(December 11, 2006, Century City, CA) – Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a leading international law firm, today announced that Richard G. Reinis has joined the firm in its Century City office. He will provide both transactional and litigation services to firm clients, effective immediately.
Immediately prior to joining Steptoe, Mr. Reinis was the CEO of Great Circle Family Foods, the largest Krispy Kreme franchisee for Southern California. For almost two decades, he was managing partner of the Los Angeles law firm of Reinis & Reinis, noted for its representation of apparel and fashion industry clients. Mr. Reinis also had served as general counsel of Smart Modes of California, a women’s clothing company, and California Mart, the largest building in Los Angeles, serving apparel manufacturers worldwide.
“Rich is a superb talent with significant business contacts and legal abilities. He will help Steptoe achieve its strategic goals in Southern California,” said Roger Warin, the firm’s Chairman. “With his outstanding record as an experienced and successful businessman and attorney, we are confident he will make a substantial contribution to our Century City office.”
In addition to his experience with Great Circle Family Foods and the Reinis & Reinis law firm, Mr. Reinis was co-principal of Great Circle Management, which solicited restaurant franchise rights for development in Southern California; he founded and was the executive director of the Compliance Alliance, the largest voluntary compliance association in the US, directing compliance efforts of apparel manufacturers nationwide; and he was a principal and moving force in securing the rights for the development of the New York Mart, a 3 million square foot merchandise component the 42nd Street Redevelopment in New York City.
“By virtue of my association with Steptoe, I will be able to offer a broad array of services to clients in the apparel industry and real estate business,” said Mr. Reinis. “I expect my personal experiences with franchising to be of particular value to the firm’s clients, because it relates to broader licensing and brand development issues that are increasingly prevalent in today’s business climate. In addition, I expect my long involvement with state and local departments of labor will benefit clients, as will my knowledge of and expertise in handling such matters as immigration, international trade and global intellectual property.”
Mr. Reinis earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1966, and his J.D. from the University of Southern California in 1969.
Mr. Reinis has an outstanding record of community involvement and leadership. He is a Trustee of the University of California at Riverside Foundation, where he serves as a member of the Endowment Investment Committee, and member and Secretary of the Maxwell H. Bluck Foundation. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Foundation; the Los Angeles Children’s Museum Board of Trustees, the California Fashion Associates, and the B’nai B’rith.
