Steven Heimberg
M.D., Attorney at Law
Steven Heimberg’s unique background—he is both a physician and a personal injury attorney—makes him a particularly dangerous foe against those who have wrongfully harmed others.
Outstanding Results
In more than 25 years of practicing law, Dr. Heimberg has consistently earned remarkable results for his clients, including:
- Highest Medical Verdict in California history*
- Highest Medical Verdict in Los Angeles County history*
- Highest Medical Verdict in Ventura County history*
- Highest Medical Settlement in California history*
- Highest Medical Settlement in Los Angeles County history*
- Highest Medical Settlement in Riverside County history*
- Highest Medical Settlement in Kern County history*
- Highest Personal Injury Verdict in Santa Barbara history*
- Responsible for Numerous Changes in the Law in Favor of injured victims
Honors and Tributes
Los Angeles injury lawyer Dr. Heimberg is nationally renowned for his legal expertise and advocacy, making him the most honored medical doctor practicing law in California. His peers from the legal community have bestowed many honors and tributes on Dr. Heimberg including the following:
- BEST LAWYERS® - LAWYER OF THE YEAR 2016, 2017, 2019 – Medical Malpractice Law
- LOS ANGELES TRIAL LAWYER OF THE YEAR (Nominated 9 of last 20 years; can only accept once.)
- Top 100 CALIFORNIA TRIAL LAWYER for 8 consecutive years.
- TOP 100 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUPER LAWYERS (7 consecutive years) (Super Lawyers Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine)
- APPELLATE LAWYER OF THE YEAR, nominee (Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, 2004)
- AV PREEMINENT - Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards
- 3,000 LEADING LAWYER IN AMERICA
- TOP 500 LEADING LITIGATOR IN AMERICA
- TOP 500 PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEYS IN AMERICA
Dr. Heimberg is the only medical doctor to have received all of the honors listed above and the only medical doctor ever awarded Consumer Attorneys' Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year. There are other medical doctors that practice law, but few of them are experienced trial lawyers and only Dr. Heimberg has been so decorated by his peers in the legal community.
What Other Lawyers Say About Dr. Heimberg
An unassuming, humble, brilliant lawyer, a tactician nonpareil, a wonderful human being…Steven Heimberg is a role model for what plaintiff lawyers should be: he's effective; he's caring; and he consistently and unerringly puts his clients' rights - puts his clients' interests - ahead of his own… This is a really good guy.
Bruce Broillet, Esq.Former Trial Lawyer of the Year; Selected as one of "California's Most Respected Lawyers", "100 Most Effective Lawyers in California" and "The Best Lawyers in America"
After years of practicing as a consumer attorney, I became a mediator. I have had the opportunity to mediate several cases in which Steve Heimberg was the attorney for the plaintiffs. Of all the plaintiff attorneys I have seen during my years as a mediator, Steve was by far the best prepared and the most capable of advocating successfully for his client. In each case, he secured the best possible settlement.
Joe Thielen, Esq.Mediator at Handweiler & Thielen (Formerly of Thielen & Burke Law Firm)
I run a nine-lawyer plaintiff firm in Orange County. We handle most of our cases in-house. But when I get a large case of the type that we don't handle, the first person that I go to is Steve Heimberg.
Robert Reeves, Esq.Law Offices of Robert Reeves
I was an opposing attorney in Steve's landmark verdict case in Santa Monica (happily, not representing the losing defendant). I have rarely seen a case better tried by a plaintiff attorney; and the results accurately reflected Steve's performance.
Marshall Silberberg, Esq. Law Offices of Marshall Silberberg (Formerly of LaFollette, Johnson and of Baker, Silberberg & Keener)
I have referred out a significant number of catastrophic, high-damage cases over my career to some of the most renowned attorneys in California. Of all the attorneys to whom I have sent cases, Dr. Steven Heimberg is number one on my list, not only because of the outstanding results, but also because of his professionalism, fairness, and integrity in dealings with my office. I strongly recommend him to anyone looking for a top attorney to handle their best cases.
Joe Higuera, Esq.Higuera & Associates
An Extraordinary Background
In addition to his success as a top personal injury attorney, Dr. Heimberg is a physician. He graduated with honors in many medical school courses, including earning top honors in pharmacology. Dr. Heimberg is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
After attending the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, where he was a member of UCLA’s Law Review, Dr. Heimberg was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1987.
