Person

A Lawyer Apart
When Tigran Martinian first set foot in Los Angeles at
16, he didn’t know where he was headed, nor did he
speak a word of English. But, he knew one thing: how
to stand up for the underdog with his bare hands, which
often got him in trouble with school authorities back
home in Yerevan, Armenia.
text Lianna Zakharian
photo Tigran Tovmasyan

032 summer 2009


T
oday, at 35, he looks like
he just stepped straight
off a Godfather movie
set. But, upon closer
examination I find out,
he leads a multi-million
dollar law firm in Los
A ngeles that provides a voice
for thousands of people caught
in the long arm of the United
States justice system or wronged
by powerful defendants, such
as National Oilwell and City of
Westminster, to name a few.
His clients are colorful, diverse and
high-powered and span the many
layers of the American culture
from celebrities to blue-collar
workers. Other lawyers may have
won greater verdicts or resolved
a greater number of high profile
criminal cases, but I doubt anyone
can catch up with Martinian’s 777
miles per hour success train as a
rainmaker, litigator and a zealous
advocate for his clients in and out
of court, all at the same time.
His fiery charm and persuasive
negotiation skills no doubt go a
long way in a courtroom, but what
sets him apart from other lawyers,
I’m told by his peers, is the way he
identifies with clients, opponents,
judges and jurors, alike. They like
him, because he comes off like
he’s one of them, but interestingly,
Martinian credits being Armenian
as the biggest factor of his success
as a lawyer.
Born in Armenia, Martinian comes
from a close-knit family whose ties
were put through the test of the
many challenges that immigrants
face, when he migrated to Los
A ngeles with his parents and
younger brother in 1990. But,
through hard work and sheer
determination, they were able to
build everything they left behind
in Armenia once again, including
their house. And, it is from those
roots that Martinian inherited
his strong sense of family values,
commitment to hard work and
passion for helping people.
Un l i ke most successf u l t r ia l
lawyers, Martinian did not go to
ivy league schools, but he hit the
ground running as a paralegal for
various boutique civil litigation
and criminal defense law firms,
where he flexed his legal muscles
for over 15 years. He completed his
undergraduate degree in Business
Management and Law School
education by attending night
school. But that only tells half the
story.
I first met Martinian last summer
at the Castle Bar of Chateau De La
Messardiere, a pink-turreted hotel
in Saint-Tropez, South of France,
where he was vacationing with his
wife, an Eastern European version
of Charlize Theron and his close
friends from GAVATY INC., where
Martinian is a member as well.
They were a good-looking couple,
but my attention was drawn more
toward the language that they were
speaking, a mixture of Russian and
Armenian. As we got acquainted, I
found out that they were not only
originally from the former Soviet
armenians are known for be-
ing hard-working, smart and
shrewd people. in spite of be-
ing a relatively small nation,
we always leave a big mark.
Union, like myself, but also virtual
neighbors at home in Los Angeles.
Their stories resembled the typical
struggles of immigrants, but when I
asked Martinian about his practice,
it suddenly uncovered a story that
was definitely different, refreshing
and at times exhilarating. I couldn’t
help but to ask him for an interview
upon our return to Los Angeles to
which he graciously agreed.
Who or what inspired you to
become a lawyer?
My parents. Back in Armenia,
they were always so in control of
everything in their lives. When we
moved here they had to let go of
some of that control and depend
on other people’s help to figure
simple things out because they
didn’t speak English. So, when I
learned the language, I became
that person that figured things
out and my parents would always
volunteer my help to everyone.
They really taught me how to take
care of people and speak for them,
when they could not speak for
themselves. I guess, it was just a
natural progression for me.
Person
What was the hardest part of
making it happen?
Juggling work and law school
and being patient and persistent
despite all the roadblocks.
What type of cases does your
firm handle?
Catastrophic Personal injury cases
and Criminal defense cases.
Do you remember your first
case?
Of course! I set t led my f irst
major civil case in the amount of
$1,850,000.00 the same year that
I passed the California State Bar
Examination. Just a few months
after that, I successfully resolved
my first criminal case with a full
dismissal of all the charges against
my client who was accused of major
insurance fraud. Subsequently,
I tried a very difficult case in
Orange County and won close to
$900,000.00 in damages against
the City of Westminster, for a police
officer’s negligent driving during a
chase.
Is it a help or a hindrance to
be an Armenian lawyer in a
courtroom?
The above mentioned case against
the Cit y of Westminster took
place in Orange County, which is
known for predominantly white
conservative population. And I
think being Armenian actually
helped me in that case, because
the Defense attorney made such
shocking references to “9/11” and
the American flag, insinuating that
I’m some kind of terrorist, that it
backfired to him. I asked the jurors
after the trial, if they thought the
fact that I looked different than
the usual white male lawyer made
a difference in their decision and
they all said, “Yes, it made a positive
difference, not a negative one.” It
was very encouraging to hear that.
