Jade Faysal Jurdi joined Akerman as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Sep. 1, 2026.

Jurdi brings more than 15 years of experience helping consumer product manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and automotive dealers resolve their most consequential regulatory and litigation challenges. He has defended consumer class actions and hundreds of Proposition 65 claims. He litigates when it serves the client's objectives and has served as lead counsel in matters ranging from administrative proceedings to federal court. His class action experience spans dispositive motion practice through pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings.

Zachary S. Finley joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as a partner in Palo Alto.

Finley is a trusted adviser to public and private companies, financial institutions and private capital funds on a broad range of debt financing matters, including investment-grade and non-investment-grade credit facilities, private credit transactions, asset-based loans, bespoke capital structures, debt restructurings and workouts.

David M. Friedman joined Stoel Rives LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Friedman represents companies, investment funds, founders, investors, directors and officers, and high-net-worth individuals in a broad range of commercial disputes. His practice encompasses corporate governance and securities matters, founder and partnership disputes, post-acquisition litigation, trade secret and unfair competition matters, breach-of-contract disputes, government and internal investigations, and SEC enforcement matters. He has litigated in courts and tribunals nationwide, including the Delaware Court of Chancery. His practice spans multiple industries, including financial and professional services, biotech, fintech, semiconductors, and other cutting-edge technologies.

David M. Herzog joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in Los Angeles.

Herzog focuses on commercial litigation and appeals, with an emphasis on products liability, complex torts, and white‑collar defense. He is known for his strategic judgment, command of complex factual records, and ability to distill intricate legal issues for judges and juries. He brings a disciplined, trial‑tested approach to every matter and understands how to build, try, and defend cases from investigation through appeal.

Nicole Saab joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Saab has experience representing clients in matters involving personal injury, complex construction defects, property damage, premises liability and breach of contract. She has managed cases throughout all stages of litigation, including drafting and defending motions, conducting discovery, taking depositions, negotiating settlements and representing clients in mediations. Her experience also includes drafting motions for summary judgment, demurrers and motions to compel.

Rachel Raffield joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Raffield has represented clients in breach of contract actions, partnership disputes, fraud claims, professional negligence matters, and other business-related litigation. Her experience includes conducting legal research, drafting pleadings, discovery, motions and briefs, and representing clients in depositions, court hearings and mediations. During law school, Raffield gained experience through an internship with the California Innocence Project, where she assisted attorneys investigating and litigating cases involving claims of factual innocence.

Jane K. Adams joined Foley & Lardner LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Adams advises public and privately held life sciences companies and other life sciences sector stakeholders on a broad range of strategic, commercial, and corporate matters that create value and support growth. Known for her creative problem-solving and practical, solutions-oriented approach to navigating mission-critical industry partnerships, Adams works closely with management teams and business and scientific leaders to structure and negotiate complex licensing, corporate partnering, and other strategic transactions that support the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative products and technologies.

Kenneth Coronel joined Kaufman Dolowich LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Coronel has more than 35 years of litigation and counseling experience, focusing on construction disputes and professional liability. He represents developers, contractors, engineers, architects and other construction and design professionals in construction defect, contract, mechanics lien and payment disputes. He also defends professionals against negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Coronel has handled matters involving more than $800 million in claims and has tried cases to verdict and resolved hundreds through arbitration and mediation. He previously spent five years as chief legal officer of a healthcare data and technology company. He earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School and his B.S. from Cal State Northridge and is admitted to practice in California.

Claudia M. Vetesi joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Vetesi defends companies in consumer class actions and complex litigation involving false advertising, unfair competition, product liability, pricing and California consumer protection laws. She represents technology, food and beverage, and consumer products companies and advises on risks associated with bringing new products to market. Her practice also includes Lanham Act advertising disputes and matters before the Federal Trade Commission, National Advertising Division and other government enforcement authorities.

Alexander Harwin joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder in Los Angeles.

Harwin focuses his practice on all aspects of labor and employment litigation. For more than 20 years, he has represented employers in matters involving discrimination, harassment, defamation, wage-and-hour disputes, contractual obligations, privacy, and more. Harwin partners with employers to navigate complex legal challenges, develop practical strategies, and mitigate risk. When litigation is necessary, he manages all phases of the process, from deposition to pre-trial motions and through arbitration and trial.

David Jones joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves and Savitch LLP as a partner in San Diego. The move was Aug. 17, 2026.

Jones, based in Procopio's downtown San Diego office, advises developers, investors, landlords, tenants, lenders, and public agencies on sophisticated real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, financing, joint ventures, entity formation, and development matters. He previously practiced at Procopio from 2014 to 2020. His return brings significant in-house experience to the firm's Real Estate practice, including firsthand insight into how public agencies and institutional property owners evaluate risk, structure transactions, and advance complex development projects.

Matthew Kugizaki joined Public Counsel as a partner in Los Angeles.

Kugizaki leads efforts to build and strengthen partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and volunteers to expand access to justice and respond to unmet legal needs. His work focuses on building collaborative pro bono initiatives that advance civil rights and racial and economic justice. Prior to joining Public Counsel, Kugizaki served as Pro Bono Director at Inland Counties Legal Services, where he led the transformation and expansion of the organization's pro bono program. He built an extensive network of law firm, corporate, and community partners and helped launch programs addressing a wide range of legal issues facing Inland Southern California, including small business and nonprofit development, immigration rights, food insecurity, LGBTQ+ justice, health equity, children and families, reentry and record clearing, and disaster resilience. In this role, he brought together the expertise and resources of the private bar, legal services organizations, and community partners to develop sustainable responses to unmet legal needs.

