Since its genesis in 2015, Los Angeles litigation boutique Hueston Hennigan has seen an ascent that can only be described as astonishing. Formed by a group of commercial litigators who peeled off of California institution Irell & Manella to launch this venture, Hueston Hennigan has forged itself a coveted position as a local litigation shop that has achieved state-wide and even national prominence. The firm is noted for its mission of putting a premium on trial work, a mission that has been fulfilled with rapid momentum on several high-level appointments. “They have just been massively successful,” sums up one East Coast litigator, stating a consensus shared by many. The firm’s client base is remarkably diverse, ranging from individuals to a variety of entities encompassing tech giants, Native American tribes, the Boy Scouts and the California State Bar (to name but a few), with very little repeat business and virtually no “routine” cases. “Hueston Hennigan doesn’t do the ‘cookie-cutter.’ They do really cool, cutting-edge work,” declares a peer, who goes on to confide, “I admit it makes me jealous, and I’m sure I’m not alone!” Seemingly not content with dominating the Los Angeles area, the firm has, within the past year, discreetly planted a flag in the New York market as well, with a further buildout expected.
Firm founder and lead trial John Hueston, a trial trailblazer who has carved himself an enviable position even among others in the elite trial lawyer circuit. “I’ve seen trial lawyers rise and fade but John is young and vibrant enough to be in this for the long haul,” opines one peer. Hueston’s proven activity as lead counsel on a number of high-level appointments more than supports this near-unanimous acclaim. Hueston is not alone in his trial prowess and activity, however. Moez Kaba has staked himself a position as another of the firm’s lead trial counsel, acting in tandem with Hueston or on his own on some of the firm’s most high-stakes disputes. Kaba made his debut as one of the Benchmark Top 100 Trial Lawyers two years ago, a coveted status made all the more impressive by the fact that he is the youngest appointee to this prestigious list by some distance. More impressive still, his position on that list remains secure again this year, as does that of Hueston, who has appeared every year since the list’s inception. This duo is once again (as co-counsel) defending Amazon, for which the Hueston pair has previously triumphed in other earlier matters. This time, the case is against the FTC, which claims that Amazon duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in its Amazon Prime program by employing “dark patterns” that allegedly deceive and confuse customers into enrolling, and deliberately makes cancelling difficult. This same duo, along with
Alison Libeu, also scored for energy drink entity Monster when a California jury awarded the client $293 million in a hotly contested Lanham Act, false advertising and trade secrets case with a rival. Hueston and Newport Beach-based
Doug Dixon also led a team that secured a settlement in excess of $300 million for Match on the eve of trial in a high-profile antitrust case. Match (along with Epic Games, which filed its own well publicized suit) alleged that Google used anti-competitive practices to build and maintain a monopoly over Android app distribution – including paying off rivals not to compete – so that app developers have had no alternative other than the Google Play Store to reach Android consumers. Google is also facing allegations that it is exploiting it by requiring app developers like Match and Epic Games to use Google’s payment system for subscriptions and other in-app purchases, allowing Google to impose a fee of up to 30% from each transaction.
Vicki Chou makes the leap from future star to litigation star in this edition. A peer insists, “It’s her time! She is doing white-collar but also doing a lot of civil work. She just got into the ACTL! She is keeping a very balanced practice and bursting on to the scene.”
