Overview
Carla Christofferson is a partner in Glaser Weil’s Century City office and a highly accomplished trial lawyer with a proven track record in complex, high-stakes litigation. With deep experience across all facets of business disputes, her practice focuses on commercial litigation, consumer class actions, Proposition 65, unfair trade practices and contract litigation. She has successfully represented industry leaders in sectors including retail, energy, entertainment, real estate, technology and financial services.
Carla is particularly sought after for her skillful representation in:
- Complex commercial litigation
- Class action defense
- Environmental
- Real Estate Litigation
Prior to joining Glaser Weil, Carla was a partner at an Am Law 100 firm. She also held executive leadership roles in global companies, serving as Chief Legal Officer of an international engineering and construction firm operating in more than 70 countries with 90,000 employees. In that role, she oversaw all legal operations and risk management functions, including litigation, transactions, ethics and compliance, safety, quality, cybersecurity, physical security, resilience and government affairs. She later served as Chief Risk Officer and member of the executive team at a global technology company with 130,000 employees, further broadening her corporate perspective.
Carla’s significant in-house experience enables her to understand the pressures and priorities of corporate leadership, making her a trusted advisor who helps clients effectively manage legal risk while advancing strategic business goals.
A former managing partner of the largest office of an Am Law firm, Carla led a team of 225 attorneys and 500 professional staff. Earlier in her career, she clerked for the Honorable W. Matthew Byrne, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
In addition to her legal career, Carla is a founding board member of a global entertainment company involved in the acquisition, financing, production and distribution of television and film content, as well as the operation of a prominent sports content platform.
Results
Carla’s notable experience includes her representation of:
- A leading national retail grocery chain in a range of complex litigation matters, including unfair business practices, Proposition 65 and breach of contract claims; advised on strategic and legal issues; and served as first chair in multiple high-stakes trials.*
- An American multinational oil and gas corporation in high-profile litigation involving individual and class actions arising from a significant oil spill, as well as disputes with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources; served as co-first chair and first chair in several multi-month trials and federal court hearings.*
- An international energy company in high-level government investigations, including matters under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, with a focus on compliance and risk mitigation.*
- A national public accounting firm in a complex mass action securities fraud case stemming from the sale of tax-driven real estate limited partnership interests, involving substantial exposure and reputational risk.*
- An Am Law 100 law firm, in a two-week binding arbitration, serving as first chair and achieving a complete victory, including a multimillion-dollar recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs.*
- An independent film company in binding arbitration concerning international film distribution and intellectual property rights, serving as first chair and obtaining a favorable outcome.*
- An American multinational entertainment company in a four-week trial involving intellectual property claims related to Winnie the Pooh, resulting in dismissal of all claims against the client.*
- A leading California property owner on intricate water rights issues critical to the development of a multimillion-dollar master-planned community.*
*Denotes prior firm experience.
Insights
News
Awards and Recognition
Awards and Recognition
“General Counsel of the Year,” Los Angeles Daily Business Journal, 2022
“Top 25 Women Leaders in IT Services,” IT Services Report, 2020
“Top Women Litigators,” Daily Journal, 2013
“Litigator or the Year,” Century City Bar Association, 2011
“100 Most Influential Lawyers in California,” Daily Journal, 2008
“Top Business Person,” Los Angeles Daily Business Journal, 2008
Leadership and Community
Young Presidents' Organization - Bel Air Chapter
Board of Directors of Los Angeles Library Foundation
Board of Directors of Madre, supporting women and other disadvantaged groups worldwide
Board of Directors of High Tech LA, a charter school focusing on college readiness
Services
Industries
Education
J.D., Yale Law School, 1992
B.A., University of North Dakota, summa cum laude, 1989
Admissions
- California
