The Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation trial has been one of the most contentious events of 2022. After endless hours of witness testimony, thousands of social media memes and shocking allegations, Depp ultimately won his case against Heard, but the story is far from over.
Throughout the trial, the lawyer’s of both Heard and Depp received significant coverage, which isn’t surprising given how pivotal their roles were to the case. But there was one lawyer in particular, Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez, who really caught people’s attention.
“The kind of women we all should admire,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “This is Camille Vazquez’s world and we’re all just living in it,” added another.
So, why has Camille become such a success? Is it the aspirational value of a strong female lawyer, or was it her close relationship with Depp? Below, we analyse.
Camille’s legal journey
Vasquez is a partner at Brown Rudnick Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group. Her speciality is plaintiff-side defamation suits, meaning she was the perfect person to represent Depp.
Her biography at the firm’s website claims she has “extensive experience handling parallel reputation management and crisis communications issues arising from these engagements.”
She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2006 and later obtained her JD (doctor of law) from the Southwestern Law School in 2010. Prior to working at Brown Rudnick, she worked at a national firm in Los Angeles.
Before working on the Depp v Heard case, Vasquez had worked with a slew of other celebrities, including Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lopez. Interestingly, Camille was reportedly not Depp’s first choice of legal representation, with celebrity lawyer Kathleen Zellner initially slated to take on the job.
“The plan was always to have a female lawyer cross-examine Amber and that was why Zellner was brought into the case, she had the star power and the big reputation,” a source told The Daily Mail.
“In reality, the decision to bring her in was taken way too late and there was no way she could have gotten up to speed in such a short space of time. Vasquez is not exactly a rookie, but it’s unusual to have an associate taking charge in such a huge case. But she knew the evidence inside out and has done a great job,” the source continued.
Who is Camille Vasquez dating?
The question of whether or not Camille was single, or rather, whether or not she had a romantic relationship with Depp, became a strange focal point throughout the trialc
Depp and Vasquez were often seen laughing and hugging, which some experts argued could have been a tactic from their legal team to paint Depp as the saviour.
“Her behaviour in court places Depp back in role as the romantic hero,” body language expert Judi James posited to The Daily Mail.
“For Depp’s loyal fans, these dramatic rituals will seem like validation. ‘If this smart, beautiful woman thinks he is OK then maybe he is,’ will be the implied message.”
Vasquez was quick to shut the rumours down, labelling them as ‘sexist,’ telling People that she was disappointed to hear people speculating over the details of her professional relationship with Depp.
“It’s also an unethical charge being made. It’s sexist,” she told the outlet. “It’s unfortunate and it’s disappointing, but at the same time it kind of comes with the territory. I can’t say I was all that surprised.”
Most recently, Camille was snapped leaving a Washington Ritz Carlton with 38-year old British executive, Edward Owen, per TMZ. The pair are rumoured to have been in a long-distance relationship since November last year, when they met at an upscale London pub.
Camille’s subsequent fame from the trial
Throughout Depp’s entire defamation trial, Camille was a constant talking point. From her ruthless cross-examination of Heard to her friendly relationship with Depp, everything she did fell under scrutiny.
She’s already said that the fame has been ‘overwhelming’ appearing on Good Morning America to discuss her seemingly overnight A-list status.
“If I can be an inspiration to young women that want to go to law school and study and work hard, then it was all worth it,” she said, before adding that the entire experience has been ‘surreal.’
It seems that she’s not quite finished with the trial, though, as news recently broke that Vasquez, alongside and her associate Benjamin G. Chew, will star in an upcoming docuseries which focuses on the trial.
Her social presence on social media throughout the trial was equally as fascinating, with the hashtag #camillevasquez garnering more than 980 million TikTok impressions. As the trial unfolded, fans took to Twitter to share their admiration, dubbing her a ‘real life wonderwoman’ and a ‘f**king beast.’
While it seems strange for someone to gain global notoriety from a highly unpleasant case, it seems people are more fascinated by Camille the woman, rather than Camille as Depp’s lawyer, which is a nicer way of looking at it.
Here’s hoping she can be an inspiration to young, budding female lawyers looking to make their mark.
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