Dirk Larsen
Partner
Admitted to the California Bar in 2006, Dirk Larsen has successfully represented businesses, public entities, and nonprofit organizations in cases involving commercial disputes; employment practices; wage-and-hour claims, including as class action; defamation and invasion of privacy; personal injury; products liability; and civil rights. Before joining Frassetto Law LLP, Mr. Larsen worked for several years with founding partner Robert J. Frassetto in San Francisco, zealously defending major manufacturing, retail, and athletic organizations at the trial and appellate levels.
Mr. Larsen’s experience encompasses all stages of the litigation process, from the initial claim through discovery, law and motion, settlement, trial, and appeal. He has litigated extensively in federal court, including second-chairing a high-profile trial and conducting appeals before the Ninth Circuit. His accomplishments on behalf of his clients include:
- Obtaining enforcement of a contract at summary judgment and the ensuing appeal, overcoming the plaintiff’s claim of mediation privilege
- Prevailing against claims of dangerous condition of public property (Government Code§ 835) on behalf of municipalities and special districts at the summary-judgment and appellate levels
- Bringing successful anti-SLAPP motion resulting in dismissal of all claims against his client and an award of attorney’s fees in its favor
- Successfully defending employers against claims of discrimination, constructive discharge, and vicarious liability for employee misconduct
- Obtaining the Ninth Circuit’s partial reversal of the district court’s denial of summary judgment to government employees under the principle of qualified immunity
- Successfully preventing claimants against public entities from pursuing their untimely claims under the Government Claims Act (Government Code § 900 et seq)
- Obtaining numerous dismissals of claims and cases ranging from personal injury to civil rights at the dumurrer, motion to dismiss, and motion for summary judgment stages
Mr. Larsen graduated cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 2006, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and earned the highest grade in his Legal Writing & Research and Copyright courses. In his final semester at law school, Mr. Larsen performed an externship for the Hon. Vaughn R. Walker, then-Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Before law school, Mr. Larsen lived for over five years in Berlin, Germany, where he worked as a technical translator and localization project manager, serving major German and European clients.
Mr. Larsen is admitted to practice before all courts of the State of California, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Areas of Practice
- Civil Litigation
- Commercial Disputes
- Employment Practices
- Wage-and-Hour Claims
- Class Action
- Defamation and Invasion of Privacy
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
- Civil Rights
Bar Admissions
- California, 2006
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California
- J.D. cum laude – 2006
- Honors: Order of the Coif
- Law Review: Hastings International and Comparative Law Review, Articles Editor
- University of California, Berkeley, California
- Honors: With Honors
- Major: History
- Major: German
Professional Associations and Memberships
Bar Association of Alameda County, Member
Past Employment Positions
Hon. Vaughn R. Walker, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judicial Externship