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I
N T H E N E W S
The
following articles relating to the firm, its lawyers or clients
have appeared recently in the national, local and trade press.
October 16,
2006
Key Witness
in Oil Case Says that He’s Regularly
Visited by Aliens
Daily
Journal
By
Ryan Oliver
Extraterrestrials
have replaced Michael Jackson as the latest
oddity afflicting the Santa Barbara County
district attorney's office… The office's
key witness in its suit against the county's
largest onshore oil refinery has testified
in a deposition that he regularly is visited
by horned, alien-like creatures that emerge
from his closet. But rather than flee these
credibility killers from beyond, Deputy District
Attorney Jerry Lulejian is embracing them.
He said he has watched a videotape shot by
the witness, Gary Lowrey, that proves Lowrey's
house is the target of a "phenomenon."
In June, company attorney Bela Lugosi Jr.
(son of the classic horror film actor) deposed
Lowrey, weaving questions about the alleged
safety violations at the refinery with questions
about Lowrey's unusual encounters. At the
end of one sequence of questions, Lugosi
asked: "Are you still visited by aliens?"…
"On occasions I am, yeah," Lowrey
replied. He qualified his response: "I'm
not sure that they're - you know, you'd call
them aliens. I know they're not human-looking."
In an interview, Lugosi said he was
surprised the county would attempt to bring
Lowrey as a witness against Greka… "Obviously,
credibility is important," Lugosi said.
"It's not every day you have a code enforcement
matter which involves aliens in the closet,
mysterious claws and a podiatrist who removes
alien implants."
October 13,
2006
Former JAG Officer Jon Holdaway Joins O'Brien
Abeles Los Angeles Metropolitan News-Enterprise
Metropolitan
News-Enterprise
by
Steven Cischke
Jon
Holdaway, a former Army judge advocate,
who was involved in the Army's response to
the Abu Ghraib prision scandal, has joines
the Los Angeles firm O'Brien Abels as an associate.
Holdaway will concentrate on complex
business disputes involving contracts, business
torts, insurance coverage and criminal matters.
Holdaway's Army assignments included
serving as an operational lawyer, advising
combat commanders on legal issues in military
operations, criminal defense counsel, and
legal advisor to the Army's premier intelligence
organization responsible for Europe. During
that assignment, he advised senior Army officers
on national security and intelligence collection
laws and policies pertaining to detainee interrogations,
counter-terrorism, signals intelligence activities,
and information operations and analysis. His
work following the Abu Ghraib scandal is used
today to train interrogators and their supervisors
on the appropriate legal limits of interrogation
operations.
July,
2006
Southern California
Super Lawyers Rising Stars
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics Media
Los
Angeles Law & Politics performs the polling
research and selection of Rising Stars. To be
eligible for selection, an attorney must be age
40 or younger, or in practice for 10 years or
less. Only 2.5 percent of the attorneys in Southern
California are selected as Rising Stars.
David
Bayles, Intellectual Property, O'Brien Abeles
LLP
Amy
Borlund, Business Litigation, O'Brien Abeles
LLP
Robert O’Brien, Business Litigation, O'Brien
Abeles LLP
July,
2006
Our Man at the United
Nations
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics Media
By
Paul Nolan
When
he speaks in public, the world is listening, as it
did in November 2005 when O’Brien spoke
to the United Nations General Assembly during a session
on Israel-Palestine relations. O’Brien,
the managing partner of O’Brien Abeles was appointed
by President George W. Bush as one of three United
States Public Delegates to the 60th Session of the
United Nations General Assembly. “It is a humbling
experience to represent your country, “ he says
of his service in Washington, D.C., which will last
until September of this year…. O’Brien
is no stranger to diplomacy. From 1996 to 1998,
he served as a legal officer for the Geneva-based
Compensation Commission created by the U.N. Security
Council, where he handled government claims against
Iraq arising out of the first Gulf War.
May
23, 2006
Senate Committee Approves
Nominations, Legislation, Treaty
HT Media
Federal News
The
office of Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind., issued the
following press release: The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee passed the following agenda at today's business
meeting by voice vote. The following items now head
to the Senate floor: NOMINATIONS: * Robert C. O'Brien
to be Alternate U.S. Representative to the Sixtieth
Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
April 19, 2006
Global Issues Seen Through
Eyes of U.N. Rep: Robert O’Brien tells the Valley Industrial
Association audience world affairs are not as bad as they
seem
The Signal
By Adam Clark
"The U.N. does a few important things very well."
