Luce Forward Earns Top Rankings in 2010 Edition of Chambers USA

SAN DIEGO (June 21, 2010) - SAN DIEGO (June 17, 2010) –Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, along with Partners Peter H. Klee, Louis A. Mezzullo and John T. Brooks, has received top honors in the 2010 edition of Chambers USA for both its Insurance Litigation and Family Wealth and Exempt Organizations practice groups.

For the fourth consecutive year, Luce Forward was ranked nationally in the Wealth Management category with Mezzullo ranking individually in tier number one. Luce Forward’s Family Wealth and Exempt Organizations practice was cited as having “one of the finest reputations in the West,” and Mezzullo was recognized for being “a thoughtful, intelligent practitioner.”

In addition to Luce Forward’s Wealth Management ranking, the firm and Peter Klee were recognized for the second time in the Insurance: Insurer Firms category in California. This year, Chambers USA also recognized Partner John T. Brooks for the first time in this same category. Chambers USA found Klee to be “intelligent and thorough, and an excellent communicator” while Brooks is “always available to speak when necessary.” The attorneys in Luce Forward’s Insurance Litigation Group received additional kudos for their charisma and intelligence.

“We’d like to congratulate Lou, Peter and John, as well as the other talented attorneys in our trust and estates and insurance practices, for this tremendous recognition,” said Kurt L. Kicklighter, Luce Forward’s Managing Partner. “This achievement illustrates the strength of our firm and the depth of each of our practice groups as we continue to grow strategically throughout California.”

Luce Forward's Family Wealth and Exempt Organizations Practice Group counsels families and individuals in their personal, financial and business dealings, designs simple and complex estate plans, solves sophisticated tax problems and identifies and settles issues in estate and trust administration. Attorneys in the practice group address estate and tax planning, the responsibilities of fiduciaries in the probate and trust process, dispute resolution in the estate and trust context, and the start-up and operation of nonprofit organizations.

Mezzullo works with high net worth individuals and family owned and closely held businesses, primarily in the areas of tax, estate, business, succession planning and employee benefits. He is a nationally recognized author and speaker, and the immediate past Chair of the American College of Tax Counsel; a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; a Fellow and Treasurer of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; a charter fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and Academician and Vice President of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. He is also the former Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law.

Luce Forward’s Insurance Litigation practice group defends the nation’s largest insurance carriers and related entities against class actions, unfair competition suits and lawsuits alleging bad faith or other tort theories arising out of first- and third-party insurance claims. Although the group strives to win cases before trial (it has obtained defense judgments before trial in more than 500 cases), the group’s attorneys have extensive jury trial experience in both the state and federal courts, and the group has a near perfect track record in trial. The insurance litigation group also serves as a national counsel for major insurers on institutional issues and other matters involving significant financial risk.

Klee ‘s focus is defending insurance companies and their affiliates that are sued in individual actions and class actions for bad faith, fraud, unfair competition and other torts. He founded Luce Forward’s Insurance Litigation group in 1987 and has handled more than 1,000 cases during the past two decades. Klee has been responsible for dozens of published decisions that have impacted insurance law, establishing precedents and creating and expanding defenses favorable to the insurance industry. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and an Associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates, as well as a frequent lecturer on insurance issues.

Brooks’ practice focuses on representation of insurers in class actions and bad faith litigation at the trial and appellate level. He has obtained significant published opinions for insurance clients at the California Supreme Court, California Court of Appeal, and the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Brooks also has significant class action and appellate experience in other fields including unfair competition, antitrust, privacy rights, annuity sales and other consumer class action matters. In addition, he provides dispute avoidance counseling, including advice regarding policy drafting and claim handling procedures.

Chambers USA is a yearly publication that covers major practice areas at the national level, as well as the key specializations within each state. Chambers USA selects their top firms and attorneys by speaking to sources including attorneys and their clients. Sources are selected on the basis of submissions put forward by legal practices, interviews during the course of research and the publication’s database resources. For the current Chambers USA directory, more than 14,000 interviews were conducted. Rankings are based on technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities valued by a client.

About Luce Forward
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP is a full-service California law firm with a national reputation in more than 30 different areas of law. Since its founding in San Diego in 1873, Luce Forward has grown to become home to approximately 200 attorneys in six offices statewide including San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angles, Carmel Valley/Del Mar, Orange County and Rancho Santa Fe. For more information, visit www.luce.com.

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