The Downtown Los Angeles office of Fisher Phillips is a testament to the bond within the Trojan family that continues long after graduation. Nearly half of the attorneys currently employed there, including managing partner Todd Scherwin JD 2005, are USC Gould alumni.
In the photo (from left to right): Raul Zermeno (JD 2008), partner; Ashley Attia (JD 2016), associate; Shaun Voigt (JD 2009), partner; Karl Lindegren (JD 1986), partner; Todd Scherwin (JD 2005), office managing partner; Rayan Naouchi (JD 2016), associate; Andrew Hoag (JD 2011), associate
Scherwin joined Fisher Phillips immediately after graduation. He was initially part of the Fisher Phillips office in Irvine, but moved to Los Angeles in 2013, two years after the office opened. Scherwin's litigation practice involves representing employers in various aspects of labor and employment law and he has notably been involved in the ongoing Supreme Court case, Encino Motorcars, Inc. vs. Navarro.
One of Scherwin's most significant memories of his time at USC Gould was of Professor Gillian Hadfield's class, "Advanced Contracts: Strategic Analysis and Advice." The class stands out in Scherwin's mind and has had a great impact on real life work scenarios; he noted that he still uses much of what he learned in that class in practice today.
Scherwin said that one of the major draws to USC for him was the strong alumni network. As a student, he was impressed by the knowledge that there were alumni in many practice areas and industries within Southern California, and he loved the ability to connect with local alumni who had the same career paths and interests.
The Los Angeles Fisher Phillips office has taken part in on-campus interviews (OCIs) at USC the past few years and many of the seven current USC Gould graduates at Fisher Phillips have been employed this way. This year they will also begin interviewing 2Ls for a summer internship program. "USC Gould graduates are hard-working, savvy and wise beyond their years," Scherwin noted. "I have found that this maturity provides them with the ability to adapt to their new roles much more quickly and take on more responsibility than what is typically expected for lawyers at that level."
As the Los Angeles Fisher Phillips office is still relatively new, Scherwin explained the importance of being able to build a strong base of attorneys in a very competitive area where other firms have been based for many years. He continues, "In order to be successful, it is vital to have attorneys who understand the environment and what better way is there to understand law in Los Angeles than to hire graduates from USC Gould?"
Fisher Phillips is one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the United States with over 350 attorneys in 32 offices across the country.
