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Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, US News, Celebrity
Emily Brown
Multiple law firms in the US are said to be competing to hire lawyer Camille Vasquez after she helped Johnny Depp secure a win in his defamation trial against Amber Heard.
Vasquez was one of a number of lawyers who worked with Depp after he accused Heard of defamation in a 2018 op-ed, and following weeks of testimony, the Edward Scissorhands actor was ultimately awarded $15 million in damages by the jury.
The legal team also consisted of: Ben Chew; Stephanie Calnan; Andrew Crawford; Rebecca MacDowell Lecaroz; Yarelyn Mena; Jessica Meyers; and Samuel Moniz – though Vasquez became one of the best known after she went viral online.
Footage of Vasquez repeatedly interrupting Heard's attorney to 'object' in court racked up millions of views on TikTok, and it's not just internet users who have shown their interest in her.
According to industry sources cited by The New York Post, talent agents are 'circling' the lawyer now the trial between Depp and Heard has come to an end, and legal firms are competing against one another in a bid to get Vasquez on board.
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The lawyer is currently working as an associate at Brown Rudnick, though celebrity lawyer Judd Burstein believes she may soon be promoted to partner.
“No firm would allow her to have a role in a big trial like this if she wasn’t on the partner track,” Burstein told The Post.
“There are two factors that go into making a partner – your quality of lawyering and ability to attract business.
"She can probably go anywhere and make a nice deal for herself," he continued.
A legal source added that the community is 'buzzing with firms fighting to be the highest bidder', noting that Vasquez showed in the Depp-Heard trial that she is a 'shark'.
Another source compared Vasquez to Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, and said her skills were 'much more effective' than Bredehoft's.
Not only is Vasquez popular with law firms, but the lawyer is also said to have received offers from several traditional TV networks and cable channels.
"They recognise that she is the unicorn," one source told The Post, adding: "A smart, savvy, poised attorney whose impactful performance during the trial propelled her to a rare level of visibility. And the fact that she is a woman of colour is an added bonus."
One former network executive familiar with the offers explained she is 'inarguably a great voice to weigh in on legal matters', so much so that networks are 'chomping at the bit' to try and speak to her about joining them on-air.
Vasquez's newfound popularity prompted Brown Rudnick to tell The Post it is 'thrilled that so many people are seeing what we’ve known for years: that Camille Vasquez is a star'.
“We were always confident that she had what it takes to succeed on this stage. That’s why she is a key member of the trial team and has a bright future with us,” the firm added.
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