Wed 3rd Feb 2021, Blog
Despite high rates of unemployment and on-again-off-again business closures due to the pandemic, total annual bankruptcy filings in 2020 fell 29.7 percent over year prior, according to a report[1] released last Thursday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Only one category—Chapter 11 filings including 7,561 involving businesses—saw an increase of 19.2 percent. An influx in bankruptcies may only be delayed, however. As noted in the report, an increase in filings following the Great …
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Fri 22nd Jan 2021, Blog, Firm Accomplishments and Recognition
Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP, one of Orange County’s top boutique litigation firms, is proud to announce that five of our firm’s attorneys — Thomas Bienert, Steven Katzman, John Littrell, Michael Williams, and James Riddet — have been chosen for the 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list. “I’m very pleased that Jim, John, Mike and Steve again have been recognized as Super Lawyers. They are among the most talented lawyers I know, each capable of …
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Fri 11th Dec 2020, Blog, Firm Accomplishments and Recognition
Founding partner Tom Bienert has been named one of California’s leading white collar defense attorneys by the Daily Journal. Tom is one of the nation’s prominent trial attorneys and has spent years defending businesses and individuals in a range of criminal investigations and prosecutions involving fraud, bankruptcy, health care crimes, insider trading, tax offenses and more. The Daily Journal recognized Tom’s long career as a former federal prosecutor and his involvement in the investigation of …
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Sun 27th Sep 2020, Blog, Firm Accomplishments and Recognition
Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP is proud to announce the elevation of Whitney Z. Bernstein to the firm’s partnership. Whitney is an accomplished attorney particularly well known for her expertise in complex white collar criminal defense and civil litigation. Whitney exemplifies BKLW’s tenacious, thorough, creative brand of litigation. She has led complex, multi-defendant white collar criminal cases and won major victories for her clients at the trial and appellate level. Whitney is known for her …
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Fri 21st Aug 2020, Blog, Firm Accomplishments and Recognition
Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP is proud to announce that six of its attorneys – Thomas H. Bienert, Jr., Steven J. Katzman, James D. Riddet, John L. Littrell, Tony Bisconti,and Whitney Z. Bernstein – have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers of America® 2021. Mr. Littrell has also been named by Best Lawyers® as the 2021 “Lawyer of the Year” in the field of “Criminal Defense: White-Collar” in Orange County. Thomas H. Bienert, Jr. Partner tbienert@bklwlaw.com Mr. Bienert has …
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Tue 28th Jul 2020, Blog, Case Successes
On June 29, 2020, the Supreme Court adopted Bienert | Katzman’s arguments and held in Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) violates constitutional separation of powers by having a single director removable only for cause. Bienert | Katzman represented the prevailing party at the Supreme Court and through all stages of the litigation, spanning several years. In 2017, as a continuation of litigation arising …
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Mon 27th Jul 2020, Blog, Case Successes
In July 2019, Bienert | Katzman’s client obtained a judgment and attorney’s fee award under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 of more than $3 million against a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detective after a jury trial. Bienert | Katzman’s client presented evidence at trial, including video recordings, demonstrating that the baseless arrest was orchestrated by the detective and the culmination of a multi-year campaign of harassment against Bienert | Katzman’s client. A few months after …
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Tue 16th Jun 2020, Blog, Case Successes
A little over a year after issuing a 69-page sealed Order Finding Government Misconduct in a tax evasion prosecution, the Court unsealed an Order calling out prosecutors and IRS employees for willfully withholding evidence and making misrepresentations to the defense and to the Court. The order followed dogged requests and multiple days of evidentiary hearings and briefing by B|K attorneys Ariana Seldman Hawbecker and John Littrell. A copy of the order is available here. The …
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Wed 3rd Jun 2020, Blog, Firm Accomplishments and Recognition
Bienert | Katzman is pleased to announce that Tony Bisconti and Whitney Z. Bernstein have been selected to the 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list. This is the first time Ms. Bernstein, who joined the private sector at the end of 2018, has been selected to the “Rising Star” list. Mr. Bisconti has been selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list every year since 2015. Super Lawyers® is a peer-review …
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Mon 27th Apr 2020, Blog, Case Successes
After five years of contested litigation the Supreme Court granted our petition, vacated our client’s conviction, and remanded to the Ninth Circuit. At issue was the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act (“NFA”), a 1934 law that strongly discouraged, but did not outright ban, machine guns and other particularly dangerous weapons. At the time the law was passed Congress believed, based on the advice of the U.S. Attorney General, that the federal government had no …
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