Jennifer L. Keller

In October, Keller will be defending Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeffrey Burum, accused in a $100 million pay-to-play scheme once described by Gov. Jerry Brown as "one of the most appalling corruption cases ever seen in California." Despite the high-profile nature of the case, Keller said of her client, "We're as sure as you can be in a criminal case that he's going to be acquitted."

Burum, the managing partner of Colonies partners LP, allegedly bribed county officials to settle a lawsuit on his terms. The suit stemmed from flood control problems that damaged a Colonies development. In exchange for county supervisors' approval, Burum paid them each $100,000 and other gifts, prosecutors said. The case has been pending for years with an intervening trip to the state Supreme Court over various bribery and aiding and abetting definitions. People v. Biane, FSB1102102 (San Bernardino Super. Ct., filed May 5, 2011). The named defendant is one of the allegedly bribed supervisors. "Mr. Burum hotly denies the allegations and looks forward to his day in court," Keller said.

Keller is defending Burum alongside co-counsel Stephen G. Larson, a former federal judge now with Arent Fox LLP. "He brought me into the case," she said. It wasn't the first time the two have been linked professionally. Larson, when still on the bench, oversaw the first hotly contested intellectual property trial between Mattel Inc. and MGA Entertainment Inc. over rights to the popular Bratz dolls. Keller represented MGA and continues to do so as a trade secrets component of the case continues in state court with trial tentatively set for 2017.

Her biggest achievement of the year, Keller said, was a confidential settlement in a securities case. The conflict set her client, Sherrill Schoepe, against Schoepe's brother. Both were large shareholders in the family-owned company, Fluidmaster Inc., a maker of aftermarket toilet repair kits. "Sherrill, the minority shareholder, alleged various forms of unfair treatment by the company and her brother," Keller said. "The matter was heavily litigated, ultimately diverted into arbitration and settled in late August among the parties in what I believe represents a win-win for Sherrill, her brother and the company."

Keller said she was proud that the matter was resolved with neither a judge nor an arbitrator playing a role at the end. "It concluded by the parties in good faith laying their cards on the table and trying to reach a fair resolution during an agreed litigation stand-down," she said. "At the beginning, it looked like it would never settle. These brother-sister cases are never just about money."

— John Roemer