Manatt Continues to Expand Litigation Practice

LOS ANGELES — August 19, 2013 — Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, continues to expand its top-rated national litigation team with the addition of John W. McGuinness to the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner in the Litigation Division. He comes from BuckleySandler LLP and joins his former colleague Donna L. Wilson, who came to Manatt in late July.

In addition to McGuinness, former BuckleySandler LLP associates Leah R. Mosner and Brandon P. Reilly have also joined Manatt in Los Angeles.

Wilson, McGuinness, Mosner and Reilly have had extensive experience together representing corporate and individual clients in high-stakes litigation, enforcement, trial, and appellate matters. They focus their practice on consumer class and individual actions, including mortgage/financial services and data security/privacy matters, complex commercial litigation, and litigation against state and federal governments.

“These three litigators bring significant trial experience and an impressive track record of success,” said Matt Kanny, chair of Manatt’s Litigation Division. “In particular, John’s work on complex class action litigation and other cases, such as a pending complex litigation against the U.S. government, demonstrates the depth of his talent. He complements Donna Wilson’s skills well and is a strong addition to our growing litigation practice. We are pleased to have Donna, John, Leah and Brandon at Manatt.”

Over the last year, the team, led by Wilson, has secured favorable results for an international vehicle manufacturer in an eight-figure dispute with the state of California in a midtrial settlement, and litigated on behalf of a telecommunications provider facing claims arising from the Malibu Canyon Fire in a complex, multiparty California state court action. Most recently, members of the team represented a mortgage originator in a putative class action alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and California state law. On an issue of first impression, the team successfully obtained a ruling that the reporting of post-foreclosure deficiency judgments in California to credit reporting agencies did not constitute a violation of either the federal or state statute.

Of McGuinness, Wilson said: “John is a first-rate trial lawyer and he brings the right combination of litigation judgment, knowledge of the California and federal court systems, and an extraordinary commitment to client service. He has worked with me on a number of complex cases that ended with very favorable results for our clients. He is someone clients and colleagues can count on, and I’m thrilled to be working with John, Leah and Brandon again.”

Manatt’s litigation practice combines aggressive, creative litigation talent with a deep knowledge of industries and practice areas, including advertising, healthcare, entertainment, consumer brands, energy, financial services, intellectual property and real estate. The firm’s litigators include some of the top trial and appellate lawyers in the country. Manatt has been recognized for excellence in litigation by The American Lawyerand Chambers USA, and appears on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Best Law Firms” for litigation.

“Manatt’s approach to litigation – teaming subject matter experts with seasoned trial lawyers – sets it apart in the market,” McGuinness said. “The firm is known for litigating complex issues in cutting-edge areas – which is where my experience lies. That, coupled with the opportunity to again collaborate with Donna Wilson, makes Manatt an ideal platform for growth.”

In addition to McGuinness’ litigation experience, he is a frequent writer and speaker on class action litigation and consumer financial services and has been quoted extensively by such news outlets as Forbes and Bloomberg.

McGuinness earned a B.A. and J.D. from New York University.

Mosner earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Reilly earned a B.A. from Pepperdine University and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is one of the nation’s leading law firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base – including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies – across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.