Bird Marella
Bird Marella is a Los Angeles-based boutique litigation law firm founded in 1981, specializing in complex commercial litigation, white-collar defense, entertainment disputes, and Korean cross-border matters for Fortune 500 corporations, conglomerates, and high-profile individuals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bird Marella does
Bird Marella is a Los Angeles-based boutique litigation law firm founded in 1981, operating under the legal name Bird, Marella, Rhow, Lincenberg, Drooks & Nessim, LLP. The firm specializes in complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and government investigations, and entertainment industry disputes, serving Fortune 500 corporations, major financial institutions, Korean conglomerates, and high-profile individuals across U.S. federal and state courts, including the United States Supreme Court. The firm is organized around three core practice groups: civil litigation (spanning class actions, complex business disputes, employment, entertainment, fraud/qui tam, health care, intellectual property, real estate, and securities), white-collar defense and government investigations (business crimes, environmental crimes, health care fraud, internal investigations, and securities fraud), and a Korea Practice serving South Korean companies and entertainment entities in U.S. legal matters.
The firm has secured over $1 billion in cumulative verdicts and settlements, including a $510 million healthcare verdict for Saint Mary's Health Network, a $164 million LuLaRoe verdict for Providence Industries, a complete defense verdict for SK hynix in a $175 million Microsoft breach-of-contract suit, and a full acquittal for former Autonomy executive Stephen Chamberlain in a major DOJ fraud prosecution. Bird Marella operates from a single Century City location with 51-100 employees and has built a bench of trial attorneys featuring former federal prosecutors and Assistant U.S. Attorneys. The firm has earned consistent recognition from Chambers USA (12 partners recognized in 2026, a firm record), Benchmark Litigation (Highly Recommended Firm and LA Boutique Powerhouse), and The American Lawyer (three consecutive years as National Boutique/Specialty Litigation Firm of the Year finalist).
Bird Marella generates revenue primarily through hourly billing for attorney time on complex litigation matters, with selective use of contingency and alternative fee arrangements for cases such as False Claims Act and profit participation disputes. The firm employs a sales-led go-to-market approach driven by reputation, peer recognition through legal directories, client referrals, and media coverage. Pricing is negotiated on a matter-by-matter basis with multi-year engagements typical for complex trials and appeals. As a privately held limited liability partnership, Bird Marella has no external investment, no public ticker, and is independently owned and managed by its name partners under traditional law firm governance.
Bird Marella firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bird Marella
- Legal name
- Bird, Marella, Rhow, Lincenberg, Drooks & Nessim, LLP
- Website
- https://birdmarella.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Bird Marella is a Los Angeles-based boutique litigation law firm founded in 1981, specializing in complex commercial litigation, white-collar defense, entertainment disputes, and Korean cross-border matters for Fortune 500 corporations, conglomerates, and high-profile individuals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bird Marella industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Litigation Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where Bird Marella is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bird Marella business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Bird Marella provides legal representation in complex litigation matters including civil litigation, white collar defense, and entertainment law. Services are billed primarily on hourly rates for attorney time, with matters involving extended trials and complex discovery typically running significant billings.
- Contingency and Alternative Fee Arrangements: The firm handles certain matters including False Claims Act cases and profit participation disputes under contingency or alternative fee arrangements where appropriate for client situations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Legal services quoted on a matter-by-matter basis |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Bird Marella product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bird Marella is a boutique litigation law firm providing legal representation in federal and state courts across the United States, with three primary practice areas: civil litigation (including class actions, complex business disputes, entertainment, employment, fraud/qui tam, healthcare, IP, real estate, and securities), white collar criminal defense and government investigations, and a Korea Practice serving Korean companies in U.S. matters. The firm handles matters from pre-trial through trial and appeal, with a track record of over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements and landmark acquittals in major DOJ prosecutions. Services are delivered through direct attorney-client engagements with Fortune 500 corporations, financial institutions, entertainment industry clients, Korean conglomerates, and high-profile individuals.
