JoAnne McCracken joined JAMS as a neutral in Silicon Valley. The move was June 22, 2026.

Judge McCracken (Ret.) brings nearly four decades of legal experience, including more than 15 years on the bench. Judge McCracken served on the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, from 2010 to 2026, where she presided over a wide range of civil matters, including commercial, real estate, probate and family law cases. In recent years, she was the court's primary civil settlement conference judge. In this role, she handled mediations and settlement conferences, earning a reputation for her high settlement rate. Based in the Silicon Valley Resolution Center, Judge McCracken will serve as a mediator, arbitrator, neutral evaluator and court-appointed neutral (special master/referee), handling business and commercial, family law, real property and real estate, personal injury, insurance, professional liability, employment, and estate, probate and trust matters.

Stephanie Kang joined Arnold & Porter as a counsel in Los Angeles. The move was June 22, 2026.

Kang previously spent more than eight years at Arnold & Porter, representing clients in complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. She has extensive experience in all stages of litigation, including case strategy, discovery, depositions, motions, trial preparation, settlements, and appeals. Stephanie has since served as deputy general counsel, litigation at City of Hope, a non-profit NCI-designated cancer research and treatment center. In that role, she directed and managed all aspects of the organization's legal claims, disputes, and litigation portfolio, including defending against cases spanning multiple jurisdictions.

Ben Fackler joined WilmerHale as a partner in San Francisco.

Fackler regularly supports entrepreneurs and investors in building new businesses and technologies, advising over the full lifecycle of those endeavors. His multidisciplinary background -- spanning law, investment banking, principal investment and operating experience -- enables Fackler to provide integrated, business-oriented advice to boards, management teams, founders and investors across a wide range of strategic situations.

Laurie DeYoung joined ADR Services, Inc. as a neutral in Century City. The move was Jun. 29, 2026.

With more than 35 years of litigation experience, DeYoung has focused her practice on employment and commercial disputes, handling matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower claims, wage and hour issues, executive contracts, and other workplace disputes throughout California.

DeYoung most recently was of counsel at Jackson Lewis P.C. She previously was a senior partner at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, where she led an employment litigation team and resolved numerous disputes through negotiation and mediation.

She joins ADR Services Inc. after a career representing employers in litigation and counseling clients on workplace issues.

John Lord joined Munck Wilson Mandala LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was June 16, 2026.

Lord focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark, and copyright litigation, trade secret misappropriation, and false advertising claims. He also advises clients on intellectual property transactions, including patent due diligence for litigation funding companies and strategic counseling on a wide range of IP issues.

Emilie Woodhead joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was June 10, 2026.

Woodhead focuses her practice on employment law, representing employers in litigation and advising on workplace compliance issues. Her work includes wage-and-hour class and collective actions, as well as disputes involving employee and independent contractor classification, meal and rest breaks, off-the-clock work, expense reimbursement, vacation pay, seating requirements, calculation of regular rates of pay, and claims brought under California's Private Attorneys General Act.

Woodhead also handles individual employment cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. In addition to litigation, she advises employers on labor and employment compliance, including workplace policies, employment agreements and regulatory developments.

Andrew Haas joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Haas focuses his practice on complex civil and criminal litigation, representing individuals and business entities in state and federal courts. As a fourth-generation attorney, Haas brings a deeply rooted commitment to advocacy across a wide range of matters, including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, personal injury, product liability, employment disputes, and class action litigation. He also handles business litigation, general liability, insurance defense, family law, and matters involving education and juvenile law. He is admitted to practice in California, New York, the U.S. District Court for the Central, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California, and the U.S. 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kevin J. Heitz joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Heitz focuses his practice on construction litigation, commercial injury claims, and personal injury litigation. He represents insurance companies, national developers, general contractors, and subcontractors in residential and commercial construction disputes and other complex civil matters. He has extensive experience handling all phases of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, depositions, and mediation. His work involves analyzing contracts and insurance endorsements for coverage determinations and advising clients on litigation strategy in high-exposure matters.

Gracie Tran joined Johnson Criminal Law Group as an associate in Irvine. The move was May 27, 2026.

Johnson Criminal Law Group offers aggressive criminal defense and representation in complex CPS cases.

Gracie Tran joins the firm after representing indigent families in juvenile dependency proceedings and brings a strong commitment to client advocacy, criminal defense, and child welfare law.

As demand for high-quality criminal defense and CPS defense representation continues to increase throughout California, Johnson Criminal Law Group remains committed to building a team of talented attorneys who share their dedication to strategic, aggressive, and compassionate advocacy.