Robert O'Brien said. "One of the areas
is in peace keeping and in peace building." "However,
the U.N. is not without faults, the greatest of which
lies in its management," O'Brien said.
"There
are too many well-documented cases over the past several
years, of fraud, mismanagement and a general lack
of transparency," he said. "The most notable
example of this is what occurred in the oil for food
scandal where we has a number of U.N. officials who
have (since) either been indicated or fled the United
States." In
the end, O'Brien said he believe the U.N. is
improving, but isn't where it should be.
February
9, 2006
La Canada Residents Honored
as Super Lawyers
La Canada Flintridge Outlook
Three La Canada Flintridge residents were among six
attorneys from O'Brien Zarian LLP honored recently
in the annual survey of thousands of regional attorneys.
Bela
G. Lugosi joined colleagues Jerrold Abeles
and Roy Z. Silva as being named "Super
Lawyers," while local residents Robert C.
O'Brien and David G. Bayles were joined
by Amy Borlund as "Rising Stars"....
February,
2006
Southern California Super
Lawyers
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics Media
Super
Lawyers are selected by a survey of 65,000 lawyers
as being among the top five percent of Southern
California's attorneys.
Jerrold Abeles, O'Brien Zarian LLP
Bela G. Lugosi, O'Brien Zarian LLP
Roy Z. Silva, O'Brien Zarian LLP
January
31, 2006
U.N.Envoys Get Input
From Utah
Deseret Morning News
By Ameilia Nielson-Stowell
Numerous U.N. ambassadors are visiting the Beehive State this
week, participating in discussions at Brigham Young University
and the University of Utah on religious freedom, human rights
and democracy. "We thought this would be a good opportunity
to share some thoughts outside of New York with our foreign
friends," U.S. senior adviser Robert C. O'Brien
said. O'Brien was one of the public delegates for the
U.S. Mission to the United Nations, an initiative aimed at
showing foreign ambassadors different sides of America outside
New York and Washington, D.C. The trip to Utah focuses on
transforming the existing Commission on Human Rights into
the Human Rights Council. Ambassadors from Bulgaria, Nigeria,
Russia and Tonga are participating in the educational trip.
Reforming the U.N.'s current human rights initiative to protect
individuals rather than cover up for the abusers is a main
goal for the United Nations, O'Brien said.
December 8, 2005
LCF Resident Nominated to U.N.
La CanadaValley Sun
Robert C. O'Brien was nominted in November by President
George W. Bush as one of three United States public delegates
to the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
... "We are honored to have Robert's service and expertise,"
said U.S. Ambassador John R. Bolton, head of the American
delegation. "His professionalism and advice have been invaluable
to me." Past U.S. public delegates to the U.N. General Assembly
include author William F. Buckley, Sen. Danial Patrick Moynihan,
actor Paul Newman and singer Pearl Baily.
December 5, 2005
Discussion on volunteerism in
UN headquarters
UN Volunteers
By Karin Svadlenak-Gomez
International Volunteer Day was celebrated at the UN Secretariat
in New York today with a discussion panel on volunteering
and the role of volunteers in responding to natural disasters
and ‘silent crises’ such as poverty and disease. The event
was hosted by the United States Mission to the United
Nations and organized with the United Nations Volunteers
(UNV) Office in North America, attended by some 80 participants
from the local NGO sector and other organizations, including
the United Nations. Introduced by Robert O’Brien,
a delegate from the US State Department, Edward Mortimer
from the UN Secretary General’s Office read the SG’s IVD
message. The ensuing discussion was moderated by prominent
news anchor Anne Curry, who is herself a strong supporter
of volunteering and humanitarian work. “We live in a time
that demands that we rise as human beings .. and I am
here to encourage and demand that we rise,” said Ms. Curry.
The four panelists made an inspiring case for getting
involved and making a difference, at home and across the
globe.
November 9, 2005
President Bush Announces Intent
to Nominate O'Brien Zarian Managing Partner, Robert O'Brien, to
Serve as United
States Public Delegate to the
United Nations General Assembly
The White House, Washington, D.C.
The President intends to nominate the following
individuals to be Alternate Representatives of
the United States to the 60th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly:
Duane Acklie of Nebraska
Robert C. O'Brien of California.
For
the full text of the White House Announcement,
click here.
