Baradaran, Bob — Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger

THE LATEST: Baradaran has been working on an approximately 2-million-square-foot mixed-use development for a historical downtown site. He has become special counsel to the city of Beverly Hills, advising on development projects, including developer financing and community impacts such as parking, housing and affordable housing.

BACKGROUND: Baradaran acts as outside general counsel to companies, funds, family offices and wealthy entrepreneurs in real estate, hospitality, sports, technology and entertainment. His notable cases include representing Shelly Sterling in the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer and negotiating a $1.6 billion luxury hotel and condominium development project for the city of Beverly Hills. Other clients have included Costco, Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes and Sports Club/LA.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Bass, Adam — Buchalter

THE LATEST: Under Bass’ leadership, Buchalter has expanded to nine offices in recent years, including in Napa Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, San Diego and Portland, Ore. The firm has more than 300 attorneys. Bass recently presented at Sandpiper Partners’ annual Los Angeles Legal Market 2020.

BACKGROUND: Bass joined Buchalter in 1993 and has led the firm since 2013. He chairs the family office and wealth management practice group and co-chairs the social media influencers industry group. His practice includes representation of companies of all sizes and financial institutions in both transactional and litigation matters. Bass handles general business matters for corporate clients, and his experience includes corporate, loan workouts, creditors’ rights, real property, labor relations, public contracting and regulatory compliance.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Beaubien, James — Latham & Watkins

THE LATEST: In 2019, Beaubien advised Cerner Corp., a health care information and technology company, in a settlement with Starboard Value. The activist hedge fund had been buying up Cerner’s common stock and pushing for a stock buyback, more independent board members and improved operations.

BACKGROUND: Beaubien focuses on strategic, financial, public and private transactions, as well as corporate governance, takeover defense planning, securities, consumer products, media and entertainment, health care, and real estate. He advised Da Vita Inc., the largest provider of kidney care services in the U.S., in the $4.34 billion sale of subsidiary DaVita Medical Group to Optum Inc., a leading health services company. Other clients have included Live Nation Inc., Mattel Inc., Leonard Green & Partners, Saban Capital Group, Shamrock Holdings Inc., Crown Resorts Ltd., Kilroy Realty Corp., Farmer Bros. Co. and Moelis & Co. He has a BA from Princeton and a JD from UCLA.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 4

Berman, Daniel — Wood Smith Henning & Berman

THE LATEST: Under Berman, the firm added two offices in 2019 and saw its national footprint grow to 26 offices with more than 300 lawyers. In addition, Wood Smith Henning & Berman continued to expand its global reach through its exclusive association with international legal services provider DWF.

BACKGROUND: One of four founding partners at WSHB, Berman has served for the past seven years as the firm’s chairman overseeing organic growth, diversification of business, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. WSHB has consistently ranked as one of the top national firms in annual growth as well as diversity. Berman is internationally known for his use of creative alternative fee agreements and other innovative methods of delivering legal services. His clients include Fortune 500 companies and mid-market businesses in the real estate, corporate, technology and entertainment sectors.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Booth, Susan — Holland & Knight

THE LATEST: Booth has closed real estate deals totaling $1 billion each of the last several years. In 2020, she was named as a Super Lawyer for the 10th consecutive year by the Super Lawyers rating service.

BACKGROUND: Booth has a national real estate practice focused primarily on transactions involving data centers, hotels, office buildings, multifamily developments, shopping centers, industrial parks, senior-living centers and mixed-use projects. Her capital markets experience includes commercial mortgage-backed security and portfolio loans, syndication and participation arrangements, joint venture agreements and mortgage loan portfolio sales, and acquisitions. She also assists mortgage and mezzanine lenders, equity investors, and borrowers with nonperforming assets. Booth is a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and past chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association real property section. She has a BA from Stanford, and an MBA and JD from UCLA.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Briones, Joshua — Mintz

THE LATEST: Briones has served as lead defense counsel on more than 500 nationwide class actions in state and federal courts. He specializes in the defense of companies sued for alleged improper call recording, personal information collection, fraudulent and/or deceptive charges, negative options, disclosure issues, direct marketing, mobile and electronic commerce platforms, loyalty programs, and other promotions practices. Briones is well-versed in substantive privacy and marketing laws, regulations, and best practices. He uses his insight to design and implement compliant marketing programs for clients. 

