Attorneys

Christopher E. Faenza Profile Image

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

New Jersey, 1994

New York, 1995

California, 1999

Education

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law – Newark, Newark, New Jersey

  • J.D. – 1994

Pennsylvania State University

  • B.S. – 1988
  • Major: Accounting

Language

  • English

Christopher E. Faenza Profile Image

Christopher E. Faenza

Partner/Owner

Los Angeles

T: 213.427.2300

F: 213.427.2330

Email

VCard

Chris Faenza is a partner at Yoka | Smith and is an experienced  trial attorney, specializing in catastrophic injury cases, as well as business litigation and products liability matters. Chris has extensive trial experience, having taken over 85 jury trials to verdict in both New Jersey and California. Of the cases Chris has taken to verdict, more than 80% of the cases have resulted in a defense verdict and most of the remaining verdicts have come in below the final demand made in those matters. Chris has obtained defense verdicts in wrongful death, intentional torts, and business litigation matters alike, and across different industries including, health clubs, trucking and products.

Chris is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), holding a rank of Advocate, and was the Los Angeles chapter President in 2023. Chris is also a board member Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) and served as President of the organization in 2019. Chris was President in 2022 of the California Defense Counsel, which is the political arm of the ASCDC and the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada.

Chris was inducted into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. Fellowship in the College is limited to the top one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.

Chris holds a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law and B.S. in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University.

Experience

Awards & Recognition

  • Super Lawyers, 2011 - 2023
  • Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith Recognized: 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America Product Liability, Catastrophic Injury, Class Action
  • Walter M. Yoka and Christopher E. Faenza Selected as Leaders of Influence: Litigators and Trial Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal
  • Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza and Alice Chen Smith Selected as 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers
  • Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith Recognized: 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America Walter Yoka, Christopher Faenza and Alice Chen Smith have been recognized in the 2nd edition of Lawdragon’s guide to the most elite courtroom advocates in the nation. Those selected represent the all-stars in commercial litigation, financial and securities matters, white collar and investigations, and IP, cybersecurity and data privacy. Honorees are selected through submissions, journalistic research of the lawyers behind the biggest cases, and editorial vetting from a board of peers.
  • Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith and Lauren A.R. Lofton Recognized by Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
  • Walter Yoka, Christopher Faenza, Alice Chen Smith and Lauren A.R. Lofton Are Among the All-Star Litigators Selected for the the Inaugural Guide to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. The guide is dedicated to those attorneys who excel representing principally corporations and other organizations in litigating claims involving Antitrust, Securities, Financial, M&A, Intellectual Property and Patents, Product Liability, Mass Tort, White Collar, Government Investigations and Energy disputes.
  • Walter Yoka, Alice Smith and Christopher Faenza Selected as 2022 Super Lawyers
  • Walter M. Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza Selected as 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers
  • Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza Selected as 2020 Super Lawyers
  • Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza Selected as 2019 Super Lawyers

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American College of Trial Lawyers

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