Robert O'Brien gives the United States
statement on the Question of Palestine in
the United Nations General Assembly on November
29, 2005. For the full text of the United
States Statement on the Question of Palestine,
click here.
Robert O'Brien gives the United States
statement in support of the Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism in the
debate of the Sixth Committee of the United
Nations General Assembly on October 10, 2005.
For the full text of the United States Statement
on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism,
click here.
Robert
O'Brien interposes objection on behalf
of United States in the General Debate of
the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations
on September 20, 2005. For a video clip of
the proceeding, click
here.
Robert O'Brien being sworn-in as Senior
Advisor by Ambassador John Bolton at the United
States Mission on September 15, 2005.
October
9, 2005
Crabb
named 'Outstanding Lawyer' by J. Reuben
Clark Law Society
Latter-day
Trumpet
Kelley Charles Crabb received the
J. Reuben Clark Law Society of Los
Angeles "Outstanding Lawyer" of 2005
award at the Society's annual dinner.
Judge Kenneth Starr, dean of the Pepperdine
Law School, was the featured speaker.
Robert O'Brien, chair of the
Society, [stated], "In giving this
award, we look for someone who has
demonstrated professional and community
leadership with the highest values
of integrity and excellence in the
field of law...".
October,
2005
Special
Affects
The
Washington Times
By
Christian Toto
Bela
Lugosi, who retains
approval rights over his
father's estate, says
he has watched the rules
governing the protection
of late stars' images
fluctuate over time. He
expects the [national]
legal environment to remain
murky until demand forces
a unifying decision.
September, 2005
Southern
California Rising Stars
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law &
Politics Media
Southern
California Rising Stars is the result
of polling all Southern California
Super Lawyers for 2004. Only the
top 2.5% of Southern
California Lawyer are receiving
this distinction.
Robert O'Brien, O'Brien Zarian
LLP
David G. Bayles, O'Brien
Zarian LLP
Amy I. Borlund, O'Brien Zarian
LLP
July
15, 2005
Lawyers
Choose Smaller Packages
Daily
Journal
By
Loreiei Laird
But
increasingly,
some
attorneys
are
finding
that
super-sized
firms,
with
super-sized
billing
rates
and
client
lists
to
match,
make
it
difficult
or
impossible
to
practice
law
the
way
they
want.
Small
firm
practitioners
who've
fled
large
firms
emphasize
that
there's
no
bad
blood
between
them
and
their
old
firms.
There
is
a
reason
for
that:
Their
old
firms
often
refer
them
cases
the
big
firms
can't
accept
because
of
a
conflict
of
interest
or
are
unable
to
handle
efficiently
at
big-firm
billing
rates.
"You
have
the
biggest
firms
in
the
country
becoming
these
mega
international
firms,
..
and
all
the
big
national
firms
tend
to
be
getting
bigger
and
bigger,"
said
Robert
O'Brien,
name
partner
at
downtown
Los
Angeles
nine-attorney
O'Brien
Zarian.
"The
potential
for
conflict
at
big
firms
is
just
becoming
enormous.
So
building
a
practice,
especially
as
a
younger
partner,
I
think
it
can
be
a
difficult
proposition."
O'Brien
started
his
career
at
Skadden,
Arps,
Slate,
Meagher
&
Flom,
then
spent
two
years
in
Geneva
with
the
U.N.
Security
Council,
on
a
commission
handling
claims
against
Iraq
stemming
from
the
Gulf
War.
After
he
returned
to
the
United
States,
O'Brien
said
that
he
wanted
to
establish
his
own
firm
rather
than
rejoin
Skadden,
a
firm
with
1,750
attorneys,
or
another
large
firm.
Lifestyle
and
culture
played
a
part
in
that
decision,
he
said
but
equally
important
was
an
opportunity
O'Brien
spotted
to
grab
fee-savvy
corporate
clients...
"[I
thought]
if
we
could
offer
our
clients
[lower]
rates
and
still
give
them
the
excellent
service
they
at
at
the
large
firms,
there
was
a
market
for
that."
...
James
Lyons,
co-head
of
Skadden's
West
Coast
litigation
department,
said
he
sees
Skadden
alumni
at
small
firms
as
an
opportunity,
not
a
problem.
Skadden
attorneys
can
send
work
to
lawyers
whose
abilities
they
know
and
trust,
and
the
Skadden
alumni
can
send
work
back.