But I’m also mindful of the fact that
Armenians are known for being
hard-working, smart and shrewd
summer 2009 033
Person
people in general and these qualities
tend to stand out in all social settings.
So, in spite of being a relatively small
nation geographically, we always
leave a big mark and I’m very proud
of that.
What’s the most rewarding
part of your work?
Providing a strong voice for people,
who don’t have one otherwise.
Have you ever been given
good advice that you have kept
with you?
Pay attention to every simple detail
in every thing that you hear and
see, because everything happens
for a reason.
What are your strengths that
you feel play an important role
in your success as a lawyer?
Theoretically speaking, believing
in what I do is my biggest strength.
I won’t take a case unless I believe
in it and when I do, I will do
one should always maintain a
sense of civility and courtesy
with all concerned through-
out every case, especially
with opposing counsel.
everything to win it. I will find a
solution, or an exception to the law
or an exception to an exception to
the rule. Practically, multi-tasking
is really the biggest key to my
success. One moment I may be
trying a case, and the next I may be
strategizing a marketing strategy
for my practice, and then signing
up a client in another city. There
are very few lawyers out there
that successfully do everything
themselves. I’m pretty well versed
in all the different aspects of the
practice after having worked in
the field for over 15 years from
paralegal to now a trial lawyer.
You seem very athletic. How
do you stay so fit?
I’m a third degree black belt in
Karate and have been training
since I was five years old. I work
out at least 30 minutes per day,
five-six days a week.
You r w i fe i s absolute ly
beautiful, is she an actress?
No, but people always ask her
that. She used to work for the
034 summer 2009
Russian version of the IRS in the
former Soviet Union and did some
modeling for high profile make-
up companies. She’s an excellent
mother, an extraordinary person
and my best friend.
How old is your daughter?
She’s only three years old and
she’s so smart that she starts my
MacBook Air all on her own and
goes online to play Charlie and
Lola games on the Disney website.
So you are a family guy.
I’m a family guy. My Sundays
are spent with my wife and my
daughter from 7:00 a.m. all the way
to 10:00 p.m. Unless I’m in trial, I
will not interrupt my Sundays with
my family for anything or anyone.
How important is Armenian
culture and art in your life?
I’m a big fan of Armenian art,
literature and culture. I recently
attended a poetry night dedicated
to Parouyr Sevak, an art show
e x h i bit i n g t he work s of a n
Armenian artist and also sponsored
the Armenian Comedy Awards.
Events like that allow us to connect
with our culture and keep it alive.
What do you do for fun?
Hang out with my friends from
GAVATY INC., put together the
greatest parties where others are
always asking to be a part of. And
of course, I travel all over the world
with my wife and my friends. We
try to take at least three-four short
vacations and once a year we take
a trip to the South of France. This
year we’re going to Sardinia, Italy.
You must have a good team of
people working for you for you
to leave the office and travel all
over the world.
Yes, I’m extremely fortunate to
have a brilliant team of employees
and associates that I can rely on at
any time for anything. But, we also
have a very strict system of practice
and procedure in place where we
have a road map of the steps to
be taken in each case. Everyone
has their role in the office. They
know, who is supposed to do what
and when. And, at the end of the
day, our biggest motivation is
being able to make a difference in
somebody’s life.
What’s your advice for other
aspiring lawyers who are trying
to achieve their dream?
A lot of new lawyers think that in
order to be successful as a lawyer,
they have to prove that they’re
more aggressive than the opposing
counsel, when all they have to
do is prove their case. There’s
a difference between taking an
aggressive approach on a case and
being aggressive. I’m all for taking
an aggressive approach on a case,
if the circumstances of that case
warrant so. But, nevertheless, one
should always maintain a sense
of civility and courtesy with all
concerned throughout every case,
especially with opposing counsel,
because ultimately they’re the ones
you’re going to face at mediation,
trial or on your next case. My
advice is, always be prepared to
go to war for your client on any
case, against any opponent and at
any time by making use of all the
resources available to you, and
remember that even in war we
have to follow specific protocols to
protect our enemies in defeat.
Do you have any major
upcom i ng pla n s for you r
practice or for the Armenian
community?
There’s a large population of
young Armenian males in jail or
on their way to prison. Most of
them fall into trouble because
of lack of education or resources
to pursue a career path. A nd,
unfortunately often times when
they come out, they fall into a
deeper hole, because they don’t
have the academic skills or work
experience to get decent jobs. I
am in the early stages of forming
a nonprofit organization with all
the right resources and staff to
assist Armenian youth out of high
school in getting admitted to the
right colleges for their situation.
When they have a goal and decent
education they never turn to crime!
So it is up to us, our community,
to make sure that Armenian youth
turns into the society elite.
For more information
on Tigran Martinian or
his firm, please visit
www.martinianlaw.com