Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys

L E A D E R S O F I N F L U E N C E :

Litigators & Trial Attorneys

HERE IS A SPECIAL BREED OR ATTORNEY THAT NEEDS TO TRANSCEND EXPERT COMPREHENSION OF THE LEGAL

system – the litigator. Lawyers who go to the proverbial mat to ght for their clients before judges and jury

have their own unique sets of skills. In this special section we share proles of the very best litigators and trial

attorneys in the region. These are the trusted advisors you want in your corner in court.

We’ve alphabetically compiled this lineup of superb litigation specialists, along with information about their

careers, practice and relevant recent successes they’ve achieved. Congratulations to the attorneys who made our

class of ‘24.

Methodology: The professionals featured in these pages did not pay to be included. Their proles were drawn from nomination

materials submitted to the Los Angeles Business Journal. Those selected for inclusion were reviewed by the editorial department. The

professionals were chosen based on a demonstration of impact made on the profession and on the Los Angeles community.

C U S T O M C O N T E N T

J U LY 15, 2024

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24 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

DAVID ARONOFF

Partner, Sports & Entertainment Law

Fox Rothschild

or more than 30 years, David

Aronoff has fiercely defended

major content creators and

distributors against copyright

infringement, defamation, right

of publicity and other claims,

much like the masked avenger

Zorro (whose rights holder he rep-

resents) looked out for the citizens

of Spanish colonial Los Angeles.

Rather than slashing a Z in

his opponents’ business suits,

Aronoff lets his legal work be his

calling card. Over the years, he

has successfully litigated dozens

of high-stakes lawsuits involving

major film, television and stream-

ing properties facing potentially

existential challenges. His clients

have included most of the major

motion picture and television stu-

dios, distributors and production

companies.

RYAN BAKER

Co-Founding Partner

Waymaker LLP

ne of California’s elite trial

and appellate lawyers, Way-

maker LLP founding partner

Ryan Baker regularly wins trial

verdicts and appeals in high-stakes

cases. A skilled litigator and trial

lawyer who often deals with cases

involving intellectual property

and innovative or disruptive tech-

nology, Baker has built Waymaker

into one of the nation’s premiere

trial and litigation boutiques. The

firm regularly handles litigation

at the intersection of innovative

technology and complex legal

issues.

Baker himself has a stellar

record of achievement at both

trials and appeals in intellectual

property cases and is known for

presenting arguments in a clear,

elegant, persuasive manner in

his representation of industry

innovators.

MARINA BECK

Partner

Elkins Kalt Weintraub

Reuben Gartside LLP

arina Beck is a partner at

Elkins Kalt, and a co-chair

of the firm’s Family Law

practice group. Since 2011, the

primary focus of Beck’s practice

has been the litigation of sophis-

ticated marital dissolution issues,

including complex financial, prop-

erty, support and custody matters.

Beck has extensive experience

in international custody disputes

(Hague Abduction Convention)

and other jurisdictional disputes,

as well as in Domestic Violence

Prevention Act matters.

Beck has handled high profile

cases with national and interna-

tional issues and consequences,

representing high net worth indi-

viduals or their spouses in many

different fields, including the

entertainment and sports indus-

try, tech and business executives,

philanthropists, doctors, attorneys,

bankers and other professionals.

ROBERT BEGLAND

Partner

Cox, Castle & Nicholson

ob Begland is a partner and

part of Cox Castle’s Litigation

Team. He is a leading litigator

and an experienced trial lawyer.

He typically represents individuals

and companies in disputes related

to real property, contracts, corpo-

rate governance, and insurance

recovery.

Begland has a wide range of

commercial experience, having

pursued and defended claims in

state court, federal court, arbitra-

tions, and before administrative

tribunals. He has also supervised

litigation outside the US, includ-

ing claims made in Canada,

Mexico, and the Caribbean. His

most recent large lawsuit involved

claims from the massive Porter

Ranch gas leak in which he repre-

sented three corporate developers,

as plaintiffs, in their claims against

Southern California Gas Compa-

ny and its parent Sempra.

KERI CURTIS AXEL

Partner

Waymaker LLP

eri Axel practices white-collar

criminal and government

enforcement defense, and

civil litigation. A former federal

prosecutor and SEC enforcement

attorney, Axel is a first-chair trial

lawyer who helps clients navigate

government investigations and

charges and has successfully liti-

gated and argued many Ninth Cir-

cuit Appeals. She defends Yasiel

Puig, the former Dodgers star.

Additionally, Axel draws on

her extensive experience in tax,

accounting, and the securities

industry in representing execu-

tives, financial services profession-

als, and hedge funds in FINRA

matters and civil litigation. For

the national media, she provides

insight into criminal and SEC

investigations and in the Elizabeth

Holmes Silicon Valley fraud trial.

CHRISTINE ADAMS

Partner & Founder

Adams, Duerk & Kamenstein LLP

hristine Adams is the

co-founder of not one, but

two majority women-owned

boutique litigation firms. Her

firm’s mission has always been

to provide the same excellence

in service that Big Law provides

while elevating the women in

our profession who may not have

been showcased in Big Law, for

instance, women who are also

mothers and women who are

re-entering the legal field after

serving a full-time stint as caregiv-

ers to their children.

Adams previously served as a

federal prosecutor for eleven years

in the US Attorney’s Office in Los

Angeles, where she served as the

Defense Contractor Fraud Coor-

dinator for the Central District of

California. In that role, she coor-

dinated and directed investiga-

tions by federal law enforcement

agencies.

JOE AKROTIRIANAKIS

Partner

King & Spalding LLP

oe Akrotirianakis is an accom-

plished trial lawyer who has

first-chaired or co-chaired

35 trials and arbitrations. He has

never lost a jury trial or bench

trial.

Akrotirianakis has built a prac-

tice litigating cases that are unusu-

ally complex and involve unusual

or novel applications of the law,

prosecuting and defending matters

involving cutting-edge legal theo-

ries in high-profile matters brought

under the Computer Fraud and

Abuse Act and the California

Comprehensive Computer Data

Access and Fraud Act, as well as

the Lanham Act, the California

Unfair Competition Law and simi-

lar state unfair trade practices laws.

Prior to joining King & Spalding,

Joe served as an Assistant United

States Attorney in the Central

District of California.

CLIFTON W. ALBRIGHT

President and Founding Partner

Albright, Yee & Schmit, APC

lifton Albright Jr. is a dedicat-

ed attorney at Albright, Yee

& Schmit, APC, where he

specializes in general and complex

business litigation, with a focus

on labor and employment mat-

ters. Graduating from Loyola Law

School in 2020, his career has

already been remarkable. A defin-

ing moment in his legal career

came in 2022, when he took on

the challenging responsibility of

representing the renowned Tiffany

Haddish.

Against the backdrop of a

high-stakes sex abuse and moles-

tation lawsuit, Albright’s expertise

was evident as he swiftly led the

case to dismissal in just 18 days,

ensuring justice while preserving

the reputation of his client.

MICHAEL AMIR

Co-Founder

Doll Amir & Eley LLP

ichael M. Amir is the

co-founder of Doll Amir

& Eley. He has a 20-year

record of winning bet-the-compa-

ny cases. He represents a variety

of clients in high stakes litigation,

including health organizations,

banks, technology companies,

educational organizations (univer-

sities and schools), large national

corporations, medium-sized

companies and high net-worth

individuals.

Amir has represented clients

as lead counsel in complex mat-

ters in all phases of litigation,

including state and federal jury

and bench trials, arbitration pro-

ceedings, and Court of Appeals

and California Supreme Court

arguments. He recently obtained

a complete defense decision in

a state court trial on behalf of a

major university in a discrimina-

tion and breach of contract case.

JASON ADAMS

Partner

Cox, Castle & Nicholson

ason Adams is a leading liti-

gator whose practice focuses

on construction law, insurance

law and risk management, and

business and civil litigation.

Adams has extensive experi-

ence representing developers, con-

tractors, subcontractors, designers,

and other construction profession-

als through all phases of the con-

struction process. He has a wealth

of expertise in contract negotia-

tion, procurement and evaluation

of insurance programs, project

delays, defects, insurance claims,

and disputes. He is also a licensed

property and casualty insurance

broker and certified Construction

Risk & Insurance Specialist. In

addition, he has significant trial

and arbitration experience and

serves as outside general counsel

to a variety of businesses.

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JULY 15, 2024 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

ANDREW K. WALSH

DOUGLAS J. DIXON

Leaders of Inﬂuence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys

—Los Angeles Business Journal

HUESTON.COM

Congratulations

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LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

26 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

MANUEL CACHÁN

Partner

Skadden, Arps, Slate,

Meagher & Flom LLP

anuel Cachán is a seasoned

trial lawyer who has served

as lead counsel on numerous

significant, high-profile jury trials

in the most challenging jurisdic-

tions throughout the country. His

experience ranges from handling

single claims on behalf of a com-

pany or individual to representing

clients in extremely complex

multidistrict, multiparty litigation.

From tackling consumer class

actions encompassing thousands

of putative claimants to winning

jury verdicts in plaintiff-friendly

venues, Cachán has overcome

countless obstacles.

In the one year since joining

Skadden, Cachán achieved two

significant trial wins on behalf

of Monsanto. Cachán and team

recently secured a complete

defense verdict on behalf of Mon-

santo in a seven-week products

liability trial held in Illinois.

CHERYL CHANG

Partner; Vice Chair, Financial Institutions

Litigation and Regulatory Compliance

Group; Co-Chair, Los Angeles Office

Blank Rome LLP

s Blank Rome’s first female

Asian-American partner,

vice chair of the firm’s nearly

50-attorney Financial Institutions

Litigation and Regulatory Compli-

ance practice group, and co-chair

of the 90-member Los Angeles

office, Cheryl Chang is a skilled

leader and a formidable litigator.

Chang consistently achieves

favorable outcomes for her clients

in complex corporate matters using

her creative, pragmatic approach

to conflict resolution in litigation,

trial, and settlement negotiations.

Chang litigates for significant cor-

porate and entertainment clients

before state and local courts in the

areas of intellectual property, anti-

trust, and consumer class action

defense. She is recognized for her

keen ability to see legal issues and

business decisions from her clients’

point of view.

HAILYN CHEN

Co-Managing Partner

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

ailyn Chen is known as a

strong leader inside and

outside the courtroom, with

a practice focused on complex

business litigation, white collar

criminal defense, and government

and internal investigations. As

Munger, Tolles & Olson’s co-man-

aging partner and as a regular

award recipient and vocal thought

leader, Chen is highly regarded for

her leadership in the profession.

Chen is one of the nation’s

leading lawyers for government

and internal investigations, par-

ticularly those involving higher

education or allegations of sexual

misconduct. Her clients frequently

turn to her to guide them through

their most challenging legal mat-

ters, from statewide and nation-

wide class actions to internal

investigations involving the most

sensitive issues.

ESTHER E. CHO

Partner-in-Charge, Southern California

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young

tradley Ronon Stevens &

Young partner Esther Cho

stands at the forefront of suc-

cessfully defending some of the

biggest names and largest financial

services institutions in the securi-

ties and regulatory industry. With a

track record that spans more than

two decades, Cho has resolved

hundreds of client cases filed in

state and federal courts and before

securities arbitration forums, such

as the Financial Industry Regula-

tory Authority, New York Stock

Exchange, JAMS and American

Arbitration Association.

Highly regarded in the finan-

cial services litigation space, Cho

also represents clients in mortgage

banking matters. She also focuses

her practice on employment-re-

lated matters, arguing on behalf of

employers related to unfair compe-

tition laws, discrimination, privacy

and the California Labor Code.

