Professional headshot of a man with a shaved head, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and light purple tie, against a gray background.
Award emblem for the American Institute of Trial Lawyers 2023 Litigator of the Year

Ivo Labar

Partner

Ivo Labar is a founding partner of Sawyer & Labar LLP. He is an experienced trial attorney. He has successfully represented plaintiffs through trial and appeal.  His trial victories include one of the largest punitive damages awards in the Northern District of California (Wadler v. Bio-Rad, Case No. 3:15-cv-02356-JCS). Ivo represents policyholders and third parties in insurance coverage disputes, employment cases and business litigation.

  • Ivo graduated with honors from the California Maritime Academy. After serving as a deck officer aboard merchant ships, he graduated with honors from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Following law school, Ivo served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles Legge in the Northern District of California.

    Ivo has lectured at law schools in the Bay Area on the topics of Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, and Evidence law. For more than 20 years, he was a contributing editor to the leading practice guide on federal court litigation, The Rutter Group’s Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial. He has served as General Counsel to the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, an organization that advocates for policyholders and public insurance adjusters. Ivo is also a member of the Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association.

  • • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., with honors, 1999.

    • California Maritime Academy, Bachelor of Science, Marine Transportation; with honors, U.S.C.G. Third Mates License, All Oceans, Unlimited Tonnage.

  • • Super Lawyers: Recognized by “Super Lawyers” each year from 2012-2023.

    • Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

    • American Institute of Trial Lawyers (“AITL”): Named a Litigator of the Year each year from 2021-2023.

    • Litigator of the Year is an honor bestowed by the AITL on less than .03 percent of attorneys. Honorees selected possess the knowledge, skill, experience and success of a seasoned litigator.

  • • Supreme Court of Washington / All Washington State Courts.

    • Supreme Court of California / All California State Courts.

    • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

    • United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

    • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

  • • Annual Presenter and lecturer at the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters First Party Claims Conference on issues of property insurance law.

    • Contributing Editor, Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial (The Rutter Group), 1996-2016.

    • Evidence in a Facebook World: Social Media and Electronic Documents, Practising Law Institute Program on California Trial Evidence (2013).

    • Lecturer: Insurance Litigation, Civil Procedure and First Amendment Law.