Neil K. Gehlawat

Neil Gehlawat is a Partner at Taylor & Ring and concentrates his practice in the areas of sexual abuse, police misconduct, personal injury and wrongful death. He has extensive experience litigating cases in federal court.

Many of Neil’s cases have received significant media attention, including his representation of the family of David Sal Silva, who was beaten and asphyxiated by Kern County Sheriff’s deputies. This case, along with others, prompted The Guardian to author a five-part series about law enforcement abuse in the Central Valley, entitled “The County: The Story of America’s Deadliest Police.” Neil’s work on the Silva case was also profiled in the Hulu documentary, “Killing County.” His work on behalf of victims of sexual abuse and police misconduct has also been profiled in the Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Some of Neil's successes on behalf of clients include:

• $27 million settlement with the Moreno Valley Unified School District on behalf of the family of 13-year-old Diego Stolz, who was bullied and killed by two other students at his middle school. This is the largest school bullying settlement in the United States.
• $7.5 million settlement on behalf of the family of Kurt Reinhold, an unarmed black man who was unlawfully shot and killed by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies. This is the largest police shooting settlement against the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
• $7.5 million settlement on behalf of a high school student who was sexually assaulted by an after-school counselor
• $6.8 million settlement on behalf of a young girl who was repeatedly sexually abused by her male classmates at school.
• $6 million settlement on behalf of a man severely injured when he was shot at a gas station.
• $5.75 million settlement on behalf of two brothers who were sexually abused by their junior high teacher in the 1970s.

Additionally, he is a frequent speaker for legal organizations on topics related to civil rights and sexual abuse litigation. He has spoken at numerous seminars hosted by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), the Federal Bar Association, the National Police Accountability Project (NPAP), and the National Crime Victim Bar Association (NCVBA). Neil has also spoken at civil Rights seminars at UCLA and UC Irvine’s law schools.

Neil serves on the Board of Directors for Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and the National Police Accountability Project. He is also a member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the American Association of Justice (AAJ), and the National Crime Victim Bar Association (NCVBA).

Neil has earned the following awards for his work on behalf of plaintiffs:

• Best Lawyers in America Ones to Watch, 2021-present

• National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40

• Southern California Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2016-present

• Up-and-Coming 100: Southern California Rising Stars, 2020-present

• 2024 Lawdragon 500x – The Next Generation