Ben M. Gipson was promoted to partner of DLA Piper LLP in Los Angeles.

Gipson counsels employers in all areas of employment law including state and federal wage and hour, discrimination and harassment matters, leaves of absence, traditional labor matters, executive compensation, hiring and separation and reductions in force, among other areas of expertise.

Shane P Nix was promoted to partner of Venable LLP in Los Angeles.

Nix counsels companies and individuals on various business transactions, with an emphasis on transactional tax matters in a variety of industries, particularly entertainment and media.

Brian D Lee was promoted to partner-in-charge of Baker Botts LLP in Palo Alto.

Lee advises private and public companies, venture capital and private equity firms and investment banks, across a broad range of industries. His practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, start-up companies and company representation.

Christopher P. Murphy was promoted to partner of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Palo Alto.

Murphy, a member of the Tax Controversy group in the Palo Alto office of Skadden, Arps, has been promoted to partner. His practice focuses on tax controversy and litigation. He represents multinational corporations and financial institutions through the full range of federal income tax controversy proceedings, including audit, administrative appeals, and trial and appellate judicial proceedings.

Germain D Labat joined Greenspoon Marder LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Labat joins the business firm with more than 20 years of experience as a California lawyer. His knowledge includes matters regarding financial services, commercial real estate, cosmetics, health care, food and beverage and retail and technology in both public and privately held companies. He has tried numerous jury and bench trials of complex and length matters, including one of the longest bench trials in California history that spanned nearly 300 trial days and said he is looking forward to bringing his expertise to Greenspoon Marder.

Lawrence R LaPorte joined Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

LaPorte has joined the multi-faceted firm as a partner. He comes to the firm with more than 30 years of experience focusing on intellectual property law and litigation for a wide variety of high-tech clients. His knowledge compasses IP issues, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and antitrust and unfair competition matters. LaPorte also has a technical background because of experience managing cases relating to aerospace and aviation technologies, software, solar cells, electronic design automation tools and semiconductors, among others.

Thomas H. Hutchinson joined Dykema Gossett PLLC as senior counsel in Sacramento.

Hutchinson has 30 years of experience representing product manufacturers and distributors, as well as local businesses and individuals. He practices insurance defense litigation, defense of Lemon Law claims against vehicle manufacturers and prosecuting cases for vehicle financing and leasing companies.

Grace Chung was promoted to partner of Venable LLP in Los Angeles.

Chung represents entrepreneurs, closely-held businesses, exempt organizations and fiduciaries, in matters relating to governance, succession and administration. She also has substantial experience with international income, estate and gift tax issues.

Mi K. Kim joined Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani, LLP as senior attorney in Woodland Hills.

Having served California as an attorney and executive for the Department of Industrial Relations, Kim brings to the firm extensive litigation, trial, appellate, executive oversight, and policy development experience.

Nellie Torres Klein joined The Law Offices of Alan Ellis as counsel in San Francisco.

Klein has 20 years of prison litigation experience specializing in sentence computation, disciplinary hearings and sanctions, conditions of confinement, and cases brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Lee Scott Brenner joined Venable LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Brenner is a trial attorney and business litigator with experience in the media and entertainment industry, particularly in the areas of defamation, copyright law, idea theft, credit disputes, privacy, intellectual property, and right of publicity. He also has developed significant experience with defamation by anonymous posters on the Internet.

David Edward Fink joined Venable LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Fink has prosecuted and defended against complex claims involving hundreds of millions of dollars. His experience includes business, media and entertainment, and employment litigation with particularly notable results in First Amendment, entertainment, and intellectual property law claims.

Michael John O'Connor joined Venable LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

O’Connor has prosecuted and defended against hundreds of claims in a wide variety of commercial cases, including the full spectrum of insurance policyholder matters as well as entertainment industry and First Amendment law claims. He has secured significant verdicts and settlements for clients, ranging from well-known Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs and individuals.

Sarah Lynn Cronin joined Venable LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Cronin’s practice includes entertainment, intellectual property, insurance recovery, and complex business litigation. She represents and advises media and entertainment companies on a variety of matters, including copyright, trademark, defamation, invasion of privacy, right of publicity, insurance recovery, breach of contract, employment, cyber-piracy, and Internet domain name retrieval through the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Mark Riera joined Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Riera has significant experience in antitrust, trade regulation, class actions, trust and estates litigation, energy and securities matters, including appeals. He has represented clients in matters involving securities fraud, criminal defense, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and the False Claims Act.

Yuri Mikulka joined Alston & Bird LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Mikulka represents clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies in the U.S. and multinational companies based in Asia and Europe. In addition to litigating patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and commercial disputes, she counsels companies on intellectual property rights, brand protection, and legal issues related to consumer technology, goods, and services.

Hon. Gerald Jessop (Ret.) joined JAMS as arbitrator and mediator in San Diego.

Jessop will serve as an arbitrator and mediator in a variety of practice areas, including family law and probate.

Nicholas Ryan Transier was promoted to partner of Patterson & Sheridan LLP in San Diego.

Transier focuses on building international patent portfolios for clients, especially in the areas of data science, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, software, telecommunications, automotive technologies, and consumer electronics. He has also defended mechanical and electrical innovations, including consumer electronic devices, computer software systems, display technologies, and medical devices.

James Egan Sell was promoted to equity partner of Tyson & Mendes LLP in San Francisco.