"It's
an
opportunity
for
us
to
keep
our
clients
satisfied
by
recommending
high
quality
lawyers
to
help
out
on
their
matters,"
Lyons
said.
"I
think
Skadden
alumni
are
a
wonderful
source
of
[business]."
February 10 ,
2005
O'Brien
Lugosi Honored in 'Super Lawyers'
Survey
La
Canada Valley Sun
Two
La Canada Flintridge men where
among three O'Brien Zarian LLP
attorneys honored by Southern
California Super Lawyers, it was
announced this week .... Robert
O'Brien was tapped as a "Rising
Star" ... His colleague Bela
Lugosi, a business litigator,
was named a "Super Lawyer"
in the same survey....
February,
2005
Southern
California Super
Lawyers
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law &
Politics Media
Super
Lawyers are selected by a survery
of 65,000 lawyers as being amoung
the top five percent of Souther
California's attorneys.
Jerrold Abeles, O'Brien
Zarian LLP
Bela G. Lugosi, O'Brien
Zarian LLP
December, 2004
Grateful
Dead
Los
Angeles Magazine
By
Tamar Brott
Over
the years, there had been a few attempts
to challenge the right-of-publicity laws
in court, but none had been successful.
In California, ... Bela Lugosi
junior was in a protracted battle
with Universal Studios over a series of
Dracula products the studio had licensed.
As Universal saw it, since Lugosi had
made all the Dracula movies whiled under
contract, the studio owned the rights
to Lugosi's name in perpetuity. But as
Lugosi junior saw it,
Universal's right to his father's image
expired when his father did, and as the
rightful heir to and custodian of his
father's estate he was entitled to protect
and exploit his father's image as he saw
fit. ... The California Celebrity Rights
Bill of 1984 granted a celebrity's heirs
the right to control the commercial use
of that celebrity's image for 70 years
after his death. Similar legislation was
soon passed in Tennessee, thanks to Elvis's
people, and in Indiana, where it was championed
by Mark Roesler.
September,
2004
White
Mischief
Vanity
Fair
By
Vicky Ward
When
Sita White, 43-year-old daughter of the
late British industrialist Lord Gordon
White, dropped dead in her Santa Monica
yoga class last May, her life was in complete
disarray.
***
This
spring Sita made out two checks amounting
to approximately $2.4 million to the Saxbys,
which, she claimed she was told, would
be invested and would double within five
years. … Back in L.A. [Sita and an
old friend of her father’s, Nancy
Bretzfield] had dinner, and Sita told
Bretzfield that she was beginning to have
doubts about the Saxbys. Bretzfield told
Sita to visit her lawyer immediately.
***
Robert
O’Brien, a high-powered litigator
hired by Sita, followed up, obtaining
an injunction to prohibit the Saxbys from
withdrawing or transferring any money
from their account. Of the original $2.4
million, $1.6 million was still in the
account; around $800,000 was gone.
September,
2004
Southern
California Rising Stars
Los
Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics
Media
Southern
California Rising Stars is the result of
polling all Southern California Super Lawyers®
for 2003. Only the top 2.5% of Southern
California Lawyers are receiving this distinction.
Robert O'Brien, Friedemann O'Brien
Goldberg & Zarian
May
23, 2004
Tragic
Sita Left Her Daughter
The
Mail on Sunday (UK)
By
Caroline Graham and Katie Nicholl
Robert
O'Brien, the lawyer representing Sita
in the fraud case, said: "The Saxbys
are trying to unfreeze the money on the
grounds that Sita is dead. Sita was obviously
worried about the case before her death.
Our sole aim now is to recover what monies
are left so they can be transferred to
Tyrian for her future, as her mother would
have wished. We are confident that we
will prevail in this action and restore
the funds to this grieving child who has
already suffered so much."
April,
2004
Sudden
Impact: 20 Under 40
Daily
Journal Extra
By
Amy K. Spees
The
state's top young lawyers are a busy bunch,
building practice groups, fighting injustices
and making their own mark on the legal
community. All things considered, this
year's 20 under 40 are redefining the
term golden years.
***
Robert
O'Brien,
37, has rubbed elbows with celebrity clients
Halle Berry and Buzz Aldrin, as well as
corporate big shots at HBO and Time Inc. O'Brien
founded his own firm in 1999 and trotted
the globe as a legal officer for the U.N.
Security Council three years earlier.
But the experiences of an impressive
legal career are less important to client
Christopher Silva than | |
