Irell & Manella appellate co-chair David Schwarz has left to join Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton in Century City, dealing another significant leadership loss to the Am Law 200 firm.

Schwarz, who started at Sheppard Mullin on Tuesday, works within the firm's business trial practice group led by Fred Puglisi, who praised Schwarz in a statement.

"His deep appellate experience and his unique understanding of state administrative agency proceedings are ideal complements to our existing practice," Puglisi said.

Over the past seven years, Schwarz has developed a specialized practice defending companies facing litigation from various California regulatory agencies. His recent victory in Gerawan Farming v. California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, in which he represented a California farmer, Dan Gerawan, led to the largest union decertification election in California agricultural history.

Schwarz, who joined Irell three decades ago, said he moved due to Sheppard Mullin's compatibility with his practice and the immense respect he has for the firm and its managing partner Guy Halgren.

"The relationship with Sheppard grew out of working on a securities class action with Guy," he said. "I admired his vision and the steady and studied growth of the firm. It's a real success story."

David Schwarz

Schwarz's departure is not the first major exit for the 75-year-old California firm. In August, Irell managing partner and former IP co-chair David Gindler jumped to Milbank along with two other IP partners.

"We've had our eye on David and Gary for a couple of years now," Milbank chairman Scott Edelman told ALM in an August interview. "What we were looking for was to attract top-echelon, bet-the-company IP litigators, and there are only a very small handful of people in the country who fit into that category."

Just a month later, Jason Linder, head of Irell's global investigations and anti-corruption practice, and partner Glenn Vanzura left Irell to join Mayer Brown's Los Angeles office. Jeffrey Reisner, head of Irell's bankruptcy practice, left in September as well to join McDermott Will & Emery.

But Schwarz said that his departure had nothing to do with his old firm, adding that he is absolutely confident in the continued success of Irell: "It was a great firm when I left, and it will continue to be a great law firm," he said.

In a statement about Schwarz's departure, Irell executive committee partner Ben Hattenbach said: "We have enjoyed working with David over the years and wish him the very best in his new role."

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