Discovery with Neville L. Johnson

My nicknames are … The Nevinator (what my wife, Cindy, calls me), and my stage name, Trevor McShane.

I can’t go a day without … a coffee, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Daily Journal and Lester Holt.

My colleagues would be surprised to know that … I write and publish poetry, including a book of love poems to my wife, What Took You So Long.

The quality I most like in a lawyer is … civility.

When I started, I wish I knew … the value of networking and participating in bar associations.

My career high point (so far) has been … Sanders v. American Broadcasting Companies (1999), where I was trial and appellate counsel, and the Supreme Court of California established standards for invasion of privacy in an investigative journalism context. It is studied in every law school across the nation.

The SCOTUS justice I’d most like to meet is … Justice Breyer, a class act.

The SCOTUS decision I’d most like to overturn is … Citizens United v. FEC.

My courtroom walkup music would be … “Power to the People” by John Lennon.

A different practice area that intrigues me is … representing whistleblowers.

I can’t believe more people haven’t read … The Count of Monte Cristo.

My favorite Twitter feed is … @AlbertBrooks.

My fictional hero is … Shane, the western gunslinger, who did what was right to ensure justice.

My real-life heroes are … my parents; and John Wooden, about whom I wrote an authorized biography.

The most fascinating person I ever met is … Yoko Ono at The Dakota, whom I have represented. She is smart, nice, and has seen and done it all. 

My favorite meal is … an In-N-Out double cheeseburger.

My earliest memory is … seeing a train roll by when I was 5 or so.

My favorite song lyric is … “Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will.” – The Beatles

The movie line I quote most often is … “It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” 

The three people I’d invite to dinner are … Buddy Holly, John Lennon and Barack Obama.

I wish I had invented … the electric guitar tuner.

My favorite word is … bitchin’.

My least-favorite word is … impossible.

Living or dead, I would most like to have a drink with … Jesus.

The most annoying thing about my job is … having discovery disputes with counsel who do all they can to delay.

Nothing cheers me up like … the smile on my wife’s face.