Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Page 3
Manatt Phelps & Phillips Adds Partner to Los Angeles Office
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP yesterday announced the addition of Kristin Escalante as a partner in the Litigation Division of its Los Angeles office.
The veteran commercial litigator, who made the lateral move from Munger, Tolles & Olson, said she was “thrilled to join Manatt.”
Escalante said the firm’s “record of successes and depth of industry knowledge is extraordinary,” and that she was “impressed by both the quality and scope of Manatt’s litigation practice in Los Angeles and across the country.”
Chad S. Hummel, chair of Manatt’s Litigation Division, remarked that Escalante “is a top-notch litigator, trusted by her clients and highly regarded by colleagues.”
Escalante “is a terrific addition to the firm,” who “helps to expand our capabilities in complex commercial litigation,” Hummel said.
Manatt chief executive officer and managing partner William T. Quicksilver added that “[s]trengthening our national litigation platform is one of the firm’s strategic growth priorities,” and Escalante’s “sophisticated experience will substantially strengthen our capabilities.”
Escalante’s practice includes consumer class actions, complex commercial matters, trade secret, copyright, and civil fraud, according to a release from the firm. She has represented major corporations in diverse industry sectors, including telecommunications, entertainment, energy, beverage, aerospace, and securities.
She is also active in the legal community, having served as a volunteer prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, as a temporary judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court, as a member of the California Judicial Council’s Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee, and part of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Litigation Section.
The attorney holds degrees in architecture and law from USC, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Southern California Law Review.
After graduating Order of the Coif and joining the State Bar in 1994, she served as law clerk to Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain before starting her career in private practice.
Escalante is the most recent in a series of additions to Manatt’s Litigation Division for 2011. Last month, insurance recovery litigators David B. Killalea and Stephen T. Raptis joined the firm in Washington, D.C. Phillip Kaplan, a securities and financial services litigator, joined the Orange County office in June, and Susan Page White, an insurance recovery partner, was added to the Los Angeles office in March.
Copyright 2011, Metropolitan News Company