Steven Edward Swaney joined Schiff Hardin LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Schiff Hardin LLP has announced that Steven Edward Swaney has joined the firm's product liability and mass torts practice as a partner in San Francisco. He represents companies in product liability, class action, and multidistrict matters arising out of product defect, breach of warranty, toxic tort, and consumer fraud claims. As former assistant U.S. attorney, Swaney also advises on commercial and white collar criminal matters.

Jonathan Sterling Gross joined Cozen O'Connor as partner in Los Angeles.

Cozen O'Connor has announced that Jonathan Sterling Gross has joined the firm as a partner in Los Angeles. Gross' practice focuses on commercial real estate, including entity formation, major office and retail leasing, construction, and design agreements; service, engineering, consulting, and management agreements; brokerage agreements; title insurance; real estate secured lending; purchase and sale of developed and undeveloped property; reciprocal easement agreements and covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs); ground leases; and fine art commission agreements.

Nancy Sher Cohen joined Lathrop Gage LLP as partner-in-charge in Los Angeles.

Lathrop Gage LLP has announced that Nancy Sher Cohen has joined the firm's policyholder and insurance coverage practice as partner-in-charge in Los Angeles. Cohen has been lead counsel in the prosecution of many insurance coverage lawsuits related to life insurance claims and environmental and product liabilities.

Ronald Anthony Valenzuela joined Lathrop Gage LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Lathrop Gage LLP has announced that Ronald Anthony Valenzuela has joined the firm's policyholder and insurance coverage practice as a partner in Los Angeles. Valenzuela represents policyholders in disputes with insurers involving a wide range of coverages and has extensive experience in other complex litigation matters including products liability, mass tort, environmental and consumer cases.

Michael Alexander Onufer was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Michael A. Onufer has been promoted to partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Onufer's practice focuses on litigation.

Normal Benjamin Cramer was promoted to shareholder of La Follette, Johnson, DeHaas, Fesler & Ames in San Diego.

La Follette, Johnson, DeHaas, Fesler & Ames has announced that Norman Benjamin Cramer has been selected to be a shareholder in San Diego. Cramer has been with the firm since 2011 and works exclusively on civil litigation defense, with an emphasis on medical malpractice, professional liability, general liability and premises liability.

Jane Wu was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Jane Wu has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Wu's practice focuses on all aspects of debt financing transactions, including the representation of private equity sponsors, hedge funds, and public and private companies in secured and unsecured financings, leveraged buy-outs, recapitalizations, cross-border transactions, first lien-second lien and unitranche financings, and workouts and restructurings.

Sarah Schaedler Beach was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Sarah Schaedler has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Schaedler represents clients in a broad range of industry sectors, with a focus on software and technology driven products and consumer products. She also regularly advises clients on intellectual property related transactions, including licensing, software and other intellectual property development arrangements, and intellectual property transfer agreements, as well as commercial agreements.

Benjamin Allen Herbert was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Benjamin A. Hebert has been promoted to partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Herbert, whose practice focuses on patent infringement litigation, has worked on complex cases involving diverse technologies, including medical devices, and computer software and hardware, and satellite technology.

Ashley Elizabeth Littlefield was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Ashley E. Littlefield has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Littlefield has represented clients in arbitrations, regulatory and governmental investigations, and in state and federal courts, in matters including securities and shareholder litigation, commercial contracts, and consumer class actions.

Aditi Iyer was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Aditi Iyer has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Iyer's practice focuses on representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a range of corporate financing transactions, including acquisition financings for leveraged buyouts, dividend recapitalizations, asset-based credit facilities, subscription facilities and refinancing facilities, both domestically and cross-border.

Sarah Louise Forney was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Sarah L. Forney has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Forney has handled cases that have involved a variety of technologies and industries, such as semiconductors, wireless and cellular standards, encryption, relational databases and home appliances.

Kristen Leigh Derhaag was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Kristen L. Derhaag has been promoted to partner. Derhaag is a corporate partner in the firm’s San Francisco office.

James Warren Beard was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that James W. Beard has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Beard is an intellectual property partner whose practice focuses on patent litigation. Beard's experience includes representations involving a wide range of technologies, including computer science and signal processing, biotechnology and medical devices, and consumer products. He has represented clients in numerous Federal forums, from district courts and the International Trade Commission, to the Court of International Trade and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

James W. M. Beach was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that James W. Beach has been promoted to partner in San Francisco. Beach's practice focuses primarily on the representation of private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in all aspects of their businesses, including structuring and negotiating strategic and leveraged acquisitions of private and public targets, sale transactions, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, equity financings, minority and growth equity investments and restructurings and workouts. He also represents private equity portfolio companies in routine corporate, executive compensation and governance matters.

Anjna R. Mehta was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Palo Alto.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Anjna R. Mehta has been promoted to partner. Mehta is a corporate partner in the firm's Palo Alto office.

Kristin Elizabeth Rose was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Kristin E. Rose has been promoted to partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Rose's practice focuses on complex civil litigation in federal and state courts. Her experience encompasses federal and state securities claims and other complex commercial litigation matters. She also has experience with various stages of complex litigation, including fact investigation, managing discovery, motion practice, and trial.

James Andrew Rapore was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that James A. Rapore has been promoted to partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Rapore's practice focuses on litigation.

Bryan T. Ikegami was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced that Bryan T. Ikegami has been promoted to partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. Ikegami concentrates his corporate practice in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, private equity, corporate securities and finance and corporate governance. He represents buyers, sellers, private equity funds and their portfolio companies and financial institutions in a variety of corporate transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, public and private financing transactions, restructurings, recapitalizations and leveraged buyouts.

Laura Jean Maechtlen was promoted to chair of labor & employment department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP in San Francisco.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP has announced that Laura Maechtlen has been named chair of the firm's labor and employment department. Maechtlen has served as vice-chair since January 2016. Maechtlen is a partner in the firm's San Francisco office and focuses her practice on employment litigation, including the defense of class, collective and multi-plaintiff actions.

Tyler Guy Welti joined Venable LLP as counsel in San Francisco.

Venable LLP has announced that Tyler G. Welti has joined the firm's environmental practice as counsel in San Francisco. Welti counsels clients on federal and state environmental, natural resource, and land use litigation, including enforcement actions, citizen suits, National Environmental Policy Act and California Environmental Quality Act challenges, and Administrative Procedure Act lawsuits and appeals.

Candace Marie Harrison joined Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. as shareholder in Orange County.

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. has announced that Candace Gomez Harrison has joined as a shareholder in the firm's Orange County office. Harrison's clients cover a wide range of industries, such as finance, healthcare, real estate, retail, technology, and others. She has represented her clients in matters involving wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and more. She also provides on-site trainings and counsels her clients on litigation avoidance and workplace investigations.

Kristen Elaine Kane joined California Department of Tax and Fee Administration as chief counsel in Sacramento.

Governor Jerry Brown has announced that Kristen Elaine Kane has been appointed chief counsel in the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration's Office of Tax Appeals. Kane will serve as acting director. Prior to being appointed to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Kane served as deputy director of the California Competes Tax Credit Program at the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.

Patrick J. Somers joined Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP has announced that Patrick J. Somers has joined as a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Somers has represented publicly traded and privately held companies and individuals in a wide range of litigation and regulatory matters, including securities litigation, complex commercial disputes, regulatory issues, and government investigations.