Covington & Burling LLP
Taisuke (Tai) Kimoto
joined Covington & Burling LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
Taisuke (Tai) Kimoto co-leads the firm's Japan Practice, which advises a number of Japan's largest corporations as well as individuals, trade associations and governmental agencies on their most sensitive and complex legal challenges in the United States, Europe, China, and elsewhere. Drawing upon his long-standing relationships and robust business and legal networks in Japan, Tai serves as an ambassador of the firm to the Japanese business community and to global companies with interests in the Japanese market.
Tai is a corporate lawyer whose practice focuses on M&A transactions, general corporate matters, and real estate transactions for companies based in Japan. He also serves as an outside U.S. general counsel for a number of Japanese companies and in that capacity provides advice in many areas, including dispute resolution and employment. In 2021, Chambers Global has recognized him among the leading lawyers for Japan Corporate/M&A (expert based abroad in USA).
Tai completed his legal education at top Japanese and U.S. universities and has practiced at leading Japanese and U.S. law firms. Through this experience, he is fully bilingual/bicultural and is a trusted legal advisor, frequently advising on the difference between the U.S. and Japanese legal systems, and any cultural differences often embedded in cross border deals.
Address
1999 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, 90067-4643
Tucker Ellis LLP
Janie L Thompson
joined Tucker Ellis LLP as intellectual property counsel in Los Angeles.
Specializing in intellectual property and trademark law, