Larry has over thirty years of experience and his practice includes all aspects of litigation, with a focus on appeals, class actions, and legal ethics.

He is one of the premier appellate lawyers in Arizona, as well as one of the state’s leading legal malpractice defense lawyers. A former U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit, and District Court law clerk, Larry has briefed and argued dozens of cases in federal and state courts of appeals during his thirty-year career. He served on the Ninth Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Rules for several years, and he is a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the prestigious American Law Institute.

Prior to joining Papetti Samuels Weiss McKirgan, Larry served as the General Counsel of an AmLaw 200 law firm in Arizona. In that role, he counseled the firm, and hundreds of its lawyers, as they attempted to navigate issues that arise in the practice of law. Larry has extensive experience in the field of legal ethics and has written several articles about professional responsibility. He applies this knowledge and experience in his practice, representing lawyers and law firms in litigation, regulatory matters, and ethics proceedings. Larry also can assist lawyers defending malpractice, standard of care, and breach of fiduciary duty cases by providing expert witness consultation or testimony.

Larry applies the same problem-solving skills in general commercial litigation matters. His experience includes securities, insurance, banking, and constitutional law, with an emphasis on class-action defense. Some of his recent representative matters include:

• Argument before the Supreme Court of Arizona for a major insurance company with respect to statutes governing automobile insurance
• Consultation regarding legal ethics and the law governing lawyers, and appearance before the State Bar of Arizona in attorney-regulation matters
• Representation of national insurance companies, disability insurance companies, and financial institutions in class-action litigation
• Representation of state public entities in administrative proceedings

Larry frequently represents underserved clients on a pro bono basis and is a prior recipient of the Arizona Bar Foundation’s “Top 50 Pro Bono Attorney” award. Working closely with the Ninth Circuit’s pro bono program over the past 20 years, he has accepted judicial appointments in more than a dozen pro bono appeals, which allowed him to mentor more junior lawyers and help prepare them for their first arguments before a federal appeals court.

Larry is an avid reader and an impulsive world traveler. When he is not working, it is likely he is poring over his calendar looking for gaps that might allow him to get away for a day or two to visit a place he has never been.