Brenda Kocaj

Brenda Kocaj is an Associate Attorney at Easton & Easton, LLP, with a lifelong passion for serving the underrepresented of our community. She comes to the firm after a recent stint representing defendants in high-stakes medical malpractice matters. Having used that time to learn the strategies employed to protect defendants in high-value personal injury cases, Brenda is excited to now return to her roots and use her knowledge of defense tactics to better represent the victims of negligence and wrongdoing.

Brenda received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, in 2010, where she majored in Political Science. She went on to attend Whittier Law School, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and obtained her Juris Doctor in 2013. She also earned a Certificate in Children's Rights. In December 2013, Brenda was admitted to the California Bar.

During law school, Brenda earned:

• CALI Award in Legal Writing (an award for the top grade in the class)
• CALI Award in Spanish for Lawyers

EXPERIENCE

Following law school, Brenda completed two years of broad personal injury plaintiff work, both at the pre-litigation and litigation levels, including significant experience in drafting complaints, conducting depositions, engaging in law and motion, as well as research and settlement negotiations.

She then spent an additional two years working in a more specialized area of personal injury — medical malpractice — on the defense side, learning the tactics and stratagems that high-stakes defense litigators use to devalue Plaintiff's cases. Specifically, Brenda handled cases involving:

• Birth injuries
• Elder abuse
• Dental malpractice

Through this experience, not only has Brenda's knowledge of the law and litigation strategy advanced, but so has her commitment to justice and advocacy for the victims of negligence.

EXTERNSHIPS & PRO BONO

• Judicial Externship — Lamoreaux Justice Center with the Honorable Maria Hernandez, assisting in dependency court rulings
• County Counsel Externships — Trial and appellate level, advocating for the best interests of minors
• Street Law, Inc. — Volunteer teaching at-risk youth about the law at an Orange County continuation school
• Whittier Law School Child Advocacy Clinic — Pro bono clinic helping families seeking guardianship and conservatorship

RECOGNITION**

• Best Lawyers in America — 2021 – Present (Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs)
• Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star — An honor given to less than 2.5% of attorneys under age 40
• National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 — 2019 – Present; an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys
• CALI Award in Legal Writing — Top grade in class
• CALI Award in Spanish for Lawyers — Top grade in class

**Awards and recognition are not guarantees of future results. Selection criteria vary by organization.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
• Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
• Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs

BAR ADMISSIONS

• California, 2013
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 2015
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit

EDUCATION

• Whittier Law School — J.D. Magna Cum Laude, 2013; Certificate in Children's Rights
• University of California, Irvine — B.A., Political Science, 2010

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Member, 2018 – Present
• Phi Rho Sigma

LANGUAGES

• English
• Spanish (Fluent)