Erin L. Brinkman

Erin L. Brinkman is Senior Counsel in Tyson & Mendes’ Orange County office. Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation, civil rights law, disability law, labor and employment litigation defense, general liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, and errors and omissions.

Ms. Brinkman gained significant experience at two large insurance defense firms in LA and Orange County, California prior to joining Tyson & Mendes. She also founded her own solo practitioner law firm focused on criminal defense and appeals, elder law, medical malpractice, and civil rights class action cases, which she successfully ran for five years. Ms. Brinkman has extensive litigation experience, including representing individuals and businesses in state courts throughout California and in federal district courts. Ms. Brinkman takes a creative approach to her cases by crafting novel legal arguments. She serves as a zealous advocate by providing an aggressive defense while ensuring her clients are involved throughout the legal process. Ms. Brinkman has successfully settled numerous cases and has been extremely successful in positioning cases for summary judgment. She has experience making arguments before the California Courts of Appeal and the Ninth and Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeal. She is also adept at stepping into complex cases late in the litigation process, providing extensive evaluations and readying the cases for trial and/or a successful outcome.

Ms. Brinkman obtained her J.D. from the University of North Carolina in 2012, where she served on the Trial Team and Moot Court Team and graduated with Dean’s List distinction and more than 300 hours of pro bono service. She obtained her B.A. from Harvard University in 2000, graduating magna cum laude with a high honors degree in Government and a Special Citation in Spanish. Before attending law school, Ms. Brinkman graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with a post-graduate degree in Classical Acting.

In her free time, Ms. Brinkman enjoys spending time with her family at the beach, exploring local restaurants, visiting museums, and traveling to new places.