Robert A. Bailey joined Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Bailey has tried dozens of bench and jury trials to verdict, representing clients from individuals to Fortune 100 companies in various civil disputes. His business litigation experience covers financial services, real estate, trusts and estates, class actions, toxic torts, insurance coverage, bankruptcy and complex contractual and tort actions. Bailey began his legal career as a Navy Judge Advocate, working on high-profile cases that gained national media attention. One case required him to testify before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. During his Navy service, the Syracuse Journal of International Law published his article on the law of war.

Verna Adams joined ADR Services Inc. as a neutral in San Francisco. The move was Apr. 11, 2025.

Adams, a retired Marin County Superior Court judge with more than 20 years on the bench, is a nationally recognized expert in family law and probate mediation. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she served in every court division but made her most significant impact during 14 years in Unified Family Law Court and eight in Probate. Adams pioneered California's first Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference program, creating a model for resolving high-conflict custody disputes through collaboration. Before her 1999 judicial appointment, she practiced as a Certified Family Law Specialist whose work in Marriage of Epstein (1979) established reimbursement principles now codified in California law. Adams also founded Marin's Mental Health and Domestic Violence Courts and the Legal Self-Help Center, reflecting her commitment to accessible justice and reducing adversarial harm in family matters.

Kenji Funahashi joined DLA Piper LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Apr. 8, 2025.

Funahashi helps entrepreneurs, corporations, strategic investors, angel investors, venture capital funds, and private equity funds engaged in business operations in California and globally. He works on a wide range of corporate finance matters, from start-up companies obtaining angel financing to multi-billion-dollar transactions for multinational and Fortune 500 companies. He has handled more than US$10 billion in financings,

Michelle A. Clark joined Alston & Bird LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Apr. 8, 2025.

Clark focuses her practice on advising emerging technology companies in intellectual property matters, including patent, trade secret, contract, unfair competition, inventorship, and a host of other commercial disputes.

Michelle Meyers was promoted to partner of Singleton Schreiber in Sacramento.

Meyers joined Singleton Schreiber in 2023 and quickly emerged as a force in insurance recovery and fire litigation. A former deputy attorney for the California Department of Transportation, she brings decades of experience handling high-stakes, complex cases affecting Californians.

She currently leads two class action lawsuits targeting insurance industry practices around policy nonrenewals. In Badin v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (San Diego County), she represents policyholders dropped based on alleged property issues identified via aerial imagery--often without cause or recourse. In Ginsberg et al. v. Safeco Insurance Company of America et al. (Los Angeles County), she advocates for homeowners similarly impacted by mischaracterized property conditions. Both cases seek to hold Liberty Mutual and its subsidiaries accountable for opaque, potentially unlawful practices and to protect policyholders across fire-prone California.

Emily Fulham joined Frost LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Apr. 1, 2025.

Fulham is a seasoned intellectual property attorney with years of in-house experience advising major media and entertainment clients with global portfolios. She emphasizes litigation avoidance and approaches risk with practical, creative solutions that allow her clients to meet their business goals even in the most complex scenarios

Phil Barilovits joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP as a partner in Sacramento. The move was Apr. 3, 2025.

Barilovits has more than 20 years of experience in representing clients in litigation, before federal and state governmental agencies, and in commercial transactions. He takes lead roles in all phases of the litigation process, from pre-suit investigations and negotiations, dispositive motions practice, to trial and appeal. He has argued before California state and federal trial courts, as well as state and federal appellate courts. Barilovits negotiates for and represents clients before the International Trade Commission, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the California Department of Corporations, and the California Medical Board.

Courtland Chillingworth joined Knox Ricksen LLP as a counsel in Walnut Creek. The move was Apr. 1, 2025.

Chillingworth has over 15 years of experience representing clients in commercial and personal injury litigation matters. In addition to leading class action plaintiff lawsuits in fraud disputes, he has also defended class action certifications in consumer fraud and product liability cases.

Steve Y. Yoo joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Apr. 2, 2025.

Yoo's practice focuses on the structuring, formation and operation of private equity funds. Yoo has advised on the formation and fundraising of more than 80 funds, with total capital commitments exceeding $100 billion. Yoo also focuses on continuation funds and GP-led secondary transactions. He has advised numerous private equity firms, including Aurora Capital Partners, Clearlake Capital Group, Diversis Capital, HGGC, K1 Investment Management, LightBay Capital and Lovell Minnick Partners.

