Shareholder

Los Angeles, Sacramento

Direct: 916.945.5193

Office: 213.891.0700

jescovedo@buchalter.com

Bar Admissions

California

Languages

Spanish

Overview

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Josh Escovedo is the Co-Managing Shareholder of Buchalter’s Sacramento office, Co-Chair of the Sports Law Industry Group, and Chair of Litigation and Intellectual Property for the Latin America Practice Group. He is a member of Buchalter’s Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate Practice Groups. Known for delivering exceptional legal representation, Josh brings extensive expertise across multiple practice areas.

Josh’s litigation practice centers on complex business disputes, including breaches of contract, fraud, and shareholder or partnership disputes. He is also recognized as a leading authority in defamation and free-speech matters. Drawing on his extensive expertise in these areas, Josh provides strategic counsel and helps clients achieve favorable outcomes.

Josh’s intellectual property practice encompasses trademark and copyright law, including both litigation and transactional matters. He regularly handles infringement litigation, trademark and copyright registration, licensing, and intellectual property acquisitions and sales. His comprehensive approach ensures that clients’ IP assets are effectively protected and leveraged.

Josh maintains a sophisticated real estate practice, serving the diverse needs of commercial property owners and developers. His work spans commercial contract and lease disputes, purchase and sale litigation, development conflicts, fraud actions, mechanic’s lien claims, and general advisory services. Josh’s dedication and deep industry knowledge make him a trusted advisor in this complex field.

Josh is certified by the NFLPA, CFLPA, and MLBPA (pending) as a contract advisor. As both an agent and attorney, he has gained extensive expertise in the sports industry, including collective bargaining agreements and the business of sports. This insight has enabled him to establish a specialized sports practice serving athletes, coaches, managers, teams, and fellow agents. From reviewing contracts and negotiating endorsement deals to representing clients in arbitration, Josh’s expertise in sports gives his clients a significant advantage. His experience allows him to navigate complex sports-related legal matters with precision, ensuring optimal outcomes.

Josh regularly advises on complex disputes with an international dimension, including cross-border litigation, international arbitration, and internal and governmental investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions. He also serves as lead counsel for foreign companies and individuals in U.S. litigation, guiding them through federal and state court processes while coordinating strategy across borders, managing foreign law issues, and navigating cultural and procedural differences to achieve favorable outcomes. In addition, he assists foreign clients in protecting, enforcing, and managing their intellectual property rights in both domestic and international contexts.

Josh plays a key role in Buchalter’s crisis management practice, providing swift, strategic counsel to clients facing high-stakes, time-sensitive challenges. He works closely with executives, in-house counsel, and communications teams to navigate reputational threats, regulatory investigations, media scrutiny, and internal crises. Drawing on his litigation experience and sound judgment under pressure, Josh helps clients manage risk, control narratives, and protect their interests in critical situations.

  • Represented an attorney in a two-day bench trial where the client’s license to practice law was at stake and obtained judgment immediately following the plaintiff’s case, resulting in a complete defense judgment.
  • Represented one of Northern California’s largest real property investors in a five-week trial over the acquisition of the region’s only privately held USDA-inspected processing facility, securing a multi-million-dollar judgment that included punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
  • Represented a solar equipment company in a two-day arbitration, defeating claims and prevailing on the counterclaim, which resulted in a seven-figure award.
  • Represented an equipment lessor in a two-day breach of contract trial, obtaining a judgment for the full amount sought, plus attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Represented WBO boxing champion Vergil Ortiz, Jr. in a defamation matter, obtaining a full retraction and public apology.
  • Represented one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies in a dispute with a rival carrier over leasehold rights at a shared site.
  • Represents NBA All-Star and Olympian DeMarcus Cousins in his international business ventures following his NBA career.
  • Represented artist Alex Alpert in a landmark brand partnership with Subway, resulting in his artwork being featured in company branding across North America.
  • Represented artist and America’s Got Talent alum David Garibaldi in numerous ventures, including the launch of an art school, a book deal, and partnership agreements.
  • Represented an Israeli marketing technology firm in cross-border litigation concerning data scraping.
  • Represented American and English co-authors of an internationally published book, ensuring compliance with U.S., U.K., and international intellectual property law.
  • Represents Mexican companies in protecting and maintaining their trademark and copyright portfolios.
  • Represented a world-renowned artist in a copyright infringement dispute that was dismissed in its entirety.
  • Represented a reality-television production company in a multi-jurisdictional defamation case, achieving dismissal and an award of attorneys’ fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
  • Represented the family of a celebrity chef in posthumous right of publicity and trade secret litigation, preventing another hospitality company from misappropriating the chef’s likeness and recipes.
  • Represented a start-up hospitality company in trademark infringement litigation brought by a competing restaurant, obtaining dismissal following a successful summary judgment motion.
  • Represented the street art festival Wide Open Walls in litigation to recover its website and domain after a former developer attempted to convert the assets.

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Education

  • UCLA School of Law, J.D.
  • California State University, Fresno, B.A., Political Science and Government

  • Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2025–2026
  • Best Lawyers in America®, “Ones to Watch”, 2022–2025, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Real Estate
  • JD Supra Readers’ Choice Top Author Award – Trademarks, 2019–2020, 2022–2023
  • Northern California Super Lawyers – Rising Star, 2017–2025
  • Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers List – Litigation: Intellectual Property, 2018–2019, 2023
  • Sacramento Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, 2021
  • Karen Dorey Award, 2012

  • Sacramento County Bar Association, Member
  • International Bar Association, Member
  • Sacramento County Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, Former Vice President
  • Federal Bar Association, Member and Former Board Member

  • Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Sacramento Class of 2021
  • Friends of Front Street Shelter, Former Director and Member of Executive Committee

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