BACKGROUND: The son of immigrant farm workers from Mexico, Briones today is the managing partner of an AmLaw 100 firm. He has successfully defended class actions on behalf of Sabre Inc., the Los Angeles Lakers, Cavaliers Operating Co., Pay Pal Inc., eBay Inc., CVS Pharmacy, Walmart Inc., Styles for Less Inc., Yelp Inc. and Hendrick Automotive Group. Briones holds a BA from San Diego State, a JD from UCLA and an LLM from NYU.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Brown, Kathleen — Manatt Phelps & Phillips

THE LATEST: Brown’s practice focuses on business counseling as well as government and regulatory affairs in connection with the health care, real estate and financial service industries. She is chairwoman of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles board and the Annenberg Foundation’s Investment Committee. Brown also serves on Sempra Energy Corp’s board.

BACKGROUND: Brown, a former treasurer for the state of California, is the daughter of former Gov. Pat Brown and sister of former Gov. Jerry Brown and was a Democratic gubernatorial candidate herself. Before joining Manatt, Brown worked at Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs & Co. She was a commissioner of the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works. As state treasurer, she managed $25 billion in bonds and a $32 billion cash management fund.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Capps, William — Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell

THE LATEST: As partner and chairman of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell’s corporate department, Capps represents some of the firm’s higher visibility corporate, insurance and banking clients. His areas of expertise include securities matters such as mergers and acquisitions, and representation of special committees, corporate governance for international nonprofits, international dispute resolution, real estate and building materials companies, corporate finance, franchising, litigation management and health care transactions. His experience includes serving substantial corporate clients as outside general counsel.

BACKGROUND:  Capps has represented Fortune 500 and nonprofit companies in all aspects of international transactions as well as prominent families in Southern California in matters of business and personal and succession planning. He has also represented the building materials industry and has been involved with strategic litigation management for major disputes. Capps earned a BA from Whittier College in 1968 and a JD from UC Berkeley Law School in 1973.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Chopra, Apalla — O’Melveny & Myers

THE LATEST: Chopra’s practice focuses on employers across many industries and labor disputes. She represented the California State University system in a class-action lawsuit challenging student suspensions and expulsions over allegations of sexual misconduct on grounds of insufficient due process. Chopra is leading various companies’ strategic responses to government investigations over gender discrimination allegations and advising insurer Chubb in a nationwide wage and hourly work class action. Her work also involves negotiating collective bargaining agreements and executive employment contracts.

BACKGROUND:  Chopra is an authority in the national dialogue over sexual harassment. She conducts independent investigations at the request of client companies, boards and special committees. Chopra serves as chairwoman of O’Melveny & Myers’ labor and employment practice and its colleges and universities industry group.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Cohen, Noel — Polsinelli

THE LATEST: Cohen is the managing partner of Polsinelli’s Los Angeles office and vice chairman of the firm’s commercial litigation practice. Under his leadership, the office has more than doubled its headcount since 2016, when he assumed the role.  

BACKGROUND:  Cohen has been with Polsinelli for six years and represents clients in complex commercial litigation, employment litigation and consumer class actions. His clients come from a range of industries, including food and beverage, finance, technology, hospitality, sports, apparel and entertainment. Before joining Polsinelli, Cohen was a litigation partner at Manatt Phelps & Phillips. He also regularly volunteers with Public Counsel’s Federal Pro Se Clinic, and is a member of the board of C5LA, an organization that works with high-potential teens from under-resourced communities to prepare them for leadership roles in school, college, work and their communities. Cohen holds a BS from Tulane and a JD from Emory University School of Law.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

De Vries, Michael — Kirkland & Ellis

THE LATEST: An experienced litigator with a deep intellectual property specialization, De Vries was recognized in 2019 by the Daily Journal’s California Lawyer of the Year Awards for his successful representation of Cisco Systems Inc. in its long-running IP battle against Arista Networks Inc. The Daily Journal also named De Vries to its 2019 list of top intellectual property lawyers.

BACKGROUND: De Vries, who joined Kirkland & Ellis in 2011, represents clients in intellectual property disputes, particularly technology companies in patent litigation. He has handled trials and other litigation-related matters involving patent, trademark and copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, false advertising and unfair competition. De Vries received a BA from UC Berkeley and a JD from Berkeley Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Fox, Adam — Squire Patton Boggs

THE LATEST: Fox leads the false advertising litigation and protection practice at Squire Patton Boggs. In addition, he heads the firm’s food and beverage litigation practice. Fox also has experience in cross-border commercial matters and those involving alleged environmental contamination and exposure. He is qualified to practice in California and New York, and handles disputes abroad. 