Stacey Sprenkel joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Apr. 3, 2025.

Sprenkel is a thought leader in the fast-changing environmental, social, and governance space. She combines ethics, compliance, anti-corruption, and sustainability expertise with a background in human rights--offering clients a comprehensive suite of services aimed at proactive risk mitigation. She also conducts internal investigations when issues do arise.

Bonnie Lau joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 31, 2025.

Lau has successfully tried many cases to verdict, including serving as lead trial counsel in a high-stakes antitrust class action jury trial involving over $1 billion in potential exposure. She has represented companies in antitrust and related complex litigation, handling cases involving price-fixing, wage-fixing, no-poach conduct, output suppression, monopolization, refusal to deal, predatory pricing, and group boycotts. Additionally, she has prosecuted antitrust counterclaims in patent infringement and intellectual property (IP) matters. Lau is also well-versed in representing clients in complex litigation and alternative dispute resolution matters involving unfair competition, RICO, TCPA, and IP claims.

Mike A. Pestana joined Paul Hastings LLC as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Apr. 2, 2025.

Pestana regularly provides strategic business and legal advice to entrepreneurs and startups as outside general counsel. His clients represent the full range of the startup ecosystem, from one-person companies to unicorns preparing for public offerings. He represents early- and late-stage startups throughout all stages of their life cycle, along with numerous venture investors. Pestana often leads strategic deals, including private financings, secondary transactions, tender offers, recapitalizations and acquisitions.

D. Andrew Quigley was promoted to partner of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Apr. 1, 2025.

Quigley's practice focuses on employment litigation, employment advice, and counseling. He is a partner on the labor and employment team. He represents employers in state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings.

Jacob J. Struck was promoted to partner of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jan. 4, 2025.

Struck represents multinational corporate clients in a wide array of complex commercial litigation disputes across all industries, including retail and consumer products, energy, media and entertainment, technology, and financial services.

Peggy Dayton joined Umhofer, Mitchell & King as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Apr. 1, 2025.

Dayton brings extensive experience in high-stakes litigation, handling matters from trial through appeal in both state and federal courts. Some of Dayton's notable representations include: successfully representing a brand management company in an arbitration over unpaid royalties; winning a complete defense verdict in a jury trial in the Central District of California; defeating class certification in a consumer fraud case against a drug rehabilitation provider; securing a post-indictment dismissal in a trade secrets theft case; and enforcing contractual religious arbitration and defending the ruling on appeal.

A graduate of Stanford Law School, Dayton earned her J.D. after completing her undergraduate studies summa cum laude at Duke University.

Daniel Lopez joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Lopez will be part of Willkie's Private Equity Practice Group. He advises funds and their portfolio companies on various strategic private equity transactions, including leveraged buyouts, dispositions, carveouts, debt financings, growth equity investments and secondary transactions. He has particular experience working with sponsors in the tech and life sciences sectors. Lopez also advises boards, special committees, investors and other key stakeholders on fiduciary duty, securities law, corporate governance and equity compensation matters.

Sheri Flame Eisner was promoted to executive vice president and general counsel of JAMS. The promotion is effective Mar. 1, 2025.

Having served the organization for over 15 years, Eisner will continue to oversee all legal matters, panel quality, risk management and ethics in her role as executive vice president and general counsel. She advises JAMS on litigation risks, providing preventive counseling with respect to the legal risks associated with business practices, developing strategy with both inside and outside counsel in response to civil litigation and regulatory inquiries, and cost-effectively managing the resources required to address those matters. Additionally, she works closely with the JAMS Institute, which provides JAMS' panel of neutrals with training on all ADR topics.

Kathryn L. Oehlschlager joined Stoel Rives LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 24, 2025.

Oehlschlager's guidance on compliance with various aspects of environmental and land use law, including CEQA, NEPA, federal and state endangered species regulations, contaminated site remediation, water quality and supply concerns, and solid and hazardous waste laws. She regularly assists clients throughout the CEQA project review process, preparing, evaluating, and analyzing negative declarations, draft environmental impact reports, and final environmental impact reports. She also has extensive experience overseeing contaminated site management, from investigation and remediation to entitlement and redevelopment.

Christian L. Marsh joined Stoel Rives LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Marsh is a trusted advisor to public agencies and private companies on regulatory and land use entitlement matters affecting a wide variety of projects and industries. His experience spans real estate developments, wastewater and water supply-related infrastructure, renewable and traditional energy facilities, mining operations, habitat restoration, and port and waterfront developments.

