Prominent Business Trial Lawyers Announce New Firm

Hueston and Hennigan leave litigation powerhouse Irell & Manella, where they were partners and chairs of the Business Trials and Crisis Management practice and White Collar Defense practice. This trial-tested group will be uniquely focused on all facets of bet-the-company matters: civil litigation, both plaintiff and defense, and regulatory and white collar matters.

They are joined by an all-star group of departing Irell partners, including Marshall Camp, Alison Plessman, Moez Kaba and Doug Dixon, and by Alexander Giza, most recently a partner at Russ, August & Kabat.

"We intend to build a leading, national trial and litigation law firm, focusing on high-stakes civil and white collar cases, but with a significant commitment to pro bono and public impact matters," said Hennigan, who will serve as the firm's first managing partner. Hueston, a former lead Enron prosecutor, agreed. "This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to create a focused, national trial practice with the best lawyers I know," said Hueston.

Hennigan and Hueston emphasized that they have the highest regard for their former colleagues at Irell & Manella, which they expect to remain a leading firm.

News of the new firm was greeted enthusiastically by clients and prominent members of the bar.

Steve Zipperstein, General Counsel at BlackBerry Ltd., said "Hueston and Hennigan are two of the nation's top trial lawyers and legal strategists. They deliver superb results cost-effectively, while providing world class, highly responsive client service.  They are widely admired and respected by judges and lawyers across the country.  They are a General Counsel's Dream Team."

Melissa Scanlan, Senior Director for Litigation and Antitrust at T-Mobile USA Inc., said "Hueston and his team are an ideal choice for the toughest cases; the combined, concentrated trial talent of Hueston Hennigan makes this firm a top shelf litigation choice for virtually any high risk, complex matter. This move will enable this team to be more nimble and better able to focus on what really matters to clients - solving their most complex problems efficiently and effectively."

"They will be a national powerhouse competing with firms like Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Keker & Van Nest LLP, and Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP," said Peter Zeughauser with Zeughauser Group who advises law firms on strategy. "The boutique structure allows them a little more freedom to pursue the types of cases they want to."

Hueston Hennigan serves clients nationally from its offices in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. For more information, please visit www.hueston.com or call (213) 788-4340.

Additional background regarding the founding partners:

John Hueston has served as lead trial counsel for Fortune 500 companies, governments and individuals in a wide range of commercial matters, including business torts cases, contract disputes, securities and shareholder class actions, patent and trademark infringement cases, environmental cases and others.  Hueston, a former lead prosecutor for the Enron trial of Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, has been repeatedly recognized as a leading, "Band 1" white collar attorney by Chambers USA, where he has been described as "hard-driving, insightful and aggressive." The American Lawyer magazine has recognized Mr. Hueston as one of the nation's Top 50 Young Litigators and California Lawyer magazine has named him a "California Attorney of the Year." A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Hueston is a current national vice-chair of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee. Mr. Hueston was previously a partner at Irell & Manella, where he was Chair of the firm's Business Trial and Crisis Management practice. 

Brian Hennigan has more than two decades of experience as lead trial counsel in complex commercial disputes, including in the areas of securities, class actions, patent licensing, antitrust, unfair business practices and contract disputes. A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Hennigan has been repeatedly listed as a leading practitioner in Chambers USA, where he has been lauded for his "great ability to communicate with judges and juries." Mr. Hennigan has successfully represented individuals and corporations facing a wide array of challenges presented by federal prosecutors and investigating agencies. More recent representations have included the successful representations of individuals facing allegations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Sherman Act.  Mr. Hennigan served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California, where he was an Assistant Division Chief for the Criminal Division of that Office. In that position, he conducted numerous grand jury investigations, was lead trial counsel in over thirty trials, and successfully represented the United States in numerous appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. For his work in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mr. Hennigan received commendations from the Justice Departments, as well as from numerous government agencies. Mr. Hennigan was previously partner in the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella LLP, where he is Co-Chair of the firm's Corporate Crisis and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice and a member of the firm's Executive Committee.

