Patrick J. Somers

As the youngest partner at Kendall Brill & Kelly, Somers finds himself in a unique position.

"When you're at my station, you look for a place and people where you can have a great experience and who are also invested in watching you grow," he said, "and that's exactly everyone here."

That environment is what drew Somers to the firm. While an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York, Somers was co-counsel on a case with Kendall Brill & Kelly co-founder Richard B. Kendall representing Paramount Pictures.

"I was floored by everything that they do," Somers recalled.

The experience left Somers thinking about how he wanted to shape his practice and career. When Kendall later came back with an offer, Somers jumped at the opportunity, packing up and moving across the country with his wife.

"It's not often that you find such a talented group at the size that we are," Somers said.

The feeling was mutual, according to Kendall, who called Somers "an absolutely first-rate lawyer" with "strong complex litigation skills" when the hiring was announced.

Now in his second year at the firm, Somers is busier than ever, working on a number of high-profile entertainment matters. This past February, he secured a dismissal for all defendants in a complaint alleging injuries sustained on the set of the USA Network series Shooter. Abernathy v. Paramount Pictures, BC694209 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 15, 2018).

But Somers' biggest challenge came this April when he was tapped to be co-lead counsel alongside Kendall to represent Creative Artists Agency in their suit against the Writer's Guild of America West. As high-profile as it gets, the guild alleges breaches of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and other violations stemming from the "packaging fees" agencies get for putting together pre-staffed television shows and films. Writer's Guild of America West v. WME Entertainment, 19SMCV00725 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Apr. 17, 2019).

"For me, working with Dick [Kendall] and taking in his experience and generosity is one of those opportunities you hope to get as a young lawyer at least once," Somers said. "I get to do it on a daily basis."

Even with the heavy caseload, Somers finds time for pro bono work. Recently, Somers took on the case of a transgender woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by a male corrections officer while serving time in an Arizona prison. The suit also challenges the state's policies in dealing with transgender inmates and ensuring their safety. Goff v Arizona, 17-CV01623 (D. Az., filed May 26, 2017).

The case is particularly meaningful to Somers, and not just because it's a chance to help enact new policies. A board member of the Western Center on Law and Poverty, Somers believes in being an advocate for those in dire need.

"Are there ways in which we can do good?" Somers said. "In this case, it's someone who had been repeatedly subject to terrible sexual assault. Regardless of what you've done to deserve to be prison, no one deserves to be sexually assaulted in a prison, particularly someone is being targeted because of her gender identity."

-- Glenn Jeffers