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Nick Caplin, a California real estate and business attorney and partner of Lubin Pham + Caplin LLP.

Education

  • J.D., cum laude, Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California
  • B.A., University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Bar Admissions

  • California, 2016

Nicholas J. Caplin

Partner

Mr. Caplin’s legal education began well before he started practicing law or even attending law school. With a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge as his grandfather, and the Executive Director of the Southern California ACLU as his grandmother, Mr. Caplin learned how to be an effective advocate at an early age. His formative years were spent at judicial conferences and impassioned speeches regarding civil rights. In other words, Mr. Caplin’s career was never really a question.

As a native of Southern California, the first formal step in his journey was obviously obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. Loving the outdoors and mountains surrounding the greater Los Angeles area, Mr. Caplin went on to attend law school at the Pepperdine University School of Law. There, he focused on real estate, land use, and corporate law; was the Lead Articles Editor of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary; won numerous awards, including receiving the CALI Award for the Highest Grade in the Course for Legal Writing, Real Estate Finance, and Mergers and Acquisitions; and was also published in a national employment law journal for his article “Why the NLRB Can be ‘Facebook Friends’ with both Employees and Employers.” He concluded his tenure at law school by graduating cum laude.

Mr. Caplin began his practice working for a highly-respected law firm that represented the largest public entities in the state, as well as international architectural and engineering firms. There, Mr. Caplin cut his teeth on cases involving complex construction, traumatic injuries, and civil rights violations. He obtained countless favorable outcomes for his clients, including successful dispositive motions, and no-liability findings in 10-figure cases. While Mr. Caplin enjoyed those successes, he decided he wanted to represent people instead of the biggest entities in the state.

So Mr. Caplin joined a law firm that specialized in real estate law. There, he represented homeowners in disputes against tyrannical HOAs. After representing hundreds of homeowners, and learning the ins and outs of the Davis-Stirling Act, Mr. Caplin decided it was time to strike out on his own.

He had the great fortune of connecting with Mr. Lubin and Mr. Pham. With Mr. Lubin’s relentlessness and tenacity, Mr. Pham’s once-in-a-generation legal research and writing abilities, and Mr. Caplin’s charisma and practical approach to solving complex problems, the three decided they were the perfect team.