Jennifer L. Keller

Jennifer L. Keller


Keller/Anderle LLP

Recognized since 2005

Irvine, California

Practice Areas

Bet-the-Company Litigation

Commercial Litigation

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Litigation - Intellectual Property

Litigation - Securities

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Criminal Defense: General Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Criminal Defense: General Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Criminal Defense: General Practice
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PRACTICE AREAS

  • Trials
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Securities
  • Insurance Recovery/Bad Faith
  • White Collar Criminal Defense
  • Legal Malpractice
  • Entertainment/Sports

EXPERIENCE

Jennifer Keller is one of America’s most successful trial attorneys. She represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of high-stakes commercial litigation and white collar cases. Chambers USA and Chambers Global rank her among the top commercial litigators in the nation, quoting sources who describe Jennifer as “widely regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in California.” “She has uncanny instincts, a wonderful courtroom demeanor and she’s an extremely clear and effective communicator,” and “is absolutely unflappable in court and builds a strong rapport and credibility with judges and decision makers.” She is a Fellow of the invitation-only American College of Trial Lawyers, considered to be among the highest honors a North American trial attorney can receive. The Legal 500, among the most prestigious international legal directories, recommends Jennifer as one of just 63 “leading trial lawyers” in the entire United States. Jennifer is also a 2018 inductee into the California Lawyers Association Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, one of only 35 attorneys so honored throughout the years. Benchmark Litigation lists her as one of the “Top 100 Trial Attorneys in America” and among the “Top 20 Trial Lawyers in California,” calling her a “National Litigation Star.” In 2020 and in 2021, Super Lawyers ranked Jennifer #1 in Southern California. “Revered for her versatility and ease in front of a jury … the go-to trial attorney for difficult cases” is how Jennifer is described by The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, ranking her as a “Top 100 Lawyer in California” for over 10 years in a row. In three separate years (2019, 2018 and 2012), in starkly different subjects, Jennifer’s trial victories have led to California Lawyer Magazine Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) awards for extraordinary achievements in litigation. Jennifer made a last-minute entrance as lead counsel for MGA Entertainment in the 2011 retrial of Mattel v. MGA, the epic doll battle popularly known as “Barbie v. Bratz.” Coming into the four-month jury trial just twelve days before jury selection, Jennifer captained MGA to a win Reuters called “an astonishing loss” for Mattel and the LA Times deemed “a stunning reversal of fortune” for MGA. The jury found Mattel had no rights to the Bratz doll line and awarded MGA $85 million in damages for theft of its own trade secrets, to which the judge added $85 million in punitive damages. (While the damages judgment was reversed on appeal, MGA’s $139 million attorneys’ fee award stands.)

Just two years earlier Jennifer won California’s largest business jury verdict of 2009 with $350 million awarded to her venture capitalist client in Auerbach v. Daily. Recently she represented Standard & Poors in United States v. The McGraw-Hill Companies, the government’s civil suit claiming S&P inflated the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. Jennifer was selected as one of S&P’s three trial attorneys. The case settled in 2015 for over $1 billion, which was less than one-fifth of what the government had been demanding.

In 2022, Jennifer successfully defended Tony, Emmy and two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey against actor Anthony Rapp in a sexual battery civil jury trial in Southern District of New York. The jury deliberated only 30 minutes before reaching a unanimous verdict finding Mr. Spacey not liable and denying Mr. Rapp the $40 million he was seeking. The case was covered by the global media.

In 2018 Jennifer won two landmark jury verdicts in different areas, each of which was named a “Top Defense Verdict” by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. For one of them, Yellowstone Women’s First Step House v. Costa Mesa, Jennifer won her third CLAY Award (California Lawyer Magazine Attorneys of the Year). In the other, Chavez et al. cv. MassMutual Life Insurance Co., she also won a CVN “Top Verdicts” award. In 2017 Jennifer as co-lead counsel got a not guilty verdict for her developer client Jeffrey Burum after nine months of jury trial in what the California Attorney General called “the largest corruption case in the history of San Bernardino, and possibly California.” The jury was out a little more than two hours before acquitting Mr. Burum of all charges.

Jennifer is listed annually in “The Best Lawyers in America®” and is among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. Jennifer is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only organization limited to the top one-half of one percent of the nation’s attorneys.

