Narain Maclear LLP launches as women-owned automotive defense boutique

Narain Maclear LLP, a newly formed California litigation firm focused almost exclusively on automotive consumer matters, officially opened its doors Jan. 1, bringing together two experienced defense-side trial lawyers and an already sizable team handling high-volume litigation for auto manufacturers.

The firm is led by partners Amy Maclear and Sabrina Narain, who joined forces after building parallel practices representing manufacturers in lemon law and related consumer litigation. Although newly branded, Narain Maclear enters the market with scale: the firm has 16 attorneys and roughly 50 support staff spread across offices in downtown Los Angeles and Irvine.

Maclear, who previously practiced at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, said the decision to launch a new firm grew out of both market demand and a desire to build a practice designed specifically for mass automotive litigation. About 95% of the firm's work involves defending auto manufacturers in individual and coordinated consumer actions filed throughout California, in both state and federal courts.

"Lemon law and automotive litigation are often misunderstood," Maclear said. "But from a procedural and strategic standpoint, it's some of the most complex work out there. You're dealing with massive dockets, overburdened courts, aggressive plaintiff solicitation and legislation that creates constant pressure on manufacturers."

Narain, who previously was a partner at Sanders Roberts before leading a consumer defense team at LTL Attorneys, said efficiency and scale were central motivations for launching Narain Maclear. Her practice had already grown rapidly, fueled in part by a surge in filings statewide and by manufacturers seeking coordinated defense strategies.

"In the last year alone, we more than doubled in size," Narain said, noting that a single manufacturer sent hundreds of cases at once. "You can't handle that kind of volume without the right infrastructure."

Both partners pointed to aggressive advertising by the plaintiffs' bar, particularly on social media apps like TikTok, as a key driver behind California's explosion of automotive consumer cases. They estimate tens of thousands of such cases are filed annually, with a heavy concentration in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The lawyers said they believe that fact that Narain Maclear is a women-owned firm will foster a culture that emphasizes mentorship, career advancement and trust.

"Culture gets lost very easily during growth," Narain said. "We wanted to build a place where people like coming to work, feel supported, and have real opportunities to grow, whether they're lawyers or support staff."

And they said they want the firm to be a leader in automative cases for many years go come.

"We want to set the standard for how these cases are litigated," Maclear said. "And we want to do it in a way that works--for clients, courts and our people."