Ben Feuer

Under Feuer's leadership as chairman, the 14-member California Appellate Law Group has tripled in size over the past three years and opened an office in Los Angeles. "It's been a terrific couple of years," Feuer said. "We're so busy that when I had a long weekend in Mexico recently, I was emailing for work from the beach."

Currently, among many other cases, Feuer represents a bipartisan group of former members of Congress, including Californians Barbara Boxer and Henry Waxman, as amici in a suit against President Donald Trump for violations of the U.S. Constitution's foreign emoluments clause. Feuer's complaint contends that the president may not obtain benefits of any kind from foreign states without first obtaining congressional approval because "the Constitution's authors saw potential foreign corruption of the President as an existential threat to the nation." The case is currently before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Blumenthal v. Trump, 17-1152 (D. D.C., filed June 14, 2017).

"If the courts don't get involved, there's no other mechanism to compel the president to do his duty to request permission from Congress," Feuer said.

"The firm has a robust federal amici practice. In fact, my colleague Anna-Rose Mathieson pointed out that we have now filed more amicus briefs than Don Verrilli did," referring to President Barack Obama's solicitor general.

In another current matter, Feuer represents the appellant in a multimillion-dollar appeal on behalf of a real estate agent found liable -- while represented by other counsel -- for fraud and claims related to property renovations in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. In a rarely successful move, Feuer obtained a temporary appellate stay of enforcement of the judgment pending the appeal, relieving his client of the duty to post an expensive bond while the appeal is litigated. The stay ends in August. Moore v. Teed, A153523 (Cal. App. 1st Dist., filed Feb. 6, 2018).

"My client has a very meritorious appellate argument, and we were able to do something that almost never happens -- to get the court to stay judgment without a bond to keep the other side from auctioning his property before the appeal is heard," Feuer said.

"I love this job," he said. "I did not expect that taking on the responsibility of building a premiere appellate boutique would become a labor of love. But now it is a consuming passion project. My goal is to keep us flexible and not fall into the trap of rigidity."

-- John Roemer