RICARDO CESTERO

Partner

Greenberg Glusker LLP

ith more than two decades

of legal experience, Ricardo

Cestero is best known for

developing creative strategies

and winning arguments for an

extensive client list of celebrities,

athletes, and sports and enter-

tainment companies in a wide

range of entertainment-related

disputes and lawsuits. Cestero

joined Greenberg Glusker as a

first-year associate after graduat-

ing law school in 1999. Now as

a partner, Cestero’s practice also

extends beyond the entertainment

industry to complex commercial

litigation involving partnership,

contract, and real es

Cestero has particular exper-

tise in First Amendment issues,

including defamation and restraint

of speech, as well as extensive

experience handling motion pic-

ture and television production and

distribution disputes and profit

participation cases

KOREN (KORI) BELL

Partner, Litigation

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

oren (Kori) Bell is a partner

in Willkie’s Litigation Depart-

ment. A nationally recognized

litigator and former federal public

defender, Bell’s diverse practice

focuses on high-stakes trials,

white-collar criminal defense,

complex commercial litigation,

government and internal inves-

tigations, and regulatory enforce-

ment matters.

Bell has been lead counsel in

some of the nation’s most complex

and highly publicized trials and

appeals—including in a case she

argued before the US Supreme

Court. Praised by judges for her

courtroom skill, Bell is known as

a tenacious and creative advocate.

She has handled high-stakes and

sensitive matters for companies

and prominent individuals across

a range of industries—from enter-

tainment to finance, technology,

healthcare, pharmaceutical, real

estate, and sports.

BRIAN BIELUCH

Partner; Vice Chair of Intellectual

Property Litigation Group

Covington & Burling LLP

rian Bieluch is a partner in

Covington’s Los Angeles

office and serves as vice chair

of the Intellectual Property Liti-

gation Group. Bieluch focuses on

complex, multi-forum patent and

technology litigation, representing

companies in disputes with com-

petitors in the US International

Trade Commission, district courts,

and the Federal Circuit.

Bieluch has served as coordi-

nating counsel for international

IP disputes and regularly works

with Covington teams in China

and South Korea on complex IP

matters. He represents Samsung

Electronics in IP litigation matters

in federal court, recently repre-

sented taurine manufacturer QYP

in securing complete dismissal of

long-running patent litigation,

and further represents a variety of

companies in critical patent, trade

secrets, and technology litigation.

MARINA BOGORAD

Partner

Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP

arina Bogorad was named

among Billboard’s Top Music

Lawyers of 2023 for her work

on the copyright infringement

litigation against Taylor Swift.

The litigation achieved wide-

spread coverage because Bogorad

scored several victories for her

clients, including a reversal of the

dismissal by the Ninth Circuit

Court of Appeals and a denial

of summary judgment. The case

focused on the chorus of Taylor

Swift’s smash hit Shake It Off and

involved groundbreaking issues

of copyrightability concerning

short phrases, including Bogorad’s

clients’ lyrics “Players gonna play,

haters gonna hate.”

The Taylor Swift litigation has

been just one of the several appel-

late victories Bogorad achieved

on behalf of her client. Another

includes a published appellate

decision applying the controver-

sial SLAPP statute.

MICHAEL BROPHY

Partner; Los Angeles Office Managing

Director; US Regional Divisional Leader

of Private Client and Tax Division;

US Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Steering Committee Member;

Recruitment Committee Member

Withersworldwide

ichael Brophy is a partner

Withersworldwide’s trust,

estate and inheritance dis-

putes team and is the office man-

aging director of the Los Angeles

office and the regional divisional

leader of the firm’s Private Client

& Tax (PCT) division. In the lat-

ter role, Brophy has been support-

ing the US PCT division of more

than 100 lawyers in the firm’s new

working environment, including

leading through the transition to a

new LA office space.

Brophy has extensive expe-

rience representing prominent

individuals, families, charities, cor-

porate trustees, private professional

fiduciaries, and creditors in high-

stakes litigation involving complex

trusts and estates.

DAVID BIDERMAN

Partner; Firmwide Chair, Consumer

Products & Services Litigation

Perkins Coie

avid Biderman, a partner in

Perkins Coie’s Los Angeles

office, focuses his practice on

consumer class actions and heads

the firm’s Consumer Products &

Services Litigation group. After

40 years of practicing law, he con-

tinues to represent a wide range of

companies in both state and feder-

al courts in consumer class actions

or in related statutory claims. His

clients range from some of the

world’s largest product/food man-

ufacturers to brands on the rise,

keeping him at the forefront of

the industry.

Biderman and his team have

created a very strong food litiga-

tion practice that is recognized

nationally by food companies.

On consumer class actions, he

represents packaged food com-

panies, coffee companies, dairy

companies, footwear companies

and others.

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JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

MORGAN CHU

Partner; Chair, Litigation Group

Irell & Manella LLP

organ Chu has secured

many of the world’s larg-

est—and in some cases

precedent-setting—verdicts,

judgments and settlements, result-

ing in actual payments totaling

more than $9 billion. He recently

obtained the largest US patent

judgment of all time – a $2.3

billion final judgment for VLSI

Technology in a Waco, Texas trial

against Intel. He also secured a

$948 million trial verdict for VLSI

in a suit against Intel in Austin,

Texas.

Defense representations have

comprised an equal share of Chu’s

career, and he has scored a series

of wins that have been named top

defense verdicts of the year. Chu

recently argued Intel Corporation

v. Fortress Investment Group

before the Ninth Circuit, which

resulted in a complete defense

win.

MARK CRAMER

Shareholder

Buchalter, PC

ark Cramer advises clients

ranging from Fortune 50

corporations to start-up com-

panies about how to manage actual

and potential business disputes in

the context of their overall business

goals. He collaborates with clients,

their executives, and in-house

counsel to formulate and imple-

ment customized litigation strate-

gies. Cramer’s clients have included

national and international brands

such as Accenture, AG Adriano

Goldschmied, Inc., Home Depot,

Pabst Brewing Company, Warner

Bros., as well as financial services

companies, startups, and their exec-

utives, directors, and officers.

Cramer has represented clients

in litigated disputes filed in state

and federal courts throughout Cali-

fornia and in federal courts through-

out the country, including before

the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

and the US Supreme Court.

MARYAM DANISHWAR

Member

Clark Hill PLC

aryam Danishwar is a fierce

advocate for her clients in

the courtroom, in arbitra-

tion and in negotiation. Driven by

the desire to achieve total client

satisfaction, Danishwar has devel-

oped a risk assessment audit that

enables her to provide clients with

the advice and counsel that helps

them achieve their business goals

and mitigate the financial and

reputational impact of litigation.

A self-described “law nerd”

who always had her professional

sights set on becoming a trial law-

yer, Danishwar enjoys the process

of digging into a new matter, over-

coming obstacles and presenting

her case before a jury. Juries and

judges respect her capabilities and

clients appreciate her guidance.

MIKE DE VRIES

Partner

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

ike De Vries is a preem-

inent trial attorney who

represents clients in high-

stakes IP litigation involving

primarily trade secret misappro-

priation and patent infringement,

especially in cases tried to a jury.

Since 2018, De Vries has led

seven consecutive jury trial wins

as lead trial counsel and secured

more than $2.5 billion in verdicts

and publicly-reported settlements

on behalf of his clients.

De Vries’ Syntel and Motorola

damages awards, on behalf of his

large, corporate clients, are among

the highest trade secret awards

in US history. His current clients

include Motorola Solutions,

Applied Materials, Samsung, State

Farm, Oracle, Verizon, Cognizant/

Trizetto, Comet, LivePerson, Eag-

leView, Apcon, and Energy Labs.

TRENT COPELAND

Partner

Ellis George LLP

rial attorney Trent Copeland

is a partner at Ellis George

and has a broad and diverse

practice. He is a highly sought

after business litigator who rep-

resents a diverse roster of clients.

He is routinely on the short list of

go-to lawyers for senior executives

and high-profile clients who have

sensitive matters that require res-

olution.

Copeland’s track record of suc-

cess in the courtroom and his rep-

utation for skillful and exceptional

oral advocacy is what sets him

apart. His recent matters have

included leading the trial team in

the representation of former Los

Angeles District Attorney Jackie

Lacey in connection with claims

arising out of her duties as District

Attorney, which settled on the

eve of opening statements.

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28 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

SIERRA ELIZABETH

Partner

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

ierra Elizabeth is an experi-

enced trial lawyer who has

demonstrated an unmatched

dedication to her clients and pas-

sion for the law. These qualities,

alongside her outstanding track

record of wins in high-stakes tri-

als, bear out her reputation as a

dominant force in the courtroom

and the greater legal community

in Los Angeles and beyond.

In her career, Elizabeth has

obtained significant trial victories

for a diverse array of clients in

wide-ranging industries includ-

ing pharmaceuticals, consumer

goods, healthcare, food and

beverage, energy, retail, health

and wellness, automotive, and oil

and gas, among others. Since the

pandemic, Elizabeth has tried and

won four bet-the-company jury

trials, serving as lead counsel in

some of the country’s biggest civil

litigations.

CHRISTOPHER FAENZA

Partner/Owner

YOKA | SMITH, LLP

hristopher Faenza, a highly

successful and respected

defense attorney, has exten-

sive trial experience, having taken

over 75 Superior Court jury trials

to verdict in both New Jersey and

California. Of the cases Faenza

has taken to verdict, more than

85% have resulted in a defense

verdict and most of the remain-

ing verdicts have come in below

the final demand made in those

matters.

Faenza has obtained defense

verdicts in wrongful death, inten-

tional torts, business litigation,

health clubs, auto, trucking and

product liability cases. While his

practice is primarily defense ori-

ented, Faenza also litigates cases

as a plaintiff on behalf of his cor-

porate clients, and has recovered

millions of dollars on behalf of

these clients.

MIA FARBER

Principal; Co-Leader, Class Actions and

Complex Litigation Practice Group

Jackson Lewis P.C.

ia Farber is a principal in

the Los Angeles office of

Jackson Lewis P.C. and

a co-leader of the firm’s Class

Actions and Complex Litigation

practice group. She is a former

member of the firm’s Board of

Directors and the former Los

Angeles Office managing princi-

pal. She has extensive experience

in all facets of employment and

labor litigation with a focus on

representing employers in wage

and hour class action litigation.

Farber has represented employ-

ers in all types of employment

litigation, including sexual harass-

ment, discrimination, retaliation

and wrongful termination. She

has defended a significant number

of wage and hour class actions

over the course of her impressive

career.

JOHN FOWLER

Founding Partner

Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP

ohn Fowler is a founding part-

ner at the Los Angeles-based

litigation boutique Kibler

Fowler & Cave LLP. His successful

practice spans the vibrant intersec-

tions of Hollywood, Crypto, and

Cannabis, where he consistently

delivers noteworthy outcomes for a

diverse range of prominent clients.

Fowler’s clients include individu-

als, businesses, artists, production

companies, and major corporate

entities, for whom he navigates

litigation disputes encompassing

anti-SLAPP, right of publicity,

Talent Agencies Act, management

commissions, and other issues

prevalent in entertainment.

Fowler’s track record of news-

worthy victories and his diverse

representations across prominent

industries, solidifies his position

as a leader in the entertainment

and intellectual property legal

community.

CHRISTINE ELLICE

Partner

DLA Piper

hristine Ellice advises con-

sumer financial services,

banking, securities and tech-

nology companies on commercial

litigation and class action defense

matters. She has particular expe-

rience in the defense of securities

class actions, primarily represent-

ing investment banks in ‘33 Act

claims. Additionally, she assists

individuals and growth-stage

companies in partnership and

LLC disputes, investor actions and

general business litigation.

