Partners Michael Adamson and Bryan Caforio have been recognized as two of the Daily Journal’s Top Commercial Litigators for 2026. The annual honor recognizes California lawyers leading the field in high-stakes commercial disputes, trial advocacy, and precedent-setting results.
Michael Adamson’s selection follows a year at the center of groundbreaking AI litigation and high-stakes commercial disputes. In 2025, Adamson helped secure a historic $1.5 billion settlement for rightsholders in a copyright infringement case against Anthropic—the largest publicly reported recovery in U.S. copyright litigation history—and is now representing a class of rightsholders pursuing similar claims against OpenAI and Microsoft. He also obtained a $330 million arbitration award on fraud and breach-of-contract claims, where the tribunal adopted his client’s damages model in full, and continues to lead complex class actions and impactful pro bono litigation on behalf of disabled students alleging systemic constitutional violations.
Bryan Caforio’s recognition reflects a year defined by high-impact litigation and public-facing trial leadership. As lead counsel to the City of Los Angeles, Caforio filed a landmark lawsuit in 2025 targeting an alleged illegal online gambling enterprise, seeking restitution and penalties on behalf of Californians. He is also leading multiple high-stakes commercial matters nationwide, including class actions against major gaming operators and investor claims involving hundreds of millions of dollars, while continuing to build on his recent $330 million arbitration victory for a renewable energy client—one of the largest awards of its kind.
Read Adamson’s and Caforio’s respective profiles in the Top Commercial Litigators feature here (subscription required).
