Ekwan E. Rhow, a Bird Marella principal, was recently inducted as a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers – one of the greatest honors for trial lawyers practicing in North America.
Terry W. Bird, a Founding principal of Bird Marella and a Fellow since 1995, welcomed Ekwan as a new Fellow: “Ekwan is the first of the third generation of Bird Marella lawyers who have been elected into the College. There will be more. He is one of the finest trial lawyers I have had the pleasure to watch in the courtroom. He has earned his place in the ranks of the best trial lawyers in the country. His election to the College reflects that fact.”
Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College cannot exceed 1 percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province and is extended by invitation only after rigorous investigation of a lawyer’s trial record and reputation among fellow attorneys and judges before whom he or she has tried cases. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years of trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship.
Ekwan is renowned for his complete defense verdicts for:
- a Fortune 500 tech company facing eight-figure damage claims alleging breach of contract, securities fraud, and other torts
- a California financial institution facing claims of securities fraud and alleged damages exceeding $40 million
- a semiconductor company charged in International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration with allegations of fraud, breach of contract, and damages in excess of $50 million
- a Southern California bank facing lender liability and tort claims totaling $50 million
- a Southern California healthcare company sued by a physician group for $10 million
- a real estate developer in a $50 million development
- a hospital facing an eight-figure damage claim for elder abuse
Ekwan’s current representations include:
* defending the world’s largest plastic pipe manufacturer in a $3 billion qui tam action involving over 100 plaintiffs and multiple ongoing trials
* defending multiple entities in the well-covered and closely-watched 1MDB (Malaysian strategic development company) investigation involving over $1.7 billion in assets, the largest civil forfeiture litigation that has ever been brought by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
