LOS ANGELES, September 13, 2023 – Proskauer, a leading international law firm, is pleased to share that partners Bart Williams and Susan Gutierrez and senior counsel Philippe (Phil) Lebel have been honored by The Recorder’s 2023 California Legal Awards. The awards recognize the lawyers and firms leading the technology, innovation and profession across the state's legal sector. Bart has been named a finalist for Attorney of the Year and Susan and Phil have been named Lawyers on the Fast Track.
A highly sought-after trial lawyer, Bart is chair of Proskauer’s Litigation Department and serves as head of the Firm’s Los Angeles office. With extensive experience in commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations, Bart advises clients on the management of their most complex litigation crises and tries their most important cases before juries and judges. He is frequently called in just months or even weeks before a trial to deliver a win. Most recently, he served as lead trial counsel for Gilead Sciences, securing a significant victory in a $3.6 billion antitrust case on allegations that the pharmaceutical company struck an anticompetitive "pay-for-delay" patent settlement related to two HIV medications. Bart was also lead counsel to Miramax in a groundbreaking lawsuit against director Quentin Tarantino, involving allegations of intellectual property infringement and breach of contract related to the offering of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for the film Pulp Fiction. Bart's leadership led to a pioneering copyright settlement, marking the first of its kind involving NFTs.
As a partner and co-head of the Firm’s Product Liability Group, Susan represents Fortune 500 companies in high-profile, complex trials and litigation matters across the country. Her expertise spans across various industries, including consumer products, pharmaceuticals, media, entertainment, and sports, where she serves as a litigator and trusted advisor to her clients. Susan has successfully tried multiple high-profile cases to verdict in state and federal courts nationwide. Most recently, Susan served as trial counsel for Gilead Sciences, where she helped secure a full defense verdict in a closely watched antitrust jury trial. She has also worked on other highly publicized product liability cases, obtaining significant litigation and trial victories for her clients through the years.
A member of the Firm’s Employment Litigation practice, Phil is a litigator and strategic adviser to clients in a variety of industries, notably media and entertainment, retail, technology, financial services and manufacturing. He has successfully represented employers in all aspects of employment law, ranging from litigating complex class and collective actions to conducting sensitive workplace investigations, to defending clients in discrimination, harassment, retaliation and employment-related tort claims. A significant portion of Phil’s work takes place behind the scenes, helping employers respond to issues before they become lawsuits and advising clients regarding compliance with employment laws. Phil also regularly assists clients with developing employment-related policies and drafting and negotiating employment agreements.
Winners for Lawyer of the Year will be announced at the California Legal Awards ceremony, which will honor all the winners and finalists, on November 2, 2023.
About Proskauer
We are 800+ lawyers serving clients from 12 offices located in the leading financial and business centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. We work with asset managers, private equity and venture capital firms, Fortune 500 and FTSE companies, major sports leagues, entertainment industry legends and industry-redefining companies.
Since 1875, Proskauer has been devoted to our clients’ successes. Our lawyers are known for their unusually high accessibility, responsiveness and attentiveness. We go the extra mile to understand a client’s business — and think like savvy businesspeople in the process.
