Boutique Firm Rules in Favor of Youthful Hires

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New boutique law firm Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz is banking on youth. While all six of the firm’s founding partners are under the age of 53, they don’t lack for experience, having together tried more than 100 cases to verdict.

“We represent a new generation of legal talent, with formidable trial experience and skills,” said Sean Eskovitz, 45, who will be the sole member of the firm’s L.A. office. Eskovitz said he is working out of his home for the time being but looking for office space on the Westside.

The firm’s five other partners will work in Washington, D.C.

All of them are on the lookout for associates to join the team.

“We are uniquely situated to empower younger attorneys,” added Eskovitz, who successfully defended Philip Morris USA in a consumer class-action suit involving “light” cigarettes while serving as a litigation partner at downtown L.A.’s Munger Tolles & Olsen.

Another founder, Alexandra Walsh, noted that the practice is also one of the first top trial firms launched by two women.

“That gives us a new and critical perspective in serving our clients, mentoring younger lawyers and running a law firm,” she said in a statement.

Walsh and Beth Wilkinson both left the Washington office of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton and Garrison before launching Wilkinson Walsh. Together they won cases for health care giant Pfizer Inc., tobacco conglomerate Altria Group Inc. and Internet firm Kynetic. Wilkinson was also a lead prosecutor in the case against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Eric Liebeler, who recently oversaw litigation at engineering and manufacturing conglomerate Siemens Corp., will work as managing partner of the new firm. Its two other partners are Brant Bishop, a former partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, and Brian Stekloff, who worked as a special counsel for Covington and Burling, also in Washington.

Some of the firm’s clients include the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Pfizer, Altria, Medtronic and Koch Industries subsidiary Georgia-Pacific.

Pro Bono Boost

Leading litigator Linda Smith of DLA Piper became nationally recognized for representing high-profile clients such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

But her current clients are reluctant to even include their names in a lawsuit because they entered the country illegally.

“The reason we wanted to get into the case is because illegal immigrant moms would not have an ability to be heard otherwise,” said Smith, who is a mother of two children. “Even disclosing their names would result in their deportation.”

Smith is representing immigrants, including families from Los Angeles, in a case known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, which concerns the legality of President Barack Obama’s executive action to lift the threat of deportation against more than 4 million people.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear the case. If Smith’s side succeeds in court, immigrants who entered the United States illegally and parents of U.S. citizens who are not citizens themselves would be allowed to live and work in the country legally provided they haven’t committed any crimes.

Smith pointed out that global law firms such as DLA Piper can attract national attention to such issues by taking on high-profile cases.

“It’s important that large firms with money and resources can handle these cases,” she said. “You need major law firms to help these people.”

Partner Promotions

Corporate attorney Christopher R. O’Brien, a former in-house counsel at Mattel Inc. and former partner at Polsinelli, has joined Venable as a partner in the L.A. office. … Peter Benudiz has joined Sidley Austin as a partner in the Century City office and will be a co-leader of the firm’s real estate practice. He was previously with Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy. … Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside has named Matthew J. Mahan, Shai N. Halbe and Michael D. Schmitt partners. … Sue Junn and Raina Richter have joined Morris Polich & Purdy as partners. … Christopher R. O’Brien has joined Venable as a partner. … Christopher Hazuka has joined Latham & Watkins as partner from Orexigen Therapeutics in La Jolla. Hazuka focuses on advising life-sciences companies in structuring and negotiating transactions. Downtown L.A.’s Hueston Hennigan has promoted Allison Libeu to partner. … Joseph Byrne and Lauren Stickroth have joined Best & Krieger, also in downtown, as partners.

Staff reporter Olga Grigoryants can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225 ext. 226.

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