Venable has recruited DLA Piper's Los Angeles partner Ellyn Garofalo, a veteran trial attorney with a roster of entertainment, real estate and health care clients.

Garofalo's move came only a year after DLA Piper acquired Liner LLP, a Los Angeles-based boutique firm known for its entertainment practice where she practiced for about 15 years.

“I have traditionally practiced in boutique or small regional firms. Venable offered a big firm platform, with the culture and values of a small firm,” Garofalo said. “Venable's size, culture and the high quality of its lawyers made it a perfect fit for my practice, particularly my individual, noncorporate, and entertainment clients.”

Ellyn Garofalo

Garofalo has had a number of notable celebrity representations. This summer she represented Alyssa Milano in the actress' $10 million fraud lawsuit against her former business manager. She previously helped client Sandeep Kapoor, Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith's family doctor, win an acquittal on all charges in a drug conspiracy case.

Garofalo worked for O'Neill, Lysaght & Sun before joining the firm then-known as Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstreif & Taylor in 2003. Over the years, she has defended individuals and corporations in matters related to health care fraud, medical licensing issues, insurance fraud and bank fraud.

“I hope to contribute to Venable's litigation and trial practice team, by building on Venable's existing litigation practice, adding new expertise in real estate litigation, partnership disputes, and professional negligence defense and adding capabilities new to the Los Angeles office, such as white-collar criminal defense and SEC enforcement work,” Garofalo added.

According to the firm, Venable's Los Angeles office, which opened in 2006, has a total of 82 attorneys working in the office. In a prepared statement, Mitch Evall, partner-in-charge of the firm's Los Angeles office, said, “Ellyn's outstanding track record of successfully litigating high-profile cases will be of added value to our great team of litigators who represent regional, national, and international clients in various industries throughout state and federal courts systems.”

Venable has also expanded its presence in California this year by hiring former Goodwin Procter intellectual property partner Shane Brun in the Bay Area in October. Earlier in the year, the firm also brought on former Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth IP litigation partner Sarah Brooks in Los Angeles.