b'To save money, he moved to Tijuana, MexicoIn2016,hejoined445-lawyerMintzLevin and commuted over the border each day.as managing partner in Los Angeles, drawn bythefirmsembraceofdiversityandits AnotherjobwassellingEncyclopediawelcoming spirit, he said. Britannicadoor-to-door.Theexperience taught me it doesnt matter when someoneInanewsreleaseannouncingthemove, saysno.Youhavetokeeppersevering,MintzLevinmanagingpartnerBobBodian asking questions, Briones said. Its exactlycalled Briones an outstanding trial attorney what litigation is. You have to be persistent.and said he would provide great leadership Courts, opposing counselit can take timeaswecontinuetogrowthefirmsWest to persuade them. You cant be [discouraged]Coast presence. by a loss or disagreement. You have to keep pressing forward.Atthetime,theL.A.outposthadthree lawyers.Itsnowgrownto12.Asheadof Even if doors get slammed in your face.theoffice,Brioneshasfocusedonteam building(hisWineFridaysareapopular Anothergigwasmakingcoldcallsatanewtradition)andmentoring,personally brokerage firm in La Jolla. He earned $100recruiting associates Esteban Morales and E. for every lead that turned into a client. TheCrystal Lopez. fatherofhisbosswasalawyer.Hetold Brionesthathelovedtheprofession,andWhenrecruitingorworkingwithlawyers, recommended that he try to go to law schoolitssoimportanttoappreciatediversity at UCLA.in their backgrounds, he said. It makes a much more powerful team.People bring After Briones got an undergraduate degreedifferent strengths to the objective. fromSanDiegoStateUniversity,hewas accepted to UCLA School of Law. It was theWhat advice would he offer his younger self, first time he didnt have to work while goingoranotherwould-belawyer?Keepdoing to school. I loved law school, he said.the simple things. Work hard. Be honest. Be patient. Persevere.He earned his J.D. in 1999 (and later, an LLM from NYU) and was hired as an associate atReprintedwithpermissionfromtheAmLaw GrayCaryWare&Freidenrich,whichlaterLITIGATIONDailyfeaturedonSeptember6, merged with DLA Piper.20172017ALMMediaProperties,LLC.All rights reserved.Briones became a partner at DLA in 2011. He also started a familyhe and his wife have five children ages 8 and under. p. 30'