LOS ANGELES – The Civil Justice Program (CJP) at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles will host its 13th-annual Tribute to the Champions of Justice dinner and award ceremony at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This year’s honorees are attorneys John “Jack” Denove, founding partner of Cheong, Denove, Rowell & Bennett, and Robert A. Morgernstern, founding principal of Maranga | Morgenstern APLC.
The CJP awards annually recognize attorneys who advance the civil justice system through their work both in and out of court. Honorees’ careers are marked by professional excellence, technical proficiency and uncompromising integrity.
“This year’s honorees exemplify the civil justice system at its very best,” said John Nockleby, Loyola Law School professor and founding director of the Civil Justice Program. “Our honorees have been zealous advocates for their clients while also improving the profession for everyone they serve.”
As a plaintiffs’ attorney, Denove focuses on medical malpractice, insurance bad faith, police misconduct, product liability and other cases. He has led the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the L.A. Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, among many other professional organizations.
A 1976 graduate of Loyola Law School, Denove is especially honored by the award from his alma mater. “Loyola’s recognition that trial skills can be taught has given its graduates a tremendous advantage,” Denove said. “I will always be grateful to Loyola for giving me the education and opportunity to represent those who have been harmed by the negligence, and at times intentional, conduct of others.”
“Being named a Champion of Justice is one of the major highlights of my career,” said Morgenstern. “To be considered in the company of the great lawyers who received the award before me is truly humbling. This award suggests to me that, maybe, I have practiced law the right way: with integrity and civility.”
A former president of California Defense Counsel, Morgenstern has spent nearly 30 years defending clients in cases of catastrophic injury, wrongful death in the commercial trucking industry and products liability. As a leading presenter on defense techniques, Morgenstern has lectured on a variety of subjects to members of the bench and bar.
The Beverly Hilton Hotel is located at 9641 Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Learn more at the Tribute Dinner website.
Past honorees:
- 2016 – Gary A. Dordick, the Law Offices of Gary A. Dordick, and Wally Yoka, Yoka & Smith, LLP
- 2015 – Richard (Dick) Carroll, founding partner, Carroll, Kelly, Trotter, Franzen, McKenna & Peabody, and Amy Fisch Solomon ’87, partner, Girardi | Keese
- 2014 – Duke DeHaas, senior trial lawyer and shareholder, La Follette, Johnson, DeHaas, Fesler & Ames, and William M. Shernoff, senior and founding partner, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP
- 2013 – Paul R. Fine ’72, founding partner, Daniels, Fine, Israel, Schonbuch & Lebovits, LLP, and Christine D. Spagnoli ’86, partner, Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP
- 2012 – David J. O’Keefe, Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols, and Gary M. Paul ’74, Waters, Kraus & Paul, LLP
- 2011 – Michael J. Bidart, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP, and Donna Marie Melby ’77, Paul Hastings LLP
- 2010 – Samuel A. “Skip” Keesal Jr., Keesal, Young & Logan, and Brian Panish, Panish Shea & Boyle
- 2009 – Bob Baker, Baker Keener & Nahra LLP, and Gretchen Nelson, Kreindler & Kreindler LLP
- 2008 – Raymond Boucher, Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, LLP, and John Collins, founding partner, Collins, Collins, Muir & Stewart LLP
- 2007 – Thomas Jerome Nolan, Latham & Watkins LLP, and Mark P. Robinson Jr., Robinson Calcagnie & Robinson, Inc.
- 2006 – Bruce A. Broillet, Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, and Edith Matthai, Robie & Matthai, A Professional Corporation
- 2005 – James J. Brosnahan Jr., Morrison & Foerster LLP, and Thomas V. Girardi ’64, Girardi | Keese
About the Civil Justice Program
The Civil Justice Program was created in 2005 to focus research and public attention
on the civil justice system. The Civil Justice Program convenes periodic conferences, seminars and presentations; promotes and publishes scholarly research; and initiates cross-disciplinary projects. Its programs include the annual Journalist Law School, a four-day legal bootcamp for reporters, editors and producers that has educated more than 425 journalists.
About Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Located on an award-winning Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Law School is home to prominent faculty, dedicated students and cutting-edge programs. The Law School strives to instill in students the knowledge they need to excel on their chosen paths. It dedicates itself to preparing students for the rigors of practice with an extensive portfolio of practical-training opportunities, a 17,000-strong alumni network and a focus on social justice. Learn more at www.lls.edu.
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Journalists who wish to attend any part of the event should RSVP to:
Brian Costello
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Brian.Costello@lls.edu Tel. 213-736-1444Or
Melissa Abraham
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Melissa.Abraham@lls.edu Tel. 213-736-1445