Samuel D. Bacal-Graves joined Stoel Rives LLP as an associate in Sacramento.

Bacal-Graves assists public and private clients in navigating complex permitting, land use, and environmental matters. He provides legal support to developers and agencies, drawing on his deep understanding of California’s land use laws.

Dustin D. Peterson joined Stoel Rives LLP as an associate in Sacramento.

Peterson is a results-driven attorney dedicated to assisting private and public sector clients in finding innovative and efficient solutions to complex environmental and land use challenges. His practice primarily focuses on land use and planning, with extensive experience in various related matters and entitlements, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), the Density Bonus Law, the Public Records Act, and both the federal and state Endangered Species Acts.

Breana M. Inoshita joined Stoel Rives LLP as an associate in San Francisco.

Inoshita is dedicated to helping public agencies and private clients navigate complex land use and environmental challenges. Her practice primarily focuses on natural resource matters, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), land use, energy, and public utility regulations. With a background in community and regional development, she possesses a deep understanding of environmental policy and regional planning, which she leverages to assist clients in addressing land use entitlements and regulatory compliance issues.

Alidad Vakili joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 6, 2025.

Vakili works closely with entrepreneurs, founders, emerging growth and established companies, and investors, providing strategic guidance through every phase of the business lifecycle, including entity formation, governance, commercial transactions, and navigating the complexities of debt and equity financing, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. With a deep understanding of the needs and goals of startups and established companies, he is committed to helping clients scale, innovate, and succeed in today's competitive market.

Jill M. Manning joined JAMS as a neutral in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 24, 2025.

Manning has almost three decades of experience in complex litigation. Before founding The Manning Law Firm in 2024, she was a partner at Pearson Warshaw LLP from 2022 to 2024 and with Steyer Lowenthal Boodrookas Alvarez & Smith LLP from 2015 to 2022. In her litigation practice, she focused on antitrust and unfair competition law and represented clients in class action and complex litigation matters. With extensive knowledge of state and federal competition laws, she successfully litigated cases involving price fixing, tying, monopolies and unfair competition.

Manning will serve as a mediator, arbitrator, court- appointed neutral and neutral evaluator. She will be handling antitrust and competition, business and commercial, class action and mass torts, cybersecurity and privacy, education, employment, entertainment and sports, health care, and securities matters. She is available to conduct sessions in person, as well as virtually, for clients across the country and internationally.

Manning has successfully resolved complex cases in various roles, including as a neutral for the Northern District of California's Early Neutral Evaluation program, mediator for the Northern and Central Districts of California, and settlement conference facilitator for the Sonoma County Superior Court.

Law Office of Karen J. Sloat in Palm Desert changes name to Sloat Law Group

Comprised of lawyers who have a combined 100 years of experience, Sloat Law Group represents individuals and businesses in all types of employment litigation in the Inland Empire and throughout the state. The firm's attorneys focus on wage and hour disputes, discrimination and harassment claims, contracts and agreements, and worker misclassification. Sloat Law Group also counsels companies of all sizes on issues related to their workforce, providing "workplace solutions" by triaging personnel issues and crises, creating and revising employee handbooks and key personnel forms, developing workplace violence prevention plans, and continually helping companies respond to and comply with everchanging labor laws. The firm also provides mediation services.

Joseph J. Minioza joined the firm as Bay Area managing partner.

Minioza, who is known as "J.J.", joined the firm as managing partner of Tressler's Bay Area office. He brings over 27 years of experience and exceptional client service to the firm. Minioza's practice focuses on general liability, personal injury, habitability, employment, D&O, E&O and HOA cases. He has tried 40 trials to verdict in every county in the San Francisco Bay Area with a 98% success rate. Minioza's trials have included real estate, products liability, habitability, personal injury, employment, breach of contract and construction defect cases.

Christopher J. Hogan joined as a partner.

Hogan is a strategic and accomplished attorney with over 27 years of experience delivering solid settlement and trial results for both corporate and individual clients. Hogan is an adept researcher with a proven record of navigating highly nuanced and complex cases to achieve favorable results. He has demonstrated success in a wide variety of business disputes, insurance matters, real estate matters, employment/discrimination and general liability cases.

Greg A. Mase joined as counsel.