Sell is the managing partner of the firm's Northern California office and leads a multi-attorney litigation team. He has extensive experience in construction, public works, products liability, catastrophic injury, personal injury, wrongful death, and professional liability litigation.
He also serves as "general counsel" to a number of Bay Area contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in hundreds of construction matters and disputes.

Craig Arthur Menden joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Menden focuses on the representation of technology and life sciences companies in a broad range of deal structures, including classic public company acquisitions and VC-backed private acquisitions.

Steven Frederick Werth was promoted to senior counsel of SulmeyerKupetz in Los Angeles.

Werth's practice focuses on representing Chapter 11 debtors in bankruptcy and the rights of creditors and creditors' committees in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. His experience includes representing clients in industries as diverse as entertainment, import-export and real estate.

Assaf S. Hami was promoted to senior counsel of SulmeyerKupetz in Los Angeles.

Hami has extensive experience representing debtors, creditors, trustees, and asset purchasers in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and out-of-court restructurings. He has represented a broad range of clients, including real estate finance companies, national retailers, and professional services firms.

David John Richardson was promoted to partner of SulmeyerKupetz in Los Angeles.

Richardson devotes his practice to corporate restructuring, commercial litigation and appellate practice. He has represented corporate debtors, creditors’ committees, liquidating trusts, financial institutions, insurance companies and entrepreneurs in a variety of litigation and insolvency matters.

Jeffrey Michael Pomerance was promoted to partner of SulmeyerKupetz in Los Angeles.

Pomerance represents individuals and businesses seeking assistance in creating, maximizing, protecting and retaining their value proposition throughout the business “life cycle.”

Cathy Ta was promoted to senior counsel of SulmeyerKupetz in Los Angeles and Riverside.

Ta focuses on all aspects of chapter 7, 9, 11 and 12 bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation and general litigation.

Ryan Michael Leaderman joined Holland & Knight LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Leaderman is a partner in the firm's West Coast land use and environmental practice group. He focuses on obtaining and negotiating land use entitlements for complex land use planning and mixed-use developments and securing project approvals for all types of major developments in Southern California. He also represents clients in all aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act, including CEQA litigation.

Kristen Amy Baracy joined Tucker Ellis LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.

Baracy represents both privately held and public companies. She has worked on public and private offerings of securities, compliance with rules and regulations enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters.

Ashley Lynn Shively joined Holland & Knight LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Shively is a partner in the firm's West Coast litigation group. She represents financial institutions and businesses in consumer class and individual actions, including fair lending, privacy, credit reporting, debt collection, false advertising and unfair business practices.

Erin Marie Bradrick was promoted to co-principal of NEO Law Group in San Francisco.

Bradrick provides corporate, governance, charitable trust, and tax counsel solely to nonprofits and exempt organizations.

Jina Choi joined Morrison & Foerster LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Choi is a partner in the firm's securities litigation, enforcement, and white-collar defense group. She previously served as head of the SEC's San Francisco regional office for five years and developed a reputation for her work on high-profile, complex, and novel enforcement actions.

Brian C. Fish joined Buchalter APC as shareholder in San Diego.

Fish is a member of the firm's real estate group. His expertise covers all aspects of real estate development, including land use, permitting and entitlements, public and private partnerships, public contracting, and environmental matters.

Daniel H. Wu joined Buchalter APC as shareholder in Los Angeles.

Wu is a member of the firm’s litigation practice group. His litigation practice focuses on financial institutions, commercial and business litigation as well as intellectual property litigation.

Michelle L. Landry joined Vedder Price PC as shareholder in San Francisco.

Landry focuses her practice on prosecuting and defending complex civil litigation across a wide array of industries for individuals, partnerships, and private and publicly traded companies. She has represented clients in breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair business practices, commercial lease disputes, trademark and trade secrets, defamation, invasion of privacy cases and price-fixing.

Frederick M. Heiser was promoted to shareholder of Klinedinst PC in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Heiser is a member of the firm's business and commercial litigation, commercial general liability, and employment practice groups. His clients include local entrepreneurs, small family businesses, and Fortune 500 companies.

David M. Majchrzak was promoted to shareholder of Klinedinst PC in San Diego.

Majchrzak is a seasoned ethicist, civil litigator, and certified specialist by the State Bar of California in legal malpractice law with motion, trial, and appellate experience. He counsels his clients on how to achieve their professional goals in an ethical way.

Robert M. Shaughnessy was promoted to shareholder of Klinedinst PC in San Diego.

Shaughnessy represents clients in all phases of litigation from the outset of a case through trial, judgment, and the appeal process. His law and motion experience allows him to resolve many cases early in the litigation process. His appellate experience allows him to protect a client’s successful trial-court outcome on appeal or to spot appellate issues.

Keith D. Taylor was promoted to shareholder of Klinedinst PC in Santa Ana.

Taylor focuses on the identification and control of risks. His trial experience includes general liability, products liability, premises liability, public entity liability, transportation liability, and catastrophic construction loss.

William "Buddy" Rowell joined Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP as partner in Oakland.

Rowell has nearly 25 years of litigation experience, representing public entities, including several of the region's school districts and utilities, and businesses, including major retailers and property owners and developers.

Brian Tsu joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack as partner in San Diego.

Tsu is a partner in the firm's trusts, estates and estate planning practice group.