BACKGROUND:  Fox specializes in class-action and multidistrict litigation, environmental, safety and health litigation, false and misleading advertising litigation and protection, and food and beverage litigation. Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, he served as a judicial clerk for the late Robert Krupansky in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Fox has a BA from the University of Colorado and a JD from Cornell University.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Gilford, Lisa — Sidley Austin

THE LATEST: Adept at managing crisis litigation coupled with collateral challenges such as public relations issues, Gilford is a top trial lawyer. In the last year, she successfully settled a case against her client, the National Basketball Association, was retained by Honda to handle 14 class actions in connection with allegedly defective automobile airbags and is representing Universal Music Group in a landmark copyright infringement case.

BACKGROUND: Before joining Sidley Austin in 2019, Gilford served as lead class action counsel for Toyota, defending an array of “unintended acceleration” class-action and personal injury actions that included dismissal decisions in 14 countries. The automaker also dealt with congressional inquiries, regulatory scrutiny and securities litigation. Gilford now serves on Sidley’s Diversity Committee for its greater Los Angeles office and its California Consumer Privacy Act litigation task force. She has a BA from Furman University, a JD from USC’s Gould School of Law, and an LLM from Georgetown University Law Center.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Glaser, Patricia — Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro

THE LATEST: Glaser is considered one of the preeminent trial lawyers for studios, production companies, creative executives and A-list celebrities who need to solve their issues through negotiation or litigation. She was inducted into the California Lawyers Association’s Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame in 2019.

BACKGROUND: Glaser’s clients have included major Hollywood studios, Fortune 500 companies, real estate investors and developers, financial institutions, and high-profile public figures such as Kirk Kerkorian, Keith Olbermann and Conan O’Brien. Glaser clerked for U.S. District Judge David Williams after graduating from Rutgers Law School. She serves on several nonprofit boards and contributes to local charities including Center Theatre Group and Geffen Playhouse.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Goldstein, Justin — Sklar Kirsh

THE LATEST: Goldstein chairs the litigation practice group at Sklar Kirsh, where he is also a member of the firm’s management committee. He has extensive experience on business, entertainment and intellectual property disputes as well as in arbitration. Goldstein’s litigation experience includes unfair competition disputes, partnership and shareholder claims, right of publicity and privacy, First Amendment, accounting and profit participation, fiduciary duties and personal service contracts.  

BACKGROUND:  Goldstein began his career at Katten Muchin Rosenman before moving to O’Melveny & Myers, where he spent 10 years. He then spent seven years at Carlsmith Ball. Goldstein has represented Fortune 500 companies and entertainment industry businesses in commercial and intellectual property matters. He has a BA from Brandeis University and a JD from USC’s Gould School of Law.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Hueston, John — Hueston Hennigan

THE LATEST: Hueston is in demand for high-profile cases and clients. His recent cases include representing Bill McGlashan, founder of TPG Growth, in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions case; the Peter Thiel-backed data company Palantir; and Tesla founder Elon Musk in his battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged improper tweeting. Since 2018, Hueston has chaired Sen. Kamala Harris’ judicial commission for the Central District of California and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also co-chairs the ABA’s white-collar crime committee.

BACKGROUND: Hueston founded Hueston Hennigan with Brian Hennigan in 2015. Hueston earned acclaim in the U.S. Attorney’s office when he served as co-lead prosecutor in the case against executives at Enron Corp. He also secured a $5.15 billion settlement after a 2012 trial on behalf of the Tronox Trust against Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Kerr-McGee Corp. for environmental liabilities. Hueston’s clients have included Bill Koch, Sumner Redstone, Alec Baldwin and Fortune 500 companies such as Walt Disney Co. and Amazon.com Inc.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Kieffer, George David — Manatt Phelps & Phillips 

THE LATEST: Kieffer leads Manatt Phelps & Phillips’ government and regulatory practice and is involved in both litigation and transactions. He was included in the peer-reviewed 2020 Best Lawyers in America list for his work in administrative/regulatory law. He also serves as chairman of the board of regents for the University of California. 

