Ralph E. Laird

Ralph Laird is an associate attorney at Aronowitz Skidmore Lyon with over 27 years of civil litigation and insurance coverage experience. His civil litigation experience has spanned multiple disciplines including insurance coverage, claims handling and bad faith, personal injury, construction defect, business, trusts, mobile home park claims, employment/sexual harassment, and public entity litigation. Ralph has civil trial and appellate experience in California and Federal Courts, representing plaintiffs and defendants from all walks of life, from the destitute and disabled, to Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Laird began his career in 1993 working for Mackenroth, Ryan & Fong in Sacramento where he became a partner in 1999. His first major trial was in 1997, which he won for one of Sacramento’s largest developers, Buzz Oates Enterprise, in a complex construction matter involving a defective geothermal HVAC system at the Old Arco Arena. In addition to his litigation work, Ralph also developed a strong insurance coverage and bad faith practice, representing insurance companies and also policyholders in disputes over coverage and claims handling practices. In 2004, he established a partnership in Auburn, California with David Mackenroth where he continued his litigation and insurance practice as managing partner. In 2013, Ralph started his own solo practice in Roseville and Auburn, handling assorted civil litigation and insurance matters. He also worked in house for Liberty Mutual Insurance representing defendants in complex personal injury claims involving all manner of accidents, products liability and property damage matters.

Mr. Laird joined Aronowitz Skidmore Lyon in July 2021, where he continues his civil litigation and insurance practice.

His career highlights include victories in nearly all of over twenty trials (jury and bench trials), almost all handled on a solo basis, from initial pleadings to final conclusion. He has achieved significant settlements for plaintiffs in multiple insurance bad faith cases, and also in a novel case against a cemetery for misplaced human remains. He has been responsible for third party liability claims on behalf of a Japanese insurance carrier, overseeing other attorneys in various litigated matters throughout the United States. He has authored hundreds of insurance coverage opinions, and he has a published opinion in an insurance coverage case won at trial and affirmed on appeal, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. v. Shimon (12/3/15) 243 Cal.App.4th 29, as well as other unpublished appellate opinions.

In 2018, Mr. Laird received the annual PCBA Pro Bono award for his longtime work for the Placer County Bar Association Fee Arbitration program. Ralph’s other community involvement over the years includes being a board member and Treasurer for the Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation and a director for the Gathering Inn, spearheading the Gold Country Volleyball Classic fundraiser, mentoring high school students for the Placer County Peer Court program, and coaching youth basketball teams.

Mr. Laird received his B.A., from College of the Holy Cross in 1989, and his J.D., from McGeorge School of the Law in 1993. He is admitted to California State Bar and the United States District Court, Eastern District of California.

rlaird@asllaw.com