Akerman Continues Los Angeles Growth with Team of IP and Commercial Litigation Partners LOS ANGELES -- Jan. 10, 2018 -- Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, continued the expansion of its Los Angeles office with intellectual property partner Caroline Mankey and commercial litigation partner Kanika Corley. They join from Sedgwick LLP, where Mankey chaired the Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Group. The lawyers join Akerman's Los Angeles team at a time when it has more than doubled in size since 2015 to 32 lawyers. In recent months, the office relocated to the CalEdison DTLA to accommodate continuing growth. "Caroline and Kanika are highly skilled lawyers who bring important depth to our intellectual property and commercial litigation team in Los Angeles and nationwide," said Lawrence Rochefort, chair of the Litigation Practice Group. "We look forward to making even greater contributions to our clients through their comprehensive knowledge of the entertainment, arts, fashion, retail, sports and technology sectors." "Caroline and Kanika add great value to Akerman's national IP and litigation platforms, as we expand our Los Angeles presence to meet the growing needs of our clients," said Sue Zabloudil, Los Angeles office managing partner. "In Los Angeles and nationwide, we remain focused on making Akerman a place where clients benefit from a diversity of ideas and experiences essential to advance their goals as well as our culture of collaborative innovation." Caroline Mankey Mankey is a seasoned trial lawyer representing clients in intellectual property matters in the entertainment, arts, fashion, retail and technology sectors. She focuses her practice on copyright, trademark, trade secret, design patent, licensing and other contract rights, and rights of publicity disputes. Her entertainment clients include motion picture studios and production companies, actors, comedians, television personalities, and artists. Mankey is recognized among the National Law Journal's 2017 list of Intellectual Property Trailblazers and among the Daily Journal's 2017 Top Intellectual Property Lawyers in California. She serves as chair of the Women Who Lead Board for the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel and as a board member of Female Executives in Media and Entertainment. Kanika Corley Corley is known for her broad-based business and entertainment litigation practice. Her clients include multimedia companies, musicians and other creatives, professional athletes, fashion brands, wine manufacturers, and hotels. She focuses her practice on commercial disputes as well as soft intellectual property litigation and prosecution for clients in the media, entertainment and sports sectors. Corley was named to the National Bar Association's Top 40 Under 40 Nation's Best Advocates list. In addition to her practice, she serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. Mankey and Corley are the latest lateral partners to join the Los Angeles team. Other recent additions include consumer financial partner Kathleen "Kitty" Ryan, a former Deputy Assistant Director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Office of Regulations, and real estate transactional associate Christopher Muno, who represents operators, developers and investors in connection with the formation and structuring of real estate joint ventures and other investment vehicles. About Akerman Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized by Financial Times as among the most forward thinking firms in the industry. Its more than 650 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world's most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and overcome barriers to innovation and growth. Akerman is known for its results in middle market M&A and complex disputes, and for helping clients achieve their most important business objectives in the financial services, real estate, and other dynamic sectors across the United States and Latin America. Akerman's Intellectual Property Practice Group serves clients worldwide in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and the Internet. Ranked nationally by U.S. News - Best Lawyers in intellectual property litigation, the group handles complex and high-profile cases spanning a range of industries, including technology, life sciences, fashion, entertainment and sports, and chemical, among others. More information can be found at akerman.com or twitter.com/akerman_law.

Gunderson Dettmer is the leading business law firm for venture capital and emerging growth companies globally. The firm brings unsurpassed commitment and experience to supporting entrepreneurs and investors in building game-changing companies and leading venture capital brands. With more than 220 attorneys in nine offices around the world, the firm is consistently recognized for leadership and excellence in its areas of practice by Chambers & Partners, Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and Pitchbook.

Larson O'Brien is a 23-lawyer trial boutique in Southern California, founded by former federal prosecutor and U.S. District Judge, Stephen G. Larson, and Robert C. O'Brien, the former California managing partner of a national AMLAW firm. Larson O'Brien LLP focuses exclusively on complex business and criminal disputes, internal investigations, international arbitrations, and appeals. Since opening its doors in January 2016, Larson O'Brien LLP has quickly emerged as one of the go-to litigation, white collar, and appellate boutiques in California. The law firm represents clients such as The Walt Disney Company, Korbel Champagne Cellars, International Business Machines Corporation, Renovate America, Colonies Partners, and the Orange County Water District.

