Elizabeth Dorsi represents clients in disputes ranging from high-stakes civil litigation and trial to pre-litigation conflict resolution. Elizabeth leverages her practical experience handling a wide range of matters in state and federal trial courts, on appeal, and in arbitration to address her clients legal needs.

Her practice focuses on complex litigation with an emphasis on trust, estate, and probate litigation, unfair competition, elder abuse claims, false advertising consumer class action defense, breach of contract claims, and business dissolution disputes. She uses a combination of strategic, big-picture thinking, and close attention to detail to develop creative solutions when none appear to exist. Elizabeth focuses day-to-day primarily on advising clients on litigation risks and strategy, briefing dispositive motions, taking and defending depositions, and preparing for trial.

In her trust and estate litigation practice, Elizabeth regularly represents trustees and beneficiaries in a range of complex disputes, including trust administration claims, beneficiary disputes, will and trust challenges, disputes regarding disbursements owed to income and HEMS beneficiaries, and claims of breach of trust, undue influence, and elder abuse. She further leverages Farella’s extensive expertise in family wealth and tax planning to advise her clients on tax efficient solutions to their trust and estate disputes.

An experienced trial lawyer, Elizabeth successfully represented a developer in a complex Unfair Competition Law action brought by a District Attorney’s office alleging numerous “malicious” unlawful acts and omissions arising over a multi-year period from a large pre-historic Native American cemetery that was discovered and damaged during construction of a residential development project. After a month-long bench trial, the court found no unlawful acts and awarded a complete defense victory. She has additionally first-chaired five jury trials to verdict and has further experience representing clients in bench trials and evidentiary hearings arising from her trust and estate litigation practice.

Elizabeth has an active pro bono practice. She successfully argued the Ninth Circuit habeas appeal for a death row inmate, which resulted in her client’s 40-year-old conviction being overturned because the prosecutor had engaged in unconstitutional racial discrimination during jury selection. She has also represented parties in unlawful detainer actions, SSDI administrative appeals, and civil rights class actions challenging California’s DNA collection law and juvenile detention practices.

Elizabeth served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable William B. Shubb of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, and as a legal intern with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.