Jennifer L. Keller

Keller is the litigator who is called in when things go wrong or get really ugly. As a result, her practice spans a wide range of areas. Over the past year, she has successfully litigated family disputes, sibling inheritance disputes, and public corruption cases stemming from bribery charges. She called the variability and opportunities to learn her favorite part of the job.

“I consider myself an old-fashioned barrister who can try any kind of case,” she said. “It’s all about storytelling. I love learning about new industries, businesses, and legal issues.”

Keller recently won acquittal for a Jeffrey Burum, a Rancho Cucamonga developer accused of facilitating bribes to public officials for approval of a civil settlement over a decade ago. The verdict, returned in less than a day, concluded an arduous seven-month trial.

“Justice was finally done for Jeff Burum, Paul Biane, and Mark Kirk after years of living under a cloud of false accusations,” she said. “[Co-counsel] Stephen Larson and I were relieved and pleased, but not at all surprised, by the quick acquittal of all three. They were innocent men.”

Keller has another bout with the government coming up, this time against the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of Broadwood Investment Fund.

“The IRS has an inexhaustible budget and can crush taxpayers like gnats,” she said. “Fortunately, the law and the facts are on our side, and I think we can show my client’s $200 million deduction was improperly denied.”

Keller gained widespread acclaim when she beat a copyright infringement claim by Mattel Inc. against MGA Entertainment over the Brazt doll line.

Keller’s practice often involves litigating for large companies, which can present a challenge when it comes to humanizing clients to juries. She said the key is connecting the jury not to the company but to the people that make up the company.

“Companies are made up of people,” she said. “Juries need to meet and like those people, and understand their passion for the work they do. The corporate representative is an important person at the counsel table, as are all the company’s witnesses.”

She said that it also matters how the jury sees her, not just her client.

“Jurors identify the lawyer with the client,” she said. “It’s important that they see me as someone they can relate to and trust.”

— Andy Serbe