Mase is a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He brings 31 years of experience to the firm. His practice focuses primarily on preparing, opposing and arguing dispositive motions in high-stakes cases while maintaining a winning record. Mase has also briefed and argued many appeals in the California Courts of Appeal and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rena G. Sera joined as counsel.

Sera is a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group. Her practice includes defending premises liability and habitability matters as well as employment discrimination, medical malpractice, construction defect and other general liability matters. Sera has extensive experience handling cases through trial preparation. She has experience with percipient and expert depositions, court appearances, pre-trial motions, propounding and responding to discovery, budgeting, client reporting and creating litigation plans. Prior to becoming an attorney, Sera worked as a certified paralegal for five years.

Jason S. Ketchum joined as an associate.

Ketchum has experience in insurance defense, personal injury, landlord-tenant disputes, employment law, products liability and professional liability. Most recently, Ketchum has been involved in the defense of several cases involving habitability defects, slip and falls, dog bites and motor vehicle accidents. He has extensive legal research and writing experience, having worked as an extern and clerk in several state and federal courts in Ohio and California, including the criminal division of the San Francisco Superior Court. Ketchum has drafted judicial orders involving petitions for writs of habeas corpus, pretrial motions to dismiss, motions for a new trial and more.

Leila Morshed Mohseni joined as an associate.

Morshed Mohseni focuses her practice on general liability litigation and providing creative, cost-effective results for her clients.

Astrid Chim Villagran joined as an associate.

Chim Villagran focuses her practice on premises liability and habitability law, as well as employment discrimination, medical malpractice, construction defects and other general liability issues. Before she became an attorney, she built a strong background in finance and technology, spending four years specializing in fraud analysis and investigations. Chim Villagran's diverse experience allows her to bring a unique combination of financial insight and legal skill to her practice.

Laura D. Smolowe joined Akin as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Mar. 24, 2025.

Smolowe's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with a special concentration in trade secret and employee mobility and other labor and employment issues. She leads trial teams on both the plaintiff and defense sides in litigation before federal and state courts and arbitration panels and represents clients across a range of industries including technology, entertainment, fashion, retail, finance and pharmaceuticals. Smolowe has been based in California for her entire career, but her practice is nationwide.

The addition of Smolowe further bolsters the firm's capabilities in California, particularly in representing corporate and funds clients in high-stakes litigation, the firm said.

Dov Kogen joined Massumi + Consoli as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Mar. 25, 2025.

Kogen advises clients on a broad range of complex transactions, including platform and add-on acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, carve-outs, strategic mergers, structured growth investments, dispositions, special situations transactions and joint ventures. He also counsels clients on various general corporate and governance matters.

Pan C. Lee joined Venable LLP as a counsel in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 25, 2025.

Lee has nearly 15 years of experience handling intellectual property matters for global technology companies in a variety of technology fields, including wireless communications, video streaming, semiconductor fabrication, mobile applications, and 3D rendering. He has managed litigation strategy in district court patent cases, 337 investigations at the International Trade Commission, and inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, as well as appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Prior to his work as an IP attorney, Lee worked as an engineer in the research and development arm of a global security and aerospace company, designing missile defense and satellite systems and researching high-power GaN amplifiers, thermophotovoltaics, and nanoparticle applications.

Lee graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law and has an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from UC Davis.

Tro Iskedjian joined Miller Barondess, LLP as an associate in Los Angeles.

Iskedjian is a litigator who specializes in complex business and real estate disputes.

Kate LaQuay was elected managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP. Their tenure is effective Jan. 1, 2025.

LaQuay will also be a member of the executive committee and represent her office and attorneys among the firm's leaders. LaQuay is a key member of MWM's employment and labor and employment litigation groups. She represents clients in defense of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage/hour disputes, whistleblower claims, and various other employment law-related matters, bringing broad experience in business litigation and regulatory matters and resolving employment disputes on behalf of employers.

Gerardo Hernandez was appointed office managing shareholder of Littler's Fresno.

A seasoned labor and employment attorney, Hernandez brings extensive experience defending business owners in both state and federal matters, including advising on union decertification proceedings with the National Labor Relations Board and the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. His expertise extends to Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation appeals, unlawful labor practice charges, and serving as lead counsel on numerous collective actions, including class actions, Private Attorneys General Act matters, and Fair Labor Standards Act claims.

Hernandez succeeds Ryan L. Eddings, who is stepping down as office managing partner to focus on his practice and broader responsibilities within the firm.