Top 75 Women Litigators in California

September 13, 2005

Susan C. Yu
Los Angeles

Place of Birth: Seoul, Korea

Law School: Syracuse University College of Law

Law Firm: Founding partner of Mesereau & Yu, LLP

Practice Area: Civil litigation and criminal defense.

Recent Big Case: Successfully defended pop star Michael Jackson against child-molestation charges brought in Santa Barbara County.

People would be surprised to know that: “I have naturally curly (very, very curly) hair. I have to get my hair chemically straightened every six months to look more ‘Asian.’ I always asked my parents why I was not born with ‘Chinese’ hair?”

Mentor: “There is no question that my law partner, colleague and friend, Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., has played the biggest role in my professional life. I have known Tom for almost six years and worked very closely with him on two high-profile criminal cases, People v. Robert Blake and People v. Michael Jackson, back to back, for over two years. Tom’s unconventional trial strategies and unwavering passion for truth and justice have enabled me to view cases, particularly criminal cases, with a whole new set of eyes.”

Mentoring: “Leila Lee, a very bright young woman who worked on the Michael Jackson trial in Santa Maria as the head paralegal. She, along with other paralegals, has worked countless hours and undergone many sleepless nights assisting me and Tom before and during trial.

Erin Park

Editor’s Note
This week, we celebrate the achievements of some of the state’s top women litigators. Two years ago, we honored 30. Last year, we honored 50. This year, we’re honoring 75 lawyers whose courtroom prowess would distinguish them in any crowd.

Litigators are considered the toughest among lawyers. For now, it seems worthwhile and necessary to highlight that women litigators can be every bit as aggressive, savvy and accomplished as their male colleagues.

But it won’t be long before we look back on this list as the expression of an antiquated stage in the development of the legal profession and our society.

These lawyers’ achievements speak for themselves. But how did they learn the skills and determination they bring to their clients and into the courtroom?

We asked our honorees about their mentors. They told us about lawyers and judges, male and female, their fathers and mothers, their French teachers, who guided them, offering encouragement, criticism and practical counsel.

In the course of our reporting, we discovered what rich, diverse experiences these lawyers bring from the world outside into the courtroom. Among the 75 lawyers is a former rocket scientist and a former punk rock band manager. The group includes a former opera singer, a Napa Valley restaurant owner and magazine editor.

But it was the practice of law that eventually drew their passion and their intellects. When they turned to the law, they often found powerful mentors to help guide them through a profession that hasn’t been the most encouraging place for women.

In Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Mentor is the name of the old man who serves as a trusted adviser to Odysseus. But the key mentoring role in “The Odyssey” is played by Athena, the female goddess of justice, war and the arts. She appears in disguise as the old man in order that Odysseus and his son will accept her advice.

We are delighted to offer our readers this comprehensive portrait of the state’s most prominent women litigators. These women don’t have to do any disguise to get their wise counsel taken seriously.

Martin Berg