Product overview
Bird Marella is a nationally recognized litigation law firm offering legal services primarily in civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and government investigations. The firm operates as a single-service law practice with specialized practice groups covering Civil Litigation (including class actions, complex business litigation, entertainment, employment, fraud/qui tam, health care, intellectual property, real estate, and securities), White Collar Defense & Government Investigations (covering business crimes, environmental crimes, health care fraud, internal investigations, and securities fraud), and a Korea Practice serving Korean companies in U.S. legal matters. The firm has no separate product portfolio or technology platform—its offerings are legal services delivered by attorneys.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Civil Litigation Full-service civil litigation practice covering class actions, complex business disputes, employment matters, entertainment law, fraud and qui tam cases, health care litigation, intellectual property, real estate, and securities litigation for corporations and individuals.
- White Collar Defense & Government Investigations Criminal defense and government investigation practice representing individuals and corporations in business and financial crimes, environmental crimes, health care fraud, internal investigations, and securities fraud/insider trading matters.
- Korea Practice Specialized practice group serving South Korean companies and individuals in U.S. litigation, intellectual property enforcement, and cross-border disputes, with bilingual and bicultural legal counsel.
Quantifiable outcome
- $510 million jury verdict for Saint Mary's Health Network in healthcare trial
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Bird Marella
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bird Marella technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bird Marella partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bird Marella competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- O'Melveny & Myers: Historic Los Angeles-headquartered national law firm with comparable trial and white collar practice that competes directly with Bird Marella for complex litigation and entertainment matters.
- Latham & Watkins: Global law firm with strong white collar defense and complex litigation practices that competes for the same Fortune 500 and entertainment clients as Bird Marella, particularly on Korea-related matters via its Seoul office.
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher: Major international firm with one of the most highly regarded litigation practices in the world, headquartered in LA, and frequently competes with Bird Marella for high-stakes trial and white collar matters.
Direct peers
- Irell & Manella: Los Angeles-based litigation and intellectual property firm with comparable boutique positioning, elite trial practice, and overlapping entertainment, IP, and complex commercial litigation focus.
- Susman Godfrey: Another premier U.S. litigation boutique with a comparable model of taking bet-the-company cases for major corporations, with similar big-verdict track record and trial-focused culture.
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: The leading U.S. litigation-only boutique, comparable to Bird Marella in its exclusive focus on complex commercial litigation and white collar defense with a similar fee-for-service model for high-stakes matters.
- Boies Schiller Flexner: A national litigation boutique with comparable practice in complex commercial disputes, white collar defense, and high-profile individual representations for entertainment and corporate clients.
- Keker, Van Nest & Peters: San Francisco-based litigation boutique widely considered Bird Marella's direct counterpart in Northern California, with comparable trials, white collar, and IP practices serving technology and life sciences clients.
- Bartlit Beck: Chicago-based litigation boutique with comparable partner-only model handling bet-the-company commercial litigation, antitrust, and IP cases for Fortune 500 clients.
- Munger, Tolles & Olson: Elite California litigation boutique known for appellate work and complex civil litigation serving similar high-end corporate clients, with comparable billing rates and talent profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bird Marella social profiles
Digital presenceBird Marella financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bird Marella leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Bird Marella funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bird Marella M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bird Marella
What does Bird Marella do?
Bird Marella is a boutique litigation law firm providing legal representation in federal and state courts across the United States, with three primary practice areas: civil litigation (including class actions, complex business disputes, entertainment, employment, fraud/qui tam, healthcare, IP, real estate, and securities), white collar criminal defense and government investigations, and a Korea Practice serving Korean companies in U.S. matters. The firm handles matters from pre-trial through trial and appeal, with a track record of over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements and landmark acquittals in major DOJ prosecutions. Services are delivered through direct attorney-client engagements with Fortune 500 corporations, financial institutions, entertainment industry clients, Korean conglomerates, and high-profile individuals.
Is Bird Marella a public or private company?
Bird Marella is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Bird Marella founded?
Bird Marella was founded in 1981. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Bird Marella based?
Bird Marella is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bird Marella make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Legal Services - Hourly Billing is the primary driver. The others are contingency and Alternative Fee Arrangements.
Who are Bird Marella's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are O'Melveny & Myers, Latham & Watkins and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Direct peers are Irell & Manella, Susman Godfrey, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Boies Schiller Flexner, Keker, Van Nest & Peters, Bartlit Beck and Munger, Tolles & Olson.
Does Bird Marella have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bird Marella.
What industry is Bird Marella in?
Bird Marella's product category is Litigation Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAJ, White-Collar Defense & Investigations, with a secondary code of BPAHALAG, Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services. Its NAICS code is 541110 and its SIC code is 8111.