Steven A. Zalesin, Partner

Steve Zalesin is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with extensive experience in intellectual property, false advertising and complex commercial matters. He has successfully tried cases and argued appeals in numerous courts throughout the United States. He has also represented clients in arbitration proceedings in several countries.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Zalesin has represented the nation’s leading manufacturers and service providers in a series of landmark cases that have shaped the law of false advertising, while helping to preserve and grow the markets for our clients’ products. He secured a federal jury verdict for the world’s leading beverage company in a closely-watched advertising dispute over juice labeling. Mr. Zalesin initially obtained summary judgment dismissing the claims against our client, and successfully defended that ruling before the Ninth Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently vacated the Ninth Circuit’s decision, and remanded the case for trial. The Los Angeles jury rejected the plaintiff’s claim in full, returning a verdict in our client’s favor after a six-day trial and less than a day of deliberation. As a result of the favorable verdict, Mr. Zalesin was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer. More recently, Mr. Zalesin obtained a nationwide preliminary injunction for a leading animal health company, enjoining ads that falsely claimed that dairy products made with milk from cows treated with our client’s supplement were less safe than other dairy products.

Mr. Zalesin has substantial experience defending consumer class actions. He is currently representing major beverage, consumer healthcare and confectionary companies in litigation over their product labeling and advertising. In 2020, he obtained dismissal of a class action complaint that targeted a leading online petitioning platform and its efforts to promote racial justice. In the recent past, he has successfully defended the makers of best-selling food, beverage, pharmaceutical and apparel products against consumer protection claims.

Mr. Zalesin is listed in Chambers USA as a leading practitioner in the area of Advertising, where he is described as “absolutely terrific.” Clients note, he “has blown us away with the quality of his work. Not only does he do amazing legal work, but he really understands what is important to clients and focuses on ensuring that client priorities come first without compromising the quality of the legal work.” Clients are “very impressed with his intelligence and his understanding of the law.”

Mr. Zalesin is listed as “Litigation Star” in Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC’s Benchmark: America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys. He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Advertising Law, and was named as a 2020 and 2022 “Client Service All-Star” by The BTI Consulting Group. This award recognizes attorneys who “stand above all the others in delivering the absolute best in client service."