Ellice is also experienced in

the entertainment industry, hav-

ing represented clients in film

finance, copyright, defamation

and licensing litigation. As a

licensed lawyer in both California

and New York, Ellice partners

with clients nationwide to resolve

their disputes, and, in particular,

helps them navigate California’s

unique legal landscape.

RODNEY DIGGS

Director

Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs

odney Diggs became a partner

at Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt in

2016, and in 2019, he became

a named partner when the firm

changed its name to Ivie McNeill

Wyatt Purcell & Diggs. Diggs has

obtained over $200 million in

verdicts and settlements on behalf

of his clients in his eleven years

of being an attorney. In addition

to his corporate practice, Diggs

has had notable successes with

assisting individuals in need of

representation.

Diggs’ significant achieve-

ments include recently obtaining

a $25 million verdict as lead coun-

sel in an employment retaliation

lawsuit, which is considered to

be the largest retaliation verdict

against a school district.

DEVIN DONOHUE

Partner

Loeb & Loeb

evin Donohue is a seasoned

litigator who focuses his prac-

tice on litigating and arbitrat-

ing corporate, trade secret, securi-

ties, commercial and employment

cases in federal and state court and

before various arbitration tribunals

(JAMS, AAA and FINRA).

With a strong focus in the

financial services sector, Donohue

has served as lead trial counsel

defending several financial insti-

tutions in more than 100 court

matters and arbitrations. He has

handled litigation and regulatory

enforcement matters involving

several different types of com-

plicated investment products

resulting in claims of statutory and

common law securities fraud. In

addition to typical employment

claims, Donohue is highly expe-

rienced in internal investigations

and crisis management and aims

to provide proactive solutions to

mitigate risk.

HUNTER ELEY

Managing Partner

Doll Amir & Eley LLP

unter R. Eley, managing part-

ner of DAE, has served as lead

counsel for clients in defense

of class action and individual law-

suits throughout the country. Eley

has successfully litigated cases at

all levels, including arguing cases

of first impression in the Ninth

Circuit, arguing appeals in the

California Court of Appeal and

routinely appearing in state and

federal trial courts nationwide.

As the chair of the firm’s

financial services practice, Eley’s

experience extends across all

lines of the consumer lending

business, including issues arising

out of retail and online banking,

mortgage lending and servicing,

credit cards, healthcare loans and

auto loans.

STEVEN ELIE

Managing Partner

Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP

teven J. Elie is a partner

specializing in complex

business, insurance and

environmental litigation and

counseling. Although based in

Los Angeles, he routinely handles

matters throughout the state. Elie

has extensive experience defend-

ing and prosecuting a broad range

of environmental, administrative

and litigation matters. He has

handled a wide variety of insur-

ance, commercial litigation and

white collar criminal matters as

well as pre-litigation counseling

for businesses, non-profit organiza-

tions and public entities.

Elie has extensive experi-

ence in complex environmental,

insurance and tort litigation and

environmental counseling. His

environmental and tort litigation

experience includes dozens of

actions in California State Courts

and Federal District Courts.

DOUGLAS DIXON

Partner

Hueston Hennigan LLP

first-chair trial lawyer who has

been recognized for his block-

buster commercial litigation

victories, clients turn to Doug

Dixon to solve their most import-

ant, oftentimes bet-the-company

commercial disputes, including

complex business litigation, mass

torts, antitrust, intellectual proper-

ty and securities matters. His roster

of high-profile clients has included

Amazon.com, Amgen, Broadcom,

ClearOne, Epic Games, Glaukos,

Lionsgate, Match Group, Pacifi-

Corp, Southern California Edison

Co., and Yelp.

Dixon is often at the fore-

front of Hueston Hennigan’s

heaviest-hitting wins. On the eve

of trial in November 2023, he

co-led the in a suit over Google’s

illegal monopolization and other

anticompetitive conduct in the

distribution of Android mobile

apps and processing of in-app

purchases.

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 28 7/11/24 10:28 AM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 29

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

TERRENCE FRANKLIN

Partner

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin

& Lodise, LLP

errence Franklin has over

three decades of experience

handling some of the most

significant and complex trusts

and estates litigation. His breadth

of expertise and reputation in

the trusts and estates community

underscore the reason clients

turn to him for the resolution of

high-profile multimillion-dollar

disputes. Franklin is responsible

for several published appeals and

the landmark “Moeller v. Superior

Court” case, which was brought

before the California Supreme

Court and established a fiduciary

exception to the attorney-client

privilege for successor trustees.

Franklin has successfully repre-

sented beneficiaries, trustees, indi-

viduals and institutional clients in

matters involving substantial assets,

including recently representing one

of the nation’s largest banks.

JOHN GIBSON

Partner; Co-Chair, US Business &

Commercial Litigation Practice

DLA Piper

ohn Gibson is a trial lawyer

who focuses on complex litiga-

tion, including antitrust, class

action, and multi-district litiga-

tion defense. In 35 years of prac-

tice, he has won high-profile trials

and cases in California and around

the nation for industry-leading

companies, professional sports

teams, and pro bono clients seek-

ing social justice.

Gibson’s representative matters

and accomplishments include

winning a Top 100 Jury Verdict in

California in a business and com-

mercial case where he represented

a manufacturing conglomerate as

the plaintiff; and winning a com-

pany-saving trial victory in patent,

contract, and unfair competition

international arbitration for a

branded-pharmaceutical compa-

ny before unanimous tribunal of

retired judges in New York.

JOSHUA HAMILTON

Partner; Local Co-Chair, Los Angeles

and Century City Litigation &

Trial Department

Latham & Watkins LLP

oshua Hamilton leverages

invaluable experience as a first-

chair trial lawyer to represent

clients – ranging from emerging

growth-stage startups through

Fortune 500 companies, as well as

financial institutions, investment

firms, and partnerships – in their

highest-stakes securities and corpo-

rate governance-related litigation

and investigations; class action

defense; entertainment, sports, and

media disputes; and other complex

commercial litigation.

Well-respected among his

colleagues, Hamilton serves as

co-chair of Latham’s Los Angeles

and Century City Litigation &

Trial Department. He also served

for many years in leadership roles

in the Los Angeles County and

Federal Bar Associations.

JACOB HARPER

Partner; Nationwide Co-Chair, Food

+ Beverage and Agriculture Practice;

Co-Chair, Class Action Defense Group

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

ith his creative and some-

times unorthodox tactics,

Jacob Harper has reduced

scores of ten-figure claims to walk-

away dismissals and, in the process,

amassed a long record of indus-

try-changing victories in disputes

involving property rights, privacy,

shareholder and management rela-

tions, competition, and consumer

protection.

In the last few years, Harper has

secured a remarkable number of

trailblazing decisions. He was lead

counsel representing Kroger in one

of 12 national class actions alleging

“reef-friendly” sunscreen was mis-

labeled for containing fish-killing

chemicals. Harper’s was the only

firm to obtain complete dismissal

with prejudice after finding the

plaintiffs’ counsel engaged in an

illegal plaintiff-hiring scheme.

JULIE GERCHIK

Partner

Glaser Weil Fink Howard Jordan

Shapiro LLP

ulie R. F. Gerchik is a highly

sought-after complex com-

mercial litigator, who regularly

represents an enviable roster of

domestic and international finan-

cial institutions, entertainment

companies, and high-net-worth

individuals. Julie handles all

aspects of litigation and trial,

including investigations, and has

considerable experience across

various industries in all aspects of

motion practice, discovery, media-

tion, and both trial and arbitration

work in federal and state court.

Gerchik brings the exacting

skill required to both effective-

ly navigate high-profile public

disputes with significant media

implications and handle highly

confidential personal matters.

Some of her greatest client accom-

plishments are those that success-

fully avoided headlines.

Congratulations, Maryam Danishwar, named

among the 2024 Leaders of Influence:

Litigators and Trial Attorneys.

This material may be deemed "Attorney Advertising."

Clark Hill is committed to promoting strategies

and initiatives to increase the representation of

women, minorities, and others at every level.

Maryam Danishwar

[email protected]

+1 213.417.5344

Learn more at clarkhill.com

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 29 7/11/24 10:29 AM

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

30 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

JASON KELLY

Partner

Annaguey McCann LLP

ason Y. Kelly’s trial experience

and insight into artificial intel-

ligence and privacy law make

him stand out. Kelly, along with

another colleague, tried the first

in-person federal civil jury trial in

the Central District of California

when the court lifted restrictions

on in-person trials during the pan-

demic. Despite the complex intel-

lectual property issues involved

in the client’s trademark infringe-

ment and counterfeiting claims,

Kelly and team streamlined the

case, adhered to the Judge’s sched-

ule, and secured a jury verdict for

the client.

Kelly also counsels and rep-

resents clients in litigation con-

cerning privacy law in California.

Through the International Asso-

ciation of Privacy Professionals,

he obtained the CIPP/US and

CIPP/E certifications, making

him a US and European Certified

Information Privacy Professional.

SARAH KROLL-

ROSENBAUM

Partner, Litigation

Akerman LLP

arah Kroll-Rosenbaum con-

sistently demonstrates an

unwavering commitment to

achieving the best outcomes for

her clients. Drawing on her exten-

sive legal knowledge and analyt-

ical skills, she provides strategic

guidance and insightful advice

that help her clients navigate

complex legal challenges. She is a

skilled strategist, negotiator, and

litigator, and her impressive track

record of success in the courtroom

is a testament to her exceptional

advocacy skills.

As the co-leader of Akerman’s

Los Angeles Litigation Practice

Group, Kroll-Rosenbaum is a

trusted strategic advisor to her cli-

ents, with whom she collaborates

closely to design and execute lit-

igation and compliance strategies

through the lens of their business

priorities.

CLAIRE-LISE KUTLAY

Partner

Greenberg Gross LLP

laire-Lise Kutlay’s abilities

transcend her years of expe-

rience and this has led to her

quickly gaining significant trial

experience in high-stakes cases.

Kutlay is frequently called upon to

handle some of the firm’s toughest

cases and most difficult issues,

including navigating PAGA

claims, representing women who

retaliated against or discriminat-

ed against in their employment,

seeking justice for persons who

survived sexual assault and harass-

ment, and representing individu-

als and business entities in com-

plex commercial cases.

Kutlay has worked on numer-

ous high-profile matters, including

representing plaintiffs in whis-

tleblower/wrongful termination

suits, gender discrimination

actions, and defending an AmLaw

200 firm in a case seeking $500

million in damages for violation of

civil RICO, fraud, and other torts.

BRENT LEHMAN

Partner

Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP

rent Lehman is a partner in

Munck Wilson Mandala’s

litigation practice. Lehman

brings a unique legal practice that

focuses on complex entertainment

and commercial litigation. He

has served as lead trial counsel,

taking multimillion-dollar cases to

verdict, and has litigated matters

on behalf of video game creators,

major record labels, venture cap-

italists, celebrities, entrepreneurs,

and small business owners.

Lehman has had successful

results against major media giants

such as NBCUniversal, arriving

at several good settlements with

them after litigation and achiev-

ing fair results for his clients. A

diverse and talented attorney,

Lehman also handles matters

related to intellectual property,

breach of contract, corporate

theft, and fraud.

TRACEY KENNEDY

Partner

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter

& Hampton LLP

racey Kennedy’s 30 years

of representing clients in

discrimination, harassment

and wrongful termination cases

combined with an impressive win

record (including trying-to-verdict

three multi-million-dollar wage-

and-hour cases) make her one of

the most sought-after labor and

employment trial lawyers.

