Attorney

Lawrence S. Viola

Profile

Lawrence S. Viola

Lawrence Viola is committed to representing clients in Northern California. He focuses his practice on complex family law and general litigation, including serious personal injury, corporate disputes and dissolutions, contract disputes, and wrongful death.

Lawrence graduated from Denison University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English. He then earned his Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law in 1986. He is admitted to practice in all of California’s state courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, and the United States Supreme Court.

With more than 35 years of experience, Lawrence knows the value of taking the time to get to know his clients. In turn, his personal attention provides them with the best possible representation. Through careful attention to the details of every case, he has had widespread success. For example, Mr. Viola is responsible for handling a premises liability case that required Palo Alto to pay, at that time, the city’s largest trip and fall settlement ever.

Staying on top of legal trends is important to Lawrence; he holds memberships with the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Consumer Attorneys of California, the American Bar Association, and the San Mateo County Bar Association. His peers have recognized his excellence, being selected to the Super Lawyers List for Northern California for 15+ years. He has also served his community as a board member and president of the Burlingame Soccer Club.

Areas of Practice

Bar Admissions

California, Supreme Court of California, California State Courts and Courts of Appeal, U.S. District Court Northern District of California, U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Supreme Court

Education

California Western School of Law, San Diego, California J.D., 1986
Denison University, Granville, Ohio B.A., English and Philosophy, 1982

Representative Cases:

Mr. Viola tried to verdict the issue of the validity of a post-marital agreement, resulting in an award to his client of tens of millions of dollars.
Mr. Viola has obtained multiple awards of attorney’s fees and sanctions in excess of millions of dollars obtained as a result of the other parties’ obstreperous conduct during the litigation in underlying family law matters.
Mr. Viola negotiated a multi-million-dollar settlement on behalf of clients who were seriously injured in a car crash by a drunk driver leaving the driver’s office holiday party. The defendants included the driver’s employer and other companies who supervised and served alcohol at the party.
Mr. Viola negotiated the largest settlement ever paid at that time by the City of Palo Alto for premises liability, representing a client who was injured when she tripped on a defect in the city sidewalk.
Mr. Viola represented the son of a driver killed in a head-on car crash, as well as his surviving but injured passenger, against the intoxicated driver. Settlement in excess of $1 million was achieved shortly before the trial.
Mr. Viola obtained a large settlement for the family of their son, who was a patron of a bar celebrating his 30th birthday and was killed by bouncers improperly subduing clientele.

Professional Associations and Memberships

San Mateo Bar Association, Member
American Bar Association, Member
Consumer Attorneys of California, Member
Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Member

Honors and Awards

Selected to the Super Lawyers List for Northern California, 2009-2026

Let Us Be Your Legal Guides

At Viola Law Firm, we understand that you may be navigating one of the most emotional, overwhelming times of your life. You are not just another case on our list; instead, we are strongly committed to seeking positive outcomes and helping you find peace. Allow us to be your light through the storm with experience-backed legal guidance you can trust.