Blog« back to blog homeSubscribe to RSS feed
Eight Early Sullivan Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
Category: Awards | Friday, September 1st, 2017 | Comments Off on Eight Early Sullivan Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
Early Sullivan attorneys Eric Early, Bryan Sullivan, Scott Gizer, Devin McRae, Stephen Ma, Christopher Ritter, Sophia Lau and Mary Kaufman have been recognized among the top lawyers in the nation in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, one of the oldest and most distinguished guides to the legal profession.
The following attorneys earned a spot in the 2018 edition for their work in the following practice areas:
Eric Early: Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Litigation; Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television; Entertainment Law – Music
Bryan Sullivan: Commercial Transactions/UCC Law; Entertainment Law
Scott Gizer: Commercial Litigation
Devin McRae: Litigation – Intellectual Property
Stephen Ma: Entertainment Law – Music
Christopher Ritter: Litigation – Intellectual Property; Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television
Sophia Lau: Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Entertainment Law – Music
Mary Kaufman: Litigation – Intellectual Property
“Best Lawyers” is one of the oldest and most respected guides to the legal industry. The selection process is based on a comprehensive peer-review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within common legal practices and geographical areas. Corporate Counsel magazine has called “The Best Lawyers in America” “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Early Sullivan Named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year” By Lawyers Worldwide Awards Magazine
Category: Awards | Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 | Comments Off on Early Sullivan Named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year” By Lawyers Worldwide Awards Magazine
The firm is pleased to announce it has been named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year – USA” in Lawyers Worldwide Awards Magazine’s “Global Leading Lawyers” issue for 2017. The annual issue is created via a global poll of the readership, which asks the voting readers to put forward their nominations for legal practitioners that they consider to be “Leading Lawyers” in their practice areas.
The Lawyers Worldwide Awards Magazine honors leading firms that have displayed a consistently high degree of quality, tenacity and ability. The list recognizes a select number of leading professional firms across the globe in their individual areas of specialization and within their geographical location.
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae Named a 2017 Top Litigation Boutique
Category: Awards, Press | Monday, May 8th, 2017 | Comments Off on Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae Named a 2017 Top Litigation Boutique
The firm was recently recognized as a top litigation boutique in Los Angeles by JD Journal. The firm is one of 14 recognized by the Journal as the “best of the best” in LA.
“Los Angeles is a great place to set up shop if you’re a litigation attorney, and JD Journal has identified the best of the best when it comes to boutique litigation firms in the city,” JD Journal.
Find the complete list here.
Early Sullivan Named a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report
Category: Awards, Press | Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 | Comments Off on Early Sullivan Named a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae has been named a “Best Law Firm” by the prestigious ranking guide U.S. News & World Report. The firm received a Metropolitan Tier 1 rank in the practice area of “Litigation – Intellectual Property” (Los Angeles) and a National Tier 3 rank in the same practice area.
The U.S.News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.
Eric Early, Devin McRae, and Bryan Sullivan Named in “The Best Lawyers in America” 2017
Category: Awards | Friday, September 2nd, 2016 | Comments Off on Eric Early, Devin McRae, and Bryan Sullivan Named in “The Best Lawyers in America” 2017
Early Sullivan Partners Eric Early, Devin McRae, and Bryan Sullivan were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2017 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” in Litigation – Real Estate, Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, respectively. “Best Lawyers” is one of the oldest and most respected guides to the legal industry. The selection process is based on a comprehensive peer-review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within common legal practices and geographical areas. Corporate Counsel magazine has called “The Best Lawyers in America” “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Devin McRae Included in Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40”
Category: Awards | Wednesday, May 18th, 2016 | Comments Off on Devin McRae Included in Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40”
Devin McRae was recently named to the 2016 “40 Under 40” list published by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal, California’s premier legal publication. Published on May 18, 2016, the annual list recognizes leading California attorneys under the age of 40 who have demonstrated exceptional legal ability in their practice areas.
The full Daily Journal article and interview with Devin can be found below.
As a cast member of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Shannen Doherty might have mastered high school drama; but for drama in the courtroom, she’s turned to McRae.
McRae’s representing the actress in a lawsuit against her former business management firm, Tanner Mainstain Glynn & Johnson LLP, for allegedly failing to pay her medical insurance premiums. Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, requiring a mastectomy and chemotherapy that she contends could have been avoided through early detection had the firm not caused a lapse in insurance coverage. Shannen Doherty v. Tanner Mainstain Glynn & Johnson, LLP, BC591881 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Aug. 19, 2015)
The defendants have further complicated the lawsuit by taking untenable positions on routine matters concerning pleadings and discovery, McRae said, which have been repeatedly corrected by the court after McRae was forced to file, and win, motions that would ordinarily be resolved by stipulation or minimal compliance with the discovery rules.
“When defendants make delay and obstruction their primary strategy like this, it usually reflects an inability to defend on the merits,” McRae said.
