Oct. 15, 2015
Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP
See more on Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLPSan Francisco
"We are specialty litigators. We are not in one camp or the other." said co-founding partner Michael Bien. "The idea that you can do a range of litigation really allows you to give advice to clients in a broader way and allows you to be more successful in litigation."
Together, Bien and co-founder Sandy Rosen began their practice in 1990 with three
partners and two associates and have since grown to nearly 20 attorneys - all practicing
complex litigation. Today the firm's litigation practice spans complex commercial
litigation, class actions, constitutional and civil rights law, antitrust, intellectual
property, disability rights, and attorneys' fees disputes.
In the civil rights community, Rosen Bien is regarded for cases such as Brown v. Plata, in which the firm won a historic prison overcrowding decision in 2011, and more
recently for the firm's role in enabling improvements in conditions for California
inmates with mental disabilities.
Today, the firm continues to help inmates secure better living conditions. For the
last several years, Rosen Bien has helped to address overcrowding and problems with
mental medical healthcare in Monterey County jails in the case Hernandez v. County of Monterey, In August, the court approved a settlement requiring the county to develop and implement
comprehensive reforms in its jails.
"We were able to marshall the resources from our firm and coordinate with co-counsel
to bring the case to fruition in a very successful way," Bien said.
Between 2013 and 2014, the firm won three major class action trials, including a preliminary
injunction for a publisher in a censorship case and a state court writ proceeding
protecting the retirement benefits of police and fire fighters. In 2015, Rosen Bien
represented clients in appeals in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and other
federal courts of appeal, including defending client wins from challenges in the Supreme
Court.
Rosen Bien also works with clients in cases involving disputes over intellectual property
and trade secrets. In one active case, the firm is helping an entity that represents
craft breweries in an ownership dispute over copyrights and the dissolution of a prior
business.
Partner Gay Grunfeld says the firm has grown to a level that balances performance
with communication, collegiality and a family friendly work environment.
"Given our size, 20 lawyers, we are able to make a broad impact in a number of areas,"
Grunfeld said. "We all know each other. We are all knowledgable about each others
cases and that provides a lot of synergy," said.
- RYAN VAN VELZER
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