Jamil M. Aslam

Los Angeles

Litigation

In February, Jamil Aslam secured dismissal of a civil rights lawsuit against the county of Los Angeles, filed by Parker Seitz, who alleged that off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies assaulted him outside a Santa Clarita bar and that department officials orchestrated a cover-up. Parker Seitz v. County of Los Angeles, et al., 2:25-cv-08005 (C.D. Cal., filed Aug. 25, 2025).

The case drew media coverage, but Aslam drafted the motion to dismiss that ended it. "Though we were not allowed to present evidence at the pleadings stage, I drafted a motion to dismiss that established that Seitz's claims were untenable, leading to an early dismissal of those claims," Aslam said. When Seitz amended his complaint, Aslam drafted a second motion, resulting in dismissal again. "It was the right result and a great outcome for the county."

Aslam practices civil defense litigation at Miller Barondess, LLP, representing corporate clients, individuals, and government entities, with a focus on matters for the county of Los Angeles. Aslam studied a tech major in college before shifting toward law. "I decided midway through that I wanted to pursue a career in the law so that I would be able to interact more with everyday people," he said. Aslam credits mentors Mira Hashmall and Jason Tokoro, partners at the firm, with shaping an approach rooted in simplicity and the factfinder's perspective.

That approach carried through in a case in which a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy on leave sued for harassment and retaliation. The firm overturned an $8.1 million verdict on appeal and proceeded to a second trial in February 2025, where Aslam second-chaired alongside Hashmall as first chair. Andrew Rodriguez v. County of Los Angeles, BC680213 (L.A. Super Ct., filed Oct. 19, 2017).

The team demonstrated that the deputy gave untrue testimony, prompting a jury instruction to that effect, and the deputy dismissed the case with prejudice on the trial's fourth day. "Our team knew that, if we kept things simple and kept the jury focused on the key allegations and issues, the jury would understand that the claims were meritless. That approach was successful in the end," Aslam said.

Aslam also represented the county before the Los Angeles County Employee Relations Commission in a dispute over temporary assignment of probation officers to juvenile halls during a staffing shortage, delivering the opening statement and examining witnesses across a two-day hearing. The hearing officer ruled for the county, a decision now under adoption by the commission. "I again found that, even with skilled hearing officers who are familiar with complex labor law issues, keeping things simple worked to our team's benefit," Aslam said.

Aslam points to the in limine briefing in Rodriguez and the judicial notice questions in Seitz as examples of the obstacles that vary case by case.

On AI's growing role in legal practice, Aslam is exploring its use for efficiency while maintaining that law remains people-driven. "Success as an attorney depends not only on technical competence but also on judgment, integrity, advocacy, and the ability to build trust with clients, colleagues and the court."