Complex Commercial Litigation partner Luna Ngan Barrington has been named one of Law360’s national “Rising Stars” for Trials in recognition of her expertise and accomplishments before juries, judges and arbitrators.

Law360’s profile of Luna, one of just five Trial honorees nationwide, highlighted her role on the Weil trial team that secured a complete defense jury verdict for C&S Wholesale Grocers in a multi-hundred million-dollar antitrust class action, one of the few such cases to go to trial. In April 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit unanimously affirmed the verdict.

"Distilling the information and getting the jury to understand these really complex economic principles was really important and challenging," she told Law360.

The profile also highlighted her work as trial counsel in a 2017 civil rights case that successfully challenged the enactment and enforcement of an Arizona state statute banning a Mexican-American Studies program in Tucson schools.

"We had parents, students and teachers come and sit every day in the courtroom and watch us," Luna told Law360. "When one of my partners made the closing arguments, there were tears in the audience. To win and to give them back some of their culture and their pride, that was a moment that I was very proud of."

The profile also discussed her path to the law, her motivations, and the dynamism and intensity of being in court that makes being a trial lawyer so appealing.

"The strategy changes almost constantly depending on what happens at trial the next day," Luna said. "It's the adrenaline, it's the unpredictability — all that is a lot of fun."

The “Rising Star” awards recognize top attorneys under the age of 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.” The honorees were selected by Law360 from a competitive pool of more than 1,400 submissions.