OFFICE MANAGING PARTNER, ORANGE COUNTY
SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
WHY: Became internationally famous as the winning attorney for movie star Johnny Depp in his 2022 lawsuit against Amber Heard. Now represents corporate clients such as PepsiCo, Korean Air and Amazon.
IN THE NEWS: In April, promoted to Managing Partner, Orange County for Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, the third biggest law firm in Orange County.
NOTABLE: Mother Marilia came to the U.S. as a political refugee from Cuba while father Leonel, a native of Colombia, arrived on a student visa in the late 1960s. Family often spent a week or two every month at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel Towers where her father was the resident manager who was required to be available 24 hours a day.
IN HER WORDS: She initially advised Depp not to sue Heard for libel. “But this was something that was bothering him, the accusations that he had been abusive towards his ex-wife. He asked me a question that I’ll never forget, which is, `Have you ever been accused of something that you didn’t do?’ And I thought about that, and I had to answer honestly, no. And he said, `Talk to me once you have.’ He wanted his reputation back.”
