Dakota Speas

About Dakota Speas

I am an associate attorney at the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. I have represented plaintiffs and defendants alike across a broad range of practice areas, including fraud cases, commercial contract disputes, intellectual property disputes, insurance disputes, real estate disputes, regulatory enforcement actions, and criminal investigations. My clients include individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations across California, the United States, and beyond.I consider myself a generalist with the knowledge necessary to handle virtually any complex litigation matter. I have prepared numerous motions, briefs, and pleadings in both state and federal courts, at the trial level and on appeal, often on case-dispositive issues. I have also presented oral argument at various hearings, including in opposition to motions for summary judgment after which the court ruled entirely in my respective clients\' favor. I regularly examine fact and expert witnesses, including key party witnesses and witnesses located abroad - at deposition and at trial.I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.A, summa cum laude, in Political Science/International Relations and a minor in Business/Finance. I received my J.D, Order of the Coif, from the University of Southern California. After law school, I spent a year clerking for a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.I enjoy exchanging ideas with others and finding innovative solutions to problems. In all of my work, I am committed to holding myself to the highest standards of professional, moral, and ethical integrity while zealously advocating for all of my clients.

Experience

1. Associate

   Quinn Emanuel

   Oct 2019 — Present · Los Angeles, CA, US

Education

• UC San Diego

  Bachelor’s Degree, Political Science/International Relations (with a Global Concentration); Minor, Business/Finance

  2012 — 2015

• USC Gould School of Law

  Juris Doctor (J.D.)

  2015 — 2018

• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

  Visiting Student, International Relations, Government & Society

  2014 — 2014

• San Dieguito High School Academy

  High School

  2008 — 2012