Nicholas Prukop is a sharp and business-minded litigation associate at the Watkins Firm, APC. Nicholas is experienced in defending businesses and professionals in a wide range of disputes, and he pairs that defense background with a genuine enjoyment of the business side of the deal. His practice extends from helping entrepreneurs form and structure new ventures to resolving the full spectrum of business disputes, ensuring clients have a trusted advisor at every stage of their company’s life.
Nicholas is at his best when working directly with clients to solve challenges before they become problems. He understands the value of personal, concierge-level client service: staying accessible, keeping clients informed, and tailoring every strategy to the client’s business goals. Clients who are starting a business value him as a knowledgeable partner who helps them to structure their company and its practices the right way from day one. He also brings a particular enthusiasm for real estate law, guiding clients through transactions and disputes involving their property interests.
Nicholas has extensive experience defending attorneys, law firms, and other licensed professionals against professional negligence, malpractice, and breach of fiduciary duty claims, and represented hospitals, long-term care facilities, businesses, and insurers in matters ranging from construction defect and products liability to contract disputes. Today, he draws on that background to counsel professional service firms and business owners on what not to do, identifying risks early so that a professional liability dispute never arises. When a dispute cannot be avoided, Nicholas does not back down from a sophisticated fight, efficiently managing every step of the resolution process from a thorough analysis, well-documented chronology and mastery of available damages, effective, leveraged negotiations to the filing or defense of a lawsuit including discovery and dispositive motions, mediation, and settlement conference(s).
Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a minor in Sports Media Studies, from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, where he was selected to participate in the LINC Australia international business program. He went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as Production Editor and a Senior Managing Board Member of the Virginia Tax Review.
After law school, Nicholas served as a law clerk to the Honorable Karla N. Smith of the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland, researching legal issues and drafting opinions across a wide variety of civil and criminal matters. That experience gave him an early, inside view of how judges evaluate arguments, a perspective he brings to every motion he drafts and argues. He is admitted to practice before all California state courts and the United States District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California.
OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
Outside of his professional life, Nicholas enjoys spending time with his black Labrador, Reggie, and can often be found on the golf course, at a music festival, or visiting the zoo. A lifelong sports fan who began his career in public relations with the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Club, he also keeps a close eye on the evolving world of sports media law. These pursuits keep him grounded and energized, and they bring a personable, well-rounded perspective to his work with clients.
Location: San Diego, California
Phone: 858-535-1511
Fax: 858-535-1581
Contact: Contact Me
Areas of Practic
- Business Formation and Entity Structuring
- Business transactions
- Business – Commercial Dispute
- Business to Business Dispute
- Partnership and Shareholder Disputes
- Breach of Contract
- Unfair Business Practices
- Professional Service Firms – Risk Management and Liability Prevention
- Real Estate Law
- Real Estate Transactions
- Real Estate Litigation
- Contract Disputes
- Contract Litigation
- Business Litigation
- Civil Litigation – Defense
Bar Admissions
- California, 2020
- Admitted to U.S. District Court, Central District of California
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Admitted to U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
Education
University of Virginia School of Law
- Juris Doctorate, 2019
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
- Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
San Diego County Bar Association, Member