May 14, 2002 - The L.A. office of Proskauer Rose LLP has attracted its second legal star in a month. Proskauer has nabbed a five lawyer group led by Tony Oncidi, who was formerly the head of the Labor and Employment Department at Troop, Steuber, Pasich, Reddick & Tobey, LLP and Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP (which merged with Troop last year). This follows immediately on the heels of the addition of preeminent labor partner Mark Theodore.
Tony Oncidi brings a multi-million dollar book of business and a stellar client list that includes major movie studios and talent agencies, cable television networks, and record labels as well as prominent clients in the financial services industry.
"Proskauer keeps winning them over," said Jill Strickstein, of Strickstein Beckman Search of Los Angeles, who represented Oncidi. "First Mark Theodore, now Tony Oncidi. I've seen firsthand why these stars chose Proskauer. It has to do with the cohesiveness of the Proskauer lawyers. I was very impressed by the way the Los Angeles and New York offices work together as if they are a single office. Proskauer is definitely the place to be for young superstars who are interested in making rain."
Oncidi received his B.A. cum laude in 1981 from Pomona College, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. in 1984 from the University of Chicago Law School. He serves on the Executive Committees of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has been a faculty member of the National Employment Law Institute.
Regarding his move to Proskauer, Oncidi said, "I was drawn to Proskauer for its unparalleled contacts and client base in the entertainment industry and its dominance in the labor and employment field."
Oncidi's decision to join Proskauer reflects Proskauer's aggressive expansion of its bi-coastal entertainment practice. The addition of Oncidi's labor and employment practice and related class-action, trade secret and unfair competition work follows by only a few weeks the addition of Mark Theodore recently named one of the "20 Under 40" top California lawyers in Cal Law Business.
Several months ago Howard Weitzman, famed litigator and entertainment industry insider, chose Proskauer for his return to the practice of law after serving as Executive Vice-President, Corporate Operations of Universal Studios. Weitzman counsels a stable of famous entertainment and business figures. He is known for his successful defense of John Z. DeLorean. Before his appointment at Universal Studios he was a name partner in the national law firm of Katten Muchin Zavis & Weitzman.
Prior to Weitzman, Proskauer acquired one of Los Angeles's most highly regarded litigation boutiques, McCambridge Deixler and Marmaro LLP. This expansion followed on the heels of the addition of a group of bi-coastal music, copyright and intellectual property lawyers from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, including partners Charles B. Ortner, William M. Hart, Sandra A. Crawshaw, Lawrence I. Weinstein and Brendan J. O'Rourke and partner Arthur F. Silbergeld, past chair of the L.A. County Bar Labor and Employment Law Section, from Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. Proskauer has also strengthened its white-collar criminal defense practice with the addition of two former partners of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
Managing Partner Martin Zohn said, "The expansion of our L.A. office is the top priority in Proskauer's strategic plan adopted at our firm-wide partners' retreat. Our bicoastal entertainment and business practices are at the core of that plan." Zohn added that the pace of the growth has increased recently because the right legal talent is available and excited to participate in the goals articulated by Proskauer.
Tony Oncidi, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, specializes in entertainment labor and employment issues, including litigation and preventive counseling, wrongful termination, employee discipline, Title VII and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, union-related issues, wage and hour matters, executive employment contract disputes, employee handbooks and personnel policies, sexual harassment training and investigations, workplace violence, drug testing and privacy issues, confidential information, trade secret protection and collective bargaining. Oncidi also defends employers in class action wage and hour, employment discrimination and wrongful termination litigation in both state and federal court. Oncidi additionally specializes in trade secret and unfair competition litigation and the defense of sexual harassment discrimination, breach of contract and defamation lawsuits.
Proskauer's Labor and Employment Law Department is widely renowned as the preeminent department in the nation among large, general practice firms. The group includes more than 150 attorneys, and represents employers in connection with the full spectrum of issues involving their relations with employees, including union-management issues, litigation, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, employee benefits, executive compensation, immigration, and occupational health and safety issues. Clients include every form and size of organization, ranging from multinational corporations to local non-profit entities. The Labor and Employment Department is particularly active in the financial, cultural, transportation, retailing, entertainment, professional sports, telecommunications, manufacturing, food processing, health care, publishing, philanthropic, educational, and service sectors.