Phillips & Cohen is the nation's most successful law firm representing whistleblowers, with recoveries for governments totaling more than $12.3 billion in civil settlements and criminal fines. The firm represents whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits as well as cases brought under the whistleblower reward programs of the SEC, CFTC and IRS.

Miller Starr Regalia has had a well-established reputation as a leading real estate law firm for more than fifty years. For nearly all that time, our firm has written Miller & Starr, California Real Estate 4th, a 12-volume encyclopedia on California real estate law. We call it "the Book." The Book is the most widely used and judicially recognized real estate treatise in California and is cited by practicing attorneys and courts throughout the state. Our firm has expertise in all real property matters, including full-service litigation and dispute resolution services, transactions, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, common interest development, construction, management, title insurance, environmental law, and redevelopment and land use. For more information, visit www.msrlegal.com

Hirschfeld Kraemer is a California-based labor and employment firm with offices in Northern (San Francisco and Napa) and Southern California (Santa Monica).

The California Appellate Law Group LLP is a 15-lawyer appellate boutique with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles that handles appeals and writs in the California appellate courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. www.calapplaw.com

Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP delivers strategic legal counsel and services to developers, public agencies, energy companies, lenders, investors, joint ventures, pension funds, landlords, tenants, corporations, high net-worth individuals and others in the management of their complex real estate, business and litigation challenges. Founded in 1968, the firm has more than 130 attorneys in offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.coxcastle.com. Follow the firm on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Fragomen Announces the Retirement of Three Partners New York, NY. - Fragomen, the world's leading provider of immigration services worldwide and a member of both the Am Law 100 and the Am Law Global 100, announces the retirement of three Partners from the Firm. Patrick Quane has been with the Firm, based in New York, for more than 40 years. He became a Partner in 1977. Patrick conceived and headed up a dedicated legal team to provide representation of clients in all types of proceedings at local U.S. immigration offices and other government agencies involved in the immigration process. By working closely with these agencies over many years, he established important relationships with key government officials that continue to enable our firm to bring problematic, sensitive and urgent matters to the attention of the appropriate decision makers whenever it is necessary. Gary Perl is retiring from the position of Managing Partner of the San Diego office. Gary has been a Partner since 2004, when the former Hirson Wexler Perl LLP merged with the Firm. A native of South Africa, Gary has been involved in international law since the mid-1980s, and has practiced exclusively in the field of corporate immigration and nationality law for more than 25 years. Gary also managed the San Diego office's pro bono services provided to Casa Cornelia, a nonprofit organization in San Diego that provides legal services to women and children who have been the victims of abuse and who qualify for immigration benefits to remain in the United States. Stephen Green joined the Firm as a Partner in 2013, and has served the Firm in the Dubai, Frankfurt and Shanghai offices. Over his years with Fragomen he played a key role in organizing the Firm's EMEA conferences and a number of regional training events. Originally from the UK, prior to joining Fragomen Stephen worked at a number of Big Four accounting firms, where he worked and lived in Moscow, Bangkok, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Joint Executive Committee extends its most sincere appreciation to Patrick, Gary and Stephen for their leadership and their dedication to subject matter expertise, client service and the strength of the Firm. About Fragomen Fragomen is recognized as the world's leading global corporate immigration services provider. The firm employs more than 500 attorneys, solicitors or similar immigration professionals, and over 2,500 additional immigration professionals and staff located in nearly 50 offices in 20 countries. In total, Fragomen provides immigration support in more than 170 countries. For more than 60 years, Fragomen has represented a broad range of companies, organizations, emerging businesses and individuals, working in partnership with clients to facilitate the hiring and transfer of employees worldwide. For detailed information about Fragomen, please visit www.fragomen.com.

About Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP For more than 20 years, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP has distinguished itself as one of the top employment, labor and immigration firms in California, representing employers in single-plaintiff and class action lawsuits and advising employers on related legal compliance and risk avoidance. The firm has five offices throughout California - in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. For more information, visit: www.CDFLaborLaw.com and find CDF on LinkedIn or Twitter to learn more about how the firm protects California employers.