Kennedy spent eight years on

Sheppard Mullin’s Compensation

Committee and nine years on the

Executive Committee. Her leader-

ship has been critical to a number

of the firm’s most important D&I

initiatives, including the Women

Attorneys Success Initiative Com-

mittee and the Attorneys of Color

and LGBTQ+ Attorneys Success

Initiative Committee, which used

data to generate innovative pro-

grams and initiatives that continue

to drive the firm’s overall D&I

program.

JULIA HAYE

Partner

Greenberg Glusker LLP

ith more than 25 years of

entertainment litigation

experience under her belt,

Julia Haye is widely recognized

and highly regarded as among the

top attorneys in her field. As a

partner at Greenberg Glusker, her

entertainment practice includes

successful resolution, at trial and

in arbitration, of complex business

disputes involving profit partici-

pation, motion picture production

and distribution, rights ownership,

ment, idea submission, and other

entertainment-related conflicts

and contractual disputes.

Haye’s counsel and interests

encompass every genre of enter-

tainment and media, including

studio and independent motion

pictures, television, music, dance,

and online and digital media. She

has represented Marvel Entertain-

ment in various matters involving

IP and profit participation.

VICTOR JIH

Partner

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

rriving at Wilson Sonsini the

same month as California’s

initial pandemic lockdown,

Victor Jih has combined his

background in entertainment and

media disputes with Wilson Sonsi-

ni’s dominance in the technology

industry to create a thriving prac-

tice at the intersection of those

areas.

At Wilson Sonsini, Jih was

asked to build a litigation practice

in LA from the ground up. He

brought a wealth of entertainment

litigation experience. He had

worked on a long-running dispute

involving Warner Bros. and Dis-

ney over the rights to Winnie the

Pooh. His more recent work shows

how that background is melding

with Wilson Sonsini’s technology

roots to powerful effect. He is rep-

resenting Hulu and Disney+, for

instance, in putative class actions

across the country.

PERLETTE MICHÈLE JURA

Partner; Co-Chair, Transnational

Litigation Practice Group and Environmental

Social Governance Practice Group

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

erlette Michèle Jura co-found-

ed Gibson Dunn’s Transna-

tional Litigation Practice

Group in 2010, which was the

first US-based transnational liti-

gation group in the country. She

was also one of the first female

chairs in the country of such a

group and has consistently been at

the forefront of the transnational

litigation that is shaping the law

around the country. Her work

has included high-profile disputes

like the hotly contested Chevron

Ecuador battle, and representing

the world’s largest food and bever-

age companies.

Jura routinely handles cutting

edge cross border disputes for

the world’s leading corporations.

She also serves as a distinguished

arbitrator for the American Arbi-

tration Association’s International

Center for Dispute Resolution.

ADAM KAMENSTEIN

Partner & Founder

Adams, Duerk & Kamenstein LLP

ith over twenty years of

combined experience as a

trial attorney and business

executive, Adam Kamenstein is

a skilled litigator who specializes

in corporate white-collar defense,

internal investigations, and com-

plex litigation.

Kamenstein has served as lead

trial counsel in more than thirty

federal and state trials. He has

also successfully argued numerous

cases before both federal and state

appellate courts. His approach to

representing clients is enhanced

by his extensive business back-

ground. Previously, as a federal

prosecutor in the Criminal Divi-

sion of the US Attorney’s Office

in Los Angeles, Kamenstein

served as deputy chief of the

Office’s Government Fraud, Pub-

lic Corruption and Civil Rights

Section.

BRIAN HORNE

Partner

Knobbe Martens

rian Horne is the managing

partner of the Los Angeles

office of IP law firm Knobbe

Martens and is an industry-recog-

nized leading trial lawyer who lit-

igates headline-grabbing cases in

Southern California and through-

out the country. Horne has won

trials involving a wide range of

disputes, including patent, trade

secret, trademark, trade dress, and

breach of contract.

Horne’s trial teams have won

more than $1 billion cumulatively,

and his teams have been featured

in The National Law Journal’s list

of Top 100 verdicts on multiple

occasions. His leadership abilities

are essential as he manages teams

of attorneys of all levels to reach

favorable results for his clients. In

2022, he became the managing

partner of the firm’s Los Angeles

office.

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 30 7/11/24 10:29 AM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

LISIA LEON

Partner

Paduano & Weintraub LLP

isia Leon has extensive experi-

ence as an attorney represent-

ing public and privately-held

corporations in employment-relat-

ed matters. She works out of Pad-

uano & Weintraub’s Los Angeles

and New York offices, assisting

companies and organizations,

large and small.

Leon employment practice

ranges from wage/labor issues,

class actions, wrongful termina-

tions, discrimination and retal-

iation brought under Title VII,

ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and related

state laws, as well as government

audits and investigations. She

regularly appears before federal,

state and administrative and regu-

latory courts and agencies, includ-

ing but not limited to the United

States District Courts, state

courts, and the EEOC. In addi-

tion, she has experience claims of

public accessibility.

LUIS LI

Partner

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

uis Li arrived at Wilson Sonsini

in 2021 as an integral part of

the firm’s push to enhance its

profile as a national trial firm.

Less than a year later, Li deliv-

ered in a big way when he secured

a $15 million jury award (and ulti-

mately a nearly $30 million set-

tlement) for Kobe Bryant’s widow

Vanessa in the nationally covered

trial following the helicopter crash

that took the life of the basketball

legend, their daughter and seven

others. The jury returned its ver-

dict in favor of Bryant after just

four hours of deliberation. Their

conclusion followed a two-week

trial in which Li and his team

demonstrated that Los Angeles

County first responders lacked

proper training and policies.

MEG LODISE

Partner

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise LLP

n her 35-plus year career, Meg

Lodise has established an impres-

sive reputation for successfully

handling some of the most complex

and high-dollar trusts and estates

disputes in California. Her work

not only achieves important resolu-

tions for clients, but also shapes the

future of trusts and estates law.

Lodise obtained a prece-

dent-setting decision in O’Connor

v. O’Connor, defending an appeal

brought to challenge the exercise

of a power of appointment. In

a published decision, the Court

of Appeal affirmed the probate

court orders, and in doing so, clar-

ified California law on powers of

appointment. Underscoring her

respect in the legal community,

Lodise was appointed by the Pro-

bate Court as Guardian Ad Litem

for the minor children of entertain-

er Michael Jackson.

AMY JANE LONGO

Partner

Ropes & Gray

nown as one of LA’s star liti-

gators, Amy Jane Longo has

more than 25 years of experi-

ence in securities litigation, with

significant first-chair experience

both as a defense counsel and as a

senior SEC trial attorney.

Longo served as the head of

the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional

Office trial unit, building a for-

midable reputation throughout

the state of California. In private

practice, as a partner in Ropes &

Gray’s Los Angeles office, Longo

leads litigation & enforcement

matters that span commercial and

securities litigation, SEC and DOJ

enforcement—particularly involv-

ing asset managers and public

issues, and hot-button cryptocur-

rency issues, including for some

of California’s most prominent

investment funds, public and pri-

vate companies.

JEFFREY A. LEVEE

Partner

Jones Day

ntitrust litigators rarely try

lawsuits, but Jeff LeVee has

tried multiple cases to verdict.

His most recent trial was Sidibe v.

Sutter Health, No. 3-12-cv-04854

(N.D. CA), in February-March

2022, whereby the jury returned

a complete defense verdict fol-

lowing a five-week trial of anti-

trust claims involving contracts

between Sutter Health and several

insurance companies, where plain-

tiffs were seeking well over $1

billion in damages.

LeVee brings to bear experi-

ence trying cases for Santa Bar-

bara Cottage Hospital, Macy’s,

Sheffield Medical Group, and oth-

ers, obtaining complete defense

verdicts in each of those cases.

Most recently, LeVee was lead

counsel for RE/MAX in the series

of antitrust cases involving bro-

kerage fees in the residential real

estate market.

Congratulations to our

partner Devin Donohue

for being recognized on

the Los Angeles Business

Journal’s 2024 Leaders

of Influence: Litigators &

Trial Attorneys list!

We applaud your exceptional professional

achievements and unwavering dedication to

the firm and your clients.

LOS ANGELES

NEW YORK

CHICAGO

NASHVILLE

WASHINGTON, DC

SAN FRANCISCO

BEIJING

HONG KONG loeb.com

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 31 7/11/24 10:29 AM

32 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

ELKINS KALT WEINTRAUB REUBEN GARTSIDE LLP

PROUDLY CONGRATULATES

Our partner, Marina Beck

Los Angeles Business Journal’s

Leaders of Inﬂ uence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys.

LAND USE | LITIGATION | REAL ESTATE | TAX | WEALTH TRANSFER & PERSONAL PLANNING

D. JASON LYON

Partner

Hahn & Hahn LLP

. Jason Lyon is a commercial

litigation and appeals partner

at Hahn & Hahn LLP. His

practice centers on matters arising

from complex financial transac-

tions and intricate fact patterns.

In 2023, Lyon won a $21.1 million

arbitration award in a partnership

dispute involving multiple real

estate developments in the San

Gabriel Valley. He also recovered

a $1.1 million verdict and more

than $1 million in attorneys’ fees

in a case involving a commercial

property developer who hid assets

from a former spouse.

Among Lyon’s long-term cli-

ents is a large national provider

of medical billing and coding ser-

vices, which he has represented as

plaintiff and defendant in various

matters involving trade secrets,

vendor fraud, and business tort

claims, among others.

NEAL MARDER

Partner

Akin

ith nearly 40 years of experi-

ence, Neal Marder is a trial

lawyer and highly accom-

plished class action litigator. He

has achieved significant victories

in state and federal courts in Cal-

ifornia and nationwide, including

precedent-setting victories in

high-visibility, enterprise-threaten-

ing litigation. As a partner at Akin,

Marder leads the firm’s litigation

efforts in California and co-chairs

its national class actions practice.

Marder has tried to verdict and

arbitrated over 50 cases on behalf

of a diverse range of clients span-

ning various industries, including

energy, food and beverage, enter-

tainment, transportation, consum-

er products and real estate. He is a

first-call lawyer for several of the

firm’s top clients, including indus-

try giants McDonald’s, Cheesecake

Factory, C.R. England and East-

man Kodak.

DAVID MARTINEZ

Member, Executive Board; Member,

Diversity Committee; Pro Bono Chair,

Los Angeles Office

Robins Kaplan LLP

avid Martinez is an equity

partner and prominent leader

at the national trial law firm,

Robins Kaplan LLP. A member of

Robins Kaplan’s Executive Board,

Martinez weighs in on major policy

decisions of the 200+ attorney

firm. Along with his fellow board

members, he steers, shapes and

advises the implementation of the

firm’s diversity and inclusion initia-

tives and other policies governing

talent recruitment, retention, com-

pensation and career development.

Martinez is also pro bono chair

of the firm’s California offices, and

member of the Diversity Commit-

tee. Concurrently, he has litigated

commercial disputes that have

improved business practices and

has parlayed his professional cap-

ital to expand access to justice to

underserved rural Californians.

KATHRYN McCANN

Partner

Annaguey McCann LLP

athryn McCann’s entire legal

career has been focused on rep-

resenting national and global

companies in large, complex and

class action litigation in the areas

of business, real estate, contracts,

employment and entertainment.

She has successfully handled cases

in California federal and state trial

courts, the California Court of

Appeal, the US Court of Appeals

for the Ninth Circuit, the Cali-

fornia Supreme Court as well as

before various arbitral tribunals

and administrative hearing boards.

