Naeun Rim’s extensive experience leading high-stakes civil and criminal trials adds to the firm’s national litigation capabilities
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, announced today that Naeun Rim has joined as a litigation partner in its Los Angeles office. A seasoned trial lawyer, Rim represents clients at the intersection of civil litigation and white collar defense matters across industries that are core to Manatt’s national platform, including health care, financial services, entertainment and technology.
“Naeun will be a strong asset to what our clients view as a well-established litigation powerhouse,” said Donna L. Wilson, Manatt’s CEO and Managing Partner. “Whether virtual or in person, our trial lawyers are regularly in court handling cutting-edge matters, which results in experience that cuts across all levels of our firm and is increasingly rare and highly prized by our clients. Naeun’s stellar background complements our already deep bench and will help the firm build upon its recent string of successes in complex trials and bet-the-company litigation.”
Recently named by Chambers as an “Up and Coming” attorney in its 2021 USA Guide, Rim is widely recognized as a rising star throughout the trial bar. She has over a decade of stand-up courtroom experience litigating high-profile cases through trial and works with an array of clients, including high-net-worth individuals facing white collar claims as well as companies in highly complex business disputes, across the United States. Her innovative work in these cases has resulted in numerous acquittals, dismissals and favorable results in criminal matters, as well as regular victories in arbitrations and multimillion-dollar judgments in civil cases. Rim is one of only a few Asian American women to serve as trial counsel for a Fortune 150 company when she successfully defended a large pipeline owner operator in one of the biggest environmental trials in California’s history.
“Naeun has represented clients across an impressive range of industries in complex civil trial and white collar matters, mirroring the types of companies and sectors we regularly work with as a firm,” said Sharon B. Bauman, leader of Manatt’s Cross-Industry Group, which includes professionals in the firm’s investigations, compliance and white collar defense and civil trial and appellate practices. “Our litigation strategies vary depending on the size of the case and industry the company operates in, so Naeun’s respective experience makes her an ideal addition to our team.”
“We are delighted to welcome Naeun to our white collar and civil trial teams,” said John F. Libby, leader of Manatt’s investigations, compliance and white collar defense practice. “Her extensive and varied experience litigating federal criminal matters in one of the top Federal Defender offices in the country will add to the depth of our already deep bench of former federal and state prosecutors and seasoned civil trial lawyers, to the benefit of our clients.”
In addition to her client work, Rim is active in the community, serving as a mentor for young women lawyers and attorneys of color, and is involved with various legal organizations—including serving as a board member of the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California and as a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association. Rim is also widely respected for her dedication to pro bono work, which includes leading a large team of attorneys who brought class action lawsuits against two federal prisons in Southern California for their inhumane conditions after hundreds of justice-involved persons tested positive for COVID-19.
“Litigation is never ‘one size fits all,’ which is seen in Manatt’s philosophy of developing legal strategies that are in line with its clients’ unique goals,” said Rim. “This dedication to client service as well as the firm’s collaborative culture are what drew me to the firm. I am beyond excited to join such a talented group of professionals and be a member of a team at the cutting edge of trial law, both in California and across the country.”
The addition of Rim to Manatt’s national litigation bench underscores the firm’s continued commitment to its preeminent litigation platform and is the latest example of Manatt’s strategic expansion of its hybridized offerings across various practices. She joins other recent arrivals, including health care professionals Linda Elam, Blair M. Cantfil and Brian D. Bewley; prominent venture capital and emerging companies Partners Thomas W. Michael and Rustin M. Brown; tech consultants Jennifer Millard and Kalon Gutierrez; and new media Partner Farnaz M. Alemi, as well as litigation Partners Amar L. Thakur and Bruce Zisser.
Rim earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, magna cum laude, and her juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.