Angela C. Agrusa

Fresh off the highly publicized criminal trial of Bill Cosby, which resulted in a mistrial, co-lead counsel Agrusa acknowledged it was “quite frankly, one of the most challenging moments of my career.”

Although the trial lasted a week, she and Philadelphia-based co-counsel Brian McMonagle spent more than a month in Pittsburgh selecting a jury. The media presence permeated every aspect of the trial. Just walking to her car was trying, she said. In the end, the jury deadlocked.

To Agrusa, the jury’s inability to unanimously convict Cosby, who was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee, revealed that the prosecution lacked sufficient evidence. Agrusa and McMonagle have decided not to return for the retrial of Cosby’s case this fall. Agrusa said she helped Cosby select Michael Jackson’s one-time attorney Thomas Mesereau to step in as lead counsel, and has been bringing him up to speed.

“It’s very common in criminal trials to bring in somebody different — a different perspective,” Agrusa said, “somebody that would in fact be less predictable for the prosecution to address.”

Back in Los Angeles, Agrusa said she has been able to apply what she learned from the “exhausting endeavor” to her bread-and-butter work — high-stakes “brand crisis” defense of companies and wealthy individuals. She now implements brand protection strategies more quickly and with more sophistication and nuance, she said.

For many of her clients, including Hilton Hotels and the company that owns Horizon Organic milk, “their brand is their primary asset,” she said.

Her litigation focuses not just on defending the companies from allegations of fraudulent messaging or breach of advertising laws, often leading to billions of dollars of potential exposure, but from the “court of public opinion.”

“To go after a company for false claims and misleading consumers really does go to the core of their business model,” Agrusa said.

She is now focused on transitioning into a more national and global practice as her firm merges with DLA Piper.

Set for a firm rebrand Oct. 1 with an office relocation to Century City to follow, Agrusa said she looks forward to collaborating with attorneys with highly specialized practices.

“The ability to form these even more comprehensive teams, I think, is a huge advantage,” Agrusa said.

— Lila Seidman