Joe Tabacco, managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office, was recently singled out by a top defense attorney for exemplifying "the finest tradition of the trial bar."

In an interview with the legal newswire, Law360, Bruce A. Ericson, co-leader of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP's securities litigation team, was queried about the challenges of his legal work, his accomplishments and the advice he would give to young lawyers, among other topics.

Asked to name a lawyer outside his own firm who has impressed him and to explain why, Ericson selected Tabacco.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't like Joe, or any room he can't make a little brighter by walking in," Ericson said in the interview, which was published Dec. 15, 2010. "Joe is a skilled, tough and fearless opponent, but his word is his bond and he brings a lot of style to everything he does. Joe epitomizes the finest tradition of the trial bar, in which you can fight hard all day and then laugh it off over a beer."

Ericson is known within the defense bar for his high success rate in obtaining dismissals and getting them affirmed on appeal. He and Tabacco have faced each other in courtrooms a number of times, including the hotly contested Pacific Gateway litigation, which made its way to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The two attorneys also recently squared off in the long-running AMERCO Corp. derivative case in arguments before the Nevada Supreme Court.

For Tabacco, the admiration is mutual. "Bruce is that rare breed of lawyer who balances tenacity and unwavering advocacy for his clients with respect and collegiality for his opponents," Tabacco said.