Biglaw, Crime

Biglaw Arsonist Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

Only one lawyer was present when the fire broke out.

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FireBack in December 2014, the Los Angeles office of Lewis Brisbois was ravaged by an inferno, with flames climbing up to 50 feet in the air from the apartment complex next door, where the fire started. The Biglaw firm’s offices were very badly damaged, but not even the fiery blaze could stop attorneys at the then-largest law firm in the city from working — remotely, of course.

The fire was investigated as a criminal event, and Dawud Abdulwali emerged as a suspect. Abdulwali was charged with setting one of the largest structure fires in Los Angeles history, and originally pleaded not guilty in May 2015. Yesterday, under the terms of a negotiated plea deal, Abdulwali pleaded guilty to one count of arson and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Law360 (sub. req.) has additional details:

The December 2014 fire, reportedly set as a response to police shootings in Ferguson, Missouri, and elsewhere, gutted the partially built, seven-story Da Vinci apartment complex and also damaged two nearby buildings, including the 16-story high-rise that housed the Los Angeles outpost of Lewis Brisbois, causing a total of $70 million to $90 million in estimated damages.

Heat from the fire shattered windows, and the fire spread to some of the floors of the building that housed the firm, the fire department said. The fire melted freeway signs and shut down two major freeways. No one was injured in the blaze.

“According to witness testimony at the preliminary hearing, Abdulwali set the unfinished building on fire as a response to the protests in Ferguson and other highly publicized cases of alleged police misconduct,” the DA’s press release said.

Thankfully (and perhaps surprisingly), only one attorney from Lewis Brisbois was present at the time the fire started, but the firm’s offices were so badly damaged that they were forced to relocate — and file suit against the developers of the unfinished apartment building.

Tim Graves, managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office, said the fire was so bad that it burned the Lewis Brisbois sign at the top of the building. Here’s more information on the damage the firm sustained:

“The fire got so hot it burst all the windows out on that side of the building, melted some computers,” he said. “We had to of course move out.”

Graves said the firm’s offices also sustained serious damage when the fire safety sprinkler system went off throughout the entire building. He said the firm was fortunate that it was able to find new space so quickly, as it was fully moved into the U.S. Bank Tower offices that had previously housed Latham & Watkins LLP by the end of January 2015.

Graves said the firm was “still gathering” information about the potential monetary damages that had been caused by the fire.

Best of luck to Lewis Brisbois as the firm attempts to pursue its claims after the blaze. Litigators’ lawsuits are hotter than fire, so the defendants here may need an extinguisher by the time the firm is done roasting them in court.

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Arsonist Behind Lewis Brisbois LA Office Fire Gets 15 Years [Law360 (sub. req.)]
Lewis Brisbois’ LA Office Badly Damaged By Fire [Law360 (sub. req.)]
Lewis Brisbois Sues Developer Over Fire That Scorched Office [Law360 (sub. req.)]
April 24, 2017: Man Pleads to Causing Multimillion Dollar Da Vinci Complex Blaze [Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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