Elizabeth Cermak

Elizabeth Cermak began her own career as a lawyer after 5 years of successfully consulting on numerous banking regulation cases pursued by the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation following the recession of 2008-2010.  After being professionally forged during this period of intense scrutiny on real estate and financial industry professionals, Elizabeth went on to gain additional experience in litigation, government, complex investigations, public policy, corporations, securities, financial industry regulation, municipalities, public interest law, and non‐profits.  She has a contagious passion for justice and the rule of law, taking personal pride in the fact she has worked on both the defense and plaintiff side of litigation as well as aided public officials with policy considerations and complex regulatory compliance.

Elizabeth has a unique ability to delve deeply into the facts of a case, legal issue, or conflict to identify hidden discrepancies then relentlessly pursue details that she can leverage to achieve a client’s goals. Her experience working with government officials and on both sides of litigation enables her to view legal issues from multiple angles, ensuring a comprehensive approach to achieving favorable resolutions for her clients.

In recognition of these skills and other achievements, Elizabeth received the Best Brief Award from Hastings Moot Court, two CALI Excellence Awards including one in Negotiation and Mediation, a Public Interest Faculty Award, and a Witkin Award while attending law school at University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now named University of California Law, San Francisco). Elizabeth also served as the Editor-in-Chief for a law journal and published a Note in the Constitutional Law Quarterly prior to her graduation from Hastings in 2018.

At Zelms Erlich Lenkov, Elizabeth works on a variety of legal issues with a concentration on real estate, the financial industry, professional liability defense, government and public entities, Director and Officer liability, complex civil litigation, securities, and commercial risk management.

Elizabeth currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband, where she enjoys being an example to their two young daughters that it is possible for a woman to have both a successful career and full family life. In her free time, she likes to go on family camping and rock-climbing trips, garden in her backyard, read non-fiction books, play with their two dogs, work on various craft projects with her kids, and encourage curiosity about the natural world.

Elizabeth is admitted to practice law in all California courts and the U.S. District Court of Northern California.