Prominent Litigators Join Steptoe's Century City Office

Los Angeles – Bringing a 27-year track record as a respected trial attorney, Michael McNamara joins Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s Century City office.  Accompanying him are Kirsten Spira and Patrick Jacobs, senior colleagues from the firm he founded, McNamara, Spira & Smith.

“With this addition, we’ve taken Steptoe’s presence in Southern California from just a single office and 14 lawyers less than three years ago to 47 lawyers and two offices today,” said Steptoe Chairman Roger Warin. “In addition, Michael’s reputation as a go-to trial lawyer further strengthens our growing litigation prowess in the West.”

McNamara and Jacobs won a $5.6 million jury verdict in a palimony case in March. McNamara and Spira also recently secured a $40 million award in an arbitration for a client in the real estate industry.

In 2004, McNamara co-tried a case before a federal jury that resulted in a $122 million verdict for a German public company. The case involved claims against an independent producer for fraud in connection with the sale of foreign distribution rights to 20 motion pictures. The Los Angeles Daily Journal listed this case as the third largest in California that year and on VerdictSearch.com as the 16th largest in the nation.

“In March when I was making my decision, Steptoe had eight trials under way, a substantial docket when many litigators prefer to avoid the courtroom,” McNamara said. “In addition to its excellent trial practice, I was very attracted to the strong collegial nature of the firm.  I have been good friends for many years with Steptoe’s partners in its Century City office, and I view this as an opportunity to continue to grow Steptoe’s trial practice on the West Coast.”

Prior to joining Steptoe & Johnson as a partner, McNamara was the senior managing partner at McNamara, Spira & Smith, a litigation boutique in Los Angeles he founded in 1993 after leaving a partnership at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

McNamara earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1982 from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, where he was editor of Hastings Law Journal. He graduated with distinction  in 1977 from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts.

Spira, who also has extensive trial and appellate court experience, is a former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher lawyer who was a name partner in McNamara, Spira & Smith. She completed her undergraduate study at University of California, Berkeley, and her law degree at the Boalt Hall School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. 

Jacobs, who has a long track record of jury defense verdicts, earned his bachelors’ degree in Accounting at University of Southern California and his law degree at Southwestern School of Law. 

McNamara is joining Steptoe as a partner.  Both Spira and Jacobs join the firm as Of Counsel and Special Counsel, respectively.

About Steptoe & Johnson LLP
In more than 60 years of practice, the firm has gained a national and international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm includes over 500 lawyers and has offices in Washington, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Century City, London, and Brussels. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.