Murchison & Cumming's Dan Longo Recognized by L.A. Times

August 29, 2021

Murchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Dan L. Longo has been recognized as a Visionary by the L.A. Times B2B Publishing Division in the Business of Law: Trends, Updates, Visionaries & In-House Counsel Leadership Awards Magazine.

When Dan Longo started at Murchison & Cumming, LLP back in 1982, the Firm’s Los Angeles headquarters were based in the Mid-Wilshire area, that had for many years been home to Los Angeles based insurance companies and the law firms that they worked with. The 80's were a much different time, most everyone at the office smoked, there were no computers, laptops or even word processors, documents could be transmitted “instantly” by something called a Telecopier. Every secretary had an IBM Selectric on a side desk, by which dictation onto cassette tapes were transformed into pleadings, discovery, and correspondence. The firm was almost by definition an old-school insurance defense operation.

Fast-forward, not with a cassette tape, or even a compact disc, but in time to present day 2021. Longo is currently overseeing the renovation of M&C’s downtown Los Angeles office, which first moved there in 1993. When the major construction work is completed in a few months, it will be a completely updated, modern office that includes “hotel” stations for attorneys who do not need or want to work out of a traditional office. The renovations will also be emblematic of the many positive changes and transitions that Longo has instituted during his tenure as Managing Partner.

Chief among those transitions is employing a highly successful Covid-19 remote-working plan so that even a litigation firm like M&C could not only be fully functional, but thriving and growing. During the last 15 months, when many law firms were doing anything but that, M&C remained a leader in the field without any disruption to day-to-day business or our clients despite literal overnight changes.

“We feel very fortunate to have gotten through the worst of Covid-19, thanks to the loyalty of our clients and the hard work and dedication of all our attorneys and employees,” Longo said. “I think we are emerging as a stronger, better law firm and am very proud to be able to say that.”

Longo has been committed to the ongoing initiative of diversity, equity, and inclusion achievements at the firm. Between continuing programming within the firm and outreach to new organizations, including a partnership through USLAW NETWORK with Howard University, Longo continues to ensure positive and diverse growth with the firm's employees. Under his leadership the two most recent senior partners were both women and the 2020 summer associate program was the most diverse group the firm has ever recruited. Of the six summer associates, five were from a diverse background.

On a personal level, Longo, a native Angeleno, attended John Marshall High School in Los Feliz, University of Southern California, and Loyola Law School. A true family man, Longo and his wife Marti have been married for 33 years and raised their three children in Orange County. The family played a major role in the planning and development of Serra Catholic School in Rancho Santa Margarita, where Marti taught.

In an era where many competitors have either closed their doors or merged into mega-operations where most of the lawyers do not even know each other, Murchison & Cumming, LLP is more valued by its longtime clients than ever. M&C continues to serve a wide array of clients including insurance companies, corporations, public entities, small businesses, and individuals.

Another 100 years for M&C does not seem out of the question. Much of that can be attributed to Longo, whose only interest in this story was in giving credit to others for the Firm’s success during changing and tough times.