While Winning $1.25B in Bet-the-Farm Case, Lead Trial Lawyers Also Were Divorcing Each Other
As one of the top trial lawyers in California, partner Linda Smith of O’Melveny & Myers was an obvious choice to work on a major antitrust case against Intel Corp. on behalf of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
And so was her husband, O’Melveny partner and litigation star Chuck Diamond. The two collaborated on the massive case, winning a $1.25 billion settlement in November. Meanwhile, they also separated and filed for divorce after more than 20 years of marriage, reports the Los Angeles Business Journal in a lengthy article detailing the intertwining of the partners’ professional and personal lives during the case.
“We were united on nothing but the fact that this case had to go forward in the absolute highest professional way,” says Smith. “If we had a chance of winning there could be no division based on personal feelings.”
The two continue to work at O’Melveny and, says Diamond, “I continue to regard Linda as one of my best friends and one of my closest colleagues.”
He adds: “We aren’t shy in expressing ourselves to one another in front of other people and battling who’s right and wrong and who has the best idea. We’ve been famous about that at O’Melveny & Myers for many years.”
Hat tip: Above the Law.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “O’Melveny Lawyer Sounds Wistful After Settlement Scuttles Big Case Against Intel”
Corrected on April 14 to reflect that the couple apparently had not yet divorced during the trial.
