Paro M. Astourian practices in the areas of business law and civil litigation, with a focus on litigating business, real property, construction, employment and personal injury cases in state and federal courts.
He has been a practicing lawyer for about twenty one years and has a background as an active litigator and consultant in Europe and the Middle East.
He is a graduate of the American University of Beirut and the Law College of the Lebanese State University. He has expertise with international litigation and has been handling and consulting on disputes involving foreign entities and individuals from Europe, Asia and the Middle East; he is particularly interested in and knowledgeable in legal matters concerning the Middle East and International law.
His practice is based in Los Angeles, California but he travels on regular basis to the Middle East. He is a member of the California State Bar (2003), the Washington DC Bar (2011) and the Beirut Bar Association (1996). He is familiar with West European Civil and Arab legal systems; and is fluent in English, French, Armenian and Arabic.
Professional Memberships: Washington DC Bar (2011); U.S. District Court; Central District of California (2003); California State Bar (2003); Beirut Bar Association (1996); American Bar Association (2003); Los Angeles County Bar Association (2004); American Trial Lawyers' Association (2005); California State Bar: International Law Section (since 2006; Executive Committee member 2006 to 2008) and Employment Law Section (2006); Washington DC Bar: International Law Section; Litigation Section; Los Angeles County Bar Association: Litigation Section; Labor and Employment Law Section; International Law Section - Executive Committee member since 2005; American Bar Association: International Law Section; Middle East Committee; AALA of S. California - Past Chair.
James R. Galliver, Esq.
Mr. Galliver is experienced in all aspects of civil business litigation, including real estate, employment law and commercial litigation. Mr. Galliver has represented both individuals and businesses in both state and federal courts throughout California.
Having both prosecuted and defendant numerous lawsuits, tried cases to verdict before both judges and juries, Mr. Galliver is well versed in all areas of litigation and at all phases of the case. Clients that Mr. Galliver has represented include manufacturing companies, wholesale and distributions companies, real estate investment companies, restaurant chains, as well as individuals.
Legal matters that Mr. Galliver has handled include employment litigation, including wage and hour and discrimination suits, disputes involving sales of businesses, construction matters, land disputes, litigation involving foreign parties and proceedings outside of the U.S., complex business litigation involving over ten million dollars in controversy, litigation in which a referee was appointed to oversee discovery, and multi-million dollar disputes involving the U.S. and state entities. Representative matters that Mr. Galliver has handled include unlawful and unfair competition matters, business and economic torts, contract disputes, trade secret violations, fraud and deceit, elder abuse claims, premises liability, and breaches of fiduciary duty.
Mr. Galliver has also handled the structuring of various business entities, the purchase and sale of businesses, and various business transactions.
Mr. Galliver received his bachelor's degree in business administration from California Polytechnic University of Pomona in 2002. He received his J.D. degree in 2006 from Whittier Law School, where he was a member of the law review. Mr. Galliver is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in California. In his spare time, Mr. Galliver enjoys the outdoors, hiking and camping.
Mr. Galliever joined Astourian and Associates in 2015.
Peter E. Schnaitman, Esq.
Mr. Schnaitman practices in the area of general litigation and business counseling. His representative matters have involved litigation in forums throughout the country, and in Europe and Asia, and have included multi-district litigations and coordinated proceedings through trial, verdict and appeal. Mr. Schnaitman has represented universities, public entities, telecommunications firms, drug companies, religious organizations, automotive companies, hospitals, chemical companies, product manufacturers and various Fortune 500 companies in a wide-variety of legal matters. Such matters have included employee and labor relations, product liability, real estate issues, building construction matters, risk management, tort defense, theft of trade-secrets, contracting disputes, partnership disputes, anti-trust, insurance coverage, workplace safety, and intellectual property.
