Alumni Spotlight: Chance Pardon '17, Partner and Head of Litigation at Pardon & Gladych
Dedicated to helping injured plaintiffs, Chance has made helping those in need a core part of his practice.
Chance was a finalist for the prestigious 2020 Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Rising Star award and has been selected as a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2020 to the present. He is also a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and is a member of the Ball/Hunt/Schooley American Inn of Court in Long Beach, California. Chance is a member of UC Irvine Law’s Dean Circle and is an annual supporter of the Domestic Violence Clinic and the Initiative to End Family Violence.
Q: How did UC Irvine Law prepare you for your legal practice?
UCI provided me not only with the foundations of the law and learning the law, but practical experience I use often in my practice. I was able to represent actual clients and appear in court through the Domestic Violence Clinic. Having that practical experience helped provide my first employer with confidence that I could take on more responsibility in representing clients and got me into the courtroom quicker than my non-UCI peers. I am one of the youngest members of the American Board of Trial Advocates and I don’t think I would be where I am today without the mentorship and experience I got at UCI. I can’t overstate how valuable clinic experience is for the actual practice of law!
Q: What do you like best about your work?
I love that I get to know and help individual people and that there is intellectual variety. My practice is exclusively representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases, and I specialize in litigation and trial. This means my main job is to help my clients tell their stories. To do that effectively, it is important to get to know them on a deep level. I also must learn and be able to communicate a variety of concepts within the law, medicine, the sciences, and other fields. Finally, my practice often intersects with other areas of law such as contracts, probate, and bankruptcy.
Q: What was the best part about being a student at UC Irvine Law?
The people! I continue to be impressed by what my fellow alumni and professors accomplish.
Q: How do you stay involved with the UC Irvine Law community?
I try to go to as many alumni events as I can, and I work with the DV Clinic on the occasional pro bono case. My hope is that I can help other Anteaters become trial lawyers.