Professional Experience

Thomas J. Umberg’s practice focuses on litigation, as well as federal and state policy and regulatory matters.

He has extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts and has been chosen as a “Super Lawyer” for Southern California – a recognition limited to only 5% of the lawyers in Southern California. He was also selected as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in the field of commercial litigation.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Umberg was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles and Orange County. As a federal criminal prosecutor, he tried numerous white‐collar and civil rights cases.

Mr. Umberg served three terms in the California Legislature, most recently between 2004 and 2006. While in the California Assembly, he chaired the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. Mr. Umberg authored 58 measures that were signed into law, including statutes involving election reform, campaign finance reform, white‐collar crime, mortgage fraud, telemarketing fraud, hate crimes, toxic waste cleanup, housing loans, Super Speed Rail Transport, and other transportation issues.

In 2008, Mr. Umberg was appointed to the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and is currently the Chairman. The CHSRA is responsible for developing the $43 billion high speed rail system from Anaheim to San Francisco.

In 1997, Mr. Umberg was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U. S. Senate as Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). At ONDCP he was responsible for the development and coordination of United States policy to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the United States. In particular, these responsibilities included negotiation and coordination with foreign governments to enhance US counter‐drug intelligence and interdiction. In that connection, Mr. Umberg was the United States signatory to the Western Hemisphere Counter‐Drug Cooperation Agreement signed in Montevideo, Uruguay. Mr. Umberg also led U.S. delegations to Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, and several other Latin‐American countries and served as a senior member to the U.S./Mexico High Level Contact Group and as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile.

Mr. Umberg is a colonel in the Army Reserve. During his military career he tried over 50 felony cases in Korea, Italy and the United States. Mr. Umberg was recalled to active duty  in 2004 as a war crimes prosecutor and again in 2009 as the Chief, Anti-Corruption in Afghanistan.

Prior to joining Manatt, Mr. Umberg was the Orange County office managing partner and a litigation partner at Morrison & Foerster, LLP.  

Education

University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1980. Associate Editor, COMM/ENT, Communications and Entertainment Law Journal.

U.S. Army War College, M.S., 2000.

University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., cum laude, 1977.

Harvard Kennedy School, Senior Executives in National Security Course, 1999. 

Memberships & Activities

Honors & Awards