AFTER helping actor Johnny Depp secure a US$15 million (about RM65.9 million) jury verdict against Amber Heard in his defamation trial, Brown Rudnick has promoted associate Camille Vasquez to partner.
In a six-week televised trial, Vasquez became the face of Depp's legal team and earned praise for her performance, according to Geo News.
Led by Brown Rudnick partner Benjamin Chew, the team included nine other attorneys. However, Vasquez emerged as a major player, cross-examining Heard during closing arguments and telling jurors that Heard had been abusive throughout the relationship.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Brown Rudnick chairman William Baldiga said the firm normally promotes partners at the end of the financial year.
“But Camille’s performance during the Johnny Depp trial proved to the world that she was ready to take this next step now,” he said.
Vasquez, 37, said in a statement that she is “delighted” to have the firm’s “full vote of confidence.”
She wrote: “I am delighted that Brown Rudnick has given me its full vote of confidence by having me join the partnership.
“I’m proud of the uniquely talented team I’ve had the privilege to lead, which exemplified teamwork and collaboration, and I look forward to continuing to represent Brown Rudnick’s culture of excellence.”
Vasquez specialises in litigation and arbitration. When the jury’s verdict was delivered on June 1, Vasquez was reported to have tearfully said "we won".
Before Depp’s lawsuit, Vasquez had mainly worked on cases alleging breach of contract or discrimination by her client against employers, according to Unilad.
There were reports earlier this week that legal firms were competing in a bid to get Vasquez on board.
Celebrity lawyer Judd Burstein told the New York Post on June 5 that Vasquez's promotion was forthcoming, saying: “No firm would allow her to have a role in a big trial like this if she wasn’t on the partner track.
“There are two factors that go into making a partner – your quality of lawyering and ability to attract business. She can probably go anywhere and make a nice deal for herself,” Burstein added.
The 250-lawyer Brown Rudnick law firm did the right thing by promoting Vasquez, say recruiters and consultants. Partnership often includes an ownership stake, higher pay and wider influence. Vazquez's profile was significantly raised post-trial.
“I expect that she would be a hot prospect coming off of her team’s win in the Depp case, and the level of publicity she personally received,” said Kate Reder Sheikh, a partner at legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.
It is believed that Vasquez was on the partnership track and performing at a high level to be assigned to the Depp case, said Beth Cavagnolo of law firm consultancy Vertex Advisors.
“In a situation like this, there is absolutely a war for talent, and I’m sure it was very much a retention measure for Ms. Vasquez,” Cavagnolo said of the promotion.
Vasquez joined Brown Rudnick’s Orange County office in 2018. She was previously an associate at Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips. – Agencies, June 8, 2022
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