Our People

Christopher L. Ludmer

Firm Member

Selected as one of San Diego’s Top Young Attorneys by the San Diego Daily Transcript, Christopher L. Ludmer is one of the youngest, but very experienced, shareholders of the firm.  His practice emphasizes general civil and business litigation, as well as specialized criminal defense, in both state and federal courts.  Mr. Ludmer has successfully represented and counseled individuals and companies in a wide variety of matters including federal and state criminal investigations and trials, contract disputes, legal malpractice, insurance disputes, fraud, real property disputes, military courts martial and administrative challenges to government agency action.  Mr. Ludmer speaks Japanese and German as well as English.


Education Background

Mr. Ludmer received his B.A., cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Bucknell University and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  While in law school, Mr. Ludmer won several national trial competitions.

Employment Background

Prior to joining Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, Mr. Ludmer was a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he was litigation team leader in the General Litigation Division in Washington, D.C. He was selected from 400 peer attorneys to serve as the principal assistant at the Pentagon to the Navy’s senior uniformed lawyer and legal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy. He also served as supervising prosecutor and senior trial counsel for the U.S. Navy Trial Service Office Southeast, where he was first chair in more than 50 jury trials. In addition to his work for the JAG Corps, Mr. Ludmer was a special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Additional experience includes clerking for the Hon. Gustave Diamond, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; and working as an associate in the Japanese Business Group of Coopers & Lybrand.

Representative Matters

While in the Navy, Mr. Ludmer successfully tried to jury verdict a wide variety of criminal cases involving murder, manslaughter, rape, child molestation, fraud, larceny, embezzlement, and distribution of controlled substances.

In civilian practice, Mr. Ludmer has continued to successfully represent clients as a true trial lawyer.  Among them, Mr. Ludmer:

  • Represented prominent California investment companies and their CEO in federal court in defense of allegations of fraud and alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
  • Represented a nationally prominent attorney and various affiliated companies in federal court in defense of breach of contract and fraud allegations
  • Represented a U.S. Navy sailor in a first-degree murder case brought by the San Diego County District Attorney; Mr. Ludmer convinced the government to reduce the charge to involuntary manslaughter
  • Represented the CEO of an entrepreneurial advertising company in a $50 million tax fraud trial brought by the California Attorney General; the state failed to convict on any count
  • Represented attorneys and entrepreneurs in a criminal trial involving allegations by the District Attorney of conspiracy, embezzlement, breach of fiduciary duty, and tax fraud; all charges were dismissed after a successful trial
  • Represented a national title insurance and escrow company in a class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California involving alleged violations of the Real Estate Settlement Practices Act
  • Represented one of the largest health service providers in the country—along with its affiliated companies—in defense of multi-million dollar civil litigation involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and violations of the California Unfair Business Practices Act
  • Represented a national real estate development corporation in multi-state litigation involving a dispute over multi-million dollar insurance coverage
  • Represented a national insurance company in defense of allegations of bad faith
  • Helped represent a municipal pension system involving a lawsuit seeking to invalidate hundreds of millions of dollars in pension benefits
  • Represented a large venture capital firm and helped to protect its trade secrets
  • Represented a large construction company and its president in defense of multi-million dollar breach of contract and fraud allegations
  • Represented a national title insurance corporation in a class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California involving allegations of unfair debt collection practices
  • Represented a shipping company and its CEO involving allegations under the California Unfair Business Practices Act
  • Represented a large law firm and its attorney in defense of a multi-million dollar legal malpractice allegations
  • Represented a national health services company and its affiliates in a multi-million dollar civil action involving allegations of fraud, breach of contract, and interference with contract

Professional Affiliations & Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern, & Southern Districts of California
  • State Bar of California
  • State Bar of Pennsylvania
  • San Diego County Bar Association
  • American Inns of Court Louis M. Welsh San Diego Chapter

Publications & Speaking Engagements

  • Author, The Pentagon Attack: A Tribute in Memory of Workers Who Perished, Christopher L. Ludmer, et al (Nina Scoggin 2001)
  • Speaker, “Surviving the Pentagon Attack on 9/11,” City of Tampa, Florida Veteran’s Affairs Memorial Service (2002)
  • Author, Trail of the Giant (Llumina Press 2004)
  • Speaker, “The Real versus the Reel JAG,” JAG FanFest Convention (2004)

Professional Awards & Honors

  • Murray S. Love Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy
  • Selected Top Young Attorney by the San Diego Daily Transcript