By Johnny Nitti
California Law Partners
Being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young adult never stopped Omid Rejali from pursuing his dreams. Instead, Rejali not only graduated law school and started his own personal injury law firm, he also created the Rejali Foundation, which brings awareness to issues relating to mental health.
The Rejali Foundation was established in 2019 with a mission to bring more awareness not only in the legal profession, but in the greater community. Their programs include providing mental health services, raising mental health awareness, and fostering community connections. Rejali raises funds for those in need of mental health services that cannot afford it and promotes an inclusive community to better understand mental illness. Rejali leads by example by inspiring others with mental illness to live life to its fullest potential.
Rejali did not have a typical upbringing. His parents immigrated to the United States from Iran in the 1970s. Rejali was born in Houston, Texas, but spent 10 years of his childhood from age 7 to 17 in Tehran, Iran. Ever since he could remember, Rejali had the dream of opening his own law firm. This dream stemmed from his father’s business acumen and his mother’s passion for law. At age 17, he moved back to the United States on his own to pursue his dream of attending college and becoming a trial lawyer.
After living in San Jose and Houston, he journeyed to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego. Then he attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he was recognized as a Dean’s List student and was awarded the Jefferson Medal, a California Award for Excellence, and pro bono honors.
After passing the bar exam in 2014, Rejali accomplished his dream of opening his own plaintiff’s personal injury firm. His mother, who moved from Iran to San Diego in 2012, works as his paralegal. While most of his extended family still lives in Iran, his sister and brother now live in San Diego, and his brother is also a practicing attorney and graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
After passing the bar exam in 2014, Rejali accomplished his dream of opening his own plaintiff’s personal injury firm. His mother, who moved from Iran to San Diego in 2012, works as his paralegal. While most of his extended family still lives in Iran, his sister and brother now live in San Diego, and his brother is also a practicing attorney and graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
He says his family’s support in the early years was integral to Rejali Law Firm’s current success.
“The first three years were hell,” Rejali said. “It was scary, sleepless nights and I didn’t know what I was doing. I was researching and writing everything myself and it was very hard. The learning curve was steep. But, I stuck to it.”
As a trial lawyer, Rejali believes it is a privilege to be able to advocate for people who have been injured due to no fault of their own.
“At my firm, I believe in what I do, believe in our system of justice, our jury system and the good in people,” he said. “Juries want to do the right thing and 9 out of 10 they get it right.”
Rejali’s six-figure personal injury award in Mejia v. Vu earned him a spot on TopVerdict’s list of Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in 2019. He represented a woman who suffered a neck injury from a car collision. The jury awarded Rejali’s client $292,000, including $125,000 for future medical care. Rejali then ensured his client’s victory by prevailing on a subsequent appeal regarding the jury’s award for future medical care. Initially, the defendant successfully moved for judgment notwithstanding the verdict with respect to the future care award, on the basis that the jury did not specifically intend for the plaintiff to spend her award on acupuncture as opposed to other forms of pain management. On appeal, the Court of Appeal reversed the JNOV and reinstated the original verdict, ruling that the future care award was valid so long as the plaintiff spent the awarded amount on treatment for her condition.
Rejali’s other accolades include the 2018 National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40, 2019 Best Personal Injury Lawyer in San Diego, and most recently the 2020 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD) Rising Star Award.
He says that his struggles with bipolar disorder make him “fearless” in his advocacy.
“I have the courage to take educated risks in pursuit of my clients’ goals,” he said. “I manage my condition in a way to use it to benefit me instead of allowing it to consume me. I have also grown to learn that every moment is precious, so I go for everything and try not to dwell on setbacks.”
Rejali hopes to continue conquering new projects. His current project is called Lawper, an online platform to connect individuals with personal injury attorneys. Lawper will allow injured parties to connect with attorneys in their geographical location and connect them with their attorney of choice via the platform’s messaging and video chat function. He hopes to launch this platform in mid-April 2021.
Rejali credits the CASD and its programs for his professional growth. Rejali has been involved with CASD since its inception in 2014 and credits the CASD for its invaluable resources in helping him establish himself as a new attorney.
Regarding bringing in business, Rejali recommends that new attorneys utilize referral resources, seek freelance opportunities with more experienced attorneys, and develop their professional networks.
His words of wisdom for new attorneys? “Believe in yourself. Have a mentor. But at the end of the day, know what you want to do and follow your heart. I think if you do that, and do right by the clients, you will be great.”