OC INSIDER—Ex-OC Power Couple Now Stars in San Francisco

Greg and Carol Lindstrom conquered OC. Now San Francisco is their oyster, too. Two years after relocating from Emerald Bay, Greg is one of the Bay Area’s highest-profile lawyers and Carol is a globe-trotting dot-com queen. Carol used to run Deloitte & Touche’s West Coast technology integration group in Santa Ana. Now she’s managing director of Deloitte Consulting’s entire technical competency practice and regional managing director of dc.com. What’s more, she is one of 21 directors of the whole shebang, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. Greg was managing director of Latham & Watkins’ 55-lawyer Costa Mesa office; now he’s managing director of the firm’s SF office, 90 lawyers strong. Still, Greg said, “You show up in a new town and they don’t know who you are.” That is, until you find yourself in the middle of the town’s hottest story of this year, successfully defending the San Francisco Chronicle in its sale to Hearst Corp. The case culminated in a dramatic trial steeped in allegations of business and political corruption. “For me to get a high-profile trial like that was a real great opportunity to establish a name in the marketplace,” he said. “Frankly, that’s why I moved here, to get those kinds of major league litigation opportunities.” Greg also has been in the headlines recently for representing Neiman Marcus against anti-fur protestors. He handled this sort of thing for landlords in OC, too; he once got a restraining order against Hare Krishnas who were banging tambourines at Fashion Island. But the OC-raised Greg, a graduate of Foothill High and UCLA, said these disputes require more delicacy in the Bay Area. “Orange County is blessed with a very highly educated jury pool compared to other parts of the state. Plus, San Fransciso is a very liberal, plaintiff-oriented community. That’s very different than Orange County in the defending of deep-pocket corporations.” The Lindstroms are frequent visitors to OC, mainly because daughter Nicole lives with friends here and attends St. Margaret Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano. Eventually, Greg said, “I hope to come back to Orange County. I miss it We’re not in Orange County anymore, Toto” … If Hillary Clinton can raise funds in OC, so can Rick Lazio, Sept. 8 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine Add tollroads PR chief Mike Stockstill to the list of working stiffs on extended R & R.; He’s taking “at least two months off, maybe longer.” Stockstill once worked for Larry Thomas, who seems to have inspired a trend … Richard Kruper, head of Anaheim sign-maker CenSource, has tied the knot with Irvine Apartment Management Communities’ Lacee St. Jean. It’s a great deal for Kruper even if it means less golf with EE RR.