Most Highly Regarded Firms: California 2009 - Business Crime Defence
Ten new entries in this chapter reflect the increasing importance of this practice area and the strength of the California white-collar Bar.
It remains clear that a starting point for many of the practitioners in this chapter is the US Department of Justice - with many of the individuals below serving as United States attorney or assistant attorney prior to entering private practice. Fifty lawyers from 31 firms feature in this chapter.
Bird Marella Boxer Wolpert Nessim Drooks & Lincenberg is one of a number of firms in this edition that specialises in white-collar criminal litigation. It has four practitioners listed here, more than any other firm. Terry Bird is widely regarded to have a "first tier reputation" and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL ). Bird has defended clients in some of the country's highest-profile prosecutions. Another member of the ACTL and "prominent name" is Vincent Marella. Marella is a founding partner of the firm and a former national chairman of the American Bar Association's (ABA) committee on white-collar crime. Ronald Nessim is currently co-executive director of that committee and is "really very good" according to multiple sources. The final representative of the firm in this edition is Gary Lincenberg. Lincenberg gives back to the Bar through his roles as chairman of the ABA Southern California regional white-collar crime committee and is a keen speaker on business crime topics. Competitors were quick to note the prominence of the firm, which boasts "a formidable collection of individual talent and skill".
Lightfoot Vandevelde Sadowsky Crouchley Rutherford & Levine merged with Crowell & Moring LLP in October 2008. John Vandevelde heads the Los Angeles office and is part of the firm's white-collar and securities litigation group. He formerly served as assistant US attorney in Los Angeles, has a practice dedicated to white-collar criminal defence and is a long-time Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Michael Lightfoot and Janet Levine complete the impressive showing, both receiving rapturous praise from their peers. One source noted that Levine "has the ability to see straight to the heart of any matter" and praised Lightfoot's "great practice", which is enviably successful. Levine is one of the practice area's most highly nominated individuals, alongside John Keker of Keker & Van Nest LLP. Keker is a founder of the 65-strong white-collar and complex civil litigation boutique. He is "one of California's most recognised names for white-collar criminal defence" and a Fellow of the ACTL. He is joined in this edition by Jan Nielsen Little and Elliot Peters. Little served as lead trial counsel in the nation's first criminal stock options backdating case in 2007 and was described by one respondent as "extremely strong". Peters, like Little, spent four years as an assistant United States attorney and brings his stellar reputation to private practice.
Jones Day is an international firm with a firm footing in the Californian market. It finds three of its lawyers in this edition, one of whom is among the most highly recommended practitioners in the research: Brian Sun is a former assistant US attorney, who served as head of a federal task force targeting sophisticated money laundering operations. Brian O'Neill who practises alongside Sun in the Los Angeles office and John Cline in San Francisco also feature on our list. Cline was co-counsel for Lewis ‘Scooter' Libby in his criminal trial in Washington, DC, which reinforces his reputation as a "heavy hitter".
Jerry Coughlan, Robert Semmer and Michael Lipman, the three founding partners of Coughlan Semmer & Lipman LLP, featured prominently in our survey. Both Coughlan and Lipman are Fellows of the ACTL and received the Justice Department's ‘Directors Award' while federal prosecutors in the early 1980s. Semmer is regarded by his peers as "top tier" and was assistant US attorney in first Chicago and then San Diego from 1972 to 1983. During his time in San Diego he specialised in white-collar and corporate prosecutions. Munger Tolles & Olson LLP also provides us with three names in this chapter. Brad Brian is "one of the best around" for white-collar work, according to one source. He has been involved in some of the most high-profile lawsuits and government investigations in the country. Richard Drooyan is a former chief assistant United States attorney and Bart Williams was also assistant United States attorney in the central district of California. Williams is also experienced in conducting internal corporate investigations, having worked for companies across the globe.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has three practitioners in this edition, thanks to Nicola Hanna and Debra Yang, who join the "fantastic" Thomas Holliday in this chapter for the first time. Holliday co-chairs the firm's white collar defence and investigations practice, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Hanna served as a federal prosecutor in Southern California for eight years, including two posts as assistant United States attorney. Hanna has represented clients ranging from a major US Bank targeted in a federal criminal investigation of alleged money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations, to a city councilwoman in a federal grand jury investigation of insider trading and mail fraud. Yang is co-chair of the firm's crisis management group and the white collar defence and investigations practice. She brings a distinguished government career to bear in her private practice and is well known for her service as United States attorney for the Central District of California. She was also appointed to President Bush's Corporate Fraud Task Force and was chair of the Attorney General's advisory committees on cyber/intellectual property and civil rights.
