Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Jessica Stebbins Bina has joined the firm in Century City as a partner in the Litigation Department. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation for an array of clients, including many in the entertainment and media industry. She is known as a skilled strategist, writer and trial lawyer.

Stebbins Bina has handled a range of litigation matters at every level of state and federal courts in the United States. She has been trial counsel for multiple matters tried to a favorable jury verdict, as well as appellate counsel for cases in which she has both written the appellate briefs and argued the appeals in state and federal courts. Stebbins Bina has principally authored at least two dozen appellate briefs, argued more than 100 substantive motions, and run numerous litigation and trial teams. In addition to the broad spectrum of media clients she has represented, Stebbins Bina has also worked with clients in the aerospace, energy, manufacturing, and hospitality and commercial development sectors.

“We are delighted to welcome Jessica to the firm. She possesses an impressive breadth and depth of litigation experience in high-stakes cases. Her knowledge, skills and team-oriented approach to cases will further enhance our litigation counsel to clients, particularly as we continue to build a premier entertainment, sports and media practice,” said Jim Beaubien, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles.

Stebbins Bina previously worked closely with partner Marvin Putnam, who joined Latham & Watkins in June. For example, she second-seated the successful defense of concert promoter AEG Live in a six-month wrongful death trial brought by the family of Michael Jackson — in which she conducted a number of key witness examinations and many of the most substantial motion arguments. She also played a significant role in the successful defense of movie producer Crusader in a breach of contract action brought by international best-selling author Clive Cussler.

Stebbins Bina and Putnam also have worked closely with the team of transactional entertainment, sports and media lawyers that joined Latham & Watkins in November 2014 to open the firm’s Century City office.

“Jessica has a unique combination of intelligence, technical skill and personality that makes her a tremendous colleague and a highly effective litigator who brings clarity to complicated issues in written briefs and at trial,” said Joseph Calabrese, Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Entertainment, Sports & Media Practice. “Latham’s interdisciplinary approach recognizes the diverse challenges faced by our clients, such as the global scope of their businesses and advances in technology, which pose ever-evolving legal demands. In this light, a lawyer of Jessica’s caliber is an invaluable asset to our clients and our firm.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Latham & Watkins at this very exciting time for the firm and its clients, and I look forward to the opportunities this presents to further develop my practice,” said Stebbins Bina.

Stebbins Bina graduated from Yale Law School in 2006 and was a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where she received her M.Phil. in Economic and Social History in 2004. She earned a B.A. in History from the University of North Florida in 2001, graduating summa cum laude. She joins from O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Century City, where she was a counsel.

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