Public Counsel - Pro Bono Online

Daily Journal- Nov. 3, 2003

Power Partiers -- Attorneys from all over gathered in downtown Los Angeles to laugh, chat, eat and celebrate Daily Journal EXTRA's Top 100, the state's most influential lawyers

By Stefanie Knapp

Daily Journal Staff Writer

California's A-list lawyers battled serious Los Angeles traffic to gather in celebration of the Daily Journal's sixth annual Top 100, the listing of California's most influential attorneys.

Thanks to the transit strike, the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and at least one film production directly across the street, partygoers had a tough time making it to Cicada on Oct. 23. But by 7 p.m., the downtown hot spot's second-story room filled up, and the party was hopping.

Attorneys came from all over and had an opportunity to see their counterparts from opposite ends of the state.

Top 100 honoree Joseph Cotchett of Burlingame's Cotchett, Pitre, Simon & McCarthy spotted Wylie Aitken of Santa Ana's Aitken Aitken & Cohn at the bar early in the evening. Cotchett clearly was happy to see Aitken, walking up to him and kissing him several times on the forehead.

"I love this guy," Cotchett said.

Other Top 100 honorees who made the long haul included Sacramento's Burt Pines, judicial appointments secretary to Gov. Gray Davis, and San Diego's David Casey of Casey, Gerry, Reed & Schenk.

As The Scene worked the room, she noticed that Los Angeles power hitters made a good showing. Criminal defense lawyers Johnnie Cochran of The Cochran Firm and Tom Mesereau of Collins, Mesereau, Reddock & Yu competed for the biggest entourage. Tom Girardi of Girardi & Keese chatted up good friend Walter Lack of Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack. Long Beach's Skip Keesal of Keesal Young & Logan laughed with Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler partners Browne Greene, Bruce Broillet and Brian Panish. And The Scene spotted law firm leaders Tom Nolan of Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White and Jerry Coben of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom chatting.

As The Scene approached various guests, they complained about traffic and parking but quickly added what a wonderful time they were having at the party.

"Parking was absurd," said Norah Broillet, Bruce Broillet's wife.

But at least one attorney seemed to outsmart the mess. Ken Babcock of Santa Ana's Public Law Center joked to Daily Journal editors Katrina Dewey and Robin Davidson that he "left yesterday" so that he wouldn't have to fight the traffic. Babcock did get a head start, though not a 24-hour one. He left Orange County early that day and arrived in Los Angeles in the afternoon. Aitken hired a driver so that he "could enjoy the evening" and not worry about driving back to Orange County.

The guests enjoyed cocktails and nibbled on a variety of Cicada's delectable appetizers including sushi, filet mignon skewers, vegetarian pizza and chocolate-covered strawberries.

The Scene spotted ACLU legal director Mark Rosenbaum by the sushi table and made a beeline to talk to him. Rosenbaum exchanged pleasantries but looked distracted.

"Excuse me, this was supposed to be for my son, but I can't find him," Rosenbaum said.

At that very moment, Rosenbaum's son was making a beeline of his own - toward the chocolate-covered strawberries. The Scene caught a glimpse of him later hiding in the cushioned phone booth scarfing down his dessert.

As the room buzzed with excitement, a lone pianist entertained the crowd. The music stopped long enough for Dewey to take the microphone. A promise from Dewey to reveal the identity of the state's most influential lawyer if the crowd kept quiet and a loud chorus of "Shhh" from the folks up front (most likely the Daily Journal EXTRA staff) settled the crowd.

Dewey thanked everyone for coming and handed the mic over to the event sponsors, ADR Services, Deloitte and Pacific Research International, who took their turns congratulating the attorneys.

And even though the crowd didn't exactly behave like church mice during the speeches, Dewey made good on her promise to reveal the state's top lawyer - sort of.

"The most powerful attorney is each of you," Dewey said, emphasizing the achievements, responsibilities and collective skill of the entire group.

The Scene spotted Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, whose time was occupied for half an hour by criminal defense attorney Michael Becker, who bent Cooley's ear over the district attorney's three-strikes policy.

The Scene caught up with San Diego litigator Harvey Levine of Levine, Steinberg, Miller & Huver, who was having a great time catching up with colleagues and even played a joke on Cochran.

Many of the guests grabbed copies of the newspaper and rummaged through to find their names. Eight of the Top 100 were more anxious to see what the staff had done, because they had allowed reporters to follow them around for one day. The eight experiences were melded for the issue's cover story.

Public Counsel President Dan Grunfeld and Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro partner Patricia Glaser were among the eight.

"I hope I wasn't too boring," Glaser told The Scene, a scenario too far-fetched to be taken seriously.
Daily Journal EXTRA editor Davidson teased Grunfeld for getting lost in Beverly Hills, a tidbit that made its way into the cover story.

"If that made it into the story, now I'm really worried," Grunfeld joked.
But on this night, laughter, friends and fun took the place of any worries, except for maybe traffic on the way home.