Gary S. Lincenberg

Lincenberg's background includes a stint at the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. Lincenberg arrived there and practiced as a federal prosecutor in the 1980s with his Harvard Law School classmate Adam B. Schiff, now the Democratic congressman from Burbank, who was a lead investigator in the President Trump impeachment inquiry.

Schiff recruited Lincenberg to assist the House of Representatives' general counsel, Douglas N. Letter, in the inquiry. Lincenberg, working pro bono in what he called "my behind-the-scenes role," helping to answer strategic questions as they arose. "For example, if we subpoena John Bolton and others and they fight it in court, how can we expedite the process? When Trump fails to assert executive privilege over Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland, is it waived? There was a lot of nuance there."

Lincenberg is a fan of Schiff's. "I believe he's one of the more impressive people around," he said. "If our leaders are picking the most qualified guy in the room, he could be a senator or majority leader or in a cabinet post. He's a real superstar with a great moral compass."

Following the 2015 Refugio pipeline rupture and oil spill near Santa Barbara, Lincenberg defended the pipeline operator in state court in one of the largest environmental crime trials in California history. He and his team helped secure the dismissal of charges against the defendant's employees and, following a four-month trial, avoided convictions on three-quarters of the charges. Prosecutors sought $1.2 billion but the case ended with the client facing just $3 million in fines and penalties. People v. Plains All American Pipeline LP, 1495091 (S. Barbara Co. Super. Ct., filed May 16, 2016).

Lincenberg represents four neighbors of real estate developer Mohamed Hadid in ongoing litigation over his Bel Air mansion alleging nuisance, fraud and other claims based on building code violations including hillside construction faults caused by illegal grading. Bedrosian v. Hadid, SC129388 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed June 7, 2018).

Lincenberg obtained an order requiring the mansion's demolition and has defeated Hadid's effort to use sham bankruptcies to avoid tearing the place down. A damages trial set to begin in March has been delayed by Covid-19. "We got the judge to come out and see what we were talking about. The clients remain resolute despite years of litigation and costs to them."

-- John Roemer