Attorney Profiles
Arnold K. Graham
Arnold K. Graham is the founding member and a principal in the law offices of Graham • Vaage. He is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law (June 1969), admitted to the practice of law in the courts of the State of California (January 1970), various federal district courts and courts of appeal, the federal Claims Court (1991), and the United States Supreme Court (1976). Mr. Graham is a Member of the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association (Committee Member, Eminent Domain, Real Property, and Local Government Sections), the Glendale Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and the American Trial Lawyers Association.
Following graduation from law school, Mr. Graham practiced law with the County Counsel's Office in Los Angeles until 1985, where he principally oversaw litigation relating to the Department of Hospitals, the Sheriff's Department, the County Assessor, the County Engineer, the County Road Department, the County Flood Control District, the Department Airports, and the Department of Regional Planning and Zoning. Included within his assignments was the acquisition of hundreds of parcels of property by eminent domain, and his defending the claims of hundreds of claimants in inverse condemnation cases resulting from various flooding and subsidence/landslide causes, including defending 256 lawsuits that followed the Big Rock Mesa landslide in Malibu, home to numerous entertainment celebrities.
In 1985, Mr. Graham left the County Counsel's Office to work with a private firm that emphasized public law, and in 1987 opened his own law firm essentially continuing the same law practice but with a case mix evolving to represent approximately 60% private property and business owners, with the remaining 40% representing public entities, including small cities, redevelopment agencies, school districts and special districts.
Mr. Graham is among the leading eminent domain trial attorneys in California, and has tried numerous jury trials and bench trials throughout California. He also has extensive experience in handling all issues pertaining to right to take challenges, valuation (including highest and best use, severance damages, fixture and equipment, and loss of business goodwill), negotiations, acquisition and relocation associated with agricultural, industrial, residential, commercial and mixed-use properties.
Mr. Graham also has significant appellate experience, including being the lead attorney on the case, First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Glendale, which was appealed to the United States Supreme Court twice, and established the legal principle that compensation is Constitutionally required to be paid for interim or temporary takings of private property.
In addition to physical takings cases, Mr. Graham has also handled numerous regulatory taking cases resulting either from the down-zoning or the imposition of moratoria, generally related to the suspension of development in areas designated for eventual incorporation, such as Rancho Palos Verdes, Santa Clarita, Malibu and West Hollywood.
Mr. Graham has litigated cases related to eminent domain, inverse condemnation, development, redevelopment, construction and construction defect, property damage, land use, subdivision, and environmental matters throughout California, including in San Diego, Otay Mesa, Escondido, Temecula, Carlsbad, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Hacienda Heights, Palos Verdes Estates, Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Rancho Palos Verdes, Torrance, El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Downey, Paramount, Lakewood, Bell Gardens, South Gate, Cudahy, Vernon, Huntington Park, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, West Hollywood, Malibu, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Altadena, Arcadia, Azusa, Monrovia, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, San Bernardino, Victorville, Riverside, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Adelanto, Las Vegas, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Ventura, Ojai, Piru, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Bakersfield, Fresno, South Lake Tahoe, Fremont, Sacramento, and Mammoth Lakes.
Due to his experience in handling land damage matters, Mr. Graham was requested by the CEB to co-author the first Supplement to its Landslide and Subsidence Liability treatise. He has also periodically authored articles for and conducted lectures and tutorials to members of professional organizations, including the International Right of Way Association (where he is a member), the Appraisal Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, the American Society of Appraisers, the Association of Engineering Geologists, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Mr. Graham may be contacted at the firm's address and telephone numbers, and his email address is akgraham@grahamvaagelaw.com.
AV Peer Review Rated.
Susan L. Vaage
Susan L. Vaage is a senior trial lawyer whose practice includes eminent domain, inverse condemnation, land use planning and zoning, construction law, property damages litigation, as well as commercial transactions and creditors' rights litigation.
Ms. Vaage received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, in 1975, and earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, in 1978, where she was admitted to practice in California and the federal courts that same year.
Since her admission to practice, Ms. Vaage has specialized in the representation of financial institutions in state, federal and bankruptcy courts. She has extensive jury trial experience, both in defending significant lender liability claims and prosecuting contract and collection actions, and has handled a variety of commercial and bankruptcy cases in areas such as enforcement of guaranties, commercial loans, secured transactions, real property and consumer law. She has also represented her clients at the appellate court levels.