Marshall Camp is a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he handled a wide range of white collar cases, including the successful trial of one of the largest criminal tax cases in U.S. history. Mr. Camp has extensive experience as lead or co-lead trial counsel in complex commercial and criminal cases.  He has successfully tried numerous civil and criminal cases in forums across the country, and has represented clients in a range of industries, including technology, entertainment, medical device, insurance, finance and others. Mr. Camp has been listed as one of the top attorneys under the age of 40 in a national ranking by Law360, and has been selected as a "Rising Star" for four years and profiled in a cover story by SuperLawyers magazine. Mr. Camp is a current national co-chair of the ABA White Collar Crime/Tax Fraud Subcommittee. Mr. Camp was previously a partner in the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella LLP.

Douglas Dixon has represented companies and individuals in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels and in arbitrations across the country. Mr. Dixon's practice encompasses a wide range of areas including white collar defense, intellectual property litigation, entertainment litigation, and high-stakes business disputes.  In 2014, Super Lawyers magazine named Mr. Dixon a Southern California "Rising Star."  Mr. Dixon began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward Rafeedie of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.  After clerking, Mr. Dixon was an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and then Irell & Manella LLP, where he was elected to the partnership of the firm in December 2014.  In addition to his practice, Mr. Dixon serves on the board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County.

Alex Giza has a practice that encompasses high technology and intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark, trade secret and business litigation, patent advice/due diligence/licensing, and appellate matters. Mr. Giza earned a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia and worked as an electrical engineer for Westinghouse, IAI America, and Eaton, involving electronics, test software and robotics. He is registered to practice in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  He has represented clients regarding technologies across the spectrum, including digital video recorders, data compression and video encoding/decoding, network security and encryption, semiconductor design, videoconferencing, liquid crystal displays, computer hard drives, digital watermarking, laptop computer modems, random number generators, music channel broadcasting, ATSC television receivers, and MEMS technology.  Mr. Giza was selected for inclusion in Los Angeles Magazine's Southern California Super Lawyers in 2013 and 2014. Prior to Hueston Hennigan LLP, Mr. Giza was partner at Russ August & Kabat and counsel at Irell & Manella LLP. 

Moez Kaba focuses on an array of general complex civil litigation, including, securities litigation, white collar defense, intellectual property litigation, entertainment litigation, and antitrust. He has practiced in state and federal, trial and appellate courts in California, New York, Delaware, Florida, and Colorado. In 2013 and 2014, Mr. Kaba was named a Southern California "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers magazine. Mr. Kaba began his legal career at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York, after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Kaba has served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Equality California and dedicates considerable time to pro bono work. In 2013, he represented Equality California in challenging the constitutionality of California's ban on same-sex marriage in the United States Supreme Court. For several years, he has represented various women's rights groups in cases challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") and state bans on same-sex marriage. Mr. Kaba was previously a partner at Irell & Manella LLP.  

Alison Plessman represents plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of high-stakes litigation matters, including securities litigation, health care fraud and privacy matters, entertainment litigation, and white collar defense.  Ms. Plessman also represents companies, boards of directors, and individuals in connection with corporate internal investigations and investigations and enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory bodies.  In 2013, Ms. Plessman was selected by The Recorder as one of only 50 "California Lawyers on the Fast Track."  The list highlights attorneys in their first 10 years of practice who stand out among their peers based on career achievements and leadership roles within their practice, organization and community. Ms. Plessman was also named a Southern California "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers magazine in 2013 and 2014. She began her legal career as an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City. In addition to her practice, Ms. Plessman also serves on the Western Center on Law & Poverty Board of Directors, as well as on its finance and public relations committees. Ms. Plessman was previously a partner at Irell & Manella LLP. 

SOURCE Hueston Hennigan

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