Diana L. Winfrey joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Winfrey represents insurance companies in insurance coverage and related matters, involving multiple primary and excess policies. She provides nationwide coverage analysis for third‑party commercial general liability claims, with an emphasis on construction defect claims. She advises insurers on underwriting, claims‑handling strategy, and policy development, helping manage coverage risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and align claims practices with broader business and risk‑management objectives.

Rachel Jordan Zacuto joined Friedland Cianfrani LLP as an associate in Irvine. The move was Jun. 2, 2026.

Zacuto focuses her practice on trademark counseling, prosecution, enforcement and litigation. Her experience spans all aspects of U.S. and international trademark law, including clearance, filing, licensing, brand protection and disputes before courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Before attending law school, Zacuto worked as an environmental planner. She previously was a litigation associate at Atabek & Co. in Newport Beach and a trademark associate at Knobbe Martens in Irvine, California.

Zacuto earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2022 and her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California in 2016.

Thomas Song joined Buchalter as a partner in Orange County.

Song's practice includes defending employers against claims involving wage and hour violations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, failure to accommodate, and related employment claims in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. He has extensive experience defending clients in Cal/OSHA and Fed/OSHA compliance matters, including appeal and contesting of OSHA citations through trial. He also represents clients in trade secret litigation, breach of contract, unfair competition, and other business torts.

Madhumita “Mita” Datta joined Buchalter as a partner in San Francisco.

Datta brings extensive experience managing emerging portfolios of startups and overseeing large domestic and international patent portfolios for institutional clients. She is widely valued for her ability to expedite patent prosecutions by leveraging the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) fast‑tracking provisions and special pilot programs. She also advises on intellectual property issues in corporate mergers and acquisitions, litigation, and other complex disputes.

Scott E. Galbreath joined Hall Benefits Law, LLC. as a partner in Sacramento.

Galbreath is an executive-level ERISA and employee benefits attorney with more than 30 years of experience advising employers, executives, tax-exempt organizations, governmental entities, and plan fiduciaries on complex compensation and benefits matters. Known for his ability to navigate nuanced compliance challenges across both qualified and nonqualified plans, Galbreath brings deep technical expertise paired with practical business judgment to his work at Hall Benefits Law.

Deborah J. Rotenberg joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in Sacramento.

Rotenberg advises health care providers on Medicaid, Medicare, facility licensure, scope-of-practice issues, and provider billing and reimbursement matters. Her clients include clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, individual providers, durable medical equipment suppliers and clinical laboratories. She also provides ongoing compliance and reimbursement guidance to health care organizations.

Her practice includes counseling on enrollment and licensure, record retention, billing audits and investigations, public program participation requirements, payor disputes, patient privacy, pharmaceutical regulation and clinical operations.

Rotenberg also advises private organizations and policymakers on health care legislation and administrative proposals. Her work includes reproductive health care issues, including abortion and family planning services, and compliance issues related to abortion and transgender care. She serves on the board of the California Abortion Alliance.

She frequently speaks and writes on health care regulatory issues and has presented at California Primary Care Association conferences on topics including reproductive health care access, patient confidentiality, licensure and enrollment. She is a contributing co-author of the Federally Qualified Health Centers chapter in the California Physicians Legal Handbook, published by the California Medical Association in 2025.

Lauren E. Barker joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a counsel in Sacramento.

Barker advises community health centers, primary care clinics and clinic consortia on regulatory and compliance matters affecting safety-net health care providers. She counsels Federally Qualified Health Centers on participation in federal health care programs, facility licensure and enrollment, HIPAA compliance, payor contracts, audits, overpayment investigations and legislative developments.

Her practice also includes advising clients on telehealth regulations, patient privacy, 340B Program requirements, mergers, acquisitions and dissolutions. Barker frequently speaks at California Primary Care Association conferences on clinic licensing, enrollment and regulatory compliance issues and has written on primary care clinic licensing for California Health Law News. She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Maggie Boyadjian joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a counsel in Sacramento.

Boyadjian advises health care providers on licensing, regulatory compliance, privacy, risk management and contractual matters. Her clients include Federally Qualified Health Centers, reproductive health care providers, clinics and children's hospitals. She counsels providers on participation in federal health care programs, audits, overpayment investigations, payor contracts, HIPAA and California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act compliance, and legislative developments.

