Sereenah Soare

Sereenah Soare is a post-bar law clerk at Rushing McCarl LLP, a Los Angeles-based business law firm representing plaintiffs and defendants at trial and on appeal. A Los Angeles native, Ms. Soare graduated summa cum laude from Howard University with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy — a combination that trained her to think critically and argue persuasively.

Ms. Soare earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she was a Glazer Scholar and an active member of the Black Law Students Association, the Business Law Association, and the Health Law Association. Ms. Soare also served in the Education Clinic and the Tenants’ Rights Clinic while contributing to the National Black Law Journal. She conducted research on the constitutionality of anti-critical race theory (CRT) legislation, ultimately publishing a model letter for the California Attorney General’s office addressing the constitutionality of CRT curricula.

Before law school, Ms. Soare gained experience in criminal litigation through internships with the Frederick State’s Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she supported attorneys in the violent crimes and misdemeanors units. Through her studies, Ms. Soare developed a passion for business law, with particular interests in business formation and mergers and acquisitions.

Education

J.D., UCLA School of Law
B.A. Summa Cum Laude, Political Science and Philosophy, Howard University

Notable Results (Firmwide)

Representing plaintiffs:

• Won a $17.8 million jury verdict in a breach-of-contract case involving a major cosmetics manufacturer (Virgin Scent, Inc. v. BT Supplies West, Inc.).
• Won a $9.9 million jury verdict in a partnership dispute involving the largest cannabis business in Kern County (Delis v. Thorn).*
• Won a $3.3 million jury verdict in a dispute involving a breach of a medical practice sale contract and nonsolicitation agreement (Leyster v. Tran).
• Won a California Labor Commissioner judgment exceeding $468,000 for an iHeartRadio DJ in a fraud case involving the Talent Agencies Act.
• Won a default judgment exceeding $500,000 in a cryptocurrency fraud case; the case was covered in Forbes, leading to an FBI investigation and indictment (Chavez v. Jordan-Jones).
• Won a Ninth Circuit reversal for a victim of an in-flight assault (Doe v. Compania Panamena de Aviacion).
• Named co-lead plaintiffs’ counsel in putative deceptive-advertising class action based on a manufacturer’s failure to disclose its use of lead in Stanley Tumbler drinkware (In re Stanley Tumbler Litigation).
• Won a favorable pretrial settlement of a malpractice and conversion case against an AmLaw 100 law firm (DSS Risk Consultants v. ArentFox).
• Represented the family estate of musician Leonard Cohen in malpractice litigation against his former law firm (Seibert v. Ervin, Cohen & Jessup LLP).

Representing defendants:

• Won a total victory (settlement with the plaintiff paying our client) for an employee who was sued by their former employer in a trade-secrets case (T2 Modus, LLC v. Williams).
• Won a total victory (settlement paying the plaintiff nothing) for a shipping company that was sued by a bank for millions in a secured-transactions case.
• Won a jury verdict on four of five claims as trial counsel in a securities fraud case, defeating RICO allegations seeking eight-figure damages and leading to a post-trial settlement (Altaa v. Production Capital).
• Favorably resolved trademark claims brought by Patagonia against Rushing McCarl clients within weeks of taking each case, resolving one matter for $0 and the other for a nominal sum ($1,860) (Patagonia v. Kranz).

Other:

• Wrote an amicus brief signed by 1,700 University of Michigan alumni, garnering national news coverage  (Harbaugh v. Big Ten Conf).
• Wrote an amicus brief for ClientEarth and The Shareholder Commons in securities-regulation case, with the Fifth Circuit citing the brief in its ruling (Nat’l Ctr. for Pub. Pol’y Res. v. SEC).
• Wrote an amicus brief for 14 signatories in a case about state land-surveying regulations (Crownholm v. Moore).
• Wrote a pioneering amicus brief on workplace caste discrimination, leading to invitations to present to the Department of Justice and other federal agencies (California DFEH v. Cisco Systems, Inc.).

* After civil-theft damages are automatically trebled under Cal. Pen. Code § 496(c).

Media Coverage (Firmwide)

• 2-year-old Santa Monica firm wins $17.8M in first jury trial, Daily Journal (Nov. 21, 2022)
• Alston & Bird Litigator Jumps To LA Boutique Rushing McCarl, Law360 (Feb. 24, 2026)
• A New Litigation Powerhouse, Daily Journal (Apr. 26, 2024)
• Leonard Cohen’s estate sues artist’s ex-attorney, alleging malpractice, Los Angeles Times (Feb 17, 2025)
• No product. no partnerships. no  customers: how a smooth-talking crypto founder bamboozled executives and investors, Forbes (Nov. 15, 2022)
• Hundreds of UM alums join legal fight to lift Jim Harbaugh’s suspension, Detroit News (Nov. 15, 2023)
• Pacific Market’s Trendy Stanley Cups Contain Lead, Suit Says, Law360 (Feb. 1, 2024)
• 1,700 UMich alums back Coach Harbaugh in suspension fight, Law360 (Nov. 15, 2023)
• Book Review: Elegant Legal Writing (by Prof. Mark Cooney), Legal Writing (May 5, 2025)
• John Rushing Interviewed on the Great Trials Podcast (2026)
• Leonard Cohen’s Estate Sues Former Trustee for Malpractice, Daily Beast (Feb. 14, 2025)
• Admission about Stanley cups lead content sparks class actions, Top Class Actions (Feb. 28, 2024)
• Understanding Caste Discrimination: What Workplaces Should Know to Avoid Possible Lawsuits, Risk & Insurance (Apr. 29, 2022)