Michael Avenatti worked on "The Apprentice" Case"??
Compared with Michael Avenatti's previous work—politics under Rahm Emanuel—life in the courtroom is a breeze
Avenatti brought his trademark boldness to his legal practice when he opened the Eagan O'Malley & Avenatti firm as a contingency plaintiff's litigation shop in 2007. That's a highly unusual setup for a commercial litigation firm where cases can take hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of tireless work to bring to fruition.
But it's a model that makes sense to Avenatti and his partners, who believe it helps them form true partnerships with clients. "Generally speaking, we don't get paid unless we win, and if we win the fees can be handsome," he notes. "If we don't win, the client isn't out of pocket much or at all. We find that in this economic environment that's been an especially popular alternative."
Avenatti learned some of his hard-charging ways in the toughest of all arenas, the political world. After his time at Wharton as a University of Pennsylvania undergrad, he spent five years at a political consulting firm run by Rahm Emanuel, the current White House chief of staff. Avenatti worked on nearly 150 campaigns in 42 states, all while attending night law school at George Washington University, where he graduated first in his class.
He first served as a defense attorney at O'Melveny & Myers working alongside Daniel Petrocelli, who represented the Goldman family in its case against O.J. Simpson. He later helped Petrocelli defend the Eagles' Don Henley and Glen Frey against a suit brought by former bandmate Don Felder.
But Avenatti was increasingly drawn to the plaintiff's side. After three years at O'Melveny he pursued a highly coveted position at Greene Broillet & Wheeler, winning over Bruce Broillet with his passion and tenacity. Among his many high-profile cases there, including one against KPMG, were a $10 million defamation case against Paris Hilton, and an idea theft lawsuit involving the reality show The Apprentice and its producer, Mark Burnett.
https://www.superlawyers.com/california-southern/article/the-scourge-of-kpmg/2afc085d-5bb4-472a-bc5c-4a9ca16915ef.html