Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

Founded in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, originally as Lewis D’Amato Brisbois & Bisgaard, and having opened its second office in 1982, in San Francisco, the firm more than doubled in size from 2000 to 2007.[9][10] In 2002, the firm had 640 lawyers in seven offices.[11] In 2007, the firm had 442 lawyers in 31 offices.[10] In 2009, The American Lawyer reported that 46% of the lawyers and 27% of the partners, at the firm were women.[12]

In 2013, Lewis Brisbois had the most lawyers in Los Angeles County of any law firm, at 270.[13] In 2014, 30% of the firm's partners were women (the industry average was 21%).[14] In 2017, 26% of the firm's lawyers were minorities (the industry average was 14%), and 21% of its partners were minorities (the industry average was 9%).[15]

In 2022, its New York City office—which had opened in 2002—had 160 lawyers.[16] In May 2023, Robert Lewis, a founding partner of the firm, stepped down as chairman of the firm, and became chairman emeritus.[17][18] The firm's management committee elected former vice chairman Gregory Katz to succeed Lewis as managing partner.[19]

As of May 2023, 140 lawyers had left the firm to join Barber Ranen, a boutique employment firm that had been recently opened by John Barber and Jeff Ranen, who had left Lewis Brisbois after leading its employment practices group and serving as members of the firm's management committee; both had worked over two decades at the firm.[20][21][22][23] Ranen explained their departure from Lewis Brisbois saying: "We wanted to lead with empathy, collaboration and compassion," and Barber said "excellence and culture" were their driving forces.[20] In June 2023, Lewis Brisbois released dozens of emails that John Barber and Jeff Ranen had written while employed there, which included racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and violently misogynistic slurs aimed at colleagues, clients, attorneys from other firms, and judges, referred to a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge as "sugar tits," and when Ranen reported to Barber that a firm employee had requested overtime, Barber replied: “Kill her by anal penetration.”[21][24][22] Barber and Ranen resigned from the firm named after them at the firm's request, and the firm was renamed Daugherty Lordan LLP.[22] Lewis Brisbois received requests from between 10 and 20 lawyers who asked to return, and took some of them back.[22]