McCann has a long track

record of securing favorable

outcomes for her clients in trial,

arbitration, mediation and motion

practice. McCann recently

secured highly favorable settle-

ments on behalf of two clients.

MICHAEL MANCINI

Founding Partner

Mancini Shenk LLP

ancini Shenk founding

partner Michael V. Mancini

focuses on shareholder and

derivative, cannabis, business, and

entertainment disputes. He has

represented internationally rec-

ognized businesses, notable angel

investors, startups, world-famous

celebrities, small local businesses,

and private individuals.

Mancini is a leader in can-

nabis litigation who handles

headline-making cannabis dis-

putes. He regularly spearheads

complex cannabis litigation and

frequently serves as advisory

co-counsel to other premier firms.

He has spoken on multiple expert

panels regarding the ethics of

representing licensed cannabis

companies, emerging trends in

cannabis litigation, and the need

to thoroughly comprehend state

and local licensing before rushing

into court.

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 32 7/11/24 10:29 AM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 33

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

Happy Anniversary

to Shook’s LA Ofﬁce!

Celebrating 5 years of exceeding expectations, growth from

5 to 25+ lawyers, and a recent move to a larger space in Century City.

Michael Mallow

Managing Partner

Los Angeles

[email protected]

ERIC McDONOUGH

Shareholder

Vedder Price

ric McDonough focuses his

practice on business and

commercial litigation. He has

extensive experience in trade

secrets litigation and restrictive

covenant claims, technology dis-

putes, unfair competition disputes,

real estate litigation, products lia-

bility and tort litigation insurance

bad faith and ERISA litigation.

McDonough also has signif-

icant experience in all phases

of civil discovery, pre-trial, trial

and post-trial litigation and has

defended a number of complex

litigation matters in California.

His varied practice includes repre-

sentation of companies in defense

contracting, aerospace, electric

bicycles, real estate, retail, invest-

ment services, automobiles, health

care, fitness, food and beverage,

entertainment and technology,

as well as individuals with unique

litigation needs.

MATTHEW McNICHOLAS

Partner

McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP

atthew McNicholas has

impacted the inner workings

of large and powerful agen-

cies. He has prevented illegal and

coercive force that affects the lives

of the public, law enforcement

officers and firefighters. He has

protected the livelihoods of good

law enforcement officers and fire-

fighters.

As panel counsel to the Los

Angeles Police Protective League

and the United Firefighters of

Los Angeles City, McNicholas is

Southern California’s go-to employ-

ment attorney for first responders

who have faced discrimination,

harassment and retaliation at work

throughout the state. Securing

over $17 million in employment

resolutions in 2023 alone, he stands

as the leading advocate for law

enforcement professionals com-

mitted to eradicating misconduct

within their departments.

PATRICK McNICHOLAS

Partner

McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP

ew attorneys can say their

cases have a direct impact on

law, policy and public safety

the way Pat McNicholas can.

His mass tort work has achieved

more than $1 billion in resolu-

tions for his clients, held massive

utility companies, retailers and

manufacturers accountable, and

improved the lives of millions of

Californians.

McNicholas has represented

more than 12,000 victims against

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

(PG&E), SoCal Edison and the

California Department of Water

and Power (DWP), serving as

co-lead on the Dixie Fire and

Creek Fire cases. He has also been

trusted to serve on the Plaintiff’s

Steering Committees for several of

his mass action lawsuits.

JON McNUTT

Partner

Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP

on McNutt is a partner in

Musick, Peeler & Garrett’s Los

Angeles office. He represents

hospitality, higher education,

healthcare, manufacturing, retail,

transportation, gaming, entertain-

ment, financial services, and many

other industries in all aspects of

employment and labor law. His

practice primarily involves tradi-

tional labor on behalf of manage-

ment, including union campaigns,

collective bargaining, defending

union grievances, arbitrations, rep-

resentation cases, and unfair labor

practice charges before the Nation-

al Labor Relations Board.

McNutt also counsels employ-

ers on a wide variety of employ-

ment and labor issues, including

employee terminations, workplace

investigations, management train-

ing, reduction-in-force planning,

and conducts wage and hour and

employer practices’ audits.

DANIEL D. McMILLAN

Partner; Co-Leader, Global

Construction Practice

Jones Day

an McMillan is the co-leader

of Jones Day’s global construc-

tion practice. He is widely rec-

ognized as a construction industry

leader by Fortune 500 project

owners and developers, contrac-

tors, and public entities who seek

his advice on the largest, most

complex and challenging projects

located in California, throughout

the United States, and across the

globe.

This past year McMillan acted

as the lead trial counsel in an ICC

arbitration in New York concern-

ing the design and construction

of a large LNG facility located

in southwest Louisiana. Dan suc-

ceeded in recovering more than

$200 million for the EPC contrac-

tor and defeated the owner’s claim

of more than $1 billion for alleged

mismanagement.

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

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34 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

MARCELLUS McRAE

Partner and Co-Chair

The Trials Practice Group

arcellus McRae has first-

chaired numerous jury trials,

bench trials, and arbitrations

in both federal and state courts.

McRae has honed his litigation

and white-collar criminal defense

practices to focus on a wide vari-

ety of complex business disputes,

internal investigations, and crimi-

nal prosecutions including defense

of individuals and corporations.

Among McRae’s recent high-

lights was his work defeating all

claims by a prominent crypto

investor against AT&T in a

cryptocurrency theft. McRae also

won an important victory in 2020

in California Court of Appeal

for the City of Santa Monica in

a case involving the California

Voting Rights Act – a win that

marked the first victory for any

defendant in a California Voting

Rights Act case.

BRIAN R. MICHAEL

Partner, Investigations + White Collar

Defense Group; Global Chair, Ethics +

Compliance Practice

Morrison Foerster LLP

rian Michael served more than

eight years as an assistant US

attorney in the Southern Dis-

trict of New York and the Central

District of California, served as dep-

uty general counsel and group chief

compliance officer at 21st Century

Fox, and advising clients in private

practice. Today, Michael draws on

more than 25 years of practice to

represent individuals and entities

in high-stakes white collar criminal

cases, internal and government-fac-

ing investigations, securities and

regulatory enforcement matters,

crisis management, and trials.

Michael was retained by the

attorney general of California to

lead an independent review of the

California DOJ’s public release of

confidential personal information

contained in a firearm-related

database.

SKIP MILLER

Partner

Miller Barondess, LLP

ith a litigation career span-

ning five decades, trial law-

yer Skip Miller works with

clients on their most important

cases. He has been lead counsel

in 100+ state and federal trials and

arbitrations nationwide and has

prevailed against some of the larg-

est corporations and law firms in

the world with billions of dollars at

stake. Miller maintains an active

trial practice handling high-stakes

matters for an array of clients.

Miller often uses unconven-

tional but highly effective and

efficient approaches to prob-

lem-solving. For example, during

mediation of high-stakes litiga-

tion, he worked up a multi-de-

fendant case and gave opening

statements/closing arguments to

the other side and their insurance

adjusters in a series of mediations,

resulting in settlements totaling

$60 million.

ESTEBAN MORALES

Member (Partner)

Mintz

steban Morales, Mintz member

(partner) and distinguished lit-

igator, is a force to be reckoned

with in class action defense and

consumer-related litigation. Since

joining the firm, Morales has

honed his skills to become a go-to

expert for both small and large

corporate clients facing complex

legal challenges. His prowess lies

in securing dismissals for clients at

the pleading stage and employing

aggressive defense strategies to

thwart claims without extensive

discovery.

Morales’ strategic acumen

has been pivotal in defending

clients against a myriad of state

and federal statutes and theories,

including the Telephone Consum-

er Protection Act, the Fair and

Accurate Credit Transactions Act,

and California’s Unfair Competi-

tion Law, among many others.

LISA HELFEND MEYER

Founding Partner

Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers, LLP

isa Helfend Meyer is a

co-founder and senior partner

at Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Mey-

ers, LLP, a boutique family law

firm located in Century City and

Irvine. Founded in 2000 entirely

by female partners, with the goal

of representing clients in high

conflict and complex divorces

and custody cases, the firm now

includes approximately 25 attor-

neys, who have expertise in all

aspects of family law and are adept

at both mediating and litigating

cases.

For over four decades, Meyer

has been a trailblazer within the

legal profession and specifically

the family law community, a

successful businesswoman, and a

passionate advocate for the rights

of children and parents.

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

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JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 35

ANN MARIE MORTIMER

Managing Partner, Los Angeles; Head

of Commercial Litigation Practice

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

s companies are facing increas-

ingly complex legal and regu-

latory changes and challenges,

Ann Marie Mortimer’s role as a

leading litigator continues to make

an impact for her clients, many of

whom are name brand companies

making their own impact in the

marketplace. Her cross-disciplinary

practice encompasses complex

commercial transactions including

novel cybersecurity litigation and

high profile toxic tort/environ-

mental claims.

At the forefront of complex liti-

gation in the male-dominated field

of data privacy, Mortimer has been

named “MVP” in Cybersecurity &

Privacy by Law360 two years in a

row and recognized as leading one

of the top verdicts in California

stemming from her precedent-set-

ting California Consumer Privacy

Act victory for Walmart.

DOREEN MARIE OLSON

Founding Partner

Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers, LLP

amily law attorney Doreen

Marie Olson offers a big-pic-

ture and realistic perspective

that combines respect, compassion

and clients’ long-term well-being.

Olson leads men and women

through all aspects of high asset

divorce and asset dissolution.

She has in-depth experience

with child custody issues and has

helped resolve the most conten-

tious and complex custody fights

during her 30 years of practice.

Olson has brought more than a

hundred cases to a successful con-

clusion on behalf of her clients.

Her contributions to the firm and

her case results helped pave the

way for it to become one of the

most trusted and revered US law

firms in high-asset and family law

matters.

AGUSTIN OROZCO

Partner

Crowell & Moring LLP

lients trust Agustin Orozco

to lead and navigate complex

white collar cases and inves-

tigations, manage sophisticated

pretrial litigation, and skillfully

argue challenging cases at trial.

He has excelled as lead counsel in

federal trials, adeptly examining

numerous witnesses on direct and

cross-examination, delivering

compelling opening and closing

arguments, and has successfully

briefed and argued multiple cases

before the US Court of Appeals

for the Ninth Circuit.

Prior to rejoining Crowell

& Moring as a partner, Orozco

served as an assistant US attor-

ney in the Public Corruption &

Civil Rights Section of the US

Attorney’s Office for the Central

District of California. In this role,

he represented the United States

in a range of white collar criminal

matters.

BRIAN PANISH

Co-Founder and Partner

Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP

anish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP

co-founder and partner, Brian

J. Panish, is recognized among

the leading trial attorneys in the

country. His victories include

more than 600 verdicts and set-

tlements over $1 million, more

than 100 verdicts and settlements

in excess of $10 million, seven

verdicts in excess of $50 million,

and a verdict of $4.9 billion in the

high-profile products liability case

Anderson v. General Motors.

Most recently, Panish and his

colleagues obtained a $135 mil-

lion jury verdict for two former

Moreno Valley Unified School

District students who were sex-

ually abused by their teacher

and failed by the school district

entrusted to protect them.

JOHN NADOLENCO

Partner; Managing Partner,

Los Angeles Office; Global Co-Chair,

Technology Industry Group

Mayer Brown

ohn Nadolenco’s litigation

and trial practice focuses on

defending companies against

allegations of improper consumer

charges and practices, false and

misleading advertising, defec-

tive products, unauthorized call

recording under California’s

Invasion of Privacy Act, viola-

tions of the Fair Credit Reporting

Act, internet privacy violations,

improper tracking via comput-

er-based cookies and improper use

of smartphone and apps.

