Our practice emphasizes civil litigation before federal and state courts.


We vigorously prepare our cases and represent our clients’ best interests throughout the litigation process.


Much of our work involves defense of financial service clients, creditors, corporations and public entities. We also defend the integrity of products or persons and many of our cases are litigated through trial and the appellate process. Our experienced trial and appellate lawyers have successfully defended major protracted jury trials in many parts of the country as regional or national coordinating counsel, including successes in Idaho, Utah, Washington, Texas, and throughout California.

We have a multi-faceted law practice and many years of experience. Carlson & Messer LLP’s practice is primarily a trial practice, with a substantial emphasis in the defense of financial services clients in cutting-edge cases, including class actions, as well as the defense of serious injury and/or high exposure emotionally-laden cases in the personal injury, products liability and casualty areas. For more than 20 years, Carlson & Messer LLP has concentrated on defending cases involving financial services, education practices, and products liability. Our lawyers have extensive experience in trials, arbitrations, and appeals. We are efficient and effective because we identify (and focus our efforts on) issues that matter.

The sophisticated practice of a large firm in a small firm environment


We handle significant cases with the efficiency of a small firm and obtain large-firm results at a fraction of the cost.


Because our partners spent their formative years at large trial law firms, our analytical approach is similar, but because we are a smaller firm, our professional services are more efficient and effective. We are continuously mindful of the potential expenses of litigation and strive to efficiently and sensibly reduce them wherever possible. Our non-lawyer professional staff assists our lawyers for cost-effective case preparation, investigation and administration.

Our clientele ranges from multi-national corporations to small businesses; from individuals and public entities involved in local matters to parties in multi-district federal litigation. Our clients are engaged in financial services, lending, debt collection, debt buying, insurance, transportation services, education and manufacturing of a broad array of products, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automobiles and automobile component parts such as tires, sporting goods, and many other fields.

While clients continue to experience tremendous economic pressure in an ever-increasing competitive economy, the costs of litigating cases is a factor which needs to be controlled in an effective manner. The recognized need of cost-containment requires trial counsel to find creative ways to reduce the costs of discovery, trial preparation and trial. It is our goal to effectively use technology to better manage the huge amount of information that is involved in lawsuits and resolve cases through mediation, trial, or dispositive motion earlier and more cost effectively.

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We are dedicated to vigorously preparing our cases and representing our clients’ interests throughout the litigation process.

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