Entertainment

Camille Vazquez is now the most sought-after lawyer in Hollywood

Shanzay Aslam

June 8, 2022

The recent defamation trial triumph by Johnny Depp’s legal team impressed many. In a lawsuit Depp brought against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Ben Chew and Camille Vazquez assisted the actor in winning $15 million. Despite the fact that Chew was articulate throughout the trial, it was his partner Vazquez who caught the attention of the media.

And suddenly it appears that everyone in Hollywood wants to recruit her!

The experienced lawyer of Depp is at the centre of an ongoing bidding war between law firms, according to sources from the New York Post. Following her victory, it appears that many of them are looking to hire Vasquez.

According to the New York Post, Vasquez has the option of choosing what she wants to do now that new avenues are opening for her. “Talent agents are surrounding Camille because they recognise she is the unicorn- a clever, savvy, calm attorney whose powerful performance during the trial elevated her to a rare level of notoriety,” a source said, adding, “And the fact that she is a woman of colour is an added advantage.”

Not only that, but less than a week after the jury verdict in the carefully watched defamation lawsuit was announced, legal firm Brown Rudnick promoted associate Vasquez to partner. During the televised six-week trial, Vasquez became the public face of Depp’s legal team and received plaudits for her work. Brown Rudnick partner Benjamin Chew led the team, which included nine other attorneys. Vasquez, on the other hand, emerged as a key participant, cross-examining Heard and told jurors during closing arguments that Heard was the one who had abused the relationship.

We are pleased to announce that Camille Vasquez has been elevated to partner. She was a key member of the litigation team that won a jury verdict last week for actor #JohnnyDepp in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. Full announcement here: https://t.co/EYPjkCCqFy pic.twitter.com/LqE5Z3Ig7B

— Brown Rudnick (@BrownRudnickLLP) June 7, 2022

Brown Rudnick chairman William Baldiga said in a statement on Tuesday that when the firm’s fiscal year concludes, partners are generally promoted.

“But Camille’s performance during the Johnny Depp trial proved to the world that she was ready to take this next step now,” he said. Vasquez was not immediately available for comment but said in a statement that she is “delighted” to have the firm’s “full vote of confidence.”

Given Vasquez’s newly elevated status, law firm recruiters and consultants said raising her to partner at the 250-lawyer Brown Rudnick — a position that typically entails an ownership stake, more money, and more power – was natural for the company. “I expect her to be a hot prospect coming off her team’s triumph in the Depp case, as well as the degree of publicity she earned personally,” said Kate Reder Sheikh, a partner at legal recruiting company Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Vasquez was most certainly on his way to becoming a partner and doing well enough to be assigned to the Depp case, according to Beth Cavagnolo of law firm consulting Vertex Advisors. “In a setting like this, there is unquestionably a talent war going on, and I’m sure it was fierce.”

Vasquez joined Brown Rudnick’s Orange County office in 2018, focusing on defamation cases on behalf of plaintiffs. She previously worked at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as an associate.

Depp, 58, sued Heard for $50 million, claiming that she defamed him in a newspaper OPED when she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that his lawyer slandered her by calling her charges a “hoax.”

Read more on Latest Entertainment News on Pakistanlounge.pk