Congratulations to long-time friend and client J. Gary Gwilliam and his partners, Randall E. Strauss and Robert J. Schwartz of the Oakland, CA based law firm Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer who along with Co-Counsel, Omar Habbas are named as finalist for the upcoming Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award.
The group of esteemed lawyers were chosen as finalist for this prestigious award in recognition of their ability to negotiate a settlement of $37.25MM against Lawrence Livermore National Security Labs on behalf of 129 plaintiffs who were wrongfully terminated following the privatization of Lawrence Livermore National Labs by Bechtel Corporation. I’ve blogged several times about their tenacity and perseverance in pursuing justice for these 129 workers - most recently about the case being featured in the Bechtel Family Biography, The Profiters: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World.
In true David v. Goliath style, this team of lawyers exercised determination and expertise in a battle against Lawrence Livermore Labs’ team of 1,200 lawyers. Fierce litigation, which began in 2008, included 100’s of depositions, evaluation of over 300,000 documents, countless client interviews, two separate 60 day trials in 2013, survival of multiple summary judgments, removals and remands to Federal Court and more than $1.5M in case costs. Finally, after intense mediation and negotiation, these lawyers were able to achieve a $37.25M settlement on behalf of the wronged workers, staying the course and fighting to the bitter end, no matter how big the defendant, to champion the cause of these 129 hardworking, dedicated employees whose rights were so clearly violated and disregarded by Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Bechtel Corporation.
The winner of Public Justice 2016 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award will be announced at the Annual Gala and Awards Dinner to be held on Sunday, July 24th in Los Angeles at the AAJ Annual Convention. Click here to view the full list of 2016 Finalists.
Please join us in wishing these true Champions of Justice our best!
Senior Vice President, Advocate Capital, Inc.
Photo Credit: Public Justice