As parts of Los Angeles burn, lawyers make do
Firefighters battle the Palisades fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7. (Photo by Ethan Swope/The Associated Press)
Ryann Jorban, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, had logged two hours of sleep as of midday Wednesday, one day after the devastating wildfires began.
Plumes of smoke circled her neighborhood in the foothills above Los Angeles Wednesday, when she received a 5 a.m. phone alert to evacuate. Within 10 minutes, Jorban and her family hit the road—driving cars filled with clothing, water, pets and sentimental objects to a safe home in Pasadena, California.
“The skies are orange, there is ash thick on the ground, and chunks of burned embers and burned woods are all around us,” says Jorban, describing the scene outside her window as she attempted to work remotely.
Since Tuesday, Los Angeles has been battling wildfires stoked by heavy winds in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood near the Santa Monica Mountains, and Altadena, an area directly north of Pasadena. Another fire started Wednesday evening in the Runyon Canyon area, near the Hollywood Hills. As of Thursday morning, almost 2,000 structures had been destroyed by the fires, there had been five deaths and approximately 180,000 people have been put under evacuation orders, the Associated Press reports.
Ali Moghaddas, a partner with Edelson, represents plaintiffs in insurance coverage lawsuits involving wildfires. However, this week marked the first time he was directly affected by them. He and his family evacuated from their Santa Monica home Tuesday night.
“I’m seeing this firsthand, and it’s heartbreaking,” Moghaddas says. He adds that the firm has been receiving calls for help. The first step, he advises, is to find a safe location. Next, give your insurance a call to learn more about coverage.
Benjamin Shatz, partner in the appellate practice at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, took a video of his home in case he’d need it for insurance purposes. As of Thursday, Shatz, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, hasn’t been officially advised to evacuate, so he’s home working remotely, with a go bag packed.
He works at Manatt’s Century City office and drove home Tuesday at 3 p.m.
“The wind was so strong, it was shaking my car in a way I’ve never before experienced,” Shatz says.
Smoke from the Los Angeles wildfires, viewed from Waymaker’s downtown office. (Photo by Teresa Huggins)
Other lawyers, like Teresa Huggins, found it easier to be in the office. She lives in Eagle Rock, not far from the fire that started in Altadena, and works in downtown Los Angeles. The air quality at her home is not good, says the Waymaker litigation partner, and she found it easier to breathe at her office. Frequent power outages at her home also were not helpful.
“The sky is just black,” she says.
Indeed, some high-rises that house law firms recognize the offices may offer refuge. Century Plaza Towers, a Century City structure whose tenants include Manatt; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, is offering the use of its gym and showers, and people can park extra vehicles there for free, according to an email Shatz shared with the ABA Journal.
Hahn & Hahn, a Pasadena law firm, also offered its office as a refuge for team members who don’t have power at home or need to evacuate, says Christianne Kerns, its CEO and managing partner.
She adds that the majority of the firm has been given evacuation orders, some more than once. Also, the law firm is contributing to a fire relief fund started by the Pasadena Community Foundation, and it’s thinking about how to set up a task force to help clients and friends with legal issues resulting from the fires.
“Dealing with insurance and the city for rebuilding will be complicated and difficult, and we may be able to provide assistance,” Kerns says.
The State Bar of California provides a statewide legal assistance hotline for anyone impacted by the wildfires, and more information can be found here.
Additionally, various American Bar Association entities put forward a resolution urging legislation that “explicitly authorizes” the Federal Emergency Management Agency to directly or through state grant funding repair damages caused by major disasters that make occupied homes uninhabitable or unsafe. It is expected to be considered by the ABA House of Delegates at the 2025 midyear meeting in Phoenix.
Additional reporting by Anna Stolley Perksy, an ABA Journal legal affairs writer.
