Heller Ehrman LLP

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

Ed. note: Heller Ehrman filed for bankruptcy on December 28, 2008.

The Scoop

Heller Ehrman's San Francisco roots date back to 1890, and its history is intertwined with the city's. For example, in a memorable 1929 deal, the firm helped put together financing for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. In early 2008, Heller Ehrman was named the "Technology Law Firm of the Year" at the U.K. Technology Innovation and Growth 2008 Awards. According to the judges, "After less than one year, the new London office of Heller Ehrman has really hit the ground running, having captured a leading position advising European venture-backed companies. Their representation of autonomy through the two secondary offerings on the London Stock Exchange and through their acquisition of Zantaz makes Heller Ehrman stand out from the crowd." In other recent news, Heller attorney Stanley Young has won the chance to tell his side of the story in a knotty matter. Young had been sanctioned by a federal magistrate judge for discovery violations in a matter involving Heller client QUALCOMM. In his defense, Young had argued that attorney-client privilege prevented him (and other attorneys from another sanctioned firm) from fully explaining their role in the discovery violations. The argument seems to have swayed the district court judge in the case, who vacated and remanded the sanctions, and ruled that attorney-client privilege could be breached for reasons of self-defense.