Get to Know Camille Vasquez, The Brilliant Young Attorney Who Shined in the Depp v. Heard Trial

Camille Vasquez Headshot

In 2022, the world was captivated by Johnny Depp’s defamation case. One of the individuals who stood out during this trial was Camille Vasquez, a trial lawyer who recently joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP’s Business Trial practice group. As one of the lead attorneys in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, Vasquez made headlines for her shark-like performance, particularly in the cross-examination of Amber Heard.

Vasquez opens up about her role in Depp’s defamation trial and her incredible story of becoming a lawyer in a recent interview recorded live in Dallas, Texas, on the State Bar of Texas Podcast, hosted by Rocky Dhir.

Her Legal Journey

Camille Vasquez was born in San Francisco to Latino immigrants. Her mother is from Cuba, and her father is from Colombia. She credits her success to them and their role in her professional career. From an early age, they encouraged her to become either a lawyer or a doctor, but it was their belief in her that made her feel she could accomplish anything she put her mind to.

After achieving magna cum laude honors at the University of Southern California, where she pursued a dual major in political science and communications, Vasquez furthered her education by obtaining a Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School. Although her legal journey began in insurance law and progressed to in-house employment law, she ultimately found her niche in litigation and arbitration, where she specialized in advocating for plaintiffs in defamation cases. Her talent and expertise were recognized when she was hand-picked to join a partner going to Brown Rudnick LLP. It was Ben Chew.

Scales of justice in an empty courtroom

“I love being in court. It’s my favorite thing to do. I’m just a lucky person that gets to do what I love to do for a living.”

Vasquez worked with Johnny Depp for about five years before the Depp v. Heard Case, when she helped represent him against his former attorney and business manager. She then represented Depp in his defamation suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

The Depp v. Heard Case

In the Johnny Depp case, Vasquez indicated that the case was never about money damages but rather his reputation – “all anyone has is their name, so my goal was to give Johnny’s back to him.” As a result, extensive preparation went into the trial, including thousands of hours and 80 depositions spanning more than nine months.

“There’s no substitute for hard work, and every trial lawyer knows that you have to be the most prepared person in the room.”

When Johnny Depp first mentioned bringing a lawsuit against Heard, Vasquez was not a big proponent of the idea, especially since Depp is a very private person. However, when she mentioned this to Depp, “[Johnny Depp] asked me if I had ever been accused of something that I had not done myself. And I thought about that for a second, and I said to him, ‘No, I don’t think I have.’ And he said, ‘Talk to me once you have, kid.'”

According to Vanderbilt University Law School, Vasquez, and Ben Chew then made an early decision in the case that Vasquez would go after Heard while Chew defended Depp. According to Vasquez, a man referring to Heard as a liar about sexual abuse could potentially result in public backlash and asserted that a strategy where they had to both defend and attack would not be effective.

The Star of the Show

The defamation case attracted millions of viewers worldwide and resulted in an explosion of social media posts, podcast commentaries, and video reactions. In fact, the hashtag #JohnnyDepp was used over 1 million times on TikTok alone. While clips of Heard and Depp circulated like wildfire, one couldn’t help but notice how many clips, memes, and threads there were about Camille Vasquez. She captivated viewers with her sharp legal style and successful cross-examination of witnesses, including Amber Heard herself. Vasquez even called out Heard of faking her bruises and lying about her statements and other witnesses.

Lawyers are storytellers. How you weave the story through your questions is the art of cross-examination.”

One of the more memorable moments of the trial was when Heard avoided answering Vasquez’s questions and instead faced the jury to talk to them. Vasquez called Heard out for this behavior by saying, “Miss Heard, there is no question pending. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t be making an argument to the jury.”

Vasquez gained worldwide attention through her performance during the trial. The public viewed her not only as a successful woman and lawyer but also as an inspirational Latina role model who demonstrated her remarkable abilities and received recognition for them.

Learn More About Other Amazing Lawyers When You Listen to Legal Talk Network’s Interviews

With her outstanding performance during the Depp v. Heard trial, there is no question as to why Camille Vasquez is one of the most wanted and sought-after attorneys today. Learn about other exceptional legal talent from around the world by listening to Legal Talk Network’s collection of podcasts.

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