Los Angeles – Deborah Chang of Chang Klein LLP has been recognized with the 2025 Lee B.
Wenzel Civility Award by the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). The award was presented at the 2025 President’s Dinner Dance and Installation Ceremony on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Lee B. Wenzel Civility Award was established in 1993 and honors attorneys who “elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and courtesy in the legal profession.” Incoming President Gary Dordick described the award as one of the highest honors that the chapter bestows to an attorney who demonstrates professionalism, civility, graciousness and high moral and ethical standards.
Founded in 1958, ABOTA is an invite-only national association of experienced
trial lawyers and judges. ABOTA is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Los Angeles Chapter of ABOTA is the largest and original chapter of the national organization, and is comprised of some of the most prominent attorneys in the country.
Brian Panish, of Panish Shea & Ravipudi LLP, gave a speech introducing Ms. Chang at the event. He praised her “fabulous trial skills, her ability to use visuals, her art of cross-examination, and bringing her clients’ stories to life”, and said that “when she believes in her case, there is no stopping her.”
“When things get tough and hard, that’s when you can count on her,” Panish said. “That’s when she does her best, and she does it with civility, professionalism, class, and grace.”
As the former President of the Consumer Attorneys of California and the Los Angeles chapter of ABOTA, Ms. Chang represents clients in catastrophic, complex, and high-profile personal injury and wrongful death cases.
