Meet the Team
Other Team MembersGilbert Nishimura,
Partner
Gilbert M. Nishimura was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1973 and has been admitted to the United States District Court, Central District, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has also appeared pro hac vice in the states of Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and Tennessee. Mr. Nishimura is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and received his Juris Doctorate at Loyola University School of Law.
Background
From 1973 to 1976, Mr. Nishimura was a member of the Law Firm of West & Girardi and its successor, the Law Firm of Girardi and Keese. While there he gained valuable experience in personal injury litigation, including medical malpractice and products liability.
Mr. Nishimura formed the law firm of Senzaki, Osajima & Nishimura in 1976 with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County. This was an all-service law firm for which Mr. Nishimura handled the business and personal injury litigation matters and defended the Los Angeles County Healthcare System in medical malpractice cases.
In 1989, Mr. Nishimura joined the firm of Roquemore, Pringle & Moore, Inc. With his litigation experience, he became the partner supervising the litigation, personal injury, and workers’ compensation departments.
In 2005, he helped form Seki, Nishimura & Watase and became its initial Managing Partner. Mr. Nishimura currently supervises the firm’s civil litigation practice, as well as its general practice, including general business, transactional matters, and estate planning.
Practice areas
His practice area has included representing various government entities, such as the County of Los Angeles and its Sheriff’s Department, Healthcare System, Coroner’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and Public Defender’s Office; City of Bellflower; City of Bell Gardens; City of West Covina; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Pacific Bell Telephone Company; AT&T Services, Inc., Southern California Edison Company and United States Bankruptcy Trustees. He has also appeared and successfully argued in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
professional affiliations
Mr. Nishimura is a former referee of the State Bar of California and Judge Pro Tem of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. He has been a member of the Judicial Review Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and on the Judicial Evaluations Committee and Board of Governors of the Japanese American Bar Association of Greater Los Angeles, of which he is a founding member. Moreover, Mr. Nishimura has been a panelist speaker for the Public Utilities Commission, the State Bar of California Annual Convention and the Judiciary College in Berkeley, California.
In addition to his professional affiliations, Mr. Nishimura believes in giving back to the community and has been involved with the Japanese American National Museum, Go For Broke National Education Center, Twin Counties Optimist Club (Founding Member), Bell Gardens Rotary Club, Center for Japanese Mental Health (Board Member), Southeast Youth Organization (Board Member), Orange County Buddhist Church (Board of Directors), City of Cerritos Beautification Program, Little Tokyo Service Center (Board of Governors), a sponsor of the Little Tokyo Historical Society Sei Fujii Lantern Project, and the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (Founding Board of Director).