Luce Forward
Expands Statewide Reach Establishes Presence in Orange County

Although new to Orange County, the prominent California law firm Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP has quite a lengthy history. In fact, the firm has grown tremendously since its founding in 1873 and now boasts more than 220 lawyers and six office locations throughout California.

Luce Forward, known for its highly experienced attorneys and professional demeanor, offers a broad range of practices to service clients. From its premier real estate and litigation practices to business, employment, trust and estates, and aviation law, Luce Forward remains at the forefront of multifaceted, sensitive and rapidly changing legal issues.

Entering Orange County

Luce Forward expanded into Orange County in the summer of 2007, establishing its office with well-known attorneys who were excited about the prospect of opening a new office in the area. The Orange County office now has approximately 10 attorneys and focuses on its real estate, litigation and business practices. The firm plans to add more practice areas and attorneys as the office continues to grow.

"As a firm, we saw that San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego are the key markets in California," said Robert J. Bell, Luce Forward's managing partner. "We had attorneys in all of those areas except Orange County, where many of our clients are located. Our new Orange County office allows us to serve our existing clients more efficiently and will provide us with many more opportunities to develop some great new clients as we expand our presence in the community."

Orange County is one of the most populated counties in California and has a bustling business community.

"It's an especially great market for our firm because there is so much real estate activity and development there," Bell said. "Our offered services cater quite well to the needs of business in the area."

The Orange County office will also allow Luce Forward to more efficiently service Southern California's mid-section, from the ocean straight on through the Inland Empire.

"We are very focused on being a full-service, California firm," said Bell. "Some of our practices are national, or even international, and yet it is important to us to be a firm that can service a variety of companies up and down the state."

Local Ties

The building that houses the firm's new office is located in the Irvine Business Complex and is owned by Luce Forward's longtime client, the developer Opus West Corp. The building is Opus West Corp's third and final building in the project.

"There are two really wonderful things about having Luce Forward in Orange County," said Paul Marshall, Opus West's division president for Southern California. "First, it is a tremendous honor to have such a reputable law firm select our building for its local office. Second, Luce Forward has done all of our legal work for the last 14 years. They are a valuable teammate and it is a benefit to us to have the firm within such close proximity to our regional headquarters."

He continued, "There is a deep, well-established market in Orange County, and it is no surprise to me that a firm of Luce Forward's caliber has decided to establish a local presence."

The Irvine office will serve existing Orange County clients. Such as Opus West. Who urged the firm to expand into the new area, as well as corporate entities looking for assistance in commercial and industrial real estate, development, eminent domain, and business litigation.

The attorneys who will service clients in Orange County not only have prominent law careers, but many are also heavily involved in the community. For example, Steven Knoblock is a member of the San Clemente City Council and serves on the board of directors for the Orange County Fire Authority, which serves 23 cities and all of the unincorporated areas of the county. He was also appointed by the board of supervisors to the Orange County Integrated Waste Management Commission and is the ex-officio alternate on the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee to State Senator Dick Ackerman, Senate Republican minority leader.

Seasoned Professionals

Luce Forward's Orange County office is led by John C. Murphy, a highly regarded Orange County attorney whose practice extends throughout the entire state. A leader in the field of eminent domain, he also specializes in inverse condemnation, land use and zoning, real estate, and other complex business disputes. Murphy has successfully served as lead counsel in several multi-million-dollar jury trials, and won one of the largest jury verdicts in the history of Marin County Superior Court.

He is joined by partners Douglas J. Evertz, an attorney who focuses on complex litigation, including real estate, eminent domain, inverse condemnation, land use, and environmental matters; George C. Rudolph, a civil litigator specializing in business, real estate, competitive practices, corporate and entity structures and intellectual property; and Joseph S. Stuart, a seasoned real estate attorney who concentrates on transactions for industrial, retail, office, residential and shopping-center properties. Other attorneys in the Orange County office include Steven C. Knoblock, of counsel; Jennifer R. McClure, special counsel, and associates Jennifer Wood Dienhart, Lisa J. Holmes, and Emily L. Madueno.

"We found some incredibly talented attorneys with established practices in Orange County who saw our vision for the firm and were willing to come onboard, bringing their clients," Bell said. "Each of them has played a role in helping to solidify our position as a top California firm."

He continued, "The reputation and history of our firm, coupled with the experience of our attorneys and strategic office locations, make us a force to be reckoned with. We expect the firm will continue to grow steadily, in both profits and personnel, providing our clients in Orange County or wherever they may be with the quality legal services they have come to expect from Luce Forward."