Her regulatory work involves matters before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the California Department of Health Care Services, the California Department of Public Health, the Board of Pharmacy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the federal Office for Civil Rights, the Office of Family Planning and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Before entering private practice, Boyadjian served as senior manager of compliance, privacy and risk at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, where she oversaw licensing, compliance, privacy and risk-management programs for more than 50 clinic sites. She previously worked as a regulatory compliance analyst in the legal affairs department of a Southern California children's hospital, handling business associate agreements, conflict-of-interest policies and physician contracting.

Tiffani McCoy joined Potomac Law (PLG) as a partner in Walnut Creek. The move was May 11, 2026.

McCoy advises technology companies and other businesses on regulatory, commercial and operational matters. Her practice focuses on companies operating in technology, fintech, digital assets, data privacy and consumer protection, as well as clients in industries including beauty and real estate management.

She counsels clients on product development, commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, marketing, money movement, blockchain and digital assets, and data privacy issues.

Before joining PLG, McCoy served as general counsel of HBUS, the U.S. operator of a digital asset platform. She also held in-house legal positions at Intuit, Google and Yahoo!, where she advised on commercial transactions, product launches and regulatory matters.

Philip M. Dutton joined Peter Law Group as a counsel in El Segundo. The move was Jun. 11, 2026.

Dutton's practice focused on structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex commercial agreements; advising on intellectual property, licensing, and rights management; and supporting executive leadership with strategic decision-making and long-term growth initiatives. He also advises clients on regulatory compliance and legal risk management across a range of business operations. Prior to joining Peter Law Group, Dutton was general counsel of MeTV, where he oversaw all corporate legal matters, including corporate governance, compliance, and regulatory frameworks, and directed the company's intellectual property and media rights strategy. Earlier in his career, he held corporate counsel positions with Clinton Reilly Holdings in San Francisco and American Gaming and Entertainment Limited, advising on corporate transactions and regulatory compliance in domestic and international markets.

David Alan Patton joined ADR Services, Inc. as a neutral in San Jose. The move was Jun. 16, 2026.

Patton, a Certified Family Law Specialist with more than 30 years of experience, handles complex family law disputes involving high-net-worth individuals, business owners, executives, and custody and support matters.

He co-founded the firm now known as Lonich, Patton, Ehrlich & Policastri and led its family law division. He has also served as a mediator, settlement officer, judge pro tem and arbitrator for the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Patton is a former commissioner and vice chair of the State Bar of California's Family Law Advisory Committee. His recognitions include an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and selection to Super Lawyers each year since 2012.

Josh Strathman joined Dechert LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Strathman's practice spans industries, including automotive, fintech, healthcare and life sciences, and retail and consumer products. Drawing on experience representing both lenders and investors, Strathman anticipates client needs and delivers confident counsel in high-stakes, fast-moving situations.

Marjorie C. Soto Garcia joined Morrison & Foerster LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Soto Garcia represents employers in employment-related disputes in state and federal courts, including defending actions involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, class and representative actions involving wage and hour claims, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims, and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allegations. She also represents employers in collective bargaining matters, union election proceedings, and unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Paul F. Rugani joined Jones Day as a partner in Irvine.

Rugani brings more than 17 years of experience representing financial institutions, technology companies, accounting firms and public companies in their most significant litigation and regulatory matters. He has established a multi-faceted practice spanning securities class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, commercial contractual disputes, consumer class action litigation, and other complex matters at the trial and appellate levels. He also advises clients with navigating internal, government and regulatory investigations, as well as counseling domestic and international accounting firms on state CPA licensing and board regulation matters.

Amanda K. Behrendt was promoted to partner of Buchholz, Harris, Levine & Brennan PC in San Diego. The promotion is effective Jun. 1, 2026.

Behrendt's practice primarily focuses on medical malpractice defense, general liability, and medical and nursing board matters. She also offers presentations on healthcare compliance, MICRA, medical malpractice litigation, best nursing practices and documentation, and other specialized topics. Behrendt prides herself on being an approachable yet tenacious litigator on behalf of her clients. She enjoys all aspects of litigation, from legal writing and motion practice to mediation and arbitration. Over the past decade, she has secured numerous dismissals for her clients; successfully drafted and argued summary judgment motions, demurrers, and motions to strike; and argued cases before the California Courts of Appeal. Additionally, she has achieved many settlements through effective and strategic negotiations.

Daniel Contreras joined Watstein Terepka LLP as an associate in San Francisco.

Contreras advises clients in high-stakes, complex litigation across the country. He has represented a variety of clients–from individuals to multi-billion dollar companies–across nearly every type of civil case, including civil rights, complex commercial disputes, consumer protection, copyright infringement, fraud, personal injury, and trade secret misappropriation.

