Jeff Kaliel

Kaliel practices through KalielGold, a Washington, D.C. based firm known for its leadership in major class action cases in both federal and state courts. The firm has achieved settlements and verdicts reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, including notable outcomes against predatory financial conduct. Its practice spans consumer protection, overdraft fee litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, insurance, bank fraud, and false advertising matters affecting broad classes of plaintiffs.

Before entering law school, Kaliel served in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant and earning qualifications in airborne and mountain warfare. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 during the second Iraq war, an experience that reinforced discipline and resilience. After military service, he joined the Department of Homeland Security Honors Program, worked in appellate litigation, assisted in the Hurricane Katrina response investigation, and later served as a Special U.S. Attorney in Southern California.

Kaliel earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Amherst College, graduating summa cum laude, and spent a year studying philosophy at Cambridge University in England. He received his law degree from Yale Law School in 2005. Since then, he has led numerous high-profile class actions, prevailed on certification and dispositive motion practice, and employed data-driven discovery methods in collaboration with economists, technologists, and engineers to clearly demonstrate damages in court.

A defining focus of Kaliel’s work is challenging predatory financial services that disproportionately harm vulnerable consumers. His cases frequently address abusive lending and fee-based practices that drain limited household resources. He combines deep financial literacy with the ability to present complex concepts clearly and persuasively. This skill is essential in consumer safety and protection litigation, where layered statutes and procedural demands require precision and strategic judgment.

Beyond litigation, Jeff Kaliel supports nonprofit organizations dedicated to transparency and consumer welfare, including efforts involving humane treatment and truthful product labeling. He was named a Washington D.C. Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2015 in recognition of his professional achievements. Outside his practice, he values time with his family and enjoys exploring the D.C. region and its surrounding countryside.