Eric M. George

Los Angeles

Civil Litigation

In 2000, after several years in the political sphere, Eric M. George joined a shop called Browne & Woods that today is named Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP.

"I came back to L.A. looking for litigation work, a place with camaraderie, where they weren't afraid to go to trial," he said. "I was lucky enough to connect with Allan Browne, who turned out to be my grandmother's neighbor. He was the best mentor you could ask for."

Politically well-connected, George served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., and as deputy legal affairs secretary to Gov. Pete Wilson in Sacramento after clerking for U.S. District Judge D. Lowell Jensen of San Francisco. He graduated with honors from Georgetown University Law Center. He is the son of a former chief justice, Ronald M. George.

"In Washington, I worked for Sen. Orrin Hatch," George recalled, naming the late Utah Republican who had a reputation for bipartisanship and a longstanding friendship with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. "Hatch told me, 'The Republicans hate me and the Democrats loath me,' and that was perfect for me."

These days George represents members of the Kennedy family in their effort to prevent the parole of Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

In litigation over social media's alleged bias, George and colleagues assert that Google LLC's algorithms racially profile content creators. Neuman et al. v. Google LLC et al., 3:20-cv-04011 (N.D., filed June 16, 2020).

George said another suit is in the works that claims Google's algorithms are designed to addict children, with negative consequences for school attendance and mental health. "They'll invoke Section 230, but we say not if you're engaged in pernicious manipulation of your code to victimize kids."

And George is in the thick of a state Supreme Court battle over California's three strikes law. George represents deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles who contend that District Attorney George Gascón cannot bar them from seeking mandated sentencing enhancements following criminal convictions.

Gascón, who argues that the law is unconstitutional, is among several progressive big-city prosecutors in the state who've been challenged by tough-on-crime advocates. The Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County v. George Gascón, S275478 (Cal. S. Ct., rev. granted Aug. 31, 2022).

The case is fully briefed and awaiting an oral argument date.

--John Roemer