ManhattanBeach.law

Highlights

  • Exceptional Legal Services
  • Efficient, Cost-Effective
  • Award-Winning Legal Team
  • Full-Service, One-Stop Shop

Jeff Briggs has been a civil litigator and transactional attorney in California for over 30 years and now brings that experience to the South Bay at ManhattanBeach.law. He has assembled a team of attorneys and legal professionals to provide legal services exclusively to their South Bay clients. Jeff became a member of the California State Bar in 1993. 

What inspired you to become an attorney?

My mom and dad were college sweethearts at UCLA, and my mom had me when she was super young—19. She raised me as a single mom. We moved around quite a lot, and I went to a different school just about every year. One real constant growing up was my grandparents. Starting when I was probably 8 or 9, once a year my grandfather would sit me down for the same talk: “Jeff, I know you are just a young man, but you need to start thinking about your profession and whether it’s medicine or law—either one is fine with me.” It’s a bit funny to think about that now (we now have a 9-year-old). But he really did put in my mind only those two choices, and I carried that with me. I had the great opportunity to go to UCLA and play one year of baseball, but after my first biology class, I knew that law was going to be the best choice for me.

Also, in high school I was asked to speak at our graduation ceremony. Leading up to the speech, I was so nervous I couldn’t eat or sleep, but as soon as I stepped up to the podium, I felt a calmness. That has continued through my career as a litigator. I still get pregame excitement before trial or an important motion, but I love it when the game starts.       

Describe a difficult but good decision you made in your legal career. 

Right out of law school, in my mid-20s, I was grinding away as a young associate at a large law firm. I was working hard, long, late hours but also having the time of my life. One of my first clients was a start-up with an exciting new technology. As the company grew, they asked me to come on board full time. It was a super tough call. I was on a great “track” at the law firm, and leaving meant giving up a secure, stable position for no salary and complete uncertainty. I knew if I left the firm, there would be no going back. But my intuition said go for it, and I did. 

How did that work out?

Fortunately, great. My position at the new company grew to general counsel and eventually partner. My 20-year experience with that company was wonderful, and it enabled me to develop leadership and legal skills from highly complex transactions and every form of civil litigation imaginable. It is this experience in leading a legal department and 30+ years of transactional and litigation expertise that we now bring to our valued South Bay clients at ManhattanBeach.law.

Why did you start ManhattanBeach.law?

To be the one-stop shop for all the legal needs of our valued South Bay clients. I formed ManhattanBeach.law as a brand-new, innovative law practice committed to providing the highest-quality legal services exclusively to our South Bay clients, all at an exceptional value. I’m extremely proud of the group of outstanding, award-winning attorneys and legal professionals we’ve assembled exclusively for our South Bay clients at ManhattanBeach.law. And importantly, the consultation is always absolutely free.

What are the best ways to establish trust with new clients?

Without question, transparency and honesty. Unfortunately, far too often attorneys tell their clients what they want to hear, a best-case outcome, rather than advising them on the most probable result based on applying the facts to the law. What happens next? The client sets their expectations on a best-case outcome, locks into that position and pays a massive amount of attorneys’ fees pursuing an unrealistic and unlikely outcome—only to reach a conclusion months or years later that could and should have been reached early on. In this situation, there is only one winner—the lawyer—who hauled in huge attorneys’ fees for completely unproductive and non-result-oriented legal services. As we see it, our job is to get in, solve the problem favorably and efficiently, and get out.

Tell us about your life outside work.

We have two wonderful boys, ages 9 and 11. I became a dad later in life, and my friends with older children always tell me to enjoy these years, which I feel super fortunate to be able to do. Our family loves to travel, and I am happy to share my love of the beach and the mountains with our boys. I’m also a pilot and enjoy cycling, motocross, climbing, skiing and surfing.

Photographed by Fabien & Laura Castro