Elizabeth Watson and Laura Zwicker Among Top 100 Named
Greenberg Glusker today announced that Laura A. Zwicker, Chair of the Family/Strategic Wealth Planning Group, and Elizabeth Watson, a partner in the Climate Change & Sustainability and Real Estate Groups, are included in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in L.A. Law” listing for 2009.
"Liz and Laura are among our attorneys who are setting the standards of achievement in our Firm and throughout Southern California’s business community,” said Greenberg Glusker’s Managing Partner Norman H. Levine. “Laura’s advancement of one of the Firm’s core practices defines our next generation of service to clients. Liz’s innovative approach to sustainability and real estate issues has established our Firm as a leader in the evolution of environmental law.”
The Los Angeles Business Journal’s annual special report profiles local lawyers who are highly regarded by their peers. The publication showcases the top 100 attorneys according to a survey conducted with Los Angeles area recruiters, legal experts and lawyers.
Zwicker, one of only six trusts and estates attorneys selected, advises high net-worth families on the creation of estate planning structures. She seeks not only to minimize transfer taxes but also reflect and pass on her client’s values. Zwicker’s clients include household names in entertainment, sports and real estate development, and U.S.-based and multinational families.
A graduate of Indiana University School of Law, Zwicker recalled her most challenging matter as her representation of a South American government in planning and drafting a trust and custodial structure for a new national pension system. She also represented a securities dealer in a custodial agreement relating to $50 billion in securities and has counseled the United States branch offices of a European bank on fiduciary duties with respect to their trust, investment advisory and custodial accounts.
Watson, one of three environmental lawyers profiled, regularly counsels entrepreneurial real estate developers and has been particularly active steering her clients through opportunities during the economic downturn. She is one of a select group of attorneys in California and throughout the United States to have earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional credential.
Watson shared with the Los Angeles Business Journal some of her most challenging cases, including spearheading a successful campaign to convince the LAUSD to reverse its plans to condemn the Robinsons-May Company Western headquarters. She also highlighted “quarterbacking the acquisition of more than 50 federally leased properties throughout the United States for an East Coast REIT funded by Lehman Brothers.” Her clients include Weisman Art Foundation, Monrovia Nursery, Costco, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, California Dairy Environmental Justice Fund, Bodycote Thermal Processing and The Kissel Company.
A graduate of University of Southern California Law Center and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Watson was named among this year’s “Women of Influence” by Real Estate Southern California in recognition of her achievements in “green” building and sustainable development regulations.