BACKGROUND: In addition to being considered one of the city’s leading lawyers, Kieffer is a principal co-author of the Los Angeles Charter. He advises clients and public officials on the charter and administrative code as well as government contracts, procurement and public policy issues. He has served as a counselor to Los Angeles mayors and California governors. Kieffer is chairman of the Los Angeles Civic Alliance, is a former two-time chairman of the board for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and is a former presidentvof the board of governors of California Community Colleges.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Labat, Germain — Greenspoon Marder

THE LATEST: Labat, who joined Greenspoon Marder in 2019, is a partner with the firm’s litigation practice group. He has more than 20 years of experience, including numerous jury and bench trials. Labat recently represented a leading entertainment industry workforce management and production software provider seeking more than $10 million in damages for fraud and breach of contract. 

BACKGROUND:  Labat’s clients include both public and privately held companies in industries such as financial services, cosmetics, health care, food and beverage, commercial real estate, energy, retail and technology. He is on the board of L.A. Works, which creates and implements hands-on community service projects throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Lanin, Ari — Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

THE LATEST: Lanin has worked on a succession of big-ticket transactions in recent years, including advising on the $1.8 billion worth of capital raised by Quibi, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s recently launched short-form video streaming service tailored for mobile phones. Lanin also helped guide Platinum Equity’s 2019 carve-out acquisition of Lonza Group’s global water care business.

BACKGROUND:  Lanin advises companies, private equity firms and investment banks in public and private merger transactions, sales of stock and assets, and joint ventures and strategic partnership. He is co-chairman of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher’s private equity practice group. Lanin has handled complex long-term investments and acquisitions for Katzenberg’s WndrCo Holdings since its 2017 formation. He also advised Chernin Group’s sale of Otter Media Holdings to AT&T Inc. in a transaction worth a reported $1 billion.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Larson, Stephen — Larson O’Brien

THE LATEST: Larson’s clients are in entertainment, technology, financial services, real estate, health care, and energy and natural resources. He represents former USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal, and an Academy Award winner in a contract dispute with a producer. He also served as the special master and discovery referee in opioid litigation brought by various jurisdictions in California against pharmaceutical makers.

BACKGROUND: Larson founded Larson O’Brien with Robert O’Brien in 2016. The firm represents individuals, government entities and businesses in trials, appeals, arbitrations and internal investigations. Larson represented witnesses in investigations into Russian election interference. He was a federal prosecutor from 1991 to 2000, serving as chief of the organized crime section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. He then spent nearly 10 years as a federal judge, serving as both a U.S. magistrate judge and a U.S. district judge, appointed by President George W. Bush.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Lewis, Steven — Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

THE LATEST: Lewis Brisbois, one of L.A.’s largest firms, last year expanded its downtown office space in the U.S. Bank Tower. As co-managing partner of the L.A. office and a member of the firm’s management committee, Lewis oversees more than 650 employees, including 300 attorneys, as well as hubs for Lewis Brisbois’ accounting, human resources and finance departments.

BACKGROUND: As a litigator, Lewis’ practice focuses on products liability and international practices, with an emphasis on claims brought against manufacturers, distributors and retailers. That includes the areas of automotive, tire, pharmaceutical, food-borne illness, industrial and mechanical machinery, as well as catastrophic general liability cases. Lewis earned a BS from UCLA and a JD from Pepperdine University.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Liner, Stuart — DLA Piper

THE LATEST: Liner specializes in settling complex cases and earning large contingency fees. He joined DLA Piper in 2017 after it acquired Liner, the boutique firm he founded in 1996. Since the merger, Liner has helped expand DLA’s footprint across California.

BACKGROUND:  Liner is experienced in litigation and complex issues and transactions, in which he is frequently retained to broker resolutions. In addition, he has successfully launched a number of business ventures with clients in the areas of entertainment and media, real estate and other core investments. Liner has a BA Cum Laude from San Diego State University and a JD from Loyola Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 4

Lubert, Jana — Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

THE LATEST: In addition to her role as co-managing partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Lubert is general counsel to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith. She led the formation of the firm’s Women’s Initiative committee to provide development and marketing resources for Lewis Brisbois’ women attorneys. She also co-chairs the firm’s insurance law and directors and officer’s coverage practices.

