Miller Barondess anticipates extended growth this year

Litigation boutique Miller Barondess LLP began a significant growth spurt one year ago, and firm leaders said they anticipate the trend to continue throughout 2024.

“We just brought in Ben Herbert, a patent litigator from Kirkland & Ellis; Justin Ehrlich, a major jury trial lawyer with over 20 years experience; and promoted two partners, Jeff White and Colin Rolfs, from within the firm,” founder Louis R. “Skip” Miller said Tuesday. “We’ve hired 12 associates in the last year. We’re going through a growth spurt, and I expect it to continue.”

Miller said the reason for the expansion is that the number of clients the firm has, and the number of matters they send its lawyers, is growing. He said the firm would not be opening offices outside Los Angeles even though its lawyers routinely handle matters in other parts of the state and nationally.

“We just moved into two floors in the best building in Century City — brand new beautiful offices. We do cases all over the country. Everything is electronic, so we don’t need or want branch offices,” he explained. “It works much better when everyone is together.”

The firm has attracted talent from a broad range of practices.

Herbert is a patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation litigation attorney and co-leads the firm’s intellectual property practice. Ehrlich, who joined the firm from Herzog, Yuhas, Ehrlich & Ardell, specializes in professional liability, insurance bad faith, product liability, and complex business disputes.

White has represented clients in complex commercial disputes involving real estate, entertainment, health care, financial services and the fashion industry. He joined the firm in 2017. Rolfs has represented clients in complex commercial disputes involving entertainment, real estate, finance, and employment. He joined the firm in 2018.

As they map out their growth for 2024, Miller said he would continue to draw talent from a variety of practices.

“We are a full-service litigation firm. We do jury and court trials, arbitrations, mediations and appeals, and all the attendant work. We also counsel and strategize with clients pre-litigation and focus on getting the best result cost-effectively,” Miller said.