Dr. Heimberg spent several years in Washington, D.C. as a health-law attorney, specializing in the law of medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In addition, he served as special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Heimberg gained further experience in product liability issues as a lawyer with the renowned corporate law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP.
Since 1992, Dr. Heimberg has had his own law firm specializing in helping and protecting those injured by the wrongdoing of others. Because of the serious nature of the injuries in these cases and the fact that medical experts are almost always necessary, his background places him head and shoulders above his legal peers. He is able to better assess medical damages and all medical liability issues in your case. He is able to find and retain all necessary medical experts. He is better able to understand the details of your case and better able to convey all the necessary facts and issues to your medical experts. In addition, Dr. Heimberg can better handle and cross-examine the opposing experts and better prepare and react to all the technological occurrences and surprises at trial. While Dr. Heimberg has successfully tried many medical malpractice cases, his medical knowledge and expertise make him uniquely capable of handling all types of life altering personal injury cases
Legal Victories
Dr. Heimberg has translated his diverse training and background into great success in the courtroom. Never hesitating to try cases, he has won many multi-million dollar trials, including the largest medical verdict ever awarded in California, the largest personal injury verdict of any kind in the history of Santa Barbara, and the largest medical malpractice verdict in the history of Ventura.
Because of Dr. Heimberg’s willingness to go to trial and his skill in the courtroom as a skilled lawyer, he is able to regularly obtain favorable settlements for his clients. He has negotiated numerous multi-million dollar settlements, including the largest medical settlement in the history of Los Angeles County and the largest medical settlement in the history of Kern County.
Between his successes in trial and in settlement, Dr. Heimberg has obtained well over half a billion dollars on behalf of his clients.
Dr. Heimberg’s litigation victories, however, have not been just about dollars. He has constantly pushed the limits of the law, and has produced several important legal changes on behalf of consumers, ranging from new methods for proving damages, to limiting the use of arbitration agreements, to limiting the defendants eligible to claim the benefits of California limiting statute MICRA, to limiting the scope of conduct within the protections of MICRA.
Professional Associations
Dr. Heimberg is an ardent advocate for consumer rights and is active in a variety of professional organizations, including:
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Governor emeritus, Board of Governors
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Board of Governors
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Member
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
- Medical Malpractice Committee, Consumer Attorneys of California, Co-chair
- For years, Dr. Heimberg has been asked regularly to teach other attorneys across the state on many litigation and trial topics.
Community Involvement
Dr. Heimberg’s advocacy for those who have been injured does not end at the courthouse steps. He also is active in numerous community projects, including:
The Cambodian Education Project
Dr. Heimberg has co-founded numerous grass-roots organizations to provide education, outreach, and community support to Cambodian children living in poverty. One program has 6 schools in Phnom Penh’s worst slums; another supported the community surrounding the Phnom Penh garbage dumps. These and his other programs are designed to elevate the opportunities for these children’s’ future through education, character building, providing tools to avoid exploitation (and time to have fun in a safe caring environment), while providing health care and assistance with food and clean water.
Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities
The primary purpose of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (LATLC) is to make a positive difference in the quality of life for people within the greater Los Angeles area, focusing on issues related to education, children, battered women, and homelessness, by providing financial assistance to needy persons and groups in the greater Los Angeles area.
WYNGS
A nonprofit organization that provides peer counseling and resources to people with spinal cord injuries and to their families. Dr. Heimberg was honored with the organization’s Benefactor Award in 2005.
Shane’s Inspiration
A nonprofit dedicated to developing playgrounds where able-bodied and disabled children can play together. Dr. Heimberg sat for years on the group's board of directors and was chairman of the CHLA Playground Committee, which is raised funds to build two play areas at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Heimberg Barr was the original sponsor of Shane's Inspiration's Annual 5K/10K Walk-FUN-Roll event.
Little Tokyo Service Center
A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing community development and social services to the Pan Asian community in downtown Los Angeles. Dr. Heimberg is a long-time supporter and board member.
Ralph's Riders Foundation
Ralph's Riders is the premier southern California support group for the spinal cord disabled. Dr. Heimberg was a co-founder of the first named “wheels” or benefactor, its “Man of the Year” and currently sits on its advisory board.
Consumer Watchdog
A nonprofit, non-partisan watchdog group that protects consumers from, in its own words, “corrupt corporations and crooked politicians.”