BACKGROUND: Lubert represents insurance companies in litigation, arbitration and mediation regarding management, professional and employment practices, and liability insurance products. She has more than 30 years of experience as coverage counsel and monitoring counsel in securities litigation and employment related claims. Lubert holds a JD from Loyola Law School and a BA from UCLA.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Mallow, Michael — Shook Hardy & Bacon

THE LATEST: In 2019, Mallow was one of three Sidley Austin partners who joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon to open the firm’s first Los Angeles office. Mallow is a commercial litigator and trial attorney whose practice focuses heavily on defending consumer class and regulatory actions.

BACKGROUND: Mallow has experience around economic product defects, unfair competition, false and deceptive advertising, business torts, privacy, entertainment, and intellectual property. He defended the first enforcement action by the Federal Trade Commission related to the National Do Not Call Registry. Mallow’s career includes stops at Kirpatrick & Lockhart and Loeb & Loeb. He earned his JD at George Washington University Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Mikulka, Yuri — Alston & Bird

THE LATEST: Mikulka successfully defended a matter that was selected as one of the “Top Verdicts” in 2019 by the Daily Journal. The case involved trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition claims related to telehealth hearing-aid technology filed against one of the world’s largest hearing-aid manufacturers.

BACKGROUND: An expert in intellectual property law with more than 20 years of experience, Mikulka serves as lead counsel on high-stakes litigation and trials and provides intellectual property counseling to companies on digital technology, product development and brand protection strategies. Mikulka, who joined Alston & Bird in 2019, serves on the executive committee of the L.A. chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She has a BA from UC Irvine and a JD from Pepperdine Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Miller, Louis “Skip” — Miller Barondess

THE LATEST: Miller represents clients ranging from celebrities to Fortune 500 companies to governments in litigation. An accomplished trial lawyer, Miller has tried cases in state and federal courts. His areas of expertise include securities, sports, entertainment, defamation and First Amendment issues, corporate takeovers, and investment banking.

BACKGROUND: Miller has handled complex real estate litigation for companies such as KB Home, Prudential Financial Inc. and East West Bank. His celebrity clients include Rod Stewart, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Sean Connery. In 2018, Miller was instrumental in securing a nearly $120 million settlement in the case surrounding the October 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak — the biggest natural-gas leak in U.S. history.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Pachulski, Richard — Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones

THE LATEST: Pachulski’s 2020 has been filled with work on the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing by Faraday Future founder Yueting Jia, who has been referred to as the “Steve Jobs of China.” Jia is seeking to restructure approximately $4 billion of debt. Previously, Pachulski worked on the successful Chapter 11 reorganization of Woodbridge Group of Cos. and as debtor’s counsel in Fuse, a media company that owns two cable networks.

BACKGROUND: Pachulski has more than 40 years of experience representing, debtors and creditors’ committees in both out-of-court workouts and in-court proceedings. He served as lead bankruptcy counsel to Lehman Brothers in a $2 billion dispute, and has been part of the corporate restructurings of American Suzuki Motor Corp., Solyndra, and Mesa Airlines Inc. Pachulski has been named a fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy and an Attorney of the Year by American Lawyer Media’s Recorder.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Petrocelli, Daniel — O’Melveny & Myers

THE LATEST: Long considered one of the top lawyers in Hollywood, Petrocelli in 2019 achieved a major victory as lead counsel for AT&T and Time Warner. After an earlier lower court decision in the companies’ favor, a federal appeals court rejected the government’s second attempt to thwart the companies’ $100 billion merger. In another recent case, Petrocelli successfully represented Twentieth Century Fox in litigation against Netflix for recruiting Fox executives.

BACKGROUND: Perhaps best known for his $33.5 million win in a civil case against O.J. Simpson, Petrocelli is chairman of O’Melveny’s trial practice committee. He has represented clients in sports, entertainment, intellectual property, unfair competition, business torts, securities, employment law and criminal defense.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Phillips, Stacy — Blank Rome

THE LATEST: Over the past year, Philips has been recognized for outstanding work by Chambers High Net Worth, Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 Leading Family Lawyers list, and Super Lawyers’ Top 10 women lawyers list.

