Bio

Mr. Cappello has challenged the “business as usual” way financial institutions, government entities and big corporations conduct themselves. He holds them accountable when they ignore the rights of individuals and small businesses.

He has obtained verdicts and settlements as lead attorney, in excess of $2 billion including several multi-million dollar class action cases.

Mr. Cappello is known as the pioneer of lender liability, fighting for borrowers against giant financial institutions.

In a case that involved both lender liability and discrimination practices, Mr. Cappello and his law partner Leila Noël filed a class action lawsuit against Wells Fargo on behalf of 8,000 minority borrowers in Los Angeles, alleging that they were not given lending options as other equally qualified borrowers in non-minority neighborhoods. After five years of pre-trial discovery and motion-practice, the case went to trial. The jury rendered a multi-million-dollar verdict against Wells Fargo for intentional discrimination. It was affirmed on appeal including a multi-million-dollar fee award.

In 2006 after 10 years of litigation, Mr. Cappello, representing 176 clients, settled for a confidential multi-million dollar award with the Boeing Company, for massive air pollution which caused lifetime cancer injuries and deaths for Los Angeles County families living near the Boeing facilities.

Mr. Cappello is lead trial counsel, working with three other law firms, in multiple class action lawsuits filed against Plains All American regarding a May 2015 pipeline rupture and resulting a massive oil spill along the Santa Barbara County coast and beaches stretching to southern Los Angeles County. In 2022, Plains All American Pipeline agreed to settle one of the class-action lawsuits and pay $230 million to fishers, fish processors and shoreline property residents damaged by the oil spill. Two other multi-million dollar mass tort/class cases for easement holders and oil workers that lost their jobs is still pending.

In another significant case, Mr. Cappello brought a lawsuit against the City of Santa Barbara for violating the California Voting Rights Act by holding “at large” instead of “by-district” elections. After denying liability, the city eventually folded and agreed to hold by-district elections. Under a settlement agreement crafted by Mr. Cappello, two districts were created where Latinos are the majority—giving them the opportunity to have a voice in city government.

Before entering private practice, Mr. Cappello served a seven-year tenure as city attorney of the City of Santa Barbara. During that period, he was the chief litigator against Union Oil, Mobil, Gulf and Texaco for the massive 1969 Santa Barbara Channel oil spill. The disaster and the ensuing litigation awakened the nation’s consciousness to the dangers to our environment and the tragic consequences if not protected. The case was settled in 1974 shortly before trial for $9.45 million, a dollar value in excess of $100 million today. See Pacific Standard article (https://cappellonoel.com/the-ocean-is-boi…pacific-standard) ‎on the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Santa Barbara Channel spill.

Prior to being appointed city attorney, he was assistant district attorney in the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office and served as a deputy attorney general for the State of California assigned to the Special Trials and Investigations Division.

Mr. Cappello was named one of the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in California for 2014 and 2020. In 2007, he was selected as a Top 100 Trial Attorneys in Southern California by the National Trial Lawyers Association and has been named a “Southern California Super Lawyer” since 2007. He is AV® Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell and consistently ranked as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” since 1989.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Cappello graduated from UCLA in 1962 with an A.B. and from UCLA School of Law in 1965. He has donated in excess of $3 million to UCLA Law School. In 2007, his gifts led to the creation of the A. Barry Cappello Courtroom on the UCLA campus. It serves as UCLA Law’s primary courtroom where students compete in mock trials, moot courts and simulated trials and gain experience arguing in a realistic courtroom environment. Mr. Cappello is a frequent guest lecturer and spearheads “The Cappello Series: The Art of the Trial,” a lecture series in which students gain insight into litigation techniques and strategies from top practitioners. His continued giving transformed the school’s trial advocacy program, providing scholarship support and extensive training opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers as trial attorneys. In 2018, he was named UCLA School of Law Donor of the Year. The next year his gifts established the A. Barry Cappello Trial Advocacy and Quasi-Endowed Mock Trial Team, with a Fund to support the operation of the UCLA Law Mock Trial Team including scholarships for trial advocacy students. After years as a member, he now sits on the school’s Board of Advisors as an Emeritus member.

A.Barry Cappello

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