Depp's attorney Camille Vazquez is now Hollywood's most sought-after lawyer

Vasquez was also promoted to partner after the jury verdict in the closely watched defamation trial came out

LOS ANGELES:

Johnny Depp's legal team impressed many with the recent defamation trial win. Ben Chew and Camille Vazquez helped the actor win $15million in a suit Depp filed against his ex-wife Amber Heard. However, while Chew was articulate throughout the trial, it was his associate Vazquez, who grabbed the media's attention. 

And now, seems like all of Hollywood wants to hire her! 

According to sources from the New York Post, the skilled lawyer of Depp is at the center of an ongoing bidding war between law firms. Apparently, a lot of them are eyeing to hire Vasquez following her victory. 

The New York Post reported that it is up to Vasquez what she wants to pick as new doors are opening for her. Shedding light on the same, a source said, “Talent agents are circling Camille because they recognise that she is the unicorn- a smart, savvy, poised attorney whose impactful performance during the trial propelled her to a rare level of visibility” adding, “And the fact that she is a woman of color is an added bonus.”

Not just that, law firm Brown Rudnick has promoted its associate Vasquez to partner, less than a week after the jury verdict in the closely watched defamation trial came out. Vasquez became the public face of Depp’s legal team over the course of the televised six-week trial and drew praise for her performance. The team was led by Brown Rudnick partner Benjamin Chew and included nine other attorneys. But Vasquez emerged as a major player, cross-examining Heard and telling jurors during closing arguments that Heard was the abuser in 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 Tuesday that the firm normally promotes partners when its fiscal year ends.

“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.”

Law firm recruiters and consultants said elevating Vasquez to partner at 250-lawyer Brown Rudnick – a title that generally includes an ownership stake, more money and greater influence – was logical for the firm, given her newly raised profile. “I expect that she would be a hot prospect coming off of her team’s win in the Depp case, and the level of publicity she personally received,” said Kate Reder Sheikh, a partner at legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Vasquez was likely already on the partnership track and performing at a high level to be assigned to the Depp case, said Beth Cavagnolo of law firm consultancy Vertex Advisors. “In a situation like this, there is absolutely a war for talent, and I’m sure it was very much a retention measure for Ms Vasquez,” Cavagnolo said of the promotion.

Vasquez joined Brown Rudnick’s Orange County office in 2018, specialising in plaintiff-side defamation suits. She was previously an associate at Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips.

Depp, 58, sued Heard for $50 million and argued that she defamed him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a newspaper opinion piece. Heard countersued for $100 million, saying Depp smeared her when his lawyer called her accusations a “hoax.”

Jurors on June 1 awarded Depp $15 million in damages from Heard, which the judge reduced to $10.35 million to comply with state limits on punitive damages. The panel ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million in damages. A lawyer for Heard said last week that she planned to appeal the jury’s defamation finding.

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