Laura G. Brys (formerly Laura Abril Gibbons) is the Associate in the Los Angeles firm of Burris & Schoenberg, LLP, where she handles various complex business litigation and art litigation matters.  She has drafted motions and prepared filings for all levels of litigation and appeals, including the United States Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, various federal courts and superior courts in the state of California. 

Mrs. Brys specialized in international relations and economics in her studies.  She graduated from the Johns University School of Advanced International Studies Bologna Center with a graduate diploma in 2001, specializing in international economics.  She, then, graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with a major in international relations, and minors in business and economics in 2002.  In 2005, she received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California.

Mrs. Brys has extensive healthcare administration background prior to her career in the field of law.  She worked for varying entities, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Physician Weblink, and provided consulting services for such companies as University Hospitals of Cleveland and ColeVision.

EMPLOYMENT

• Burris & Schoenberg, LLP, October, 2005 to present
• All forms of civil litigation, including defense and prosecution of lawsuits, arbitrations and mediations.
• Assisted in preparation of writ of certiorari of the en banc decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Yahoo! v. La Ligue Contre le Racisme et l'Antisemitisme;
• Prepared opposition to motion for summary judgment and briefs in appeal to the Ninth Circuit by the heirs of author of The Pink Panther in copyright suit against MGM;
• Drafted motions to dismiss in both state and federal courts for lack of personal jurisdiction;
• Obtained pre-judgment attachment assets of construction company in breach of contract case in Superior Court;
• Represents pre-eminent French limestone producer in California-based litigation;
• Represents New York venture capital firms in complex litigation in Santa Clara for breach of contract and fraudulent transfer of $20 million settlement;
• Settled varying breach of contract cases, which had been pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Orange County Superior Court, and Riverside County Superior Court;
• Represented Israeli and Czech citizens and British non-profit corporation in Nazi-looted art case in the Central District of California, which was successfully settled;
• Assists, drafts and coordinates the Ninth Circuit appellate documents in appeal by heir to Nazi-looted artwork against prominent California museum;
• Review contracts as local counsel to prominent New York-based law firm for compliance with California law and international litigation precepts; and
• Lead counsel in complex breach of contract action over dispute with construction copy for $1.8 million guesthouse.
• Pillsbury Winthrop, Los Angeles, California
• Summer Associate, May 2004 to August 2004
• Drafted memoranda and researched various issues in Corporate, Intellectual Property, and Litigation.
• USC School of Law – Gould School, Los Angeles, California
• Research Assistant to Professor Elyn Saks, June 2003 to August 2003
• Analyzed and summarized statutes concerning next of kin, guardianship, medical research consent, and competency.
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Department of Anesthesia, Baltimore, Maryland
• Database Manager, August 2001 to August 2002
• Participated in newly formed team to provide research support for the department.
• Created database applications and evidence tables for publication for various research projects.
• The John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Bologna Center, Bologna, Italy
• Database Consultant and Career Services Assistant, October 2000 to June 2001
• Constructed Access database applications and developed career services web page in FrontPage.
• Taught classes to international students on basic computer skills, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Internet.
• Physician Weblink, Cleveland, Ohio
• Reporting Manager, June 1997 to January 2001, June 1998 to August 2000
• Co-directed team auditing physician files and verifying consistent current information in reporting sources.
• Designed reporting module in Access per insurance specifications, wrote accompanying manual and trained staff.
• Processed eligibility from varying insurers and prepared claims files and financial and auditing reports based on same.
• Mt. Sinai Health System, Cleveland, Ohio
• Posting Coordinator, April 1994 to January 1998
• Led staff of five in posting patient and insurance hospital payments on the HBO Medipac system.
• Prepared credit reports and processed patient payments.

EDUCATION

• University of Southern California Law Center, J.D. 2005.
• Carl Mason Franklin Award - Class award for recognition in international law.
• Hale Moot Court Honors Program
• Honors Grades: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, Legal Profession, Jessup Moot Court, Criminal Procedure, Public International Law, Intellectual Property, Globalization and the Law, Advanced Contracts, Gender, Crime & Justice, Rights of Groups, Dissertation
• Activities:  Jessup Moot Court, Lexis Representative, Phi Alpha Delta, International Law Association
• The Johns Hopkins University
• Bachelor of Arts, International Relations, May 2002
• Honors: Dean's List (two semesters), S. David Sternberg Fellowship
• Minors: Business, Economics
• The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Bologna Center
• Graduate Diploma, International Economics and International Studies, June 2001
• One of five undergraduates selected for one-year graduate diploma program.

INTERESTS

• Reading, exercise, travel, tennis, cooking, cinema and concerts.

LANGUAGES

• Proficiency in French, Spanish, and Italian, working knowledge of German and familiarity with Pilipino.

www.bslaw.net