Nadolenco currently represents

the entire auto industry in chal-

lenging the constitutionality of

a Massachusetts ballot initiative

that requires car companies to

share data generated by their

vehicles. He has become one of

General Motors’ go-to class action

litigators.

LW.com

Defining Excellence in Litigation

Congratulations to all the attorneys named Leaders of

Influence in Litigation for 2024, including our partners

Joshua Hamilton and Amy Quartarolo.

Both partners are leaders of our local Litigation

Department being recognized for their commitment to

excellence and client service, as well as contributions

to the legal profession and the Los Angeles community.

As litigators, they play to win at every stage of a case,

in venues across the county and in a range of disputes.

They embody the talent and culture of our firm and

richly deserve this recognition among their peers.

Joshua Hamilton

Partner and Co-Chair

of the Los Angeles and

Century City Litigation

& Trial Department

Securities Litigation

& Professional Liability

Amy Quartarolo

Partner and Co-Chair

of the Los Angeles and

Century City Litigation

& Trial Department

Complex Commercial

Litigation

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 35 7/11/24 4:52 PM

36 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

CHRISTOPHER PELHAM

Head of Litigation and Disputes,

Los Angeles

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

hristopher Pelham has been

obsessed with law since he was

13 years old. A freshman in

high school, he would watch the

courtroom intrigue unfold on his

favorite show, Law & Order, and

scrutinize every dramatic twist and

turn. Now an experienced trial

lawyer at one of the world’s oldest

and most-respected law firms, Pel-

ham has been involved in count-

less real-life legal dramas.

Clients call on Pelham to help

resolve sensitive and complex

issues through commercial dispute

advocacy, internal investigations,

compliance counselling and rep-

resentations before government

agencies and regulators. But no

matter how busy he is helping

clients in his thriving practice; he

also finds time to give back to his

community.

BITA RAHEBI

Partner; Co-Chair, Global Intellectual

Property Litigation Group

Morrison Foerster LLP

s co-chair of Morrison Foer-

ster’s global IP Litigation

Group and cross-disciplinary

Intellectual Property Group and

co-leader of its Semiconductor

Industry Group, Bita Rahebi helps

innovative technology companies

protect their most valuable assets

by providing strategic direction

and leading complex, high-stakes

intellectual property litigation mat-

ters. She is a first-chair trial lawyer

whose services are in high demand

due to her ability to explain com-

plicated issues to juries and judges,

a skill honed from involvement in

some of the nation’s top trial cases.

Rahebi is active in the IP Bar

and is a past president of the Los

Angeles Intellectual Property

Law Association. She co-founded

LAIPLA’s Women in IP Commit-

tee, which supports the develop-

ment of women IP attorneys.

SCOTT RAHN

Founding Partner

RMO LLP

cott Rahn founded RMO LLP

in 2015, and his vision and

leadership have kept the firm

laser-focused on representing only

beneficiaries, heirs, executors, and

trustees in contested probate court

cases and families and fiduciaries

in contested conservatorships

and guardianships, and over the

last decade he and the firm have

earned a reputation for providing

real-world solutions that provide

relief for people grieving the loss

of a loved one or coming to the

aid of a compromised loved one,

solutions that not only add to

their bottom line but their peace

of mind.

Rahn’s and the firm’s success

has powered the firm’s growth

from a single office in Los Angeles

to six offices throughout Califor-

nia and two offices in Texas.

RAHUL RAVIPUDI

Partner

Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP

anish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP

partner Rahul Ravipudi has

spent his legal career handling

catastrophic injury and wrongful

death cases involving commercial

vehicles, pedestrians, industrial

or construction accidents, utility

negligence, dangerous conditions

of public and private property as

well as cases of sexual abuse and

sexual assault. He also represents

consumers in class actions against

businesses who engage in unfair/

illegal business practices and pub-

lic entities in cases where corpora-

tions have endangered the safety,

health, property or comfort of the

public.

Ravipudi currently serves as

plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel in the

social media cases litigation which

involves cases of children and

young adults harmed or driven to

suicide by social media algorithms.

AMY QUARTAROLO

Partner; Co-Chair, Litigation &

Trial Department in Los Angeles

Latham & Watkins LLP

my Quartarolo sets the

strategic vision of Latham’s

LA-based disputes team as

co-chair of the Litigation & Trial

Department, providing guidance,

mentorship and support for the

more than 50+ litigators based

there. She has also built a premier

bankruptcy litigation and creditors’

rights practice, counseling both

debtors and creditors in a wide

range of bankruptcy-related and

complex commercial litigation.

Quartarolo recently led the

Latham team that won a motion to

dismiss, in its entirety, a 24-count

complaint against 14 former direc-

tors and officers of GCX Limited

and its affiliates. More than $150

million in damages were at stake.

In February, the court dismissed

the entire case without prejudice,

agreeing with Latham’s argument

of lack of personal jurisdiction.

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

Litigation Powerhouse

We are proud to join in

congratulating our Member

Esteban Morales on

being named among

the 2024 Leaders of

Inﬂuence: Litigators &

Trial Lawyers

by the Los

Angeles Business Journal.

Mintz is nationally recognized

for successfully guiding

clients through all phases

of high-stakes disputes — both

in and outside of the courtroom.

Esteban Morales

Member

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 36 7/11/24 4:54 PM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 37

LAURA REATHAFORD

Partner in Charge, LA Office

Lathrop GPM LLP

aura Reathaford is an accom-

plished employment litigator

who has led Lathrop GPM’s

California-based labor and

employment group from its Los

Angeles office since 2019. She

was appointed partner in charge

of the LA office in January 2023.

Reathaford is widely respected by

her peers in the legal field and is

known for her impressive track

record in “bet-the-company”

cases, litigating hundreds of wage

and hour class and collective

actions with a particular emphasis

on class actions and representative

actions under California’s Private

Attorneys General Act (PAGA).

Clients keep returning to

Reathaford and recommending

her to their peers because she

takes a unique approach to Cali-

fornia litigation

JENNIFER ROMANO

Partner; Management Board Member;

Co-Chair, Litigation & Trial Department

Crowell & Moring LLP

ennifer Romano, a litigation

partner in Crowell’s Los Ange-

les office, serves as co-chair

of the firm’s Litigation & Trial

Department, and is a member of

the firm’s Management Board.

Romano focuses her practice on

defending companies against class

actions, litigating on behalf of

health care companies, and repre-

senting companies in high stakes

litigation matters.

Romano represents clients as

both plaintiffs and defendants in

state and federal courts, as well

as in arbitration and mediation.

Her clients include major health

plans, retail and consumer prod-

ucts companies, and professional

services firms. She has established

herself as a thought leader in

the legal industry. Additionally,

Romano regularly speaks on time-

ly legal topics.

MARK SEDLANDER

Of Counsel

Mancini Shenk LLP

ark Sedlander is a trial

attorney and litigator

whose practice consists of

white collar defense, government

investigations, and business liti-

gation. Sedlander has represented

corporate clients and individuals

facing government investigations,

including executives, management

personnel, and other corporate

employees. His matters involve

health care fraud, commercial

cannabis, import/export licensing,

aviation management, education,

and technology. He regularly

negotiates with the Department

of Justice and other prosecuting

and investigative state and federal

agencies.

Before joining Mancini Shenk,

Sedlander represented clients

charged with federal criminal

offenses with the Office of the

Federal Public Defender in the

Central District of California.

JASON SHEASBY

Partner

Irell & Manella LLP

ason Sheasby, a partner with

Irell & Manella, continues to

demonstrate why he is one

of the nation’s leading litigators.

Recently, in a span of just a little

over a year-and-a-half, he pulled

off a remarkable feat, taking seven

highly complex, high-stakes

cases to trial and winning each,

resulting in more than a billion

dollars in verdicts, a permanent

injunction, and two key defense

victories.

As co-lead counsel for G+

Communications, Sheasby in

January 2024 persuaded a jury to

find Samsung infringed patents

essential to the 5G standard orig-

inally created by ZTE, a Chinese

telecommunications company. In

April, he secured $142 million in

patent damages, the full amount

requested, in a retrial of the dam-

ages portion of the case.

ELLEN ROBBINS

Partner, Litigation

Akerman LLP

llen Robbins, a litigation partner

and co-head of litigation for the

Los Angeles office of Akerman

LLP, boasts an impressive career

trajectory marked by her pivotal

role as the senior trial lawyer on

the West Coast. With a focus on

complex commercial disputes, she

navigates the intricacies of state

and federal courts, advocating vig-

orously for her clients’ interests.

Robbins is as comfortable lit-

igating multi-forum and “bet the

company” cases for large public

companies as she is representing

individuals and smaller entities in

more routine matters. She served

as trial counsel in the Microsoft/

Motorola smartphone patent

litigation, including a landmark

bench trial setting royalties for

standard-essential patents, a

subsequent jury trial where she

obtained a favorable verdict for

Microsoft.

Congratulates Jason Adams

and Robert Begland

on being recognized as

Leaders of In uence

Litigators & Trial Attorneys

by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Jason Adams

Partner

Robert Begland

Partner

LOS ANGELES

2029 Century Park East

Suite 2100

Los Angeles, CA 90067

t: 310.284.2200

ORANGE COUNTY

3121 Michelson Drive

Suite 200

Irvine, CA 92612

t: 949.260.4600

SAN FRANCISCO

50 California Street

Suite 3200

San Francisco, CA 94111

t: 415.262.5100

www.coxcastle.com

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

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38 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

PETER SHERIDAN

Partner; Chair, Construction Practice

Glaser Weil Fink Howard

Jordan & Shapiro LLP

artner and chair of Glaser

Weil’s Construction Practice,

Peter C. Sheridan is widely

recognized for his extensive expe-

rience and superb service. Sher-

idan’s focus on construction has

allowed him to develop a specialty

in construction disputes involving

mega resorts and large hotels and

casinos. In addition to construction

litigation, Sheridan has also han-

dled complex multidistrict cases, in

particular a group of consolidated

environmental contamination

cases representing a US EPA

remediation contractor.

Sheridan has also represented

government as well as landowners

in land use, eminent domain and

inverse condemnation litigation,

including the cities of La Cañada

Flintridge and Laguna Hills, and

the Los Angeles County Metropol-

itan Transportation Authority.

ASHLEY SIMONSEN

Partner

Covington & Burling LLP

s a partner in Covington’s

Class Action and Mass Torts

practices based in Los Angeles,

Ashley Simonsen has successfully

represented clients in the technol-

ogy, financial services, and con-

sumer products industries—includ-

ing Afterpay, Aristocrat Technol-

ogies, Capital One, City National

Bank, Clorox, Intuit, JPMorgan

Chase, Meta, Mondelez, Navient,

OpenSea, and PayPal—through all

stages of litigation, with a strong

track record of success on early

dispositive motions.

Simonsen has represented

Meta in numerous high-profile

matters, including two class

actions brought by former con-

tent moderators for Facebook; an

advertiser class action challenging

alleged “fake clicks” on Facebook;

and over 1000 product liability,

public nuisance, and state attor-

ney general lawsuits.

MATT SLOAN

Partner

Skadden, Arps, Slate,

Meagher & Flom LLP

ver the past 30 years, Matt

Sloan has built a formidable

reputation as a white collar

attorney, first as a federal prose-

cutor in Washington, D.C. and

Los Angeles, and for the past 15+

years at Skadden where he has

worked on some of the most sig-

nificant white collar criminal and

civil enforcement matters in the

country.

