Mr. Lear is an attorney specializing in eminent domain, real estate law, and business disputes. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1983 and UCLA School of Law in 1987, where he was a member of the law review and moot court program. After working as a litigation associate, he prosecuted attorneys for the state bar for three years, never losing a trial. He has tried over 150 cases and serves as the elected chairman of the Manhattan Beach School District bond oversight committee.
2. Mr. Lear is a 1983 graduate, cum laude, of Dartmouth College and a 1987
graduate of U.C.L.A. School of Law, where he was a member of the Law
Review and the Moot Court Honors Program. Mr. Lear joined Thelen, Marrin,
Johnson & Bridges immediately after law school and worked for four years as
a "big firm" litigation associate before becoming a Los Angeles-based State
Bar prosecutor. For three years, Mr. Lear prosecuted California attorneys,
never losing a trial, before co-founding Gerry & Lear in 1994. In 2002, Mr.
Lear founded Century Law Group.
3. Mr. Lear has tried over 150 cases. He is a recognized speaker at legal and real
estate seminars, has published numerous articles, and has been qualified as an
expert witness in state and federal courts.
Mr. Lear served as Commissioner for the City of Manhattan Beach from 2000
through 2008. Since 2008 Mr. Lear has served as elected Chairman of the
Manhattan Beach Unified School District Bond Oversight Committee,
supervising the expenditure and allocation of over $60 million of bond
proceeds.
4. Areas Of Practice
Business Disputes
Eminent Domain
Real Estate Law
Bar Admissions
California, 1987
U.S. District Court Central District of California
U.S. District Court Northern District of California
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
5. Education
University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles,
California
Juris Doctor - 1987
Honors: Moot Court Honors Program
Law Review: UCLA Law Review, Member, 1986 - 1987
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
A.B. (Cum Laude) - 1983
Professional Associations and Memberships