting Clients First

Chris has been given an AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell and is consistently named one of San Diego Magazine’s Top Lawyers for complex trial practice.  Although he is honored to receive these awards, he is most proud of being able to meet each of his client’s expectations and reach their goals.  It is why he started his own firm.

Before founding his practice, Chris was a partner at a large law firm.  While the experience was tremendously valuable, it also taught Chris that “Big Law” and entrepreneurship do not really coexist.  Most partners at big law firms simply do not think innovatively, or act on it if they do.   Big law firms also have a consumption mentality, rather than a commitment to investing in their own future and that of their clients.  As an entrepreneur like many of his own clients, Chris chose to establish his firm in order to give each client personalized attention and practice law the way he feels it should be practiced.  One of those ways is the ability to try innovative approaches to dealing with cases, clients and adversaries.  Chris seeks to truly understand his clients’ needs and objectives and to invest in long-term client relationships.  

To read his clients’ comments, visit the Testimonials page.

Representative Cases

Chris handles high-stakes, high dollar litigation in federal and state courts.  His business clients range from individual entrepreneurs, startups and local San Diego businesses to multinational corporations.  He also represents corporate executives, government diplomats, a foreign head of state, active military servicemembers, aggrieved employees and individuals in need of a true trial lawyer.  He litigates cases across industries, for either plaintiffs or defendants, including claims related to academia, energy, medical, health care, financial, construction, real estate and shipping.

For a list of representative cases, review the Representative Matters page.

Consult with an Experienced Trial Lawyer

Schedule a consultation with Chris Ludmer to learn more about the legal remedies available to you or your business.