Katherine Schloss Ackerman was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Ackerman is a corporate partner in the Bay Area office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice is principally focused on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies.

Anna Baxendale was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Baxendale is an investment funds partner in the Bay Area office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Philip C. Bush was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Bush represents private equity funds and their portfolio companies in all aspects of their businesses, with a focus on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, corporate governance, executive compensation matters, and other corporate matters. Philip has experience handling transactions ranging from several million dollars to multiple billions of dollars.

Matthew Dunnet was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Dunnet's practice focuses on representing private equity funds and their portfolio companies in various transactions, including leveraged and management buy-outs, sale transactions, minority investments, restructurings and financings.

Leahana Grimley was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Grimley's practice is focused on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies on complex business transactions, including structuring and negotiating various strategic and leveraged acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings, incentive equity arrangements, and other general corporate matters.

Mary Kwan was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Kwan's practice focuses on the financial services industry, including private investment funds, investment advisers and investment companies.

Yan-Xin Li was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Li has represented clients in federal district courts and before the International Trade Commission and has worked on matters spanning diverse industries such as pharmaceutical drugs, specialty chemicals, manufacturing processes, nanopore sequencing, medical devices, magnetic tape and storage technology, and consumer products. Her litigation experience includes extensive motion practice, claim construction briefing and Markman hearings, defending and taking depositions, and witness preparation for trial testimony. In addition, she has a broad range of experience that extends across other aspects of intellectual property law—including post-grant proceedings; freedom-to-operate, validity, and infringement assessments; due diligence investigations; licensing disputes; domestic and foreign patent procurement; client counseling and opinion work; and portfolio management.

Garret Morin was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Morin's practice is focused primarily on the representation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies in all aspects of their businesses, including structuring and negotiating various strategic and leveraged acquisitions of public and private targets, going private transactions, divestures, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, equity financings, minority and venture capital investments, restructurings, executive compensation matters, corporate governance and other general corporate matters.

Zak Morozov was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Morozov's practice focuses on tax aspects of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, financings, private equity transactions, and private and public securities offerings.

Qasim Rasool was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Rasool's practice is primarily focused on private equity mergers and acquisitions, and he also represents private equity-owned companies in strategic mergers and acquisitions as well as routine corporate and governance matters.

Dr. Martin A. Schwertmann was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Schwertmann advises clients on the intellectual property and technology aspects of corporate transactions, including carve-outs, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity and venture capital investments, and restructuring and debt financing transactions. In addition to his transactional experience, he also advises clients on issues relating to data privacy (from a U.S. perspective and with respect to European privacy questions), the licensing of intellectual property, and other technology transactions.

Stephen M. Silva was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Silva has represented clients in a wide range of arbitrations, regulatory and governmental investigations, and in state and federal court in matters including employment disputes, accounting, commercial contracts, copyright, energy litigation, insider trading, shareholder litigation, trade secrets and consumer class actions.

Christina A. Wa was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Wa is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group and is a member of the San Francisco-based team that focuses on the Real Estate aspects of the firm's Private Equity, M&A, Energy and Infrastructure and Restructuring transactions. She has experience representing real estate private equity and institutional investors in all forms of commercial real estate acquisition, disposition, leasing, and financing across the United States.

Michael P. Alcan was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Alcan is a tax partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex business transactions.

Radhika Kshatriya was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Kshatriya counsels private fund sponsors on regulatory issues that arise during fundraises, SEC examinations, corporate transactions, and ongoing operations. She has extensive experience with the application of federal and state securities laws to the asset management industry, including the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Act of 1933, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Ted McBride was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

McBride advises on all matters relating to the formation, structuring, and operation of private investment funds and their management companies. In addition, Ted regularly advises clients on regulatory and risk management issues and has experience representing institutional clients with respect to their investments in private funds.

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

Morrill's primary focus is patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and copyright infringement. He has worked on cases in federal court and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Drew has played an integral role on a winning trial team, drafted multiple motions, and prepared for and assisted in the taking and defending of several depositions. He has worked alongside technical experts to develop a deep understanding of complex technologies, including mobile devices, spinal implants, and computer software.

Guirgis Nasief was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Nasief's practice focuses on representing private equity firms, private companies, and public companies on mergers and acquisitions and other complex transactions.

Kevin X. Wang was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Wang's practice focuses on high-stakes intellectual property and commercial disputes in federal court, administrative proceedings, and forums for alternative dispute resolution. Kevin has counseled clients on a wide range of technology, including computer networking, semiconductor devices, cybersecurity, water desalination systems, and interactive fitness equipment.

Nancy Zakiniaeiz was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Zakiniaeiz's practice focuses on acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and joint ventures for institutional investors, owners and developers.

