The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Dan Miller to its Top 100 Lawyers list for 2026. This recognition honors attorneys making a meaningful impact on the Los Angeles business community through exceptional legal work, leadership, and service.
Dan Miller, a founding partner of Miller Barondess, is an accomplished trial lawyer with extensive experience representing land developers, homebuilders, lenders, and investment firms in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations throughout California and nationwide. Recognized as a top litigator, he excels at crafting tailored case strategies, exemplified by his securing a complete dismissal on summary judgment of a $4 million finder’s fee claim for a land developer in a $200 million ocean-front mixed-use development project, and obtaining a complete defense verdict on a $30 million claim in a real estate partnership dispute involving multiple mixed-use development projects.
As lead trial counsel, Dan also secured a major victory in Alcon Entertainment’s effort to acquire derivative rights to select films from the Village Roadshow bankruptcy—rights that would allow Alcon to produce sequels, prequels, and remakes of major titles such as Wonka, The Matrix trilogy, and the Ocean’s Eleven series. Warner Bros. and Regency objected to the sale and sought to block the transfer of rights, but after Dan presented Alcon’s witnesses, cross-examined the opposition, and argued the case over a day and a half in October 2025, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved the sale and rejected all challenges. The ruling not only granted Alcon the derivative rights but also completed its acquisition of Village Roadshow’s extensive feature-film library, one of the largest independent portfolios in the industry.
Dan represented the Horn Trust, majority owner of four commercial properties valued at over $100 million, in a high-stakes dispute with a minority owner accused of embezzling $8 million over four years. The litigation spanned multiple lawsuits, counterclaims, an anti-SLAPP appeal, and a pandemic-delayed trial, ultimately resolving with a favorable settlement granting the client full management control, removal of an unfavorable buy-sell clause, and a monetary recovery.
In another significant matter, Dan represented ER Group, a leading real estate investment firm with substantial U.S. and Mexico holdings, in a groundbreaking lawsuit against Laurus, a defunct real estate company. After ER invested nearly $44 million and uncovered widespread financial misconduct, Dan pursued claims not only against Laurus but also against a Big Five accounting firm and a major consulting firm implicated in facilitating the fraud. Acting swiftly, Dan filed suit before a wave of competing claims could diminish the available assets, leveraging a first-mover advantage to protect his client. The case resolved through a confidential settlement. He later represented ER Group in related New York litigation against a prominent hedge fund to recover an $11 million investment tied to the high-profile HHLA commercial property in Los Angeles, again securing a confidential settlement.
During the 2008 financial crisis, Dan represented a developer facing imminent foreclosure on a large condominium project after failing to meet loan-related sales requirements. Despite an apparent breach, he secured a preliminary injunction by arguing impossibility of performance due to the unprecedented economic collapse. The case garnered significant media attention for its implications on financial crisis-related legal doctrines, including impossibility of performance and frustration of purpose.
Dan applied similar legal strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic when representing a client who signed a purchase agreement for a commercial property with gym and retail components prior to the pandemic, with closing scheduled after its onset. Dan successfully argued that the pandemic constituted a material adverse change under the agreement, allowing the client to rescind the transaction. The matter resolved on confidential terms, shielding the client from substantial financial exposure.
Dan also represented Cathay Bank in high-profile dispute with a prominent real estate developer who sued the bank for breach of contract and fraud, alleging millions in damages based on an alleged oral agreement with the bank’s CEO. Dan counterclaimed for breach of a personal loan agreement and filed two separate summary judgment motions—one to dismiss the developer’s multi-million-dollar claims and another to enforce the loan agreement. A panel of three arbitrators unanimously granted both motions, dismissing all of the developer’s claims and awarding the bank $1.5 million in interest and attorneys’ fees. The developer’s petition to vacate the award was denied by the Superior Court, upholding the arbitration decision.
Recognized among California’s Top Real Estate & Development Lawyers by the Daily Journal (2025), Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial and Real Estate Litigation (2024, 2026), and L.A. Times Studios Commercial Real Estate Visionary (2024, 2025), Dan also lectures at UCLA and mentors students at UC Berkeley School of Law and Harvard-Westlake.
Dan and his wife opened their home as a grief-counseling space for students who lost their homes in the Palisades fire. This support was especially important after Village School, which Dan’s children attended, was destroyed in the fire. Dan is also helping lead the school’s recovery efforts by making financial contributions and hosting fundraisers at his home to support the rebuild.
Dan’s philanthropic work includes support for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Tower Cancer Research, Blood Cancer United, Goodwill, CoachArt, Happy Trails, and the Los Angeles Rams Kickoff for Charity. He also coaches youth sports across Santa Monica and Palisades leagues.