George C. Fatheree III and the Sidley team he led have been honored by the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles at the 2022 Installation and Awards Gala. The accolade is in recognition of their representation of the Bruce family in a landmark reparations case. Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles is a non-profit corporation whose mission is dedicated to charitable, educational, and community-based services.
George led the Sidley team that worked to create a framework for a reparative real estate transaction. Their task was to protect and advance the Bruce family’s interests while developing a path to return the Bruce’s Beach property that would withstand legal challenge and could serve as a model for similar efforts throughout the country. As a result, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to return Bruce’s Beach — valued at US$20 million — to the descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce, a Black couple who opened a resort on the property in 1912 that was later taken by the city of Manhattan Beach as a result of racial animus. The Board’s decision is predicted to have far-reaching legal and social ramifications.
In addition to George Fatheree, the Sidley team included Einass Abdelmoula, Alison Appleby, Monique M. Candiff, Saxon R. Cropper-Sykes, Natasha Gunasekara, Ivy H. Jones, Chris Juarez, Matthew D. Lerner, Joel Lifshitz, Daniel R. Mueller, Sam Newman, Erika B. Pringle, and Jonathan M. Westreich.
