Kayla Wales is an associate attorney at Finlayson, Toffer, Roosevelt & Lilly LLP. Ms. Wales engages in the practice of civil litigation, primarily commercial and business litigation. She assists businesses and individuals in resolving disputes at all stages of litigation, including ADR proceedings. Ms. Wales was admitted to the State Bar of California after graduating from Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law in Orange County, California. She is licensed to practice law in California and Arizona.
EXPERIENCE
Since joining Finlayson, Toffer, Roosevelt & Lilly LLP in 2021, Ms. Wales has developed her litigation and advocacy skills through active participation in trials and arbitrations. Ms. Wales has second-chaired high-stakes commercial disputes in trials in state and federal courts. She has also successfully defended her clients in arbitration and obtained a complete defense award in favor of her client in a multi-million dollar breach of contract action. In addition, Ms. Wales has managed pre-trial matters such as complex discovery and motion practice on a routine basis. She has prepared successful dispositive motions and drafted memoranda analyzing liability, damages, and settlement postures for purposes of mediation and other risk assessment. Ms. Wales has also supported appellate counsel in post-trial matters and contributed to appellate briefs on appeal.
EDUCATION
Ms. Wales earned her law degree in 2021 from Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law, where she was a recipient of the Orange County Asian American Bar Association Hon. Arthur Nakazato Memorial Scholarship and the Philippine American Bar Association Foundation Scholarship. During law school, she served as an Academic Fellow assigned to the course of Evidence and gained courtroom experience as a Certified Law Clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Law with a minor in Justice Studies in 2017 from Arizona State University, where she graduated Cum Laude
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
Ms. Wales is a member of the State Bar of California and State Bar of Arizona. She is admitted to practice in all state courts in California and Arizona. She is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern and Central Districts of California.