Vault Names Hueston Hennigan a Best Boutique

According to Vault, they derive the rankings  from its annual Associate Survey of more than 17,000 participants, and calculate using a formula that weighs associate ratings in areas such as overall satisfaction, firm culture, compensation, substantive work, and associate/partner relations.

In response to Vault’s survey questions, associates showed an appreciation of both the work and the environment at Hueston Hennigan. They highlighted their experience working with partners, gaining early, intense amounts of responsibility, and the firm’s culture of camaraderie as the most positive aspects of working at the firm.

About Hueston Hennigan

Our Team: Unmatched Talent at  Every Level

Our attorneys have collectively participated in over 150 trials, and our partners are recognized as among the country’s top trial lawyers. At trial, our diverse teams reflect the profiles of our juries.

We select the most talented attorneys and train them like no other firm, offering clients the strongest teams from top to bottom. Our attorneys hail from the top law schools in the country, including Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Michigan, Georgetown, USC, UVA and UCLA.

More, nearly 70 percent of our incoming attorneys have served as judicial clerks for federal judges, which provides key insights into arguments that resonate with t rial and appellate judges. We have developed a ladder-of-success training approach and, in conjunction with our commitment to public service, guarantee at least one trial in the first two years for each of our incoming associates, with a goal of at least five trials within the first five years. This approach to hiring and training allows us to staff cases leanly and ensure that clients have the benefit of trial experience at all levels.

 

UC Regents Hire Hueston Hennigan for Investigation

The Hueston Hennigan team, led by Managing Partner Brian Hennigan, and Ret. Justice Moreno, now at JAMS, were retained after State Auditor Elaine M. Howle determined that Napolitano’s office had amassed $175 million in unaccounted for budget funds over four fiscal years.

Hueston Hennigan has particular expertise in the area of governmental investigations. In April, the San Diego Association of Governments (SanDag) hired the firm to conduct an independent examination of an inaccurate revenue forecast.  Hueston Hennigan has also conducted internal investigations for the City of Santa Monica and the County of San Bernardino.

Measure R Victory Affirmed on Appeal

The ordinance, known as “Measure R,” required voter approval of all development projects in Malibu larger than 20,000 square feet and imposed stringent restrictions on formula retail establishments. Backed by actor Rob Reiner, the measure had been described by the New York Times as “one of the most stringent anti-development measures ever attempted in the country.”

In December 2015, Hueston Hennigan secured a lower court judgment declaring Measure R invalid under the California Constitution and state land use law.

A panel of California’s Second District Court of Appeal affirmed that judgment in full. The Court wrote in a unanimous opinion “that Measure R exceeds the initiative power and is illegal.” The Court agreed with Hueston Hennigan’s arguments that the measure’s voter approval requirements unlawfully limit the administrative land use authority of city agencies, and that the formula retail restrictions improperly condition use permits on the identity of a retail establishment rather than the use of property.

The Hueston Hennigan team included Marshall CampPadraic Foran and Leanne Vanecek.

Additional news coverage:

L.A. Times
L.A. Business Journal

Prior case coverage:

L.A. Times
New York Times

Seven Hueston Hennigan Attorneys Named 2017 Rising Stars

According to Super Lawyers: The annual selections are made using a process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area.

Candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement including representative clients, pro bono and community service, verdicts/transactions and outstanding achievements.

The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country.

Hueston Hennigan Secures Trial Win for Electronic Arts

The plaintiff, Direct Technologies, claimed that it was a joint author of a USB flash drive in the shape of the “PlumBob,” an iconic green jewel associated with The Sims video game franchise. Direct Technologies sought to recover a share of Electronic Arts’ profits from the Collector’s Edition of The Sims 3, with which the USB flash drive was distributed. After deliberating for just over an hour, the jury rejected Direct Technologies’ claimed copyright interest and awarded it no damages.

The Court had earlier granted Electronic Arts’ motion for summary judgment on a trade secret misappropriation claim that was also asserted by Direct Technologies. That ruling was affirmed last fall on appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

Electronic Arts was represented by Robert Klieger and Rajan Trehan.

Hueston Hennigan Wins Putative Class Action Dismissal

In her complaint filed earlier this year, Plaintiff Min Sook Shin brought 9 state and federal claims related to 15 of Umeken’s products, even though she had not purchased 13 of them. In her suit, Shin alleged, among other things, that Umeken, whose U.S. headquarters is in Cerritos, had engaged in false and misleading advertising and that the products constituted unlawful new drugs that had not been approved by the FDA.

Judge Cormac Carney sided with Umeken, ruling that Shin lacked Article III standing to pursue claims against the 13 products she did not purchase since they were not similar enough to ones she had purchased. Judge Carney also found that plaintiff’s claims that Umeken’s products constituted unlawful drugs and needed labeling beyond the FDA’s requirements for dietary supplements was preempted by the federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, and thus dismissed them with prejudice. He also dismissed plaintiff’s request for injunctive relief with prejudice, finding she lacked standing to pursue the claim as well.

Following those claim-specific rulings, the Court went on to dismiss the entire remainder of Shin’s complaint. While Judge Carney granted leave to amend on the remaining claims, he notably challenged plaintiff to see if it could file “coherent Complaint asserting viable claims.”

“We are thrilled that the Court issued this significant and broad ruling dismissing this plaintiff’s class action complaint, and that it did so almost entirely with prejudice,” said lead counsel for Umeken. “In its order, the Court also made several important rulings on the issues of federal preemption and Article III standing that we think will have a positive impact for defendants in other large class actions.”

Umeken is represented by John Hueston.