James O. Eiler

James O. Eiler is a Partner in Murchison & Cumming, LLP’s Los Angeles office and serves as a Co-Chair of the Hospitality Law practice group. Through the span of nearly 30 years, Mr. Eiler has become one of California’s most recognized hospitality law attorneys. Having represented a variety of claims including general negligence, premises liability, food borne illness and foreign objects, Legionella and other toxic torts, civil rights, ADA, franchise litigation and many more, Mr. Eiler understands the full spectrum of the hospitality space.

Mr. Eiler grew up in the hotel and restaurant industry in Las Vegas. With a father who helped opened the Stardust Hotel in 1958 and a mother who was employed at the Sands Hotel, he has worked nearly every department there is in the hotel industry. Mr. Eiler has more than 10 years of hotel operations experience, even working full time during his first year of law school as a front office manager for a resort hotel in Anaheim, California.

Mr. Eiler’s clients value his “big picture” approach and ability to zero in on the details of the case that might otherwise go unnoticed. Mr. Eiler enjoys training his clients and their staff, adjusters and carriers of hospitality legal issues bringing his very distinct perspective, so when an issue arises their team can respond effectively and hopefully stay out of litigation. Mr. Eiler also works closely with his hospitality clients in risk avoidance and management issues as part of the overall team effort to help keep his hospitality clients out of litigation, but be ready if litigation arises.

A sought after author and speaker, Mr. Eiler brings his years of experience as a thought leader and industry expert to the Hospitality Law community. As an active participant in several key trade industry associations, he also helps shape regulations and legislation affecting the hospitality industries on an ongoing basis. Most recently, Mr. Eiler was the recipient of the 2017 Anthony G. Marshall Hospitality Law Award.

Mr. Eiler is an adjunct professor on Hospitality Law at California State University Long Beach and is a former Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Law for the William F. Harrah School of Hotel Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, dedicating much of his career to mentoring young lawyers as his way of giving back to the legal profession.

A graduate of University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a B.S. in Hotel & Restaurant Administration, Mr. Eiler continued onto law school at Western State University College of Law where he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Contracts, profiled in Who’s Who in American Law, and was on the National Dean’s List.

When not at the office, Mr. Eiler enjoys teaching, traveling with his family, baseball and college sports, museums, and attending his sons’ lacrosse games.