Sloan has had remarkable

success in securing acquittals,

hung verdicts and deferred prose-

cution agreements for his clients;

convincing the DOJ and the

SEC to decline prosecutions in

other cases; the creativity of his

approach; his great legal judg-

ment; and, his ability to handle

a broad variety of cases from

criminal trials to internal investi-

gations and civil False Claims Act

matters.

CHRISTOPHER ‘SMITTY’

SMITH

Partner; Chair of the Environmental Group

Greenspoon Marder LLP

ver the past sixteen years,

Christopher “Smitty” Smith

has been at the forefront of

tackling some of the most intricate

environmental challenges, navi-

gating the regulatory landscapes of

federal, state, and local agencies

with finesse. His expertise has been

honed through years of handling

complex litigation issues ranging

from federal environmental policy

to state-specific regulations.

Recently, Smith’s leadership

and track record led to his appoint-

ment as the chair of the newly

established Environmental practice

at Greenspoon Marder LLP, based

out of the firm’s Los Angeles office.

Under his guidance, the group has

hit the ground running, providing

counsel to Waste Management,

one of the country’s largest envi-

ronmental services companies.

AMNON SIEGEL

Partner

Miller Barondess, LLP

mnon Siegel is a partner with

Miller Barondess and has been

instrumental in the firm’s

growth as a litigation powerhouse.

An experienced trial lawyer and

litigation strategist, Siegel han-

dles complex disputes for both

plaintiffs and defendants in a wide

range of sectors, including banking

and asset management, technolo-

gy, real estate, consumer products,

transportation, governmental

regulation, and insurance. He has

recovered more than $500 million

for plaintiffs and has helped his

defense clients avoid substantial

exposure and potential liability.

Siegel’s past trial victories

include a $256 million jury verdict

against defendant Nissan Motor

Acceptance Corp, a $16 million

jury verdict against Toyota, and

a unanimous jury defense verdict

for East West Bank in a multimil-

lion-dollar lender liability action.

Congratulations!

Laura Reathaford

310.789.4648

[email protected]

Partner Laura Reathaford has been

selected for the Leaders of Inﬂuence:

Litigators & Trial Attorneys List by

the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Thank you for your dedication to the

ﬁrm, our clients and our community.

Congratulations on this

well-deserved honor.

Working together,

we build exciting futures.

This is an advertisement. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be

made based solely upon advertisements. Neither the highest state courts nor state bar

associations review, recognize, or approve certifying organizations, certiﬁcations of specialties

or specialist designations in the practice of law. The certiﬁcate, award or recognition is not a

requirement to practice law. Lathrop GPM LLP, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 3500S, Los

Angeles, CA 90067. For more information, contact Laura Reathaford at 310.789.4600.

Congratulations!

Mark T. Cramer

SHAREHOLDER

2024 NOMINEE

Los Angeles Business Journal

LEADERS OF INFLUENCE:

LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS 2024

www.buchalter.com

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 38 7/11/24 5:00 PM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 39

yokasmith.com

YOKA | SMITH congratulates our ﬁrm’s Founder

WALTER M. YOKA

and Partner

CHRISTOPHER E. FAENZA

on being selected as Leaders of Inﬂuence:

Litigators and Trial Attorneys by the

Los Angeles Business Journal.

STEVEN STEIN

Partner

Greenberg Glusker LLP

n his more than a decade of

legal experience, Steve Stein

has focused his practice on

media, intellectual property,

entertainment and business dis-

putes. Stein has represented large

businesses, media organizations,

entertainment companies and

individuals in lawsuits involving

complex contract issues, valuable

film and television projects, multi-

million-dollar defamation claims,

ment claims, and real estate

disputes. Stein also has signifi-

cant experience in litigating and

advising clients about issues in the

cannabis industry and litigating

business issues in high-net worth

dissolution proceedings.

Before joining Greenberg

Glusker, Stein wrote for the Wash-

ington Post and served as a law

clerk on the United States Court

of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit.

PETER STRIS

Founding Partner

Stris & Maher LLP

eter Stris is the founding

partner of Stris & Maher LLP,

an elite litigation boutique

that represents clients in difficult

and high-stakes business disputes.

Based in Los Angeles, Stris leads

the firm’s nationwide trial and

appellate practice. Over the past

two decades, he has successfully

first-chaired a wide variety of bet-

the-farm business cases to verdict

or judgment. He has also handled

dozens of high-profile business

appeals, including 10 he personal-

ly argued before the US Supreme

Court.

Stris’ pathbreaking work

has led himself and his firm to

nationwide prominence. Stris

is currently serving as lead trial

counsel for Rhodium, an indus-

trial-scale bitcoin miner, in truly

bet-the-company litigation against

Whinstone, a company that hosts

industrial-scale bitcoin miners.

G. CRESSWELL

TEMPLETON III

Partner

Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP

. Creswell Templeton III is an

AV-rated partner in Hill, Far-

rer & Burrill LLP, specializing

in complex business and intellectu-

al property litigation. His extensive

knowledge and experience in his

practice have made Templeton

respected by colleagues and peers.

Over the past 25 years, Tem-

pleton has successfully brought

and defended numerous federal

and state cases and class actions

involving: trademark, copyright,

and patent infringement; misap-

propriation of trade secrets; unfair

competition; false advertising;

securities violations; partnership

disputes; real estate disputes; and

insurance coverage and bad faith.

Templeton also counsels and assists

clients in the areas of licensing,

entertainment, copyright and

trademark registration.

KENNETH TRUJILLO-

JAMISON

Co-Managing Partner

Willenken LLP

enneth Trujillo-Jamison, Wil-

lenken’s newly elected co-man-

aging partner, is an award-win-

ning and result-driven litigator

who leverages his sharply honed

analytical and strategic skills to

efficiently handle his clients’ most

complex and challenging matters.

Trujillo-Jamison’s practice focuses

on complex commercial litigation,

including intellectual property,

entertainment-related disputes.

Over the years, Trujillo-Jamison

has built an excellent reputation of

consistently delivering outstanding

results for his clients.

Trujillo-Jamison has achieved

many successes in the courtroom,

including as a member of Abb-

Vie’s 100%-diverse trial team in a

high-profile, nine-figure pharma-

ceutical lawsuit.

ADAM STREISAND

Partner

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter

& Hampton LLP

f you’ve seen it on HBO’s “Suc-

cession,” Adam Streisand has

litigated it in real life. Some of

the world’s wealthiest individuals

and families turn to Streisand for

battles over inheritance, fiduciary

conduct and business succession.

While Streisand is known for his

sweeping victories in high-profile

courtroom battles involving celeb-

rity estates, he has also become

the go-to trial lawyer whenever

the fate of a national sports fran-

chise is on the line, including

trust wars over the LA Lakers, LA

Clippers, LA Chargers and Balti-

more Orioles.

Streisand earned acclaim as

Britney Spears’ first choice of

attorney in her conservatorship

case and is featured in The New

York Times’ “Framing Britney

Spears.”

Partners

in excellence.

DLA Piper applauds our colleagues

Christine Ellice and John Gibson for being

named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s

2024 Leaders of Inuence: Litigators and

Trial Attorneys list.

dlapiper.com

Angela C. Agrusa | ATTORNEY ADVERTISING | MRKT0017292

Christine Ellice John Gibson

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

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40 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

MICHAEL TURNER

Partner

Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP

ichael S. Turner is a partner

at Hill, Farrer & Burrill,

specializing in the litigation

and trial of employment cases,

representing employers in state and

federal courts and in arbitration.

Turner has defended employ-

ers against employment-related

claims including wrongful termi-

nation, unlawful discrimination,

harassment, retaliation, breach of

contract, labor code violations,

defamation, unfair business prac-

tices, whistleblower claims and

wage and hour claims. Turner also

represents employers before the

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission, the California Fair

Employment and Housing Depart-

ment, the Department of Labor,

the California Labor Commission-

er, the California Department of

Labor Standards Enforcement, Cal

OSHA and other administrative

agencies.

STACEY WANG

Partner

Holland & Knight

hile much of Stacey Wang’s

litigation and arbitration

work is completely con-

fidential, she does stand at the

forefront of two hot-button issues

related to class actions and mass

arbitration that can be discussed

here.

Wang is a commercial litiga-

tion partner in the Los Angeles

office and one of the leaders on

Holland & Knight’s national team

defending colleges and universities

against class action lawsuits com-

ing out of the pandemic in which

students seek tuition refunds from

the schools’ transition to distance

learning. Her team has secured

judicial orders that are the first

in the country on these issues, in

favor of the universities, which

other schools are now using to

defend themselves in tuition reim-

bursement class actions.

PERRIE WEINER

Partner in Charge, Los Angeles Office;

Chair, North America Securities

Litigation Group

Baker McKenzie

errie Weiner, partner-in-

charge of Baker McKenzie’s

Los Angeles office, and chair

of the firm’s North America Secu-

rities Litigation Group, whose

practice focuses primarily on high

stakes securities class action and

shareholder derivative litigation,

SEC enforcement matters, and

complex class action business

litigation, is acknowledged as the

go-to advocate for hedge funds

facing complex suits and CEOs

squaring off against the US Secu-

rities and Exchange Commission.

Weiner speaks, publishes and

is quoted in the media regularly, as

he has become a world-renowned

authority in the area, always

practicing in cutting-edge areas of

securities litigation, such as most

recently in the Special Purpose

Acquisition Company niche area.

ALEX WEINGARTEN

Managing Partner, Los Angeles Office;

Chair, Entertainment Litigation Practice

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

lex Weingarten serves as

managing partner of Willkie’s

Los Angeles Office and chair

of the firm’s Entertainment Liti-

gation Practice. Weingarten is a

leading commercial trial lawyer

who represents clients in all facets

of entertainment, probate and

business litigation.

Clients look to Weingarten to

handle “bet the company” cases,

protect their integrity during the

very public litigation process,

provide a fresh approach, and

suggest novel and overlooked

strategies. He is aggressive in opti-

mizing results and prides himself

on finding the most direct route

to victory. Weingarten is known

for his trademark tenacity and his

creative and zealous advocacy on

behalf of his clients.

ANDREW WALSH

Partner

Hueston Hennigan

ndrew Walsh represents

clients in many of Hueston

Hennigan’s most complex

civil business disputes, as well as

high-stakes environmental and

entertainment litigation and

white-collar criminal actions in

state and federal court. Walsh

works with clients to develop

comprehensive strategies that will

set them up for the best resolution

at every stage of litigation.

Among numerous high-profile

matters, Walsh was co-lead counsel

for the Navajo Nation in federal

multi-district litigation against the

US EPA, its contractors and min-

ing companies for damages involv-

ing a disastrous acid mine waste-

water spill from the Gold King

Mine near Silverton, Colorado

nearly a decade ago. Walsh helped

the Nation secure more than $40

million in settlements from the

USEPA and private parties.

Won $21 million

arbitration award in

partnership dispute

involving general

partner’s failure to

distribute funds in

accordance with

partnership

agreement

RECENT VICTORY

LEADERS OF INFLUENCE:

Litigators &

Trial Attorneys

This material may be deemed “Attorney Advertising.”

