Brian Horne was promoted to office managing partner of Knobbe Martens in Los Angeles.

Horne has taken over as Office Managing Partner in charge of the firm's Los Angeles office. Horne's cases involve a variety of industries, and he has won trials involving a wide range of disputes, including patent, trade secret, trademark, trade dress, and breach of contract.

Dr. Andrew N. Merickel was promoted to office managing partner of Knobbe Martens in San Francisco.

Dr. Merickel's practice focuses on helping clients build and leverage their patent portfolio and navigate the patent landscape in their technology area. Working primarily in patent prosecution, licensing, due diligence, freedom to operate, opinions and challenges to third party patents, he has clients in a wide variety of technology areas, including biotechnology, integrated circuit fabrication, thin film deposition, agriculture and food technology.

Ashley N. Kim joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as associate in San Francisco.

Kim is a litigation associate whose practice areas include professional liability, employment law, medical malpractice, and construction defect cases.

Caroline Cao joined Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as partner in Sacramento and San Francisco.

Cao's practice focuses on managing securities and corporate finance, cross-border transactions, and real estate matters. She works with clients of all sizes across several industries. She is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese and has considerable experience assisting China-based companies with compliance, investments, financing, international licensing, and joint ventures.

Barry G. Edwards joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Edwards practice focuses his practice on commercial retail leasing. Over the past 30 years, he has reviewed and negotiated thousands of leases for owners and operators of shopping centers and commercial properties in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Gregg A. Martin joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Martin primarily represents businesses in the real estate industry, handling jury and non-jury trials, mediations, arbitrations, and appeals. His clients, mostly based in Southern California, are owners and operators of commercial retail spaces, office, and industrial properties. He also has experience with residential income property disputes, as well as disagreements between single family homeowners.

Ann S. Lee joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Lee has more than 20 years of experience in business and real estate litigation, helping clients across industries resolve disputes, assess risks, and achieve their desired outcomes. In 2015, her interest in the significant ways technology was changing business led her to obtain a CIPP/US privacy certification.

G. Michael Brelje joined Cappello & Noël LLP as associate in Santa Barbara.

Brelje's practice includes all forms of civil procedure, discovery and motion practice, as well as trial and appellate appearances. He has worked on and tried numerous complex civil and appellate cases, including arguing cases in the California Court of Appeal.

Marc Indeglia joined Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Indeglia's practice focuses on securities, financings, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate representation. He has represented public and private companies and financial institutions such as broker-dealers, investment banks, venture capitalists, private investment funds, and family offices.

Sabrina A. Larson joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Larson's practice focuses on trademark and copyright clearance, prosecution, and enforcement, as well as complex litigation, with an emphasis on intellectual property and commercial litigation. She represents clients in domestic and international trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement, including in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and federal court.

Allison Moser joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Moser partners with clients on challenging workplace issues, including internal harassment and discrimination complaints, termination and discipline decisions, wage and hour disputes, reasonable accommodation issues, managing leaves of absence, and protection of proprietary information. She also negotiates and prepares employment-related agreements, drafts and updates employment policies and manuals, and conducts training seminars on employment law compliance.

Jack Morse joined Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP as attorney in Los Angeles/Berkeley.

Morse focuses on conducting impartial workplace investigations. With deep experience investigating law enforcement, he is also available for police monitoring and to do investigations involving police practices. He is based in Los Angeles.

Steven J. Sweeney was promoted to special counsel of Duane Morris LLP in Los Angeles.

Sweeney concentrates his practice in M&A, bank and financial institution regulatory matters, technology law, corporate finance, corporate governance, technology law, bank regulatory matters, and loan and credit transactions. He has extensive experience in a broad range of corporate transactions, with a focus on banking and financial institutions.

Sean Patterson was promoted to special counsel of Duane Morris LLP in San Francisco.

Patterson's practice focuses in the area of complex litigation, including toxic tort and general liability claims. He also represents and defends public agencies in state and federal court, judicial officers and state officials in civil rights actions involving allegations of violation of constitutionally protected rights.

Emil Petrossian joined Glaser Weil as partner in Los Angeles.

Petrossian's practice entails all facets of complex commercial litigation in federal and state courts and arbitral forums. In addition to being co-resident in Glaser Weil's headquarters in Los Angeles, Petrossian is spearheading the firm's newly formed San Diego office.

Judge Frederick L. Link joined Judicate West in San Diego.

Link is available as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge for matters statewide. He brings more than 50 years of combined legal experience, including the past four decades as a San Diego County judge. He has presided over a variety of criminal and civil matters, including personal injury, wrongful death, business/commercial, employment, professional and medical negligence, and real estate.

James Sargent joined Glaser Weil LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Sargent provides sophisticated legal counsel to guide corporate and individual clients through a wide range of high stakes commercial and business disputes.

