Owais M. Bari has practiced law on two continents and on both sides of the courtroom. He began his career in Lahore, Pakistan, where he spent four years handling civil litigation, arbitration, and transactional work, and was admitted as an Advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan. After earning his LL.M. from UC Berkeley and joining the California bar, he spent several years representing plaintiffs, including at a prominent Bay Area firm, before turning to the defense of businesses, insurers, and individuals. That experience gives him a unique vantage point in the cases he handles at Burger, Meyer & D’Angelo.
His practice has spanned insurance defense, personal injury and trucking, employment, insurance coverage, legal malpractice, business torts, commercial disputes, consumer class actions, and toxic torts. Across all of them, he is at his best in the courtroom. For him, trial strategy starts on day one. He identifies early the themes that will win over a jury, builds discovery and motion practice around them, and then executes that plan at trial, including in matters with multi-million-dollar exposure.
Mr. Bari earned his LL.B. (Hons) from the University of London, graduating with upper second-class honors in the top five percent of his class and earning two Academic Rolls of Honor. He was a competitive debater long before he was a trial lawyer. He served as vice president of the college debating society, represented the school in national and international tournaments, and helped the team earn enough accolades to secure its standing on the local circuit. He also organized three editions of an international debating championship.
Outside the office, he is a passionate soccer player who helps run a recreational club and follows the Premier League closely. He is also a regular on the pickleball court. Away from sports, he is a musician, a history and movie buff, and an avid gamer always up for a round of FIFA or Tekken.