Yalda Vahdani joined Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3) as a partner in San Franciso.

Vahdani is widely recognized for her work in complex leasing and purchase and sale transactions as well as her practical, business-minded approach to navigating high-value deals. Her addition further enhances CGS3's growing statewide platform and deep bench of real estate talent. Vahdani launched her legal career practicing corporate and commercial law in Kuwait for the largest international law firm in the Middle East advising Fortune 100 companies and large international clients on corporate structuring, agencies, distributorships and franchising, and she negotiated and drafted the relevant transaction documents.

Mario H Nguyen joined Steptoe LLP as a counsel in San Francisco.

Nguyen is a skilled litigator, investigator, and legal adviser with a tech-driven approach. With experience as a federal prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer, and federal judge's law clerk, Nguyen represents governments, corporations, startups, nonprofits, celebrities, and executives in complex litigation, investigations, regulatory matters, and compliance. He also advises on AI governance and modernizing litigation, investigations, and compliance through responsible AI use. His clients include tech firms, governments, multinationals, startups, nonprofits, and celebrities. Fluent in Spanish and a former Fulbright Scholar to Mexico, Nguyen specializes in cross-border Latin American issues.

Mark B. Helm joined FedArb as a neutral in Los Angeles.

Helm has handled a broad range of disputes -- from complex business matters involving acquisitions, stock purchase agreements, LLC agreements and investment vehicles, to consumer disputes involving cryptocurrency, automobile defects and financing practices. He also brings decades of litigation experience in asset management, entertainment and intellectual property, trade secrets, lawyers' liability and corporate governance matters.

Jamie K. Ogden joined Loeb & Loeb as a partner in San Francisco.

Ogden advises clients on all aspects of tax law with a particular focus on federal and state income tax issues related to complex mergers and acquisitions, business formations, divestitures, joint ventures, real estate, partnership and S-Corporation transactions, QSBS planning, residency and family office matters. He also frequently works with his private client colleagues on gift/estate tax planning, as well as with litigators on the tax aspects of settlements and judgments.

Justin Scott Reinus joined Paul Hastings LLP as a partner in Orange County.

Reinus advises clients on initial public offerings and other equity offerings, as well as high yield, investment-grade and convertible debt offerings, tender offers, exchange offers, spin-offs and other capital markets transactions. Additionally, he counsels companies on corporate governance issues and compliance with reporting obligations under U.S. federal securities laws and stock exchange rules. Reinus works extensively with REITs and other real estate-focused companies, and he has experience in the construction, restaurant, manufacturing, retail and technology industries.

Stephen Lee joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Lee advises clients on carve-outs of business divisions, asset and stock acquisitions and sales, mergers, leveraged buyouts and auction transactions. He regularly represents buyers and sellers in cross-border transactions and guides clients through joint venture, joint development, licensing and manufacturing arrangements. Steve also counsels clients on search fund and independent sponsor matters. He has significant experience across the aerospace, software, technology, automotive, medical device and healthcare industries.

Brian Raynor joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Raynor advises private equity funds, portfolio companies, entrepreneurs and corporate clients on a variety of transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, minority and growth equity investments and joint ventures and general corporate matters. His work has spanned a range of industries, most notably the technology, software, manufacturing and healthcare sectors.

Marc T. Campopiano joined Perkins Coie LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Campopiano represents real estate developers, energy companies, transmission line developers, utilities on large and master-planned communities, major renewable and traditional power projects, large-scale transmission lines, energy storage facilities, gas pipelines, and energy transition matters. Clients look to Marc to navigate the complex approval pathways for large-scale projects that frequently require multiple complicated permits from different agencies. Marc has parlayed his background as an environmental consultant to gain expertise in a range of technical matters, including wildfire, climate change, and air quality, health risks, and cultural resources.

MiRi Song as a partner in Los Angeles.

McDermott Will & Schulte continues to strategically expand its Employment Practice Group, welcoming employment litigator MiRi Song today as a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office.

MiRi brings extensive experience spanning private practice and state and federal government service, including at the U.S. Attorney's Office and California Department of Justice, advising and defending employers in a wide range of workplace matters. A first‑chair trial lawyer, she advises on motion practice and discovery matters, Fair Employment and Housing Act claims, wage‑and‑hour exposure, and employee mobility issues on behalf of multinational companies. She is known for guiding clients through disputes involving heightened legal, reputational, and business risk.