Victoria Torres Gallardo joined Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek as associate in San Diego.

Gallardo's practice focuses on cross-border, business and real estate transactions, as well as estate planning matters. She has extensive experience in Mexican corporate, business, M&A, joint venture and real estate transactions, operations and investments, including regulatory matters.

Jonathan D. Consani was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Irvine, CA.

Consani is a real estate transactional attorney in the firm's Orange County Office, whose practice focuses on purchase and sales and leasing for various types of commercial property.

Alexander J. Doherty was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in San Francisco.

Doherty is a litigation attorney in the firm's San Francisco office with a special focus on appeals and water law-related litigation. He has successfully advocated on behalf of clients in various industries, including the financial services, healthcare, and publishing industries.

Amanda D. Donson was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Irvine, CA.

Donson is a real estate transactional attorney in the firm's Orange County office, representing a wide variety of clients including developers, homebuilders, private investors, institutional investors, and global technology companies in their acquisition, disposition, development and leasing of industrial, retail, office, and multifamily assets throughout the United States.

Seth A. Garrett was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in San Diego, CA.

Garrett is a real estate transactional attorney in the firm's San Diego office who provides counsel to commercial and industrial real estate developers, business owners and investors on a wide range of matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, planning and development, construction, and property management of real property.

Jared C. Kassan was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles, CA.

Kassan is a member of the firm's Tax and Joint Ventures department in the firm's Los Angeles office. He counsels individuals and companies on tax-related planning and structuring matters often involving issues related to partnership tax, 1031 exchange issues, California property tax, and local real estate transfer tax.

Morgan L. Medlin was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Irvine, CA.

Medlin is a real estate transactional attorney in the firm's Orange County office, providing counsel on acquisitions and dispositions, and leasing of industrial, retail, mixed-use, office, and residential properties across the United States. Morgan often represents clients on challenging, environmentally impacted projects.

Shannon I. Snell was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles, CA.

Snell is a real estate transactional attorney in the firm's Century City office, structures, negotiates, and executes sophisticated commercial real estate transactions for office, retail, multifamily, mixed-use, and industrial properties. In recent years, she has represented developers, private equity firms, and institutional owners and investors in the acquisition and disposition of more than $3 billion of real estate, and leasing of millions of square feet of space, across the United States.

Ann Maas was promoted to partner of Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP in San Diego.

Maas is a real estate attorney whose carefully honed her skills at peak efficiency to work in getting deals drafted, negotiated, and signed while maintaining a keen awareness of her client's needs and business goals.

Lisa Von Eschen joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Von Eschen's practice includes advising companies and executives on employment contracts, commission and bonus plans, restrictive covenants, trade secret and confidentiality issues, and severance agreements. She routinely drafts and audits personnel policies and handbooks, leads internal investigations, and conducts preventive training sessions on harassment and other employment topics.

Jennifer DePalma joined Arentfox Schiff LLP as partner in San Francisco.

DePalma represents technology companies at all stages of growth in transactions and general corporate matters. Her experience includes the negotiation of mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and financing, as well as counseling boards on corporate governance matters. She serves as primary outside counsel to private and public companies and handles alternative investments for clients in the private equity, hedge fund, and venture capital space.

Paige H. Gosney joined Allen Matkins as senior counsel in Irvine.

Gosney represents industrial, commercial, and residential landowners and developers in a variety of land use and transactional matters and in all aspects of litigation before state and federal courts. These matters include the Subdivision Map Act, CEQA, and Coastal Act compliance, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, water rights, development entitlements, due diligence, the Outdoor Advertising Act, and general planning and zoning laws.

Alex Flumenbaum was promoted to partner of Fragner Seifert Pace & Mintz, LLP in Los Angeles.

Flumenbaum's practice concentrates on the legal aspects of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. He represents institutional and non-institutional clients in a wide variety of real estate transactional matters, including real property purchases and sales, retail and commercial leasing, and mortgage financings, refinancings and restructurings.

Kristen Wenning was promoted to partner of LaPolt Law P.C. in Los Angeles.

Wenning's practice focuses on advocacy and legislative change in favor of creators. Soon after joining LaPolt Law, Kristin found herself immersed in the final revisions and eventual historical passing of the Orrin G. Hatch--Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, a huge win under U.S. Copyright Law for songwriters and artists!

Tom Dean was promoted to partner of LaPolt Law P.C. in Los Angeles.

Dean focuses his practice on talent representation and represents, advises and counsels numerous recording artists, content creators, producers, and songwriters in all aspects of their entertainment careers. With over 15 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry.

Dominic Chaklos was promoted to partner of LaPolt Law P.C. in Los Angeles.

