Guinness J. Costello is a thoughtful and effective advocate who takes pride in exclusively representing survivors of abuse, and relentlessly pursuing justice on their behalf. His career has been dedicated to standing up for individuals against the most powerful institutions in the world.
Guinness began his practice representing victims of the most destructive utility-caused wildfires in California history, assisting with the recovery of more than $200 million on behalf of plaintiffs in complex and coordinated matters throughout the state.
He went on to a nationally recognized victims’ rights firm where he applied his knowledge of complex proceedings to a focus on representing survivors of systemic abuse exclusively in their cases against the institutions that enabled and protected their abusers. In this capacity, Guinness represented more than 400 survivors in a Judicial Council Complex Proceeding (“JCCP”) against the Archdiocese of L.A., resulting in a historic $880 million settlement for 1,353 plaintiffs. His expertise and a steadfast commitment to justice led to being appointed as a Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel in the “LA Foster Cases”—a quasi-coordinated complex proceeding of over 200 lawsuits brought by former foster youth against the County of L.A. for abuse they endured in foster care. His unique skillset, paired with an aggressive client-centered approach, has led to several multi-million-dollar results in single-plaintiff cases against counties, school districts, hospitals, universities, and daycares. Guinness views it as his calling to stand up for ordinary people against the Goliath-like institutions that fail them.
Guinness is admitted to practice law in the State of California and in multiple federal courts, including the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California; the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
