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Pierce O’Donnell, once called the “new Perry Mason of Hollywood,” has landed at a big law firm in town.
The litigator was once one of the biggest power players in town until he was indicted for illegally funneling campaign contributions to the John Edwards presidential campaign. The charge was that he got around $2,000-per-contributor limits by having employees and family members make contributions with the understanding they would be reimbursed.
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The case went up and down the judicial system and after a guilty plea to a misdemeanor, he fought a suspension from the federal bar. O’Donnell questioned at the time whether the case against him was politically motivated. He was suspended for six months, and last year, was allowed to resume practicing law.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned he is joining Greenberg Glusker.
“I am excited to start anew at Greenberg Glusker,” said O’Donnell. “Over the years, I have been opposing counsel and co-counsel with Greenberg Glusker attorneys, and I have the utmost respect for this exceptional firm and its remarkable lawyers. Now I look forward enthusiastically to being part of the Greenberg Glusker team.”
O’Donnell brings a wealth of experience with him. The attorney rose to prominence in Hollywood by taking many accounting cases against studios. He most famously represented Art Buchwald in a stolen script lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over the film Coming to America. Another famous case involved representing Faye Dunaway in a wrongful termination suit against Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has also dabbled in poems and screenplays including the Steve Guttenberg movie Home Team.
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Greenberg Glusker is one of the most prominent firms in Hollywood, whose esteemed attorneys include Bert Fields, Matt Galsor and Bonnie Eskenazi. Their clients include The Weinstein Co., Jeffrey Katzenberg, the J.R.R. Tolkien estate and Tom Cruise.
“I’m thrilled,” says Fields, one of the nation’s leading lawyers and a partner at Greenberg Glusker. “Pierce is the whole package — a world-class litigator, who combines brilliance and daring with experience and sound judgment.”
“Pierce is one of the most accomplished trial lawyers of his era,” adds Dickran Tevrizian, a former federal judge in Los Angeles who is now affiliated with dispute resolution provider JAMS. “I have known Pierce for 35 years, and have seen him perform in the most complex, challenging cases. Pierce is a man of impeccable integrity with a passion for justice. This is an ideal match of a great trial lawyer and an outstanding law firm.”
Twitter: @eriqgardner
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