Southern California's
Law Firms, Accountants and Brokers
Hot Tip:
Unless you have extraordinary complex legal issues requiring diverse
specialties, a bigger firm does not mean better. Be sure to find someone
who understands the dynamics of your industry so they can teach you, rather than
the other way around. Consider having your contact a junior member of the
firm: their billing rate is less, and for the complex issues you get access to
top-notch backup. Although we listed "business specialties" below, the
truth is that each of these firms can handle just about anything.
Top Five Law Firms
in Southern California
|
Rank
|
Firm
|
Attorneys
|
Contact |
Business
Specialties
|
|
1
|
O'Melveny &
Myers |
330
|
400 S. Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 430-6000
Contact: Douglas
Kranwinkle |
Corporate
|
|
2
|
Latham & Watkins |
260
|
633 W. Fifth Street,
Suite 4000
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 485-1234
Contact: Martha
Jordan |
Corporate Finance
M&A
Intellectual Property
|
|
3
|
Gibson, Dunn &
Crutcher |
220
|
333 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
((213) 229-7000
Contact: Wesley
Howell, Jr. |
Business
Transactions
Entertainment
Intellectual Property
M&A
|
|
4
|
Paul, Hastings,
Janofsky & Walker
|
190
|
555 S. Flower St., 23rd
floor
Los Angeles, Ca 90071
(213) 683-6000
D.A. Daucher |
General Business Law
|
|
5
|
Irell &
Manella
|
175
|
1800 Avenue of the
Stars
Suite 900
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 277-1010
Contact: M. Chu |
Intellectual Property
corporate Securities
Entertainment
Banking
|
Hot Tip:
In the case of venture capital, you generally don't fancy financial histories as
the investors are looking ahead, not back. However, for IPOs or large
(over $10 million) private placements, we strongly recommend a big-name
accounting firm. An IPO needs audited financials going back three years.
Top Five Accounting
Firms in Southern California
|
Rank
|
Firm
|
CPAs
|
Contact |
Business Specialties
|
|
1
|
Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers |
530 |
350 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 356-6000
Contact: Greg Garrison |
Business mgnt.
corporate finance
M&A
change integration
turnaround, valuations |
|
2
|
Deloitte & Touche |
450 |
1000 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 688-0800
Contact: John Cardis |
M&A
corporate accounting
reorganizations
valuations
IT consulting |
|
3
|
Ernst & Young |
400 |
515 S. Flower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 977-3200
Contact: Jim Freer |
General corporate,
mgnt. consulting
valuation
reorganization |
|
4
|
KPMG Peat
Marwick |
350 |
725 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 972-4000
Contact: Steve Riggins |
Outsourcing
business strategy
general business |
Hot Tip:
Brokerage Firms can be useful for IPOs and large private placements. If
your deal is of national scope, the liaisons to New York City are useful.
However, many deals are best suited to regional brokerage houses, and smaller
firm can put in more enthusiasm and do a better job. Also, some firms
specialize by industry, and some are more interested than others in creating
financial "products" with fresh entrepreneurs.
Top Five Security
Brokerage Firms in Southern California
|
Rank
|
Firm
|
Brokers
|
Contact |
Headquarters
|
|
1
|
Morgan Stanley
Dean Witter |
670
|
601 S. Figueroa St., Suite 4575
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 553-3501
Contact: Michael Noble |
New York
|
|
2
|
Salomon Smith
Barney |
550
|
15260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1950
Sherman Oaks 91403
(818) 907-3700
Contact: Gregory Laetsch |
New York
|
|
3
|
SunAmerica
Financial
Network |
460
|
One SunAmerica Center
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 772-6000
Contact: Gary Krat |
Los Angeles
|
|
4
|
Merrill Lynch
|
450
|
19200 Von Karman Ave., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92715
(949) 752-7900
Contact: Michael Vorst |
New York
|
|
5
|
PaineWebber
|
380
|
725 S. Figueroa St., 41st floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 253-5450
Contact: Michael Davis |
New York
|
|
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