Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death
  Michael E. Murphy was born in the San Fernando Valley, California. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 1994. He is also admitted to practice before all federal courts in California. Mr. Murphy’s expertise lies in all aspects of catastrophic accident and railroad injury and wrongful death litigation, including grade crossing and trespasser accidents, railroad employee FELA claims and lawsuits, passenger personal injury claims and lawsuits, and property damage claims and lawsuits. He also handles and advises on state and federal regulatory issues that affect railroad operations. Mr. Murphy graduated at the top of his class, magna cum laude, from the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1994. While in law school, he clerked for the California Supreme Court and was a member of the Pepperdine Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1991, where he attended on a golf scholarship.

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
  Selim Mounedji was born in Algiers, Algeria and is fluent in French and Arabic. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 1994. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Mounedji’s practice involves torts and business litigation, including all aspects of railroad litigation, FELA, asbestos and toxic tort claims, legal malpractice, products liability, premises liability, automobile accidents and contract disputes. He also serves as the firm’s primary appellate attorney. Mr. Mounedji graduated from the Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1994. While in law school, he was a member of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. He received a bachelor of science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 1983 and a master’s degree in Operations Research in 1985 from the University of Southern California.

Employment Law

• Employment Discrimination
  RAILROAD LITIGATION Through its representation of national, short line and commuter railroads, Sims Law Firm, LLP has earned a reputation as one of the most respected and experienced railroad litigation counsel in the country. We have defended railroads in all jurisdictions across California in cases involving the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, cumulative trauma claims, passenger personal injuries, derailments, grade crossing accidents, trespasser claims, employment discrimination matters, occupational exposure to asbestos and toxic substances, and contract and property disputes.
• Employment Litigation
  LITIGATION SERVICES Sims Law Firm, LLP has been in existence since February 2009, when the firm’s five partners took over the operations of Sims Law Firm, a California general civil litigation firm that had been in existence for more than 20 years. Each of the partners at Sims Law Firm, LLP, had practiced at the predecessor defense firm for a decade or more. Further, each of the firm’s partners has at least 20 years’ legal experience in defending a wide variety of personal injury and property damage matters. The firm’s lawyers are dedicated to assisting self-insured corporations, businesses and insurance companies with the handling and resolution of claims and lawsuits in many different practice areas, including the following: common carrier liability; Federal Employers’ Liability Act matters; motor vehicle and commercial trucking accidents; public and private railroad grade crossing accidents; product liability; catastrophic injuries; toxic tort and asbestos exposure liability; premises liability; fire loss liability; litigation arising out of employment disputes; professional negligence; and business disputes.

Property Law

• Premises Liability
  Brock B. Christensen was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 2001 and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California. He has experience with all aspects of railroad litigation as well as motor vehicle and premises liability actions. He is a member of the National Asian Pacific Bar Association. He graduated from the Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2001. He received his undergraduate degree from the California State University at Long Beach in 1997.
• Property Damage
  MOTOR VEHICLE AND COMMERCIAL TRUCKING ACCIDENTS We have extensive experience representing a broad spectrum of clients from Fortune 500 companies to regional and local businesses who are sued for employee accidents involving death, bodily injury and property damage. These cases range from catastrophic multi-vehicle accidents to the more routine soft tissue injury collisions.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Jerome D. Rybarczyk was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 1982. He is also admitted to practice before all federal courts in California. He has extensive experience in handling motor vehicle, premises liability and product liability litigation as well as railroad litigation. He serves as national counsel to Xerox Corporation for personal injury and product liability cases and claims. Mr. Rybarczyk graduated from the Villanova University School of Law in 1981. While in law school, he worked for the City Solicitor’s Office for the City of Philadelphia. He received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Villanova University in 1976.
• Medical Malpractice
  Ralph F. Popelar, Jr. born in San Diego, California. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 1983. He is also admitted to practice before in the United States District Courts for the Central and Southern districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has a wide variety of litigation experience, including motor vehicle and railroad injury claims and lawsuits, product liability actions, medical malpractice lawsuits, and insurance bad faith claims and lawsuits. Mr. Popelar graduated from the University of La Verne College of Law in 1977. He received his undergraduate degree from the California State University at Northridge in 1974.
• Auto Accidents