BACKGROUND: Phillips is a nationally recognized family law practitioner, handling primarily high-net-worth and high-profile divorce cases. She has more than 35 years of experience in every facet of family law, including complex divorce actions, custody cases, domestic violence matters, same-sex divorce and paternity cases. Phillips is a contributing writer, editorial consultant and commentator for legal and consumer publications. She is certified as a family law specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5

Post, Jennifer — Thompson Coburn

THE LATEST: Post was named managing partner of Thompson Coburn’s Los Angeles office in July, succeeding Barry Weisz. She plans to expand the firm’s service offerings in real estate, technology, labor and employment, litigation, financial services and health care. 

BACKGROUND: Post is a member of Thompson Coburn’s corporate and securities group and its management committee. She is the first LGBTQ attorney to serve as an office managing partner in the firm’s history. Post joined the firm in 2016 and serves as primary outside counsel to a variety of entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and emerging companies as well as domestic and international public companies. Her practice encompasses general corporate and securities law. Post advises her company clients in capital raising, acquisitions, licensing and distribution, joint ventures and strategic partnerships.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Quinn, John — Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

THE LATEST: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has 23 offices around the world, with 800-plus lawyers who generated $1.2 billion in 2019 revenue. The firm has been ranked by The American Lawyer as the second-most profitable firm in the world. The firm has been defending the Vision Fund against lawsuits brought by WeWorks Co. Inc. founder Adam Neuman.

BACKGROUND: Quinn, who launched his firm in 1986, served as general counsel of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1987 to 2019. The National Law Journal named him among its “Litigation Trailblazers & Pioneers.” In addition to winning defense verdicts, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has recovered more than $50 billion in judgments and settlements since 2008. Quinn is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College and Harvard Law.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 4

Raines, Andrew — Raines Feldman

THE LATEST: Raines is an expert in commercial leasing with more than 30 years of experience. He represents real estate companies across the United States, and has helped institutional landlords and major tenants secure lease agreements at local, regional and national levels. Raines’ clients include private companies, U.S. and foreign government entities, and wealthy individuals and family offices. 

BACKGROUND: Raines advises his clients through every stage of commercial real estate investment, leasing and development transactions from inception through conclusion. His notable successes include negotiating more than 15 million square feet of office, retail and industrial leases on behalf of national and multinational tenants and landlords in major metropolitan markets. In addition, he has represented significant family offices in structuring and negotiating their asset acquisitions and allocations, entity formation and due diligence activities. Raines holds an AB from Princeton University and a JD from Georgetown University Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Richardson, Lyne — Ogletree Deakins

THE LATEST: Richardson, who has extensive expertise in labor and employment law, joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder in 2018. She was previously a managing partner at Ford Harrison’s Los Angeles office where she was an equity partner and practiced for nearly 20 years. 

BACKGROUND: Richardson is a litigator with 30 years of labor law experience at the state and federal level. She has defended companies in sexual harassment, discrimination, wage and hour, breach of contract and Americans with Disabilities Act cases. Richardson served in President Ronald Reagan’s White House as an intern and worked for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management before attending Loyola Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Rosenfeld, Jeffrey — Alston & Bird

THE LATEST: Recent achievements by Rosenfeld include a victory as lead arbitration counsel in a AAA arbitration for Zico Beverages. He was also lead trial counsel in a real estate matter in Los Angeles Superior Court that favorably settled after presentation of his client’s evidence at trial. Rosenfeld successfully argued before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after obtaining a dismissal of a real estate dispute on behalf of OpenGate Capital.

BACKGROUND: Rosenfeld focuses on trial and appellate litigation, with an emphasis on class actions and other complex commercial litigation. His experience includes class-action defense and high-stakes litigation in both state and federal courts. Rosenfeld has represented clients in manufacturing, food and beverage, hospitality, finance, internet and software, electronics, real estate, energy, and agriculture.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3

Russell, Jason — Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom

THE LATEST: As the leader of Skadden’s Los Angeles litigation group, Russell has litigated a number of high-profile sports and entertainment cases, as well as complex class actions. His clients have included the National Basketball Association, 21st Century Fox, MGA Entertainment Inc., and Priceline.com.

BACKGROUND: Russell’s litigation experience ranges from jury trials and appellate arguments to mediation and arbitration. He was named by the Daily Journal as one of the top 20 lawyers under the age of 40 in California and earned California Lawyer Attorney of the Year honors. Russell also helps guide Skadden’s pro bono efforts. He holds an AB from Occidental College and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Rutter, Paul — Cozen O’Connor

THE LATEST: Paul Rutter has been involved in several recent real estate transactions that are transforming Los Angeles. He represented the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for transit-oriented developments around the county and the Grand Avenue Joint Powers Authority in negotiations with the developer of the Grand Project, which is remaking the Bunker Hill area of downtown. 

