Stevens credits the Los Angeles County Bar Association, where she was installed as president in June, with her marriage and her law firm. She met husband-to-be Robin Meadow of Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP there when he was LACBA president from 2003 to 2004; they married soon after. She met law partner Patricia Egan Daehnke there when Daehnke was LACBA president from 2013 to 2014; she and Daehnke later formed their own firm.
"For matchmaking or friendship or networking, you cannot beat the bar association," Stevens said. She is the group's 13th female president in its 138-year history.
When Stevens and Daehnke met, Stevens was on the bar association's leadership ladder, moving from trustee to president of the Barristers to finance committee chair to member of the judicial evaluation committee. She was working as a sole practitioner with expertise in aviation law, business litigation, class actions, consumer fraud and employment law. Daehnke specialized in medical malpractice defense as the managing shareholder of Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O'Keefe & Nichols' Las Vegas office. "We kept joking that we should go into business together," Stevens said. "Then Patty called and actually proposed it. I pointed out that I did plaintiffs' work and she was defense. We realized it really didn't matter because it is all about serving our clients."
Currently, Stevens represents some 300 current and former workers at a popular Los Angeles restaurant in a wage-and-hour class action over working conditions. "Employees had to pay $10 to another employee called a 'breaker' to get a meal break," she said. "As is typical, workers kept quiet out of fear of job loss." The case is in discovery, with a class certification motion due later this year, Stevens said. "We think there is about $3 million involved. We're still trying to beat the facts out of the other side." Dix v. Westside Tavern Partners LLC, BC573638 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 25, 2015).
They launched their all-female trial attorney firm a year and a half ago with six lawyers and offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Why all-female? "We simply hired the best attorneys possible," was Stevens' explanation. She noted that the arrangement has positive advantages. "All of the attorneys here are married and have children under the age of 18," she said. "Everyone is used to being a trial attorney, a mom and a wife. We never discussed it, we just step in for each other when some kid thing comes up. Those accommodations, unlike at other firms, are part of the fabric of our everyday lives. I forgot what a luxury that can be."
Her stint as president of a 24,000-member bar association ? an outfit bigger than 37 state bars ? and her day job at Daehnke Stevens leaves Stevens little spare time. "When I'm done as president, I'll go back to being principal clarinetist at the L.A. Lawyers Philharmonic," she said.
— John Roemer
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