PATRICK W. DENNIS

, 55

FIRM: Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

LAW SCHOOL: UCLA

CLIENTS: Lincoln Property Co., Occidental Chemical Co., Athens Disposal Co., Anheuser-Busch

Patrick W. Dennis had two engineering degrees when he went to law school in 1979. It was his goal to use that technical background toward becoming an environmental attorney.

“I thought it would be a challenging legal career because it would bring together cutting-edge and high-stakes issues,” he said. “With climate change, environmental law is back in the forefront. People on the street are interested in environmental issues. It’s a terrific area to be in. What I’m doing today is not what I was doing five years ago and won’t be what I’ll be doing five years from now.”

Dennis, chairman of Gibson Dunn’s environmental practice, has had a hand in some of Los Angeles’ highest-profile matters, including representing developers in Playa Vista.

He also represented law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP in its defense against the Los Angeles Unified School District, which sued its former counsel for $200 million in malpractice relating to the development of Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, formerly known as the Belmont project.

Part of the school site covered an oil field and a fault line, and the school district claimed O’Melveny didn’t properly represent it in the acquisition and development of the property. Dennis and his team prevailed on behalf of O’Melveny on summary judgment.

In addition to his high-stakes cases, Dennis takes time out to serve as a Los Angeles County lifeguard in Malibu several times a year.

“I’m a firm believer that everybody needs not only sports and hobbies but an avocation, a second calling, if you will,” said Dennis. “What could be better than rescuing people in the ocean? And it encourages me to stay in good physical shape.”