Prior to his career in law, Eric Menyuk, native Bostonian, had acted on stage, in film and television for over 20 years, landing such memorable roles as “The Traveler” on Star Trek: The Next Generation.  He is one of the few lawyers with his own “action figure.”

Eric graduated in 1998 from Loyola Law School, where he was on the Dean’s List for 3 years and was in the Phi Delta Phi Honor Society.  He won numerous honors including: The Board of Governors Alumni Award; the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award, the American Jurisprudence Award; First Honors Award for Insurance Law, the American Board of Trial Advocates “Excellence in Trial Practice” Award.  He also won a First Honors Award for advanced legal writing in Language and the Law and won the Byrne Trial Advocacy Competition.

Eric worked as an intern for the Los Angeles County District Attorney, conducting misdemeanor trials and felony preliminary hearings.  For the next ten years, Eric put his trial skills to work in a variety of areas, trying cases in state and federal courts, before moving in-house to manage litigation for several large corporations.

Eric has a son with learning disabilities and he often found himself in the place he now finds parents whom he represents. Eric had heard of Valerie Vanaman many times and knew that when it came to advocating for children’s education rights, she was the best. So, when an opportunity arose for him to work with Valerie, he jumped at it.

Since coming to the firm in 2009, Eric has helped hundreds of families in administrative proceedings, in Federal Court, and in the Ninth Circuit.  Making a significant difference in people’s lives fulfills him in a manner that had been lacking in prior positions. In the corporate world, litigation can go on endlessly and the resolution, if there is one, has little effect on people’s lives. Eric now feels he is making a difference in people’s lives almost daily.

While the families he helps are important, the most important family for Eric is his own.  The amazing young man who was in special education, is now independent, doing incredibly well, and is married to a beautiful young woman.  His daughter, he is proud to say, is beautiful, brilliant, and very successful in the wine industry.  But all of this would not be possible if it were not for the love of Eric’s life, his wife of over 30 years, Laurie.  Eric treasures every moment he gets to spend with her and with his family.