» ALEXANDER M. MERINO
   Partner

» SAM S. YEBRI
   Partner

» SUZANNE R. NATBONY
   Of Counsel

» WYATT BUTLER
   Associate

Tel: 310.551.2000
Email:

Tel: 310.551.2000
Email:

Tel: 310.551.2000
Email:

Tel: 310.551.2000
Email:

• University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D. (2005)

• Carnegie Mellon University, B.S. (2002)

• London School of Economics (2002)

• California

• U.S. District Court, California, Central District

• Obtained a favorable settlement in a copyright ownership dispute involving an author/filmmaker's motion picture and underlying screenplay in a case implicating idea submission and joint authorship issues.

• Assisted in the successful appeal and reversal of summary judgment in a case involving a famous branded property and related trademark and copyright principles.

• Helped a European technology firm obtain judgment against a California distributor in a breach of contract case.

• Won summary judgment in a copyright case involving trademark infringement, copyright recapture, profit participations and vertical integration issues.

• Helped a Southern California real estate developer in the successful defense and settlement of claims by investors and homebuilders.

• Volunteer, civil rights matters

• Pro Bono counsel, real estate matters / foreclosure prevention

Sam S. Yebri is an experienced and aggressive plaintiff trial lawyer specializing in employment, personal injury, and commercial litigation. Sam has successfully obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients through trial, arbitration, and appeals.

Sam is a renowned employment lawyer representing aggrieved employees in areas that include sexual harassment, race discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, and wage and hour class actions, among others.

Sam has also obtained major, multi-million-dollar recoveries for his clients in car and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, sexual abuse, dog bites, and slip and fall accidents.

Earlier in his career, Sam was a go-to lawyer for a broad range of successful businesses in the technology, start-up, media, entertainment, and real estate industries. Prior to founding MERINO YEBRI LLP, Sam worked at two prestigious national firms, Proskauer Rose and Jones Day, and served as a law clerk to the esteemed federal judge Hon. A. Howard Matz and as an extern to the Hon. George H. King of District Court for the Central District of California.

Sam has been named a "Southern California Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyers Magazine since 2012. From 2010 until 2014, Sam served as a member of the Board of Civil Service Commissioners for the City of Los Angeles. In 2013, he served on the Transition Team and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force for Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.

• University of Southern California Law School, J.D. (2006)

• Yale University, B.A. (2003)

• U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Judge A. Howard Matz (2007-2008)

• U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Judge George H. King (2004) (externship)

• California

• U.S. District Court, California, Central District

• U.S. District Court, California, Northern District

• U.S. District Court, California, Eastern District

• U.S. District Court, California, Southern District

• Obtained a multi-million-dollar settlement for victims of sexual harassment who worked at a national restaurant chain

• Obtained multi-million-dollar settlements for personal injury victims

• Obtained a million-dollar settlement for aggrieved employee asserting wrongful termination and age discrimination claims against a public company

• Obtained substantial settlement on behalf of former employees who experienced racial discrimination at a construction site

• Obtained substantial settlement on behalf of former employees who experienced wage theft at technology start-up

• Obtained substantial settlement on behalf of tenants who were wrongfully harassed by their landlord

• Obtained substantial settlement for clients against national department store in connection with workplace harassment and wage and hour violations.

• Prevailed in appellate matter against a public company involving an appellate issue of first impression

• Prevailed at trial in a complicated real estate dispute involving international parties

• Prevailed at trial in real estate fraud and quiet title action

• Obtained a favorable settlement in a fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and elder abuse litigation involving real estate

• Prevailed on summary judgment on behalf of a university in discrimination and wrongful termination matter in federal court

• Obtained favorable settlement for toy manufacturer in a dispute involving copyright infringement claims

• Obtained favorable settlement for a client in a lawsuit involving claims for unfair competition, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets arising from the client’s hiring of a competitor's employees

• Prevailed in complex trade secret and copyright infringement litigation in federal court

• Boardmember and Recipient of 2016 Gala Award, Bet Tzedek Legal Services 

• Former Boardmember, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles 

• Former Boardmember, Anti-Defamation League

• Represent clients on a pro bono basis in immigration and civil rights matters

• Commentator on legal and policy matters in major print and radio media, including CNN, The Los Angeles Times, KTLA, The Daily Journal, NPR, and Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine

Suzanne Raina Natbony is an experienced third generation lawyer with a diverse background practicing transactional, regulatory-compliance and dispute resolution law, across multiple business sectors, from startup to acquisition. She has advised physicians, allied health professionals, entertainment talent, architects, business executives, nonprofits and other professionals on a variety of business matters. In addition to serving as Of Counsel for Merino Yebri LLP, Ms. Natbony is cofounder and CEO of LawTake, an online legal services platform, and principal of the Law Office of Suzanne Raina Natbony.

• Southwestern University School of Law, J.D. (2008)

• University of Southern California, B.A., Magna Cum Laude (2005)

• California

• General Counsel for a multi-state medical facility, including advising on corporate governance issues, healthcare regulatory compliance, optimizing intellectual property, and employment law issues.

• Legal Advisor for a think tank and design-innovation incubator focused on neuroscience and gaming.

• Obtained a settlement on behalf of a physician inventor regarding a million dollar contract for a technology business.

• Represented New York hedge fund regarding corporate governance, employment law, and legal considerations related to expansion to California.

• Settled case for a healthcare client who was sued by one of the nation’s largest retailers involving breach of contract and insurance claims, for only a fraction of the amount of the claim, including legal costs.

• Resolved multi-million dollar personal dispute that involved negligence, concealment/misrepresentation, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and domestic violence.

• Resolved various employment and partnership disputes on both sides of the table, through representing business owners/employers, employees and independent contractors.

• AV Preeminent® Rating by Martindale Hubbell®, 2016.

• Legal Advisor to Rotolab, a startup incubator in downtown Los Angeles.

• West Los Angeles Ambassador, National Association of Women Business Owners, January 2016 – present.

• Avvo Clients’ Choice Award, Business Law, 2015.

Wyatt earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While at Hastings, he worked in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice and at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He also earned three CALI Excellence for the Future Awards while at Hastings, including one for the highest grade in his Legal Writing class. Wyatt has extensive experience as a product manager in the tech industry prior to law school, working on the development of both software and hardware products. In his free time he enjoys swimming and woodworking.

• UC Hastings College of the Law (2021)

• University of California, Berkeley (2013)

• California