Mr. Schnaitman served as primary counsel for a manufacturing company with nationwide and international operations. In that capacity, Mr. Schnaitman oversaw and litigated a variety of maters, directing and overseeing the work of various local counsel, and also providing core legal support counseling to the company on contracting, employment, intellectual property, technology, supply-chain issues, pre-suit claim handling, and matters involving federal and state regulatory compliance. Mr. Schnaitman also has experience with managing and resolving emergent legal matters such as facility explosions, consumer product recalls, and high-profile litigations of national interest. Mr. Schnaitman has extensive experience structuring and drafting commercial agreements and other contractual arrangements. Mr. Schnaitman’s experience has provided him with the ability to quickly and effectively analyze legal issues and prepare a course of effective and efficient resolution.
Mr. Schnaitman’s appellate work includes the following: Smith v. Advantis Computer Consulting, Inc., No. 00AP-361, 2001 WL 300621 (Ohio Ct. App. Mar. 29, 2001); Featherstone v. Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Dentistry, No. 01AP-693, 2001 WL 1608557, 2001- Ohio-3943 (Dec. 18, 2001); Covington v. Univ. Hosps. of Cleveland, No. 01AP-1140, 2002 WL 1935918, 2002-Ohio-4304 (Ohio Ct. App. Aug. 20, 2002); Covington v. Indiana Dep’t of Nat. Res., No. 01AP-1034, 2002 WL 1223959, 2002-Ohio-2874 (Ohio Ct. App. June 6, 2002); Avner v. Lai, No. B154230, 2004 WL 206205 (Cal. Ct. App. Feb. 4, 2004); McKenney v. Purepac Pharm. Co., 167 Cal. App. 4th 72, 83 Cal. Rptr. 3d 810 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008); Conte v. Wyeth, Inc., 168 Cal. App. 4th 89, 85 Cal. Rptr. 3d 299 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008); Cook v. Gallade Chem., Inc., No. B213955, 2009 WL 3431448 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 27, 2009), as modified (Nov. 20, 2009).
Mr. Schnaitman attended Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1999) (Articles Editor, Health Matrix Journal of Law – Medicine, Member, National Moot Court Team, 1998 Ault Prize for “Best Brief” in the Dean Dunmore Moot Court Competition) and also Earlham College (B.A., 1992). Mr. Schnaitman authored the comment, Building a Community Through Workplace E-Mail: The New Privacy Frontier, 5 Mich. Telecomm. & Tech. L. Rev. 177 (1999).
Mr. Schnaitman is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of California and Ohio. Mr. Schnaitman joined Astourian And Associates in 2017 as Of Counsel.
Lucy Avedissian, Esq.
Ms. Lucy Avedissian is a Certified Specialist in US Immigration and Nationality Law, as certified by Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California.
She has over twenty years of experience representing businesses, investors, professionals, institutions, and individuals in U.S. immigration matters. She is the past Chair of the Immigration Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and continues to serve as a member of its Executive Committee. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Ms. Avedissian is fluent in Armenian and Farsi.
Mrs. Avedissian holds a Juris Doctor degree from Glendale University College of Law, Glendale, California; a Masters Degree in Linguistics, University of Essex, Cholchester, United Kingdom; and Bachelors Degree: Business Management, Iranzamin College of Business Management, Tehran, Iran. Mrs. Avedissian was admitted to the California State Bar in 1994, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1995 and the US District Court, Central District of California in 1995. Ms. Avedissian joined Astourian and Associates in 2009 as Of Counsel.
During the last several years Mrs. Avedissian has been an active member of professional associations incluiding the Los Angeles County Bar Association - Immigration Law Section 2008-2009, Chair; Immigration Law Section 2004-Present; member of the American Immigration Association - Southern California Chapter 1996-Present, Chair of the Liaison Comittee with the US Custom and Border Protection, Los Angeles County Bar Association - Immigration Law Section.
A s t o u r i a n A n d A s s o c i a t e s I n c.
A t t o r n e y s at L a w
Offices in: Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Beirut
Main Office: 35 East Union Street, Suite D, Pasadena, CA 91103
