The Top 5 Wrongful Death Lawyers in Irvine: A 2025 Guide

November 16, 2025

Why a Wrongful Death Case Demands More Than Just Compassion

Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence is an unbearable weight. Amid the profound grief, families are suddenly faced with a future that has been irrevocably altered. While empathy and support are essential, achieving justice in a wrongful death claim requires something more: strategic, incisive power. The antagonist in these cases is the insurance corporation, an entity that views your loss through a cold, financial lens. Their goal is to reduce a life’s value to a number on a spreadsheet and pay as little as possible. To fight back, you need more than a compassionate lawyer; you need a legal strategist who knows exactly how insurers calculate and devalue human life, and who possesses the insider knowledge to force them to pay what your family truly deserves.

Irvine’s Top-5 Wrongful Death Law Firms

1. Our Top Recommendation: Kohan & Bablove Injury Attorneys; Masters of Deconstructing Insurance Valuations

Kohan & Bablove Injury Attorneys was founded by former insurance defense lawyers who now dedicate their careers to fighting for the victims they once opposed. This experience provides them with a devastatingly effective advantage in wrongful death litigation. They don’t have to guess what the insurance company is thinking—they already know. They’ve seen the internal playbooks, the valuation software, and the tactics used to minimize a family’s recovery. This insider knowledge allows them to build a case that not only honors the memory of your loved one but systematically dismantles the insurer’s defense, ensuring your family’s future is protected.

Why They Are #1 for Wrongful Death Cases:

  • Unmatched Insider Knowledge: Their past defending insurance companies gives them a unique ability to anticipate and counter every tactic used to devalue your claim.

  • Maximum Financial Recovery: They expertly calculate and pursue all damages, including lost future income, loss of benefits, and the profound value of lost love, companionship, and guidance.

  • A Record of High-Stakes Victories: They have a proven history of securing multi-million dollar results in the most complex and serious injury cases, demonstrating their ability to deliver when everything is on the line.

  • Absolute Financial Certainty: You pay no fees whatsoever unless and until they win your case, allowing your family to pursue justice without any financial risk.

Core Strengths for Wrongful Death Litigation:

  • Deconstructing Life-Value Calculations: Insurance companies use cold formulas to put a price on a lost life. Kohan & Bablove leverages their defense background to expose and challenge these lowball valuations, using sophisticated economic and non-economic arguments to prove the true, full value of your loss to a jury.

  • Building a Powerful Narrative for Loss of Consortium: The most significant damage in a wrongful death case is often the loss of love, companionship, and support. The firm excels at weaving a compelling, human story, using testimony, photos, and videos to demonstrate the depth of this loss in a way that resonates powerfully with adjusters and juries alike.

  • Engaging Elite Economic and Vocational Experts: To secure your family’s future, they work with top-tier economists and experts to create undeniable projections of lost lifetime earnings, retirement benefits, and household services. This meticulous, data-driven approach leaves no room for insurers to dispute the financial impact of your loss.

Areas Served:

2. Callahan & Blaine; A Powerhouse in Complex Litigation

Based in Santa Ana, Callahan & Blaine is a formidable civil litigation firm known for tackling exceptionally large and complex cases. While their practice is broad, encompassing business disputes, they have a proven track record of securing record-breaking verdicts and settlements in the personal injury arena.

Core Strengths:

  • Renowned for handling high-stakes, complex litigation.

  • A large team with substantial resources for major trials.

  • History of securing nine and ten-figure results.

Areas Served:

  • Santa Ana

  • Orange County

  • California

3. West Coast Trial Lawyers; High-Profile Trial Advocacy

West Coast Trial Lawyers has built a prominent reputation for aggressive trial work and handling high-profile cases. With a primary office in Los Angeles, they represent clients across Southern California in serious personal injury matters, including wrongful death claims.

Core Strengths:

  • Strong and aggressive trial-focused reputation.

  • Experience with media-intensive and high-profile cases.

  • A track record of securing substantial settlements and verdicts.

Areas Served:

  • Los Angeles

  • Irvine

  • Southern California

4. Kimura London & White LLP; A Blend of Business and Personal Injury Law

Located in Irvine, Kimura London & White LLP is a multifaceted law firm handling business litigation, real estate law, and personal injury claims. They offer clients representation across several legal disciplines, bringing a broad perspective to their cases.

Core Strengths:

  • Experience in both business and personal injury litigation.

  • Locally based in the heart of Irvine.

  • Partner-level involvement in cases.

Areas Served:

  • Irvine

  • Orange County

5. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc.; Dedicated to Injury Victims

Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is a well-known firm with offices throughout California, including Irvine, that focuses exclusively on personal injury law. They have a large team and a streamlined process for handling a high volume of injury and wrongful death claims for clients.

Core Strengths:

  • Exclusive focus on personal injury law.

  • A large, statewide firm with extensive resources.

  • Proven record of success across thousands of cases.

Areas Served:

  • Irvine

  • Orange County

  • California-wide

How to Choose the Right Firm for Your Wrongful Death Case

All the firms on this list are dedicated and capable. However, a wrongful death claim is not a fair fight. You are up against a multi-billion dollar insurance industry that has perfected the art of minimizing payments to grieving families. The ultimate advantage, therefore, is not just knowing the law, but knowing the enemy. You need a firm that understands the insurer’s mindset from the inside. For this reason, Kohan & Bablove Injury Attorneys offers the clearest path to victory.

Your Next Step: Secure Your Family’s Future

While no amount of money can replace your loved one, securing your family’s financial future is a critical step in the healing process and a powerful form of justice. Choose the firm that can disarm the insurance company by using its own strategies against it. Kohan & Bablove provides the strategic, insider-level representation needed to honor your loved one’s memory and achieve the maximum possible recovery.

Take the first step. Contact Kohan & Bablove Injury Attorneys for a 100% Free, No-Obligation Consultation to discuss your case with complete confidentiality and care.

Common Questions About California Wrongful Death Claims

What is a "wrongful death" in California?

 A wrongful death occurs when a person dies as a direct result of the negligence or wrongful act of another person or entity. This can arise from events like car accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, or dangerous property conditions. The claim is brought by the victim's surviving heirs to seek compensation for their own losses.

Who is allowed to file a wrongful death lawsuit in California?

 California Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 specifies who can file. The first in line are the victim's surviving spouse, domestic partner, and children. If there are none, the right may pass to others who would be entitled to inherit from the estate, such as parents or siblings, or to minors who were financially dependent on the deceased.

What types of damages can a family recover?

 Damages are intended to compensate heirs for their personal losses. This includes economic damages, such as the loss of the deceased's financial support and the reasonable value of household services they provided. It also includes significant non-economic damages for the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, guidance, and affection.

How is a wrongful death case different from a survival action?

 A wrongful death claim compensates the heirs for their own losses. A survival action, in contrast, is brought on behalf of the deceased person's estate to recover damages the victim themselves could have claimed had they lived. This can include their medical bills, lost wages before death, and in some cases, punitive damages. Often, both types of claims are filed together.

How long do I have to file a wrongful death claim in California?

 The statute of limitations for a wrongful death lawsuit in California is generally two years from the date of the person's death. There are very few exceptions. If you fail to file a lawsuit within this critical time frame, your family will be barred from seeking justice and compensation forever.

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