Justin Owens

Justin Owens is an associate at the Newport Beach office of Irell & Manella LLP, where he is a member of the firm's litigation and white collar defense practice groups. Mr. Owens specializes in complex business litigation, including breach of contract, fiduciary duty, regulatory, and white collar criminal cases. Mr. Owens has trial experience in state and federal courts – including both jury and bench trials – and has represented clients in a number of private arbitrations.

Mr. Owens’s recent cases include the representation of a real estate developer in connection with CEQA challenges to a proposed residential development, in which Irell successfully preserved its trial court victory in the California Court of Appeal, and representation of a publicly traded company seeking to enforce a licensing agreement with a leading global digital media company, resulting in a favorable settlement for the client.

Additional representative matters include:

• Representation of a leading pharmaceutical company in arbitration involving breach of contract claims. 
• Representation of a health care services company in federal investigation involving alleged regulatory violations and violations of the federal anti-kickback statute.
• Representation of client in fraud and breach of contract case relating to investment in automotive company.
• Representation of a leading consumer products manufacturer in a breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty case.
• Representation of a biotech company in a dispute involving patent licensing.
• Various white collar representations and internal investigations.

In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Owens has done extensive pro-bono work for the Navajo Nation, assisting the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency in efforts to remediate uranium contamination on the reservation. Mr. Owens also serves as a member of the firm's hiring committee and is actively involved in the summer program. 

Prior to joining Irell, Mr. Owens completed a clerkship with United States District Judge Andrew Guilford in the Central District of California. He received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 2007, where he was selected Order of the Coif and served as Symposium Editor of the California Law Review. Mr. Owens received his B.A., summa cum laude, from UCLA in 2003. While at UCLA Mr. Owens rowed for the crew team, and was twice selected to the All PAC-10 Academic Team.

Bar & Court Admissions

• 2007, California
• U.S. District Courts within California