FRIEDMAN - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Senior Corporate and Managing Partner

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Barry was born on August 2, 1941. He received his B.S., cum laude, from the University of Illinois in 1963, earning a Certified Public Accountant's license in Illinois, the same year. In 1966 he earned his J.D. from Northwestern University where he served on the Board of Editors of the Northwestern University Law Review from 1964 to 1966. He was also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi. Barry was admitted to the bar in Illinois in 1966 and in California in 1969. Educated as both a CPA and a lawyer, Barry practiced accounting throughout law school while studying law. From 1966 to 1968, Barry served as an attorney for the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1969 he joined the prestigious law firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman & Kuchel and soon became a partner. There, Barry gained invaluable experience practicing business formation, operation and acquisition, as well as securities work. This included high-level securities law, public offerings and securities compliance work for such major corporations as MGM, Great American Insurance Company, Pacific American Industries and National General Corporation, among others. In fact, Barry was responsible for closing the first MGM Hotel real estate purchase by Kirk Kerkorian. Intent on forming his own firm, Barry was co-founder and managing partner of the law firm of Friedman & Phillips, as well as its predecessor, from 1974 to 1996. Barry's principal areas of practice at FE&C are business planning, real estate and entertainment. Because his background and experience are so broad, he excels at working with entrepreneurs and their companies, both start-up and on-going. Barry has been particularly involved in the effective representation of women in business. In acknowledgment, he has been honored by the Century City Chamber of Commerce Women's Business Council. Well known for his passion for sports, particularly baseball, Barry conceived "fantasy baseball camps" in 1983. These have evolved into camps which allow people to practice and compete with major sport figures. Barry is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. He is also a member of the State Bar of California.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Counsel
• Senior Litigation Partner

Born on November 6, 1964, Grant is a native of Southern California, raised in Manhattan Beach. He received degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1988. In 1991, he earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School. He finished in the top 10 of Loyola's Scott Moot Court competition in 1990, and served on the Scott Moot Court Honors Board as an associate justice in 1990-1991. Upon graduation from law school, Grant joined the law firm of Gelfand & Glaser, LLP, in Westwood, California. He served as an associate from 1991 through 1997, then became a partner. His areas of practice included both litigation, as well as business and real estate transactions and estate planning. While at Gelfand & Glaser, Grant litigated and tried numerous civil cases, both as lead counsel and second chair. In 2000, Grant joined our firm as Senior Litigation Associate. In September, 2005, Grant became a Partner in our firm and succeeded to his Senior Litigation Partner status in early 2006. He has litigated a wide variety of business, employment and real estate matters with a superb record of success. Grant's experience includes numerous jury trials, court trials and binding arbitrations. Grant is admitted to practice before all courts in California, including the State's Superior Courts and the United States District Court, Central District, as well as the Ninth Circuit Appellate Court. In addition to his commitment to the legal profession, Grant has a keen interest in civic affairs and, in particular, a deep devotion to the South Bay community, where he recently served as a planning commissioner for the City of El Segundo. As an example of Grant's many professional accomplishments, in a recent lawsuit on behalf of one of our business clients, Grant demonstrated one of his foremost talents--a unique ability to position adversary proceedings for favorable settlement at the mediation level. While most attorneys agree that mediation and early settlement is desirable, Grant works tirelessly to assemble evidence and employ experts from the outset, and then actively engages opposing counsel to open lines of communication with an eye toward demonstrating to the opponent the weakness of its case and the corresponding need to compromise on terms favorable to our clients. In the above-described case, before the lawsuit proceeded too far beyond the complaint stage, Grant was able to form a highly cooperative relationship with opposing counsel, including the voluntary exchange of documents and accountings. This process, which included multiple conferences (some of which were attended or participated in by expert witnesses for both parties), ultimately helped to narrow the issues so significantly that mediation became a natural forum to resolve any remaining controversy. While the settlement amount paid by the opposing party was far beyond what they expected at the outset of the case, the formation of a cooperative relationship and open communication on the merits of the case resulted in the opponent changing its position from demanding several million dollars to paying several million dollars to settle the lawsuit.

Job Titles:

• Senior Real Estate Partner

Paul was born in Los Angeles on October 17, 1947. He received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, cum laude, in 1969, and his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1973. He was admitted to the California bar in 1973, then later admitted to the U.S. District Court, Central and Southern Districts of California, in 1974. He is also a member of the American Bar Association. Paul began his career with the distinguished Los Angeles law firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman & Kuchel in 1973. At that firm, he acquired significant practical and professional experience in the real estate and general business areas. Five years later he decided to open his own firm and so, in 1978, he became a founding partner of the law firm of Fleischman, Enriquez & Magloff, which he helped lead for six years. In 1986, he joined current partner Barry Friedman as a partner at Friedman & Phillips. Paul practiced at this firm for over ten years. In November of 1997, Paul and Barry, with one other lawyer who subsequently left the firm, co-founded the present firm. Paul's principal areas of practice at FE&C are real estate, business planning and environmental and land use. He has extensive experience in the buying and selling of real estate, commercial and office leasing (representing both landlords and tenants) and in the representation of small to medium-sized businesses. He also has developed a sub-specialty in the representation of restaurant clients, including numerous high profile restauranteurs. Paul is extremely skilled at negotiating and drafting contracts, leases and complex business agreements. In order to achieve positive results for his clients, Paul approaches every transaction from a reasoned, measured and positive point of view. He is a deft and prudent listener and able to advance the best interests of his clients while still keeping transactions on an even keel.