Lynne S. Goldstein joined Valensi Rose PLC as attorney in Los Angeles.

Goldstein has extensive experience handling all aspects of commercial real estate leasing, purchase and sale transactions, and real estate finance. Lynne's leasing experience includes negotiations on behalf of landlords and tenants of offices, national restaurant locations and other retail and industrial properties.

Amara S. Lopez joined Miller Barondess LLP as associate in Los Angeles.

Lopez's practice focuses on business litigation including a variety of complex commercial disputes and some white-collar defense. She has notable experience defending companies in cases presenting novel issues arising from emerging business models.

Marta A. Alcumbrac joined Nemecek & Cole, A Professional Corporation as partner in Encino.

Alcumbrac is a certified legal malpractice specialist with over two decades of experience in handling professional liability matters. Marta handles a wide array of professional liability matters with a proven track record of success. She also represents attorneys in connection with State Bar matters as well as judicial officers before the Commission on Judicial Performance. She is a frequent speaker on litigation strategy and ethics issues. Alcumbrac is the immediate past president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and has recently devoted much of her attention to creating the overwhelmingly successful Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program. She recently received the 2023 Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

Conte C. Cicala joined International law firm Withers as special counsel in San Francisco.

Conte focuses his practice on commercial, maritime, transportation and trade litigation, and providing corporate and legal advice to companies in these fields. He has extensive first-chair experience representing his clients at trial, arbitration and before government agencies and boards. He has counseled companies during merger discussions, government investigations, major contract negotiations, labor disputes, expansion into new modes of carriage and at other key junctures. He also sat on the board of directors of an international shipping line for almost a decade.

Babak Nikravesh joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as shareholder in Silicon Valley.

Nikravesh focuses his practice on investment transactions and international tax planning. He advises institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, public sector pension funds, social security funds, and other global organizations, on investments in the United States and abroad. He structures inbound and outbound investment transactions across diverse asset classes, including funds, co-investments, and direct investments in private equity, infrastructure, venture capital, private credit, and real estate, and works closely with sponsors and managers of investment funds on formation, operational matters, and investments. He also represents universities and endowments on cross-border activities.

Nadia Bermudez joined Meyers Nave as principal in San Diego.

With more than two decades of experience, Bermudez represents businesses, public agencies, and individuals in state and federal courts in a wide range of employment matters, such as class and Private Attorneys General Act actions, wage and hour matters, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, unfair competition and trade secret claims. She was recently appointed to the Advisory Board for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, serving a three-year term through 2026.

David Chu joined Miller Starr Regalia as associate in Walnut Creek.

Chu has advised clients on sophisticated financing deals ranging in size from six to eight figures. He also advised on and structured crypto-related offerings under Regulation D and Regulation S and has advised clients on the tokenization of assets ranging from digital rewards to real estate.

Amanda Rosenberg joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Rosenberg focuses on the development and financing of renewable energy projects, with an emphasis on tax aspects of energy finance deals, energy tax credits, government incentive programs, energy M&A and domestic and international project finance transactions. Amanda regularly represents sponsors, investors, buyers and sellers and lenders in project finance transactions. She is a Chambers USA and Global-ranked attorney for Projects: Renewables and Alternative Energy.

Jill K. Ernst joined Hopkins & Carley as associate in Redwood City.

Ernst focuses her estate planning practice on family wealth transfers, trust administration, probate law, and business transactions. She also has significant experience in commercial litigation. She is a member of the Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Section of the State Bar of California and serves on the South Placer County Estate Planning Council Executive Board. Ernst earned her J.D. from the University of California at Davis and B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joanne J. Lue joined Hopkins & Carley as associate in Redwood City.

Lue provides high net worth individuals and families with sophisticated estate plans and wealth transfer strategies, and counsels clients through trust and estate administrations. Lue has been named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America every year since 2021. She is a member of the State Bar of California and San Mateo County’s Estate Planning Section. Lue, who is fluent in Mandarin, earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, LL.M in Taxation from the University of San Francisco, and B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

Suzanne C. Farley joined Hopkins & Carley as of counsel in Redwood City.

Farley handles estate planning and tax matters for high-net-worth clients, with a particular emphasis on family wealth transfers, audits of estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax returns, business succession planning, and complex trust and estate administration. Farley is a member of both the Taxation and Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate sections of the State Bar of California. Additionally, she belongs to the San Francisco Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Probate sections and the Marin County Bar Association.

Mary H. Strobel joined Signature Resolution as neutral in Los Angeles.