BACKGROUND: In 1983, Rutter co-founded Gilchrist & Rutter, where he practiced until 2006. He then joined a publicly held real estate investment trust as an executive vice president, holding roles as president and then co-chief operating officer and general counsel from 2006 to 2014. At Cozen O’Connor, Rutter represents clients in real estate and general business transactions including development, financing, leasing, acquisition, and disposition of office, hotel, retail, mixed-use and industrial properties as well as business formation, private equity investments and general business transactions.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Sagerman, Eric — BakerHostetler

THE LATEST: Since joining BakerHostetler in 2019, Sagerman has been leading efforts to recruit lawyers to the firm’s Los Angeles office. His practice focuses on clients in major corporate bankruptcies and restructurings, including distressed capital raising and workouts, along with general company and creditor matters.

BACKGROUND: In addition to his work on restructurings, Sagerman focuses on banking and financial services, telecommunications, fiduciary litigation, transportation, manufacturing and consumer products. He helped clients work through the meltdown of the telecommunications industry and the 2007-2008 subprime housing crisis. Sagerman co-authored the book “Creditors’ Rights in Bankruptcy” (2nd ed.). Before joining BakerHostetler, Sagerman was managing partner of Winston & Strawn’s L.A. office. Sagerman has a JD from UCLA School of Law and a BA from UC Santa Barbara and the London School of Economics.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Simonian, Nicole — Crowell & Moring

THE LATEST: Simonian, who specializes in international trade law, joined Crowell & Moring in 2019 after 14 years at Bryan Cave. She is co-chairwoman of Crowell & Moring’s international trade practice and head of international employment/global mobility. In January, Simonian was elected to the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce board. She was already serving on the Chamber’s World Trade Week Committee and will continue in that role.

BACKGROUND: Simonian has more than 20 years of international and trade and cross border transactional experience. She has significant background as a strategic adviser and often serves as outside general counsel for companies with their market entry and global business expansion, operations and dispositions worldwide. Simonian has deep experience with Asian markets including China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, India and Taiwan. In addition to her legal practice, Simonian is a director of Crowell & Moring’s China consulting subsidiary, CMI Shanghai. She received a BA from UCLA and a JD from Loyola Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Streisand, Adam — Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton

“THE LATEST: A litigator handling private wealth and business disputes, Streisand won a trial decision placing real estate mogul Thomas Tedesco in a conservatorship. Streisand’s work further prevented undue influencers from disinheriting his clients, Tedesco’s three daughters, who also prevailed on related matters. Streisand was also victorious in litigation involving the trust of Donald Simon, sole surviving heir of billionaire industrialist and philanthropist Norton Simon.

BACKGROUND:  Streisand repped former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer in legal work that paved the way for Ballmer’s $2 billion purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. He also successfully represented Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss in litigation over her right to control the team. Streisand scored other courtroom victories for the estates of Ray Charles and Marlon Brando, as well as for Katherine Jackson in the estate of Michael Jackson, Larry Birkhead in the estate of Anna Nicole Smith, and Britney Spears in her conservatorship proceedings.

YEARS ON THE LA 500: 3

Strickland, Julia — Strook & Strook & Lavan

THE LATEST: Strickland leads a broad national practice that focuses on defense of class actions and other complex litigation, and works to develop settlement structure options that are unique to each case.

BACKGROUND: An experienced and highly respected litigator, Strickland’s clients include JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, TransUnion, Discover, American Express, Citigroup, HSBC, PayPal, BMW Financial Services, Zappos and Synchrony Bank. She has been named one of California’s top women lawyer’s for 14 consecutive years by the Daily Journal. Strickland received her BA from UC San Diego and a JD from UCLA.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Tangri, Shiraz — Meyers Nave

THE LATEST: In January, Tangri was named a principal at Meyers Nave. He recently successfully represented the City of Los Angeles against a challenge to the $1 billion Crossroads Hollywood project, one of the area’s largest real estate developments. Tangri also represents the University of California in capital and housing projects including UCLA’s 2028 Olympic Village project.

