Ali M. Abugheida
Partner
Biography
Ali M. Abugheida is Partner in the San Francisco office of Buckley LLP. Mr. Abugheida represents corporate and individual clients in a wide range of complex civil litigation and government enforcement matters. He represents clients in matters involving allegations of fraud, breach of contract, alleged violations of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and unfair and deceptive trade-practice statutes.
Mr. Abugheida’s recent experience includes:
- Defending multiple Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) administrators in multiple putative class actions, including a matter in which plaintiffs’ motion for class certification was denied
- Defending a foreign bank against charges that it engaged in allegedly fraudulent conduct damaging the plaintiffs in excess of $200 million, which resulted in dismissal of all claims at the pleading stage
- Defending a lender in a putative class action involving allegations of fraud and alleged violations of RESPA
- Representing a top Academy Award-nominated actor in a malpractice claim against his former entertainment lawyer, which resulted in a favorable ruling at the pleading stage
- Representing a bank in its efforts to recover fraudulently obtained loan proceeds, which resulted in a temporary restraining order issuing preventing further transfers and a favorable settlement
- Representing multiple financial institutions in government enforcement matters, including actions brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), and by District Attorneys
Prior to joining Buckley, Mr. Abugheida was an Associate at WilmerHale, where his practice included litigation and government enforcement matters.
Mr. Abugheida received his J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2012 (Order of the Coif). During law school, he was an Editor for the Southern California Law Review and interned at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Mr. Abugheida received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 (cum laude).
In The News
Buckley promotes six to partner
WASHINGTON, DC (Feb. 8, 2022) – Buckley LLP announced that it promoted Ali Abugheida, Bradley Marcus, Ryan Pollard, Sherry-Maria Safchuk, Scott Sakiyama, and Jay Williams to partner from counsel. “These six lawyers, from four of our offices, have consistently provided outstanding service and...
Press ReleasesBuckley announces three counsel promotions for 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 2, 2020) – Buckley LLP today announced the promotion of three associates to counsel, effective Jan. 1, 2020. “These three attorneys have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the firm and have regularly delivered exemplary support for our clients,” said Benjamin B. Klubes,...
Press ReleasesBuckley Sandler wins motion in Johnny Depp suit against ex-lawyer
WASHINGTON, DC (August 30, 2018) – Buckley Sandler and co-counsel Stein Mitchell Cipollone Beato & Missner won a major motion in its representation of Johnny Depp in a $30 million suit against his ex-lawyer. L.A. Superior Court Judge Terry Green ruled that a contingency-fee arrangement claimed by a former attorney was voidable by Depp.
Press ReleasesJohnny Depp Litigation – News and Resources
A compilation of media coverage and developments:
In The News
Publications
"New 9th Circ. rulings may restrict McGill Rule's scope" by Fredrick S. Levin, James McGuire, Ali M. Abugheida, and Megan E. Whitehill (Law360)
In the 2017 McGill v. Citibank NA decision, the California Supreme Court held that any arbitration clause that bars a plaintiff from seeking public injunctive relief in any forum is unenforceable. The so-called McGill rule has become a central feature of the California arbitration landscape, and...
Articles"Budding decentralized finance industry comes with risks" by Ali M. Abugheida (Law360)
The sudden rise of Compound Labs Inc.'s COMP governance token in recent months pushed decentralized finance into the headlines, raising the profile of blockchain-based finance systems to a more mainstream audience. This article provides a short primer on decentralized finance and discusses some of...
Articles"TCPA relief for Covid-19 communications could extend to financial institutions" by Ali M. Abugheida and Geoffrey L. Warner (Bloomberg Law)
Financial institutions face unprecedented and rapidly evolving challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the need to communicate quickly and efficiently with customers in the face of government-issued stay-at-home orders. But the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, with its steep...
Articles"Battle over business interruption coverage already underway" by Fredrick S. Levin and Ali M. Abugheida (Law360)
Businesses across the country are reviewing their insurance policies to assess whether they have valid claims against losses suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government shutdown directives. Two types of insurance coverage are particularly relevant: business interruption...
Articles"Mitigating crypto UDAAP risk after Ripple ICO ruling" by Ali M. Abugheida (Law360)
Cryptocurrency advocates have long argued that cryptocurrencies are not securities, and therefore not subject to state and federal securities laws. But a district court in California just shed light on whether advocates’ desired outcome also carries a substantial downside: application of state and...
Articles
Education
- J.D., University of Southern California, 2012 (Order of the Coif)
- B.A., University of California, San Diego, 2009 (cum laude)
Admissions
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas