You’ve probably seen the name. If you spend any time driving near the U.S. Bank Tower or scrolling through legal headlines, Lewis Brisbois Los Angeles is hard to miss. But honestly, the firm you see today isn't exactly the same one that dominated the skyline five years ago.
It’s been a wild ride. We’re talking about a firm that started in 1979 as a scrappy Los Angeles insurance defense shop and ballooned into a national powerhouse with over 1,600 lawyers. But then, things got messy. Like, "mass exodus and leaked emails" messy.
If you're looking for the truth about where they stand in 2026, you have to look past the shiny glass windows of Suite 4000 at 633 West 5th Street.
The 2023 Earthquake and the "New Guard"
Let’s be real: most people searching for Lewis Brisbois Los Angeles are trying to figure out if the firm survived the 2023 "rebellion."
Back then, about 140 lawyers—led by John Barber and Jeff Ranen—basically up and left overnight to start their own boutique. It was a massive hit to the firm’s labor and employment practice. To make matters worse, a series of emails were released shortly after that contained some pretty ugly language from the departing partners. It was a PR nightmare.
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But here’s the thing. While the internet was busy watching the fireworks, the firm was quietly gutting its old management style. Robert "Bob" Lewis, the titan who founded the place, stepped down as chairman.
Moving Toward a Modern C-Suite
The firm brought in Greg Katz as the new managing partner, and he’s been on an absolute tear trying to modernize the "back office." For years, partners complained that the billing systems were clunky and the financial forecasting was basically nonexistent.
- Tim Armstrong, the CFO, came in to fix the money side of things.
- Stephanie Peters was hired as the Chief People Officer to handle the culture shift.
- The old "executive committee" was tossed out in favor of a 13-member management committee.
It sounds like corporate jargon, but it actually matters. It means the firm is trying to stop acting like a family-run business from the 80s and more like the $700+ million revenue machine it actually is.
What Does Lewis Brisbois Los Angeles Actually Do Now?
Despite the drama, the L.A. office remains the nerve center. If you walk into that office today, you’re looking at over 200 lawyers. They aren’t just doing insurance defense anymore, though that’s still their bread and butter.
They’ve branched out into some pretty heavy-hitting areas:
- High-Stakes Litigation: This is where they still crush it. Names like Dana Fox and Craig Holden are well-known in the L.A. courts for handling complex disputes that would make most lawyers sweat.
- Entertainment & Intellectual Property: Being in L.A., they represent a lot of media clients. You’ll find attorneys like Brian Arnold and Daniel DeCarlo fighting over IP rights and contract disputes.
- Real Estate & Land Use: They’re deep in the weeds of California's bizarre zoning laws.
- Healthcare & Professional Liability: If a doctor or a hospital gets sued in Southern California, there’s a high chance Lewis Brisbois is on the defense side.
It's a "one-team" approach, supposedly. Basically, they want a client in Ohio to feel like they have the same resources as a client in downtown Los Angeles.
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The Culture: Jeans and Flip-Flops?
Believe it or not, the vibe at Lewis Brisbois Los Angeles is known for being a bit more relaxed than the stuffy "white shoe" firms. According to Vault rankings, it’s not uncommon to see associates grinding away in jeans or even flip-flops.
Don't let the casual dress code fool you, though. The billable hour requirements are still real. You're expected to produce.
The Controversy That Won't Die
You can't talk about the firm without mentioning the lawsuits. Recently, they settled a bias suit with a former partner named Robert Lofton, who alleged discrimination after a medical procedure. And there was that weird "mansion dispute" in Beverly Hills where a judge recently had to deal with sanctions motions involving the firm.
It's a reminder that even when you're at the top, you're a target. The firm has had to fight tooth and nail to prove they’ve changed their culture after the 2023 email scandal. They’ve doubled down on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, aiming for the "Mansfield Certification Plus" status to prove they are actually promoting a diverse range of lawyers into leadership.
Why This Matters for You
If you’re a client or a law student looking at Lewis Brisbois Los Angeles, you need to weigh two things.
On one hand, you have a firm with massive resources and a brand-new management structure that is finally catching up to the 21st century. On the other hand, you have a firm that is still in a "rebuilding" phase for some of its key departments.
They are currently ahead of their revenue projections for 2026, which suggests the "overhaul" is actually working. They’ve fixed the billing software (mostly) and smoothed out the collections process.
Actionable Insights for 2026
- For Prospective Clients: If you need a firm that can handle a 50-state litigation strategy from a central L.A. hub, they are still a top-tier choice. Just make sure to ask about the specific team's stability in the practice area you're hiring for.
- For Job Seekers: Look at the "New Guard" leadership. The firm is hiring heavily to fill the gaps left by the 2023 departures. This means there’s more room for rapid advancement than there might be at a firm where the partners have been entrenched for 40 years.
- For Legal Watchers: Keep an eye on the C-suite. With CFO Tim Armstrong planning to step back soon, the next round of leadership hires will tell us if the modernization is permanent or just a temporary fix.
The firm is at a crossroads. It's not the old-school "Lewis and D’Amato" anymore. It's something different—leaner, hopefully kinder, and definitely more focused on the bottom line.
To stay ahead of their latest filings or leadership changes, you can check the California State Bar records or keep an eye on the Los Angeles Daily Journal for the latest court-side updates.
The story of Lewis Brisbois is far from over. It's just in a very loud, very public second act.
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Next Steps to Understand the L.A. Legal Market:
- Compare Tiers: Check the Am Law 100 rankings for 2026 to see how Lewis Brisbois stacks up against other L.A. giants like O’Melveny or Latham.
- Verify Status: Use the California State Bar website to look up specific attorneys in the L.A. office to ensure their practice area matches your needs.
- Review the Litany: If you're involved in insurance defense, look up recent verdicts in the Los Angeles Superior Court to see the firm's win-loss ratio under the new management committee.