Irell lands heavy hitter.

Irell & Manella LLP didn't wait long to land a star to join its galaxy after Rich de Bodo's departure. John Hueston, who co-led the prosecutions of Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay while serving as head of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Santa Ana, will join the firm November 9.

Hueston has been a government prosecutor for 12 years. He has prosecuted stock fraud, trademark infringement and kick-back schemes, but received the most notoriety for his work on the Enron taskforce and a cross-examination style alternately described as "deadly" and "methodical."

Hueston will be a litigation partner in the firm's L.A. and Newport Beach offices. The firm already boasts six former assistant U.S. Attorneys. Hueston will take the lead on trial work, including securities cases, white-collar crime and intellectual property matters.

"Irell & Manella is the firm that companies and even law firms turn to in times of crisis," said Hueston. "I am privileged to be joining a firm increasingly called upon to handle trials that change the legal landscape."

Irell partner Morgan Chu called Hueston "one of the top trial lawyers in the nation."

Not everyone's celebrating. Wayne Gross, chief of the southern division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said, "The Dept. of Justice, in my opinion, is losing its finest prosecutor."

Staff reporter Emily Bryson York can be reached at [phone], ext. 235, or at [e-mail].