Three Susman Godfrey Lawyers Named to Law360’s Annual Rising Stars List

Ashley McMillian Named “Energy Rising Star,” Glenn Bridgman Named “Insurance Rising Star,” & Rocco Magni Named “Trials Rising Star”

Partner Ashley McMillian and Associates Glenn Bridgman and Rocco Magni have been named Law360 “Rising Stars” for 2019. Each lawyer is just one of five attorneys nationwide to be recognized in their respective category.  Winners were selected based on their career accomplishments in their respective disciplines and considered to be lawyers whose, “legal accomplishments transcend their age.”

Overall, Law360 received over 1,300 applications to be part of this prestigious list of attorneys under the age of 40.

Ashley McMillian – ENERGY

Partner Ashley McMillian has successfully litigated energy cases in federal and state courts across the country, winning nationally-recognized multi-million-dollar judgments for clients on the plaintiff’s side and defeating multi-hundred-million-dollar claims on the defense side.

McMillian recently played a significant role in winning a $43.2 million verdict for Apache Deepwater LLC, which was ranked as #41 on Verdict Search’s Top 100 Verdicts of that year and was re-published in The National Law Journal’s  article, “Top 100 Verdicts” feature. The court later granted Apache final judgment for $48.7 million based on the jury’s $43.2 million verdict, plus $2.5 million in attorneys’ fees and expenses, plus $2.8 million in prejudgment interest. In 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the $48.7 million judgment (now worth nearly $50 million with post-judgment interest).  See Law360‘s interview with McMillian here.

Glenn Bridgman – INSURANCE

At just 33, Glenn Bridgman is already making a name for himself in insurance litigation. Most recently in 37 Besen Parkway, LLC v. John Hancock Life Insurance Company, Bridgman was a critical part of a legal team that secured a $91.25 million settlement (before fees and expenses) for insurance policy owners against John Hancock Life Insurance Company.  The Honorable Paul Gardephe described the settlement as a “quite extraordinary . . . result achieved on behalf of the class.” Bridgman was later quoted about the case and the enormous result of the Class in an article by Law360.

Since that win, Bridgman has been litigating similar class actions against numerous insurance companies, including AXA Equitable, PHL Variable, and Voya Retirement Insurance & Annuity Company. See Law360‘s interview with Bridgman here.

Rocco Magni – TRIALS

After only four years of practice, Magni has examined numerous witnesses in and argued at three high-stakes trials with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in each and spanning nearly 100 days of trial time overall. Most recently, Magni  was an integral part of a trial team from Susman Godfrey that secured a record $706.2 million verdict after a seven-week jury trial. Magni put up the very first—of only two—fact witness of HouseCanary’s case and set the tone so well that HouseCanary was able to significantly reduce its number of witnesses in order to simplify its presentation of evidence.  Magni has also taken and defended depositions across the United States and abroad and argued hearings—including on dispositive motions—in state courts, federal courts, and in arbitration.

Magni is currently serving as the lead lawyer for Alamo Botanicals in a multi-million-dollar cannabidiol (CBD) oil trade secret misappropriation case and also serving as counsel to Chevron in a multi-billion-dollar docket made up of 42 lawsuits relating to coastal erosion in Louisiana filed by Louisiana Parishes and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. See Law360‘s interview with Magni here.

To see the full list of Law360’s 2019 Rising Stars click here (subscription required)

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