He previously butted heads with Tanner Mainstain in 2014 while representing Randall C. James, co-founder of James Levy Management, in a lawsuit against his former partner Miles D. Levy and then-Tanner Mainstain partner Steven Blatt. Randall C. James et al. v. Miles D. Levy et al., BC543109 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Apr. 14 2014)
Levy told James their client, actor James Franco, no longer wanted to pay the company’s 15 percent commission, requesting 10 percent instead, according to the complaint. James acquiesced, but later found that Levy and Blatt, Franco’s former financial adviser, had conspired to divert the 5 percent difference to a shell corporation. The case settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
McRae is representing plaintiffs in a class action potentially involving more than 4,000 security guards allegedly recruited to go to Iraq under false promises of a fixed salary based on a 6-day-a-week, 12-hour-a-day schedule. The complaint states the defendants are private defense contractors who knew the putative class members would be forced to work much longer hours without additional compensation. Risinger v. SOC LLC et al., 12-CV63 (D. Nev., filed Jan. 13, 2012)
Though the plaintiffs aren’t McRae’s typical Hollywood clients, the alleged manner in which they’ve been wronged is ultimately similar, he said. McRae approaches each case with fluidity in mind, adjusting his style to fit the audience and his client’s objectives.
“Every case presents a problem to solve,” he said, “and you’ve got to figure out what the client hopes to achieve, and design and formulate a plan to and execute it in a cost-efficient manner.”
– Steven Crighton
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae Named One of California’s “Top Boutique” Law Firms
Category: Awards, News, Press | Monday, October 26th, 2015 | Comments Off on Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae Named One of California’s “Top Boutique” Law Firms
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae has been selected by California’s leading legal publication, The Daily Journal, as one of California’s “Top Boutique” law firms. Click on “Download PDF” to see the complete article.
Devin McRae Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2016 for Intellectual Property Litigation
Category: Awards, News, Publications, Results | Tuesday, August 18th, 2015 | Comments Off on Devin McRae Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2016 for Intellectual Property Litigation
Early Sullivan Partner Devin McRae was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Litigation – Intellectual Property. Best Lawyers® is one of the oldest and most respected guides to the legal industry. Inclusion is exclusive, based on a comprehensive peer-review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Corporate Counsel magazine has called The Best Lawyers in America “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP Named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year – California” by Corporate LiveWire
Category: Awards, Press, Publications | Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 | Comments Off on Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP Named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year – California” by Corporate LiveWire
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP (“Early Sullivan”) is proud to announce that it has been named “Business Litigation Law Firm of the Year – California” by Corporate LiveWire, which honors law firms demonstrating excellence in the corporate finance world and those that have consistently shown best practices and innovation in their work. Nominated by the world’s leading business professionals and corporate finance experts, the Corporate LiveWire awards evaluate a law firm’s performance when deciding the winners of its “Best Law Firm” awards. Candidates are selected by Corporate LiveWire by taking several factors into consideration, including recent significant deals and cases along with firm-produced content demonstrating thought leadership in a particular area of the law.
The Corporate LiveWire Awards represent the pinnacle of business achievement, championing the best in their respective fields. The awards cover the most important sectors of business, from finance to funding to law. The culmination of the awards is the Global Award guide, covering businesses of every type that have proven their excellence throughout the year and years past. The resource offers regular, up-to-date content on various subject areas including business litigation, legislative changes, corporate transactions, international markets and business trends. Early Sullivan’s honor can be seen in the Global Award guide here.
Early Sullivan is a premiere boutique law firm based in Los Angeles, California which handles high stakes business litigation and trials throughout the United States.
Bryan Sullivan Named “Top 20 Under 40” by Los Angeles Daily Journal
Category: Awards, News, Press | Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015 | Comments Off on Bryan Sullivan Named “Top 20 Under 40” by Los Angeles Daily Journal
Early Sullivan Partner Bryan Sullivan was named to the Los Angeles Daily Journal’s “Top 20 Under 40” list. Bryan’s profile can be found below:
Bryan M. Sullivan
Practice type: litigation, corporate
Specialties: entertainment, real estate
Trying to fit the work Sullivan does into a tidy box is nearly impossible.
On one end of the spectrum he represents Hollywood luminaries like Miley Cyrus, Kathy Griffin and Whoopi Goldberg in a variety of legal scenarios. On the other, he’s a board member of the tenants’ rights organization Basta and sits on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s affordable housing committee.
Sullivan said that while he is constantly stimulated by all the legal work he does it’s the latter that really appeals to him.
“Basta is probably what I am most passionate about because this is what most people claim to have gone to law school to do – help those less fortunate,” he said, noting his work on the mayor’s commission. “My personal goal is to find ways to protect the existing stock of affordable housing in L.A., which involves strengthening certain provisions of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.”
Sullivan is passionate about pro bono but he’s also a fierce advocate and valued advisor for his stable of paying clients. Not content to do reactive legal work, Sullivan characterizes himself as a “legal advisor” someone more likely to figure out a way to avoid prolonged litigation than to blindly throw himself into the fray.
That comprehensive legal guidance is what he does for a lot of clients he has in the start-up space. He represents the founder and majority stakeholder of a digital advertising start-up Streamroll, Kenneth Brook, who is attempting to wind down the company to focus on a new venture. There’s a litany of issues involved, from dealing with minority shareholders to making sure fiduciary duties are met, and Sullivan has his hands in everything.
“In these types of situations, I am dealing with brilliant individuals with extraordinarily creative minds but who have no understanding of the legal issues in forming a company, protecting intellectual property and trade secrets, or fiduciary duties,” he said. “I try to help them with that so they can focus on developing and growing their business.”
There are more traditional successes, such as his win at the Court of Appeal in a case involving a dispute between a contractor and construction lender that set new precedent about how subordination agreements are enforceable as a matter of law. Sullivan said the case, Moorefield Construction, Inc. v. Intervest Mortgage Investment Co., et al, D065464 (Cal. 4th App. Dist., filed Sept. 12, 2014), was a huge win, not only for his client but for construction in California generally.
– Henry Meier