Jennifer is also active in the community. She is the former President of the Orange County Bar Association and served for many years as a Trustee of Chapman University. She counts as present and former clients judges, public officials, law enforcement officers, CEOs, CFOs, lawyers, physicians, professional athletes, entertainment industry executives, actors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Jennifer’s past and present institutional clients have included Fortune 100 corporations, other publicly-traded corporations, and large privately-held companies.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 18300 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 930
    Irvine, CA 92612-1057
Education
  • University of California Berkeley, A.B., graduated 1975
  • University of California Hastings College of the Law, J.D., graduated 1978
Bar Admissions
  • California, 1978
Affiliations
  • Orange County Bar Association - President (1996); Officer (1993-1997); Board of Directors (1991-93), Member (present)
  • Governor Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for Orange County - Member
  • UC Hastings College of the Law Foundation - Trustee (2012-2017)
  • OC Chapter of Federal Bar Association - Member
  • Orange County Asian American Bar Association - Member
  • UC Hastings College of the Law Alumni Association - Board of Governors (2010-2012)
  • Chapman University School of Law - Dean's Board of Advisors (1995-2013)
  • Chancery Club of Los Angeles - Member, invitation only (2015-present)
  • State Bar of California - Board of Legal Specialization, Commissioner (2002-2005)
  • State Bar of California - Board of Legal Specialization, Criminal Law Advisory Commission Chair (1993-94), Vice-Chair (1992-93) and Commissioner (1990-92)
  • 9th Circuit Judicial Conference - Lawyer Representative (1996-99)
  • Public Law Center of Orange County - Board of Directors (1995-2000)
  • California Attorneys for Criminal Justice - Board of Governors (1992-93)
  • American Inns of Court, William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn - Master Bencher
Court Admissions
  • United States Supreme Court
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Court, Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of California
  • District of Arizona
State Clerkships
  • California - Court of Appeals

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Criminal Defense: General Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Criminal Defense: White-Collar Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Criminal Defense: General Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Criminal Defense: General Practice
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Orange County (2022)
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice, Orange County (2018)
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Orange County (2017)
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice, Orange County (2016)
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice, Orange County (2013)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Securities
Special Focus:
  • Trials
Awards:
  • Chambers USA and Chambers Global, recommended in General Commercial Litigation (California) and Trials (of all types, Nationwide)
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • California Lawyers Association “Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame”
  • Benchmark Litigation “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America” (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018), “The Top 20 Trial Lawyers in California” (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019)
  • The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2012-2022), Lawdragon Legend (2020)
  • The Legal 500, USA Edition, Leading Trial Lawyers (2021)
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (by invitation only, limited to top 1/2 of 1 percent of lawyers nationally)
  • Benchmark Litigation “Top 250 Women in Litigation” (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017)
  • California Lawyer Magazine CLAY Award (California Lawyers of the Year), Municipal Law (2019), White Collar Criminal Defense (2018), Intellectual Property Litigation (2012)
  • The Irish Legal 100 (2021)
  • Orange County Business Journal, “OC 500 Directory of Influence” (2020, 2019)
  • The San Francisco Recorder, Attorneys of the Year (2012)
  • The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “The Top 100 Lawyers in California,” (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007, Editors’ Pick 2001)
  • The National Law Journal, Annual "Winning" Edition (2012)
  • The National Trial Lawyers, "The Top 100 Trial Lawyers in California" (2008-2014)
  • The Best Lawyers In America®, S. Naifeh & G. Smith (2004-2023 eds.); Bet-The-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Securities Litigation, and White Collar Criminal Defense; Orange County Lawyer of the Year – Criminal Defense (2013); Orange County Lawyer of the Year – White Collar Criminal Defense (2017 and 2022)
  • Los Angeles Magazine, “Southern California Super Lawyers”: Ranked #1 Super Lawyers Southern California (2020-2021); Ranked either #1 or #2 Super Lawyers Southern California (2019-2022); Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers (2018-2022), Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers (2016-2022), “Top 50 Orange County Super Lawyers” (15 times), “Top 50 Southern California Women Super Lawyers” (13 times); “Super Lawyers in Business Litigation, Intellectual Property, Criminal Defense and White Collar Criminal Defense” (2006-2022)
  • The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “California’s Top Women Lawyers” (2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2002)
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Orange Coast Magazine, "The Best Lawyers in Orange County" (2004-2014)
  • OC Metro Magazine, "Orange County's Top Attorneys" (2008-2012)
  • Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Business Litigation Trial Lawyer of the Year (2010)
  • Orange County Women Lawyers, Attorney of the Year (2003)
  • Anti-Defamation League of Orange County & Long Beach, Jurisprudence Award (2001)
  • Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer of the Year (2000)
  • Public Law Center of Orange County, Attorney of the Year (1996)
  • The Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County, Lawyer of the Year (1983)
  • State Bar of California, Wiley Manuel Award for Pro Bono Service (1998)
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV rated since 1983. Listed, Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

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Jennifer L. Keller: High-Stakes Trial Icon Fighting for General Counsel


by Best Lawyers

Jennifer L. Keller of Keller/Anderle LLP is one of America's most successful trial attorneys. With a career built on representing General Counsel and Fortune 500/1000 companies in high-stakes commercial litigation and white collar cases, she is widely regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in California.

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