Los Angeles Business Journal,

2024

D. Jason Lyon

Partner

Leaders of Influence:

Litigators & Trial

Attorneys

glaserweil.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ATTORNEYS

RECOGNIZED AMONG THE 2024

Century City | Newport Beach | San Diego | San Francisco

Peter Sheridan

PARTNER AND CHAIR OF THE

CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE

Julie Gerchik

PARTNER IN THE LITIGATION

DEPARTMENT

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

023-42_LOI-Lit.indd 40 7/11/24 5:00 PM

JULY 15, 2024 CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 41

Join the Los Angeles Business Journal for panel discussions on:

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MEET THE PANELISTS

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KEITH WESLEY

Managing Partner

Ellis George LLP

eith Wesley has been a leader

in representing brand owners

in enforcing their intellectual

property against online infringers,

and especially infringement on

“print-on-demand websites.” He

has obtained a verdict of willful

contributory counterfeiting on

behalf of the fashion brand Brandy

Melville that ultimately was upheld

following a published decision

in the Ninth Circuit. Wesley is

currently litigating a copyright

infringement action against Ama-

zon’s print-on-demand division,

Merch by Amazon. His work

enforcing IP rights against print-on-

demand sites has been instrumental

in shaping the practices and law

governing this growing industry.

Wesley also has recently

obtained successful results on

behalf of makers of compounded

pharmaceuticals who have been

sued by Big Pharma companies.

GENE WILLIAMS

Partner; Co-Head, Los Angeles Office

Paduano & Weintraub LLP

ene Williams is a member of

Paduano & Weintraub, lead-

ing the newly established Los

Angeles office. Joining the firm in

2024, his practice is concentrated

in employment litigation, class

actions, and commercial litiga-

tion. With a dynamic legal career

spanning over two decades, Wil-

liams has developed a reputation

in handling complex legal disputes

in state and federal courts, as well

as arbitration panels.

Williams’ expertise in employ-

ment law includes defending

employers in discrimination, retal-

iation, wrongful termination, and

wage and hour class actions. He

has successfully mediated and set-

tled a significant number of indi-

vidual and class action cases. His

experience extends to advising

employers on policy, procedural

matters, and employee discipline.

DAVID WILLINGHAM

Partner

King & Spalding, LLP

ave Willingham is a resound-

ing leader and skilled trial

lawyer whose litigation

successes transcend industries,

jurisdictions, and subject matters.

He is known across the nation for

his defense of high-profile cases of

public interest and his handling of

parallel investigations.

A former federal prosecutor

turned white-collar criminal

defense lawyer who handles

complex litigation matters, Will-

ingham represents companies and

individuals in high-stakes and

often highly confidential settings

in state and federal courts. An

innovative courtroom strategist,

he has handled numerous paral-

lel investigations with the SEC

and other regulatory bodies, and

obtained many successful verdicts

that are at the top of the list for

important cases in California and

nationally.

JASON WILSON

Partner

Willenken LLP

illenken partner Jason

Wilson has more than

three decades of litigation

experience, including substantial

trial and appellate experience.

Wilson has taken over 15 civil

matters to trial (both jury and

bench) or binding arbitrations.

His experience on the appellate

side is equally deep. He started his

career with two clerkships for two

different judges on the US Court

of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

and has handled over 40 different

appellate matters.

Wilson is frequently retained

as trial counsel by Fortune 500

clients, often just weeks before trial.

His practice focuses on complex

commercial business litigation, rep-

resenting major companies across

a range of industries in real estate,

energy and utilities, environmental,

intellectual property, class action,

and complex business matters.

BART WILLIAMS

Partner; Los Angeles Office Head;

Global Chair, Litigation Department

Proskauer Rose LLP

hen the stakes are high and

reputations are on the line,

the world’s leading orga-

nizations rely on Bart Williams

to deliver a win. A renowned

trial lawyer, Williams is chair of

Proskauer’s Litigation Department

and head of its Los Angeles office.

He is a strategic, diligent and

persuasive litigator with a wealth

of experience across commercial

litigation, white collar criminal

defense and internal corporate

investigations.

Williams’ legal prowess has

made him the trusted trial counsel

for numerous Fortune 500 com-

panies in high stakes, high-profile

matters, and is frequently called

upon months or even weeks before

a trial to deliver a win.

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

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42 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENT JULY 15, 2024

LOI: LITIGATORS & TRIAL ATTORNEYS

MATHEW WRENSHALL

Managing Partner, Pasadena

RMO LLP

oining RMO LLP in 2020,

Mathew Wrenshall showed

his leadership qualities from

the outset and was tapped to lead

the firm’s Pasadena office. As the

managing partner in the Pasadena

office of RMO LLP, Wrenshall

brings extensive experience work-

ing closely with clients through

complex and emotionally charged

disputes.

Driven to provide relief to

people grieving the loss of a loved

one or coming to the aid of a com-

promised loved one, Wrenshall

has earned a reputation for his

keen ability to manage family dys-

function while securing real-world

results. His clients are typically

embroiled in inheritance disputes,

trust contests, will contests, care-

giver undue influence, undue

influence, and breach of fiduciary

duties.

THOMAS YOO

Partner

Holland & Knight

or nearly 30 years, Thomas

Yoo, a litigation partner in

Holland & Knight’s Los Ange-

les office, has provided superior

product liability, class action and

mass tort defense for clients in

the life sciences, manufacturing,

financial services, real estate,

transportation and private invest-

ment industries.

Yoo excels in understanding

and effectively communicating

complex scientific data; legal

tenacity; superior organizational

skills; an embrace of collabora-

tion; and a willingness to provide

counsel to large corporate clients

who may be perceived as prof-

it-focused organizations. He has

served as national, regional and

trial counsel and in other strategic

roles on behalf of leading compa-

nies in numerous industries and in

some of the highest-profile mass

tort litigations in the country.

JAMES YUKEVICH

Partner

Yukevich | Cavanaugh

ith over 100 jury trials

under his belt representing

Fortune 500 companies,

James Yukevich is widely regarded

as one of the best litigators in the

country. Augmenting his stature

is his outstanding win percentage

in contested civil trials. He is fre-

quently consulted by the General

Counsel of Fortune 100 compa-

nies in areas involving liability

issues, damages, proposed recalls,

and public relations issues.

Since the end of the pandemic,

Yukevich has taken to trial and

resolved over 20 high exposure

cases involving companies such as

Lenovo, Tesla, Uber, CVS Health,

Jaguar/Land Rover, Skanska and

many others. He is currently

counsel of record for the entirety

of Ford’s asbestos cases throughout

the state of California.

YARDENA

ZWANG-WEISSMAN

Partner

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

ardena Zwang-Weissman is

a Los Angeles native, distin-

guished trial and litigation

lawyer, and talented firm leader

who has been instrumental in

helping clients traverse multi-

dimensional legal challenges on

complex and often novel issues,

particularly in her representation

of energy, medical device, manu-

facturing, and technology compa-

nies in complex, coordinated and

multidistrict litigation.

Zwang-Weissman is the local

leader of Morgan Lewis’ litigation

practice in Los Angeles and is the

deputy practice leader for the firm’s

product liability, mass tort, and

insurance practice. She focuses

largely on the intersection of envi-

ronmental, mass tort, and product

liability litigation in California and

throughout the United States.

WALTER M. YOKA

Chairman/Partner

YOKA | SMITH, LLP

alter Yoka is a nationally

recognized trial attorney

focused on litigating cases

involving products liability, com-

mercial disputes and class actions.

In addition to having tried numer-

ous high profile cases to verdict,

Yoka has also successfully argued

in California’s Supreme and

Appellate courts.

Among his many affiliations,

Yoka is a fellow of the American

College of Trial Lawyers. He is

also a member of the American

Board of Trial Advocates, serving

as the 2014 president of the Los

Angeles chapter. In 2003, Yoka

was appointed to serve on the

Judicial Council Blue Ribbon

Panel of Experts on the Fair and

Efficient Administration of Civil

Cases, and formerly served as a

member of the Judicial Counsel

Civil & Small Claims Committee.

he State Bar’s Annual Diversity Report

Card released earlier this year highlights

the demographic composition of Cali-

fornia’s attorney population and, for the rst

time, analyzes changing trends in demographic

representation since 2019. The report also

explores racial/ethnic and gender patterns in

recent cohorts of attorneys admitted to the

State Bar. 

The report highlights record gains for

people of color, driven largely by women of

color, as newly admitted attorneys over the

last ve years. The report also notes that white

attorneys still constitute nearly two-thirds of

the overall attorney population, in contrast to

California’s highly diverse population. 

“While there have been encouraging

advancements in the diversity of new attor-

neys, notably among women and people of

color, these changes are gradual,” said Leah

Wilson, State Bar executive director. “It’s

important to recognize that such progress

might not automatically sustain itself to create

a lasting impact. Our commitment to actively

fostering and championing diversity, equity,

and inclusion within the legal profession is

integral to both fullling our statutory mission

and the goal of long-term, sustainable, change

in the make-up of California’s attorney pop-

ulation. This approach is not about diversity

for its own sake, but about understanding the

essential role of representation in fostering

an inclusive legal community and providing

meaningful access to justice.”

Another new feature in this year’s report

is an analysis of Latino and Asian subgroups

among active attorneys, and detailed reporting

on the intersection of race/ethnicity and gen-

der identity. 

Also included is a summary of a recently

published study that examined how the share

of licensees in inactive status among all licens-

ees has changed over the last 10 years, the

diversity of that group, and the reasons driving

decisions to leave the practice of law. The

State Bar’s groundbreakingDEI Leadership

Seal Program, which recognizes legal organiza-

tions that demonstrate a commitment to diver-

sity, equity, and inclusion in the legal eld, is

also highlighted in the report. TheState Bar

earned a Gold DEI Leadership Sealin January

2024 for its own efforts. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT’S

FINDINGS INCLUDE:

• At a third of the total of new admittees,

women of color were the largest group of newly

admitted attorneys in 2023, a trend that began

in 2021. 

• Latino representation among newly

admitted attorneys has nearly tripled, increas-

ing from 4 percent in 1990 to 11 percent in

2023. And the percentage of newly licensed

Black attorneys has nearly doubled over the

same period, rising from 3 percent to 5 percent.

• The proportion of newly admitted attor-

neys who identify as Asian has more than

tripled since 1990, while the percentage of

those identifying as multiracial has more than

quadrupled.

• Several demographic groups have seen

a signicant increase in their representation

among California’s licensed attorneys over the

last ve years, including both men and women

of color, Asian, multiracial, Asian women,

LGBTQIA+, veterans, and attorneys with

disabilities. In contrast, the share of attorneys

who identify as white has decreased.

• However, as it currently stands, white

attorneys still constitute nearly two-thirds of

California attorneys, in contrast to California’s

highly diverse population. Latinos, in particu-

lar, continue to be severely underrepresented

within the legal profession, constituting 37

percent of the state’s population but only 6 per-

cent of all California’s licensed attorneys.

INACTIVE STUDY FINDINGS:

The inactive attorney survey was the rst

in-depth look at when and why attorneys

choose to go on inactive status. Among its

ndings:

• Each year, about 4,600 attorneys choose

to transfer to inactive status. 

• The number of inactive status licensees

increased by 38 percent over the last 10 years,

reaching an all-time high of over 71,000 in

2023. The growth in inactive attorneys was

primarily driven by those age 70 and older,

who accounted for 12 percent of all licensees

in 2023 compared with just 5 percent in 2013.

• In 2023, white men and white women are

overrepresented among those transitioning to

inactive status compared with their representa-

tion among all licensees.

• The analyses suggest that retirement is a

signicant reason for transitioning to inactive

status, cited by over half of those making the

switch.

• However, 43 percent indicate that retire-

ment is not their motive, particularly women

and attorneys of color, signaling a deliberate

departure from active law practice. The State

Bar will conduct further analyses to better

understand why some attorneys are choosing to

leave the practice of law before retirement. 

California State Bar Reports Record Diversity Gains

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