BACKGROUND: Tangri has counseled the Broad museum on its redevelopment obligations, assisted the La Plaza de Cultura y Artes museum and has been an advocate of the downtown Streetcar Revival project. He specializes in complex, multiparty and multisite land use development and litigation. Tangri, who was born in India and emigrated to upstate New York as a child, has a BA from New York University and a JD from Georgetown University.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Turner, Ellisen — Kirkland & Ellis

THE LATEST: Turner is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ Intellectual Property Practice Group. His broad IP practice includes patent and trade secret litigation and intellectual property transactions.

BACKGROUND: Turner represents clients in complex commercial and intellectual property disputes in federal courts, as well as in U.S. International Trade Commission, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and domestic and international arbitrations. His practice areas are media and entertainment technology, software, telecom, semiconductor, biotechnology and life sciences. Before attending law school, Turner worked as a software engineer. He also handles patent and trade secret litigations and contested patent office proceedings, particularly inter partes review, from prelitigation to trial and appeal. Turner has been repeatedly appointed to the Judicial Elections Evaluations Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has a BA from New York University and a JD from the University of Michigan.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Vanzura, Glenn — Mayer Brown

THE LATEST: Vanzura won his most recent arbitration, a weeklong review of a real estate partnership dispute involving more than $50 million in alleged damages. A panel of arbitrators unanimously found in favor of Vanzura’s clients.

BACKGROUND: Vanzura focuses his practice on securities litigation, complex business litigation, white collar criminal defense and internal corporate investigations. He has represented AmLaw 100 law firms in legal malpractice and related matters and provided neutral party consultation to mediators in securities matters. Vanzura serves on the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee. He has a BA from UCLA and a JD from Stanford Law School.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

Weingarten, Alex — Venable

THE LATEST: A trial lawyer active in entertainment, trusts and estate litigation, Weingarten tackles business matters in dispute. Representing the adult children of the late rocker Tom Petty, he resolved an estate conflict with his clients’ stepmother in December. He has also recently represented Selena Gomez in a right of publicity claim and defended the music group 5 Seconds of Summer against a copyright infringement claim over the song “Youngblood.” Other clients include Anonymous Content, Fuse Media, Spotify, Vevo, Xponential Fitness, Universal Music Group, Will Ferrell and Brooke Shields.

BACKGROUND: Weingarten’s practice spans Hollywood talent, executives, entrepreneurs, companies and high-net-worth individuals, which often involves intellectual property ramifications. Representing a potentially huge music event that raced against the clock to launch on an anniversary, Weingarten advised Woodstock 50 that, after many twists and turns, it was unable to mount a revival of the fabled music festival.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 2

Wong Yang, Debra — Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

THE LATEST: Yang, the chairwoman of her firm’s crisis management group, has been advising USC in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal and has represented the Los Angeles Opera during the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against superstar tenor Placido Domingo. Yang is also advising a consumer product company in the face of Food and Drug Administration concerns about its products. She also represented the UC Board of Regents and UCLA in litigation claiming misconduct by an OB-GYN.

BACKGROUND: A former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Yang was the first Asian American woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney. She now works crisis representation, litigation, regulatory, compliance and white-collar defense cases and advises companies on public filings issues. She assisted the board of Johnson & Johnson in responding to shareholder complaints over talcum powder. Yang inaugurated her firm’s information technology and data privacy practice group, after having prosecuted one of the first computer hacking cases as a young assistant U.S. attorney.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 4

Zomorodi, Pardis — Latham & Watkins

THE LATEST: This year, Zomorodi assisted the Cheesecake Factory on a $200 million convertible preferred investment from affiliates of Roark Capital, as well as the restaurant company’s 2019 acquisition of Fox Restaurant Concepts. A transactional tax partner, Zomorodi focuses on M&A, regularly representing media and entertainment companies, REITs, private equity funds, investment banks, and public financings.

BACKGROUND: Zomorodi advised Entercom Communications Corp. in its $4 billion merger with CBS Radio, which created the second-largest radio company in the U.S. She also guided Virgin Galactic in its merger with Social Capital Hedosophia, creating the world’s first and only publicly traded commercial human spaceflight company. And Zomorodi helped Pimco in its acquisition of Gurtin Municipal Bond Management. She has a an LLM from NYU, and JD and a BA from the University of Florida.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1

See the full LA500 list and features in the 2020 LA500 Special Edition.