Jesse Gessin
Jesse Gessin is a seasoned first-chair trial counsel for businesses and individuals, known for successfully trying cases even when hired on the eve of trial. He practices by the principle The Science of Persuasion + The Art of Advocacy = Success. His trial victories can be found here. He is also available for association by other attorneys for consultation or trial.
Jesse has extensive experience in civil and criminal matters, with over 35 jury trials to verdict. His focus is taking matters to trial no matter the subject and he has litigated cases in business litigation, personal injury, copyright, trademark, probate, white-collar criminal defense, professional malpractice, class action, and many others. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in roughly equal proportion. As a civil plaintiff’s attorney, he has secured multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in excess of 8 figures. As a civil defense attorney, he has achieved dismissals, summary judgments, and complete defense verdicts sparing his clients in excess of 9 figures. In criminal cases, he has a high success rate, with dismissals, acquittals, mistrials, or reversals on appeal in over seventy percent of his criminal trials.
Prior to forming Gessin Schachter, Jesse was the principal of Gessin Ltd, a partner in a nationally recognized business trial boutique law firm, and a deputy federal public defender for nearly 10 years.
For close to a decade, Jesse taught trial advocacy at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and is recognized for his trial work by various publications, including Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, as well as other publications. Jesse is a sought after commentator and has appeared on domestic and international news shows such as PBS NewsHour. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Jesse is a graduate of the George Washington University School of Law and the University of California, San Diego. Jesse is admitted to practice in California and the Virgin Islands. He is a member of the federal court's pro bono civil rights panel.
Jury Trials
30
Cases Litigated
1000+
When Not in Court
Surfing, travel (for surfing), and the culinary (not good for surfing).
Direct Dial
949-593-0074
Michael Schachter
Public Service
7 years
Federal Clerkships
Hon. Stephanie K. Seymour (10th Cir.)
Hon. Myron H. Thompson (M.D. Ala.)
Hon. Myron H. Thompson (M.D. Ala.)
When Not in Court
Family, travel, and trying to keep our California native plants alive
Direct Dial
(949) 328-6629
Michael Schachter is a creative litigator and trial attorney with deep experience in both civil and federal criminal matters. A graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Law, Michael brings a unique combination of elite legal training and diverse professional experience to his practice at Gessin Schachter.
Michael's career spans prestigious positions across the legal spectrum. He previously practiced at an international law firm and a nationally recognized business trial boutique before serving as a deputy federal public defender in California, where he represented more than 150 persons charged with a broad range of federal offenses, from mail theft to murder and everything in between. He is admitted to practice in both New York and California.
His experience also includes judicial clerkships with two trailblazing federal judges: the Honorable Myron H. Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama—the second African-American federal judge in Alabama—and the Honorable Stephanie K. Seymour of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a pioneer for women in law and on the federal bench.
Before law school, Michael spent two years as an elementary school teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, through Teach for America, building classroom leadership and communication skills that enhance his effectiveness as an advocate.
Representative Civil Matters
Michael's civil litigation practice demonstrates strategic thinking and courtroom excellence across complex matters:
- Crafted successful strategy to challenge jurisdiction in a commercial dispute that had been in litigation for nearly five years, leading to dismissal of case in its entirety
- Managed a team of seven attorneys and three paralegals before and during a five-week-long trial resulting in the successful defense of a city against allegations that it discriminated against sober living businesses
- Obtained a successful constitutional challenge to government restrictions on photography near federal buildings
- Other civil litigation experience includes government investigations, business tort and contract matters, patent disputes, class actions, bad faith insurance litigation, and securities litigation
Representative Federal Criminal Matters
Michael's federal criminal defense practice showcases his ability to achieve exceptional results in high-stakes cases:
- Successfully defended client in an intensive eight-week murder trial involving 79 witnesses and over 2,000 exhibits, securing a hung jury that prevented a life imprisonment sentence
- Achieved complete case dismissal by successfully suppressing all evidence against a client who faced a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years in prison
- Secured probation sentence for client whose federal sentencing guidelines recommended 188 to 235 months' imprisonment
Honors and Awards
- California Lawyer Magazine CLAY Award (California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year), Litigation (2019)
- Listed in The Best Lawyers In America, S. Naifeh & G. Smith, Civil Rights Law (2020)
- The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, "Top Defense Verdicts" (2018)