May 2021 – Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP Partners Laura W. Brill and Janet I. Levine were again named Top Women Lawyers by the state’s largest legal publication, the Daily Journal. Ms. Levine has been listed among the state’s Top Women Lawyers for most years since 2003, and Ms. Brill has been honored with the same recognition most years since 2006.
The Daily Journal singled out Ms. Brill for recognition for her legal and appellate representations and for founding The Civics Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the legal and broader community about voter registration and to get more young people voting and engaged in the democratic process.
The publication noted Ms. Brill’s advocacy for registering young voters during the 2020 elections and the media coverage of her advocacy for getting young people to vote in the Georgia Senate runoff in 2021 that broke the state’s Senate runoff turnout record.
“There was a very dramatic boost [of new young voters] that you would not typically see before a runoff election,” Ms. Brill said. “It was just asking the right question at the right time.”
The Daily Journal also noted her recent victory, defeating an effort to prevent Los Angeles County Measure J from appearing on the ballot in November 2020. The voters approved Measure J in the November 2020 elections. It requires a portion of locally generated, unrestricted county money be spent on housing, mental health programs, jail diversion, employment opportunities and social services. In addition, the newspaper reported on Ms. Brill’s amicus brief that was filed in a U.S. Supreme Court case, challenging new Arizona laws that violate the Voting Rights Act.
In its recognition of Ms. Levine, the Daily Journal pointed out her distinguished legal career and described her as a “highly experienced trial lawyer.” It cited her representation of former Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander in a high-profile and long-running investigation of Los Angeles City Hall. The publication reported that Mr. Englander received a sentence of 14 months in a federal prison for obstructing an investigation into City Hall corruption – which was a significantly shorter sentence than the prosecution sought.
The Daily Journal also noted that Ms. Levine’s representations over the past year included several clients whose names never surfaced publicly because no charges were filed against them.