O'Melveny & Myers LLP partner James Asperger is based in the LA office and put in a strong performance in this year's research. He is the chair of the white-collar defence and corporate investigations practice and is "extremely well regarded". During his time in government, Asperger served as chief of the major frauds section of the Los Angeles US Attorney's Office. He is joined on the following pages by Daniel Bookin in the San Francisco office. Bookin has acted for clients in a number of state and federal investigations in the mutual fund industry. Bryan Daly and Marc Harris represent Mayer Brown LLP. Daly enjoyed a decorated career as a federal prosecutor prior to entering private practice and has a "glowing reputation" as a trial lawyer and for conducting internal investigations and compliance inquiries for corporations. Harris is a new entrant in this edition and was consistently recommended to researchers.
Mark Holscher flies the flag for Kirkland & Ellis LLP and is one of the research's most recognised and nominated names. The "exceptional" Holscher served as an assistant US attorney for the central district of California and was one of the trial lawyers for Jeffrey Skilling's criminal prosecution relating to the collapse of Enron. Mark Beck of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP remains "one of the best" in the eyes of his competitors. He was inducted into the ACTL in 2004, and in June 2008 he was a panellist at the C5 Internal and Regulatory Investigations Program where he spoke on public relations during corporate investigations.
Richard Marmaro at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP was a "surefire inclusion". For the second year he appears in the upper ranks of our research. Marmaro is the head of the firm's West Coast SEC enforcement and white-collar defence practice. George O'Connell and Charles Stevens from Stevens & O'Connell LLP represent their firm in this chapter. Stevens & O'Connell specialises in complex civil litigation and business crime investigations. Both O'Connell and Stevens served as US attorneys for the Eastern District of California.
La Bella & McNamara LLP is another "very strong" litigation boutique; name partner Charles La Bella has the benefit of 16 years' experience as a federal prosecutor and was described to researchers as "the real deal". McDermott Will & Emery LLP can again find Gordon Greenberg in this chapter. Greenberg practises in the Los Angeles office and recently served as the chairman of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's white-collar crime committee. James Sanders joins Greenberg on the following pages.
Howrey LLP is home to Jan Handzlik, a "fantastic trial lawyer". Handzlik is recognised for his dedication to the Bar, participating heavily in the ABA's national white-collar crime committee, of which he is a former chairman. Handzlik also served as an assistant United States attorney. Cristina Arguedas of Arguedas Cassman & Headley LLP justifies her reputation as a "living legend" in the white-collar criminal defence sector. She is a Fellow of the ACTL and has defended officials from Enron, Tosco and British Petroleum - to name but a few. Arguedas was praised during our research and described as "highly efficient and extremely effective".
Corbin Fitzgerald & Athey LLP is a boutique litigation firm based in Los Angeles. It focuses on white-collar criminal defence and business litigation and is represented here by Robert Corbin. The "teriffic" John Potter is the co-chair of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges LLP's white-collar and corporate investigations practice. Prior to entering private practice Potter was an assistant US attorney and he concentrates on securities fraud, antitrust and health-care litigation.
Clarence & Dyer LLP's Nanci Clarence is another highly experienced practitioner. Clarence is a former assistant federal public defender and a "stunning trial lawyer" who has represented senior executives from Enron, Homestore.com and Critical Path. Robert Brewer is McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP's managing partner for the San Diego office. He is a Fellow of the ACTL and "immensely respected". Equally esteemed is sole practitioner David Wiechert.
Michael Shepard joined Hogan & Hartson LLP from Heller Ehrman LLP, which dissolved in September 2008. Shepard led Heller's white-collar criminal defence practice and brings his "fantastic reputation" to the table at his new firm.
Douglas Young from Farella Braun + Martel LLP has a solid reputation for representing clients in criminal antitrust matters. He has served as chair of the federal criminal procedure committee and chair of the Northern California state committee for the ACTL. The "brilliant" William Goodman in the San Francisco office of Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP features in this chapter alongside Brian Hennigan, who heads the white-collar crime defence practice at Irell & Manella LLP and David Scheper from Overland Borenstein Scheper & Kim LLP - a "well-known name" at a "respected firm".
Stephen Mansfield is a new entry for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, who featured prominently in the research. He is the partner in charge of the San Francisco office and is one of 10 new entries in this chapter. John Hemann from Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, David Schindler of Latham & Watkins LLP and Robert Tarun from Baker & McKenzie also make their first appearances in this chapter. Each received sufficient nominations to place them among the leading business crime lawyers in the state. Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Hemann was a member of the DoJ's Enron Task Force. He was lead trial counsel on the prosecution and guilty plea of Andrew Fastow and co-lead counsel in the investigation and indictment of Kenneth Lay. Schindler is co-chair of Latham's white-collar and government investigations practice, and Tarun was chair of the ACTL's federal criminal procedure committee.