The well-established law firm Jenner & Block is poised for expansion in California, with its launch of a new office in the Century City neighbourhood of Los Angeles and an office upgrade in San Francisco. This move signals the firm’s ambitious plans for growth in the Golden State, backed by a significant increase in square footage for its San Francisco premises at 525 Market St.
The move is underscored by a thriving client base in San Francisco, as mentioned by Reid Schar, co-chair of the firm’s litigation department: “We’re one of the busiest offices in the entire firm and we have grown our client base here, which has driven the number of lawyers we’ve brought on since 2021.”
Originally founded in Chicago, Jenner & Block first marked its presence on the West Coast about 15 years ago with an L.A. office. Its San Francisco office inauguration in 2021 included the acquisition of former Boies Schiller Flexner partner and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s ex-chief of staff, Ann O’Leary.
The presence of Jenner & Block in San Francisco has rapidly expanded, with an addition of 18 partners including Hong-An Tran, a litigator from Weil Gotshal & Manges, and Jennifer Lee, the ex-assistant director of the Security and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division.
On the southern premise, the firm is setting up camp at 2029 Century Park East in Century City. Brandon Fox, the co-chair of the firm’s investigations, compliance, and defense practice will be the responsible managing partner for both Los Angeles and Century City offices.
The office in Century City will also accommodate the talents of Michael McNamara and Kirsten Spira, co-chairs of professional responsibility practice, Andrew Thomas, media and entertainment litigator, Todd Toral, co-chair of financial litigation practice, and David Singer, co-chair of the firm’s content, media, and entertainment practice alongside Brandon Fox.
In a joint statement, Jenner’s co-managing partners Katya Jestin and Randy Mehrberg confirmed the strategic goals behind the expansion: “As Los Angeles’ Westside business community continues to boom, having additional space in Century City will allow us to better serve our many clients that are doing business in the area”.