Strobel boasts a distinguished career spanning over two decades as a Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles, including eight years presiding over the Writs and Receivers department, where she tackled intricate challenges like CEQA and Coastal Act litigation, land use disputes, public employment matters, and more, often adjudicating requests for temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and receivers in civil lawsuits. Her diverse civil experience encompasses seven years as an Individual Calendar judge overseeing various cases, from employment disputes to personal injury suits

Leeanne S. Mancari joined Covington & Burling LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Mancari strategically counsels clients on complex discovery issues to form defensible, efficient, and creative solutions for litigations and investigations. She routinely litigates discovery-related issues and appears in state and federal courts. Leveraging her deep knowledge of cutting-edge technology - including AI and machine learning - Mancari formulates efficient and effective workflows for all phases of data preservation, collection, review, and production and has expertise in dealing with extraordinary volumes of documents and complex data sources.

Jae H. Lee joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP as partner in San Diego.

Lee has experience in all stages of litigation, having represented clients in pre- litigation case assessment, pleadings, fact discovery, expert discovery, motion practice, trial preparation, trial, and post-trial motion practice. He has deposed numerous fact and expert witnesses, and has cross-examined fact and expert witnesses at trial. Lee has briefed and argued dispositive motions, Daubert motions, discovery motions, and evidentiary motions in both state and federal courts. He has maintained an active pro bono practice. Dr. Lee led the expert discovery team in Vietnam Veterans of America v. Central Intelligence Agency, helping to obtain health care benefits for military veterans who were the subjects of chemical and biological warfare experiments. He has been awarded the State Bar of California's Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services multiple times over the course of his career.

Rina Plotkin joined Lewis & Llewellyn LLP as attorney in San Francisco.

Plotkin represents clients in the technology and life sciences industries in a broad range of high-stakes litigation matters and government investigations. Rina also maintained an active pro bono practice related to immigration law and civil rights, obtaining asylum for applicants and pursuing justice for individuals bringing excessive force and Eighth Amendment claims.

Raghav Krishnapriyan joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Krishnapriyan has technical experience with cases involving small molecule drugs, fusion proteins, computer software, web design technology, and video games. He leverages his technical background to distill complex multifaceted issues in a manner that is understandable to a general audience.

Kevin Crisp joined Haynes & Boone LLP as partner in Orange County.

Crisp's practice covers a range of commercial litigation matters, including corporate fiduciary duty, securities, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy matters, as well as all manner of business torts and contract disputes.

Madison S. Spach joined Frost Brown Todd AlvaradoSmith as partner in Santa Ana.

Spach brings more than 30 years of litigation experience in a variety of industries, including real estate and construction. He also advises clients both within and outside bankruptcy proceedings and litigation.

Abbas Hadjin joined Alternative Resolution Centers as neutral in Los Angeles.

Hadjin is an internationally recognized family law specialist. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He will be serving as a consultant and cultural mediator through ARC's Family Law Panel. Hadjian has been a legal analyst and specialist (live television and radio commentator in Farsi) for cases involving Islamic Dowry, Child custody, and Support. He closely follows significant changes in Iranian law and procedures as they affect properties and personal relations. He keeps an updated library of Iranian civil and criminal codes and relevant legal publications in his office. He is in ongoing contact with the legal community in Iran.

Rachel Proffitt was promoted to chief executive officer of Cooley LLP in San Francisco.

Proffitt currently heads Cooley's San Francisco corporate practice and serves on the firm's board of directors. She also co-chairs the firm's legal education committee and has served as a member of the firm's strategic committee and board nominating committee. Proffitt has a robust corporate and securities law practice and is a trusted strategic advisor to public and private companies, as well as venture capital and investment banking firms and other institutional investors, across a broad range of industries. She will be Cooley's first woman CEO.

Judge Nita L. Stormes joined Judicate West as neutral in San Diego.

Stormes served 23 years as a U.S. magistrate judge on the Southern District of California, including five years as presiding U.S. magistrate Judge. During her tenure, she presided over thousands of civil cases as a settlement judge, resolving disputes involving intellectual property, employment discrimination, civil rights, real property, commercial issues, bad faith insurance, personal injuries, and medical malpractice.

Gregory G. Spaulding joined JAMS as neutral in San Francisco.

Spaulding will serve as a mediator, arbitrator, special master/referee, and neutral evaluator, handling estate/probate/trusts, personal injury/torts, employment, business/commercial, construction defect, civil rights, intellectual property, and appellate cases. He is available to conduct sessions in person, as well as virtually, for clients across the country.

Amy Alexander joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Alexander represents Fortune 100 companies in the automotive industry and has significant experience in the construction industry as well. Her primary practice includes litigation pertaining to automotive product liability claims, including the alleged failure of vehicle systems and sub-systems, consumer fraud, and consumer warranty litigation. She has litigated numerous matters throughout California, preparing them for trial and successfully negotiating settlements on behalf of her clients. She also provides counsel in overseeing and implementing general litigation strategies aimed at reducing mass litigation against her manufacturer clients.