Genevieve Weiner joined Katten as a partner in Los Angeles.

In her restructuring practice, Weiner represents secured and unsecured creditors, lenders, debtors and other stakeholders in complex restructuring matters, distressed mergers and acquisitions, general assignments for the benefit of creditors, receiverships and out-of-court restructurings. She has experience across many industries, including healthcare, real estate, technology and general corporate transactions. In matters involving financial institutions, private credit and alternative lenders and trade creditors, Weiner provides guidance on distressed investments, loan enforcement strategies, cash collateral and debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing matters, adequate protection disputes, claims prosecution and bankruptcy litigation. She also advises private and public companies facing financial distress, as well as strategic purchasers pursuing distressed acquisitions through Section 363 sales and UCC foreclosure proceedings.

Chad Hummel joined Faegre Drinker as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Aug. 17, 2026.

Hummel has tried more than 50 civil and criminal cases to verdict in federal and state courts across the United States and has appeared for clients in dozens of arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution settings. He has represented clients in numerous industries, including entertainment, media, sports, technology, health care, financial services, hospitality, telecommunications, consumer products, airline, agribusiness, and real estate. His experience spans a range of complex business disputes, including antitrust, class actions, intellectual property (including patents), advertising and marketing, unfair competition, false advertising and consumer protection, breach of fiduciary duty, profit participation, data theft, fraud, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) actions. In addition to his trial practice, Hummel has advised and represented numerous public and private companies in regulatory investigations and actions by governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, and numerous state attorneys general.

Elizabeth Dyer joined Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP as a of counsel in Los Angeles.

Dyer counsels employers on workplace and employment law matters, drawing on significant in-house experience at technology companies. Most recently, she served as senior employment counsel at OpenAI after previously serving as employment counsel at Block. In those roles, she advised business leaders on U.S. and global employment matters, including employee relations, workplace investigations, compensation, mergers and acquisitions, workforce compliance and employment policies. She also advised on the prevention and resolution of workplace disputes and employment litigation.

Alexandra Ward joined Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP as a counsel in Los Angeles. The move was June 22, 2026.

Ward represents clients in complex commercial litigation, consumer class actions, business disputes, False Claims Act matters and intellectual property disputes in state and federal courts. She has handled cases involving the transportation, consumer products, retail, technology and artificial intelligence industries. Ward also represents clients in arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and has experience handling matters from pre-suit counseling and case assessment through trial and appeal.

Scott S. Humphreys was promoted to Los Angeles office managing partner of Ballard Spahr LLP.

Humphreys handles complex business, product liability and intellectual property disputes. Based in Los Angeles, he also has experience litigating media and entertainment matters. His practice is focused on California state and federal courts, and he litigates cases nationwide.

Johah D. Mitchell joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Mitchell's experience spans computer hardware and software, networking equipment, cloud computing, cybersecurity, database and data integration software, integrated circuits, WiFi chips and devices, Ethernet technology, MEMS sensors, medical imaging software, medical devices, and outdoor sports and recreation products. His clients include companies in high-technology, health care, manufacturing, and consumer goods industries.

Woody O. Woodland joined ADR Services, Inc. as a neutral in Los Angeles. The move was Aug. 10, 2026.

Woodland has more than 34 years of civil litigation experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, insurance, transportation and other complex disputes. An ABOTA Fellow, he mediates civil matters throughout California.

Richard S. Whitney joined JAMS as a neutral in San Diego. The move was Aug. 12, 2026.

Whitney will serve as an arbitrator, mediator, and neutral evaluator based in San Diego, handling business, employment, environmental, land use and CEQA, insurance, personal injury, mass tort, life sciences, and real estate disputes. On the bench, Whitney presided over thousands of complex civil matters. Before becoming a judge, he spent more than 18 years as a civil litigator for insurance carriers, tried more than 20 jury trials.

Charlotte K. Pashley joined Saul Ewing LLP as a partner in Los Angeles

Pashley advises landlords, tenants, purchasers, sellers, lenders and borrowers on commercial real estate transactions, including office, retail, industrial and ground leases; acquisitions and dispositions; easements; title and survey matters; and related real estate agreements. She structures, negotiates and closes transactions on behalf of clients.

John Visconsi joined Saul Ewing LLP as a partner in Los Angeles

Visconsi advises clients on commercial real estate transactions, including leasing and the purchase and sale of office, retail and industrial properties. He has more than 30 years of experience as a real estate attorney negotiating and documenting real estate transactions.

Evelyn M. Rodriguez joined Fenchel Family Law PC as a senior attorney in San Francisco

Rodriguez has more than 30 years of legal experience, including more than two decades practicing complex family law. She represents entrepreneurs, executives, founders, business owners, professionals, physicians, investors and international families in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Geoffrey S. Beckham joined FBT Gibbons as a partner in San Francisco

Beckham is a litigation and regulatory enforcement attorney with over 20 years of experience advising financial services firms on complex legal and compliance matters. As in-house and outside counsel, Beckham represents retail brokerage firms, investment advisors, and their registered representatives in securities arbitration forums, such as FINRA and AAA, managing matters from initial claim through hearing and resolution.

Alex Talarides joined Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Aug. 3, 2026.

Talarides' practice focuses on defending companies and their officers and directors, as well as investment banks and underwriters, in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, mergers and acquisition litigation, and other shareholder-related disputes, and advising clients on corporate governance and disclosure matters. He has extensive experience representing public and private companies and their D&Os, as well as investment banks and underwriters, in securities and corporate governance-related litigation and other complex commercial litigation. He also regularly advises companies and their boards on corporate governance best practices and fiduciary and disclosure duties.