Daniel Roberts

Daniel S. Roberts

Managing Partner, Ontario

Practice Summary

Daniel Roberts is the managing partner of the firm’s Southern California office.  He is a litigator, focusing his practice primarily on representing cities, counties, and special districts on a variety of matters, including civil rights defense, government tort defense, and land use litigation.  He has particular expertise in federal practice and procedure.  Prior to joining Cole Huber LLP in 2013, he was a partner and associate in the municipal and litigation practice groups at Best Best & Krieger LLP.  Prior to entering private practice, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips, United States District Judge for the Central District of California.

Dan was selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Education & Admissions

Dan graduated from the University of Southern California Law School in 1999, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as Senior Editor of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal.  He also was a student supervisor and certified law clerk in the school’s in-house legal clinic, in which he represented clients in the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and various federal District Courts.  He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and American Studies, magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California in 1996.  He is admitted to the State Bar of California, the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Professional Activities

Dan speaks and writes frequently on topics related to federal practice and procedure and municipal defense.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, of which he is a past chapter president.  He is also a panel mediator for the Central District of California Alternative Dispute Resolution program and a member of the Central District’s Local Rules Advisory Committee.  He has previously served as a lawyer representative to the Central District and Ninth Circuit Judicial Conferences and as a member of the Central District Merit Selection Panel for U.S. Magistrate Judges.

Up Close

Dan found his aptitude for the law early on when volunteers brought a mock trial program to his fifth-grade class and allowed him to be one of the lead defense attorneys.  From that point on, he was hooked and knew he wanted to be a lawyer.  He is also a life-long fan of U.S.C. Trojan athletics and proud alumnus of the Trojan Marching Band.  During his four years in the Trojan Marching Band, he marched a Rose Parade and played halftime at the Rose Bowl Game, performed at the Hollywood Bowl, played intermission at the Three Tenors concert at Dodger Stadium during the 1994 World Cup, opened for Fleetwood Mac at the pregame concert of the 1993 Super Bowl, recorded a CD, and played rallies and sporting events throughout the country.

Bar Admissions:

  • California Bar: 1999
  • United States District Court, Central District of California
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of California
  • United States District Court, Northern District of California
  • United States District Court, Southern District of California
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States Supreme Court

Published Decisions:

  • Citizens Association of Sunset Beach v. Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, 209 Cal.App.4th 1182 (2012)
  • James v. City of Costa Mesa, 700 F.3d 394 (9th Cir. 2012)
  • NextG Networks of California v. City of Newport Beach, 2011 WL 717388 (C.D. Cal. 2011)