Attorneys Michael Holtz and Jordan Matthews, who previously collaborated to fight Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn based on claims of sexual assault, have made their partnership formal with a new law firm.

The pair formed Century City-based Holtz Matthews, a plaintiff’s litigation firm that will focus on high-profile sexual assault and harassment cases. Matthews said their aim is to grow the operation into a “legitimate powerhouse” in that field as public consciousness continues to push back on historical attitudes.

“We might not be a 30-lawyer firm in the future, but my goal is to be the go-to firm for this type of work,” he said. “It’s just about continuing to grow and execute, take the right cases, be selective and represent the right people and be diligent, thorough and relentless in the way we approach the case.”

Forming a partnership

For Holtz, the plaintiff work represents an about-face from the first part of his career with defense-side entertainment litigation firm Lavely & Singer in Century City. There, Holtz worked to mediate through allegations against celebrity clients that, if they weren’t criminal, were instead embarrassing and unflattering, while also defending clients against more serious accusations.

When Holtz sought to create his own practice representing existing entertainment clients, he noted that was around the dawn of the “Me Too” movement, which in a way put him at a crossroads.

“I felt I don’t want to be on the wrong side of history,” he said. “I started getting calls for women, most of them in the entertainment industry, and they started asking if I’d represent them with legitimate sexual assault and harassment claims. My practice over the years just sort of evolved.”

Before this, Holtz had represented Matthews in a film distribution litigation dispute, while Matthews worked in film financing. The experience pushed Matthews to attend law school, with Holtz’s support. Eventually, they came back together to take on Wynn as the attorneys representing a woman employed by Wynn Resorts who claimed to have been intimidated after reporting Wynn’s alleged misconduct to the company.

“He was really dogged and determined that case,” Holtz said of Matthews. “As a result of incredible work in that case – Steve Wynn spared no dime in his defense – Jordan took those cases up to the Ninth Circuit and pretty instrumental in taking Steve Wynn down.”

Parallel to Matthews’ and Holtz’s case, Nevada gaming officials investigated and fined Wynn and Wynn Resorts for failing to report the previously made misconduct claims to their departments.

Getting to work

In addition to the Century City office, Holtz Matthews also operates out of a Woodland Hills location. They also have eyes on a Las Vegas location, particularly as they start adding associate attorneys.

Holtz noted that the disparity in ages sets this partnership apart from other Los Angeles-area firms that have specialized in this casework over the decades. While he can easily connect with victims assaulted or harassed decades ago, Holtz said Matthews can better relate to younger clients with more recent allegations.

“It’s a very interesting dynamic because most of the firms that do this, they started 40 years ago,” he added.

Matthews acknowledged his relatively young legal career but noted he has nearly 20 total years of working in the entertainment space to inform his work.

“Mike has been an incredible mentor and colleague. I’m very proud to call him a partner at this point,” Matthews said, adding, “We handle very sizable cases against some of the biggest people out there. Mike has experience that is second to none.”