Attorney Spotlight: Dirk B. Paloutzian
Welcome to our attorney spotlight series. In each installment, we interview an attorney at our firm to get to know them better. We will learn about their unique insights, experiences, and personal journeys within the legal landscape. Our series aims to shed light on the diverse expertise and rich narratives that shape our team, offering a unique window into the world of law through the eyes of those who navigate its complexities daily. Join us as we explore the stories behind the suits, one attorney at a time.
View Dirk’s attorney bio here at this link.
Give an overview of your legal career.
I attended law school at UC Davis. I was a summer associate at another law firm here in Fresno in the summer of 1993 and was invited to come back to start my career at that firm after taking the bar exam, which I did in 1994. I practiced insurance coverage there for about two and a half years. I also worked on some litigation in the form of declaratory relief actions.
After that, I was hired by the Fresno County District Attorney’s office to be a prosecutor and was there for about 5 ½ years. I started in the misdemeanor department and progressed my way up to juvenile hall and the justice courts. I then went back to downtown Fresno to conduct felony preliminary hearings, and then on to the felony trial team. From there, I began prosecuting elder abuse, which was an area of focus at that time in the State of California. The state was offering grants to various counties to pay for elder abuse investigators and prosecutors make it a priority. The Fresno County DA’s office received a grant and asked me if I would be interested in doing it, in part, because I had come from a civil background and many elder abuse cases involve fraud, as opposed to physical harm. I prosecuted elder abuse cases exclusively for two years. Along with that, I did a lot of outreach and training for law enforcement in the detection and investigation of elder abuse, especially cases of undue influence.
After 5 ½ years at the DA’s Office, I decided to transition back into private practice. I had friends who were clients at Baker Manock & Jensen who encouraged me to consider BMJ. I also had an acquaintance, who since became a friend of mine, who was a shareholder here at BMJ and encouraged me to apply. So, I did and was hired August 2002, primarily to work on medical malpractice defense cases, in large part, because of the overlap between having prosecuted physical elder abuse cases and medical malpractice cases in reviewing medical records and related issues. I practiced medical malpractice defense for several years. As time went by, I also started handling other types of litigation, such as general business litigation and probate litigation. My practice now includes commercial litigation, probate litigation and professional liability defense.
You are currently the managing shareholder. What does that role mean to you?
It is a role that for me carries with it a great amount of responsibility, as it has for the those who have gone before me. I certainly feel that I have a special responsibility for the health and happiness of the firm and that is a big responsibility because we consider our attorneys and staff to be family. It is a chance for me to strategically take the firm where it needs to go for it to continue to thrive. I hope I am able to devote some time and effort to accomplish some “big picture” items for the firm because the role also comes with day-to-day management task, which, of course, needs to be done, but can also be time-consuming. I think where a managing shareholder can be most effective, probably, is in setting a course for the firm on strategic issues, as opposed to trying to manage all the details.
On a similar note, where do you see the firm in the next 5-10 years?
This firm has a great foundation. Baker Manock & Jensen, as everybody knows, has a long history in the Central Valley and has always had fantastic, blue-chip clients that it continues to serve, and I think you will continue to see that from BMJ in the next 5-10 years. We are going to continue to be able to provide top-notch service those blue-chip clients and attract more. We have a great core of attorneys – both at the shareholder level and the associate level. When you talk to the shareholders around here, everybody is in agreement that our crop of associates that we have now is as good as it has ever been and so that bodes well for us for the future. We have a great team here that does sophisticated work for some of the best clients around and you will continue to see that and see it expand, too.
How do you spend your time outside of the office?
My wife and I are lucky to have all of our children in town. So, first and foremost, I enjoy spending time with my family. That is how you will find me most in my spare time – whether it’s family get-togethers for dinners on the weekend or traveling to the coast. We enjoy boating at Shaver Lake in the summers – wakeboarding and hanging out on the beach. My family and I also enjoy snow skiing at China Peak in the winter. I enjoy bird hunting and fishing. And, on the weekends, you can find me spending time in the raisin vineyard with my dad.