Ms. Vaage has also assisted the Firm's financial institution clients in connection with multi-million dollar commercial loan workouts, analyzed litigation risks in connection with problem loans, and has successfully defended creditors against a wide variety of claims including fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, bad faith, unfair business practices, unconscionability, RICO violations and wrongful termination. She practices both transactional and documentation work, and has assisted clients with lease and real property purchase and sale negotiations.
Ms. Vaage recently co-authored two substantive treatises for Matthew Bender in her predominant practice areas: Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Debt Collection and Enforcement of Judgments and California Forms of Jury Instructions, Ch. 42A, Matthew Bender Fraudulent Transfer Instructions. She has also lectured to many industry and Bar groups on topics related to her areas of expertise, and frequently speaks to in-house groups for representative clients, including the California Bankers Association and the National Business Institute.
She is a member of the State Bar of California, (former Member, Debtor/Creditor Relations and Bankruptcy Committee of the Business Law Section), Financial Lawyers Conference, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and its Commercial Law and Bankruptcy and Provisional Remedies Subsections, the Commercial Law League, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, American Bankruptcy Institute, the Los Angeles Mexican American Bar Association, and California Receivers Forum.
She has served as Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court for over 10 years. She is fluent in Spanish.
Ms. Vaage may be contacted at the firm's address and telephone numbers, and her email address is svaage@grahamvaagelaw.com.
AV Peer Review Rated
Alexei Brenot
Alexei Brenot has been with Graham • Vaage for almost 10 years and focuses his practice in the areas of eminent domain and inverse condemnation, land use planning and zoning, property rights, construction law and administration, and general litigation. Before joining Graham • Vaage, Mr. Brenot practiced in the area of business and commercial litigation, including representing clients in all phases of large multi-party class actions in State and Federal courts.
Since joining Graham • Vaage, Mr. Brenot has successfully represented public agencies in eminent domain actions to acquire property for public libraries, schools, redevelopment projects, and water services and utilities infrastructure projects. He has also represented numerous property and business owners affected by governmental takings of their property, including by direct and inverse condemnation. He is experienced with both jury and bench trials, and has extensive experience in analyzing and resolving issues related to pre-condemnation activities, right to take challenges, valuation (including highest and best use, severance damages, fixtures and equipment, and loss of business goodwill), negotiation, acquisition and relocation associated with industrial, single and multi-family residential, commercial and mixed-use properties.
Mr. Brenot was admitted to the Bar in 1998 following several years of military service in the United States Air Force. He is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute (1989); United States Air Force Cryptology School (1990); University of Maryland (B.A., 1994); and Whittier College School of Law (J.D., 1997). He is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the State Bar of California.
Mr. Brenot has extensive experience in all of the practice areas emphasized by the firm, and may be contacted at the firm address and telephone numbers. His email address is abrenot@grahamvaagelaw.com.
Kelly M. Rem
Kelly M. Rem is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A., 2002) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2006). Ms. Rem has served as the Senior Articles Editor of the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal and authored an article titled "Idea Protection in California: Are Writers too Readily Compensated for their Ideas?" published in 2006. She is a member of the State Bar of California; U.S. District Court (CDCA), 2007.
Ms. Rem practices in the areas emphasized by the firm, and may be contacted at the firm address, telephone number, and her email address is kelly@grahamvaagelaw.com.
Miguel A. Ortiz
Miguel A. Ortiz is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (BA 1998), and Loyola Law School (JD 2006). Mr. Ortiz also served in the California Air National Guard (2000-2006). He is a member of the State Bar of California (2006); U.S. District Court, Central District (2007); and, the U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts (2008).
He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is fluent in Spanish.
Mr. Ortiz practices in the areas emphasized by the firm, and may be contacted at the firm address, telephone number, and his email address is mortiz@grahamvaagelaw.com.
Ann G. Lee
Ann G. Lee is a graduate of University of Southern California (BA 2004), and University of Southern California Law School (JD 2007). Ms. Lee is a member of the State Bar of California (2007); U.S. District Court, Central District (2007); and, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2007).
She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is fluent in Korean.
Ms. Lee practices in the areas emphasized by the firm, and may be contacted at the firm address, telephone number, and her email address is alee@grahamvaagelaw.com.