Chaklos represents a wide variety of talent in the music and entertainment industry. He advises clients on all aspects of their careers and helps them make informed decisions regarding business development and brand management.

Lindsay Arrington was promoted to partner of LaPolt Law P.C. in Los Angeles.

Arrington specializes in matters relating to electronic music, endorsements, and independent labels. She negotiates all varieties of agreements relating to the music business, as well as endorsement and social media agreements for influencers, entrepreneurs and professionals across the entertainment industry.

Mariah Comer was promoted to partner of LaPolt Law P.C. in Los Angeles.

Comer’s practice focuses on a wide range of transactional entertainment and intellectual property matters relating to both the music industry and brand endorsements.

Lee D. Oida joined Youngman Reitshtein, PLC as associate in Los Angeles.

Oida's passion for family law and domestic violence advocacy developed while interning for the Battered Women's Justice Project, and then later representing families at the Family Justice Litigation Clinic.

Rachel A. Simon joined Snell & Wilmer LLP as partner in Orange County.

Simon, a corporate and securities partner, provides comprehensive legal counsel to her clients on a global stage. In addition to mergers and acquisitions, tax structuring, financing, and general corporate matters, Simon has built trusting relationships with clients and often acts as go-to outside counsel for them.

John Gregory Yslas joined Wilshire Law Firm as senior partner in Los Angeles.

With over 25 years of experience since graduating from UCLA Law School in 1996, John has litigated countless wage and hour class actions as well as single and multi-party matters. He previously has been a partner at Foley & Lardner, Norton Rose Fulbright and Seyfarth Shaw.

He currently serves as the Southern California Regional President with the Hispanic National Bar Association and on the Mexican American Bar Foundation Board of Directors. Previously he has served as the National Chair of the Communications Committee with HNBA, on the Board of Directors with the California Minority Counsel Program, as well as a commissioner with the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission and the Los Angeles Convention Center Commission (where he was appointed by two mayors).

Nathaniel P. Gallon joined O'Melveny & Myers LLP as partner in Silicon Valley.

Gallon counsels clients on corporate and securities law and also acts more generally as a trusted business advisor in connection with a wide range of transactions that technology companies typically undertake throughout their life cycle - entity formation, debt and equity financings, recapitalizations, joint ventures, spin-offs, and growth stage through to a liquidity event.

Ashwin Gokhale joined O'Melveny & Myers LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Gokhale regularly negotiates and advises technology companies on a range of intellectual property licensing and other commercial transactions, including agreements for software and hardware development and licensing, manufacturing and distribution, advertising and marketing, patent licensing, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital investments.

Heather D. Bennett joined Barton LLP as partner in Los Angeles and Nashville.

Bennett's practice focuses on intellectual property matters including copyright, trademark, trade secret, and right of publicity from creation and acquisition to licensing and litigation. With over a decade of experience in entertainment, art, media, and technology in the U.S. and abroad, Heather's client relationships go beyond negotiating deals and handling judicial matters.

Peggy Hosking joined Buchalter as shareholder in Los Angeles.

Hosking serves as outside general counsel to her clients focusing on their commercial real estate transactions. She represents owners, developers, borrowers, lenders and investors in the acquisitions, disposition, development, finance, leasing, and management of real estate for their retail, commercial, industrial, residential, and office use needs. Further, she has extensive experience counseling clients in all areas of business, from formation through succession.

Caroline Djang joined Buchalter as shareholder in Orange County.

Djang counsels her clients on the best strategies for pursuing and collecting debts and provides realistic solutions for recovery. Her notable work includes representation of one of the largest creditors in the chapter 11 case of a recycling company and representation of an internationally known luxury brand with respect to creditors’ rights. She also represents several prominent landlords, banks, and cities with respect to creditors’ rights and claims in bankruptcy.

Andrew D. Thorpe as partner in San Francisco

Thorpe advises management teams and boards of directors on securities regulation, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and key corporate governance matters. In addition to extensive experience representing issuers and underwriters -- including in over 40 initial public offerings to date -- he served for six years at the Securities and Exchange Commission. While at the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance and in the Office of Rulemaking, Thorpe reviewed and commented on numerous public companies' SEC filings and played a significant role in drafting several landmark regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Colin M. Kawaguchi was promoted to shareholder of Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth, & Wynner, PC in Westlake Village.

Kawaguchi counsels emerging and established companies in the areas of corporate governance, mergers, acquisitions, financings, and general business matters. Colin has experience in various industry sectors including biotech, financial services, information technology, hospitality, and insurance.

John R. Bamford was promoted to shareholder of Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth, & Wynner, PC in Westlake Village.

Bamford has successfully defended numerous complex business litigation cases, including obtaining a compl;ete defense verdict for a financial advisor alleged to have mismanaged client accounts in 2019.