Johnny Depp’s Legislation Business Brown Rudnick Seeks Much more Celeb Wins

Brown Rudnick is earning brand and track record management aspect of growth designs immediately after its Johnny Depp defamation trial victory, touting clientele that incorporate an NBA star, a “Yellowstone” actor and a Fox News-suing Venezuelan businessman.

Business leaders have pegged the exercise as just one of five “pillars” of an over-all procedure they system to increase 20% in law firm headcount above 3 several years. Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew, two legal professionals who served actor Depp get his acquire, took charge of the 30-law firm follow about three months just after the June victory.

“More people today are having to pay attention” to preserving reputations, Vasquez explained. “You can acquire in the courtroom of legislation, but if you get rid of in the courtroom of public opinion—you’ve misplaced.”

Emphasizing authorized get the job done that draws in celebs such as Depp, Cher and Ye, previously recognised as Kanye West, is unconventional in Significant Regulation. Track record management, which is section of the Brown Rudnick observe, has generally been the province of general public relations outlets.

But branding and identifying target marketplaces are broadly understood advantages throughout company America, said legislation firm marketing consultant Bruce MacEwen. “In theory, BR’s technique should be seem and time-tested,” he claimed.

There are risks. “Hitching your wagon to large-profile and generally volatile, impulsive, higher-beta famous people can be a recipe for disaster,” MacEwen claimed.

The firm past thirty day period dropped Ye for the reason that of anti-Semitic remarks, including his tweet that stated he wished to go “death con 3 on Jewish individuals.” All over that time, he was also found putting on a “White Life Matter” t-shirt.

Vasquez and Chew reported that some reviews falsely implied the agency signed him as a client soon after his remarks. The representation started in September, Vasquez claimed, “well ahead of the White Lives Subject T-shirt and prior to the anti-Semitic remarks.”

“We as a firm, as attorneys, as people—we do not guidance anti-Semitism, racism or bigotry of any form, entire prevent,” she reported.

Fox, ‘Yellowstone’

Brown Rudnick, a Boston-launched company that American Attorney ranks just inside of the leading 150 firms by income, obtained significant publicity in Depp’s June 1 get of $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages from ex-wife Amber Listened to.

A lot less than a 7 days immediately after the Depp award, the business promoted Vasquez, who experienced a large-profile role in the trial.

The company is now performing on a potentially substantially much larger defamation payout. It represents Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil, who is suing Fox Corp., Fox News Community and former Fox communicate show host Lou Dobbs for $250 million.

Khalil promises Fox and Dobbs defamed him by alleging he served rig the 2020 election in opposition to President Donald Trump in cahoots with voting equipment makers Smartmatic Corp. and Dominion Voting Methods. In late September, a federal decide in New York turned down a movement to dismiss the circumstance.

Vasquez and Chew, who both joined Brown Rudnick in 2018 from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, have also signed on “Yellowstone” star Q’orianka Kilcher. The California Office of Insurance in July alleged Kilcher broke the regulation in accumulating far more than $90,000 in disability advantages.

Brown Rudnick also contains amid its customers Sacramento Kings centre Richaun Holmes, accused by his ex-wife of physically abusing their 6-yr-outdated son, Vasquez confirmed. He faces allegations “in spite of the reality that three unique courts in two various states have awarded him entire custody of his baby,” she mentioned.

Five Pillars

Brand and track record administration is just one of 5 company pillars together with tech, life sciences, worldwide litigation, and disaster management, which incorporates restructuring, mentioned company CEO Vincent Guglielmotti.

The team signifies corporations and sovereign nations, in addition to celebrities, he claimed. The function features tax, reputation protection, serious estate, and guidance around launching non-fungible tokens.

“Our mission is to enable purchasers in just about every arena establish and mature their enterprises and models,” mentioned Guglielmotti, who took more than June 15 as the youngest leader in agency background at age 41.

The company strategies to broaden its law firm headcount to more than 300 above the future three a long time from its latest quantity of 254, Guglielmotti claimed. The company declined to cite the selection of hires it plans in the manufacturer and popularity management location.

Significant law companies frequently have dealt with brand name and popularity management work separately, claimed law firm consultant Kent Zimmermann. The “brand” side is from time to time identified as mental property procedures that contain trademark, copyright, and licensing get the job done.

Independently, a scaled-down quantity of companies have formed defamation and name administration methods all-around “high net worth” people who generally aren’t celebrities, he explained. Nonetheless, these kinds of tactics are not common in Significant Legislation.

Dale Cohen, director of UCLA Law’s Documentary Movie Lawful Clinic, said he wonders if popularity management suits with other mainstay Significant Regulation practices, which target much more on corporate clientele and much less on rich persons.

“I do not imagine that lawyers are the greatest resource for reputation administration,” Cohen said. “Trials generally don’t get us to the reality.”