Los Angeles Plaintiffs' Bar Giants Join Forces
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by Erin Carroll One of the most respected veterans of the plaintiffs' bar in Los Angeles and one of its up-and-coming members recently have decided to join forces. John C. Taylor of Santa Monica's Greene, Broillet, Taylor, Wheeler & Panish and David M. Ring of Westwood's McNicholas and McNicholas will open Taylor & Ring on Feb. 1. After nearly a dozen years as a partner at Greene Broillet, Taylor said he was ready for something new. "Just to do it over again and start from scratch is a big challenge, and it's a lot of fun," Taylor said. "I've wanted to look at different mountains in the morning when I wake up, and I've been provided this opportunity to do so." The new firm, to be located in Westwood, will focus primarily on catastrophic personal injury, insurance, employment, civil rights law, and police cases - the same types of cases Taylor and Ring have handled in their respective firms, they said. Ring has been at McNicholas & McNicholas since its inception in 1993, first as an associate to partners John and Patrick McNicholas and later as a partner. To leave was a tough choice, he said. "John is like a second dad to me, and Pat is like a brother, so it was a very difficult decision," he said. "But in the natural progression of things, it is a great opportunity for me." Ring said he began thinking about setting out on his own only recently and then about a month ago happened to be talking to Taylor when the issue arose. "One thing led to another, and it all happened very quickly," he said. Bruce Broillet of Greene Broillet said Taylor will be missed. "We are very good friends with John. We consider him to be an outstanding lawyer," Broillet said. "We wish him the best." Broillet and John McNicholas of McNicholas & McNicholas said they hoped to continue to work with Taylor and Ring on cases. McNicholas said he has nothing but praise for the two men. "These are two quality men. They are truly a credit to their profession." Taylor was the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1988 and has had a string of groundbreaking verdicts in his career, including a $57 million award against Beech Aircraft, the country's largest insurance bad faith verdict in general aviation, he said. Ring has created a niche for himself handling child sexual abuse cases. In 2000, he won a $2.15 million settlement for a teenager who was seduced by her adult male sports coach. |
