UCI Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky drew rave reviews for his humor while serving as emcee for the Business Journal’s 4th annual General Counsel Awards last week (see story, page 7). He’ll have a tougher audience and a chance to prove his versatility next month when he goes before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue for the 1st Amendment rights of a protester arrested at an Air Force base near Santa Barbara. The high court is hearing an appeal of a case won by a Selwyn Chu and Matthew Plunkett, who represented their client under Chemerinsky’s tutelage as part of an Appellate Litigation Clinic in 2012, during their third year at UCI Law. Attorneys must have three years in practice under their belt to argue in front of the Supreme Court, so Chemerinsky will handle the case in Washington. Chu, now with Klatte, Budensiek & Young-Agriesti in Newport Beach, will aid Chemerinksy, who’s going before the high court for the fifth time. Plunkett is prohibited from working further on the case due to his obligations as a member of the OC District Attorney’s office …
Chemerinksy’s remarkable range has a match in our annual list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies based in OC (page 50) and the stories throughout these pages about how various entries made the grade. Who figures anyone would make the list by selling books in bulk amid all those mobile communications devices (see BookPal, page 48)? Then again, why not capitalize on that mobile trend (NuCourse, page 4)? You’ll even find a Spanish accent in this year’s crop (Gallegos, page 42) …
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has some range in OC, too, including the Irvine-based residential real estate brokerage that’s getting rebranded as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Buffett and his Omaha-based holding company count at least one other OC company in its fold, although the tie isn’t so obvious. It’s Laguna Hills-based SidePlate Systems Inc., which “specializes in steel building designs.” …
Don’t know how much longer Greenlight Financial will need a parking valet to handle the headcount at its Irvine Towers HQ now that interest rates have risen and the mortgage market has cooled (see story, page 1). The trend has nonetheless caught on over at the South Coast Collection along the 405 in Costa Mesa. Owner Burnham USA, which bought the near-empty spot during the recession and revamped it as a culinary and design center, reports SoCo now faces a challenge on providing enough parking for shoppers on weekends. A valet is in place during peak hours, including its Farmers Market on Saturdays. No word on whether Burnham plans a valet at its newest property along Westcliff Drive (see story, this page) …
Here’s an event where valet’s just won’t do: the 2013 Injured Warrior Appreciation Run, produced by the nonprofit Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station and the Orange Coast Harley Owners Group to raise funds for military men and women who have been injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Nov. 1 ride is slated to start at OC Harley Davidson in Irvine and head to Camp Pendleton. Register at injuredwarriorride.com.
