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ZDostart@SDLaw.com
Zach Dostart is one of the few attorneys in the nation who has tried multiple certified class actions to judgment. As lead counsel, he has secured verdicts and settlements exceeding $100 million on behalf of consumers harmed by predatory lending, rent-to-own transactions, and disguised loans – often carrying interest rates above 100% APR.
His work has earned recognition from the bench. In 2020, U.S. District Judge William Alsup wrote that “the Court particularly commends…Attorney Zach Dostart for the excellent work…done on this case.” Blair et al. v. Rent-A-Center et al., No. 17-cv-2335 (Dkt. 219). Zach has also testified before the California Legislature on behalf of California consumers and presented to the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation on the state’s Unfair Competition Law.
Zach brings nearly two decades of complex litigation experience, along with a background that spans both sides of the financial world he now litigates against. He began his career at a global investment bank in New York City before serving as a prosecutor in the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, where he first-chaired bench and jury trials in cases involving homicide, rape, and drug offenses. Earlier, he worked in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, Washington D.C., served as a judicial extern to U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian, and practiced at Woolf Simmonds in London and Morgan Stanley in New York.
Zach earned his J.D./M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, where he served as Managing Editor of the Pepperdine Law Review, competed on the Appellate Advocacy team, and published his Comment. He holds a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, completed coursework at Harvard Law School, and passed the Certified Public Accountant exam.
A National All-American collegiate lacrosse player, Zach authored a book donated to charities worldwide and remains active in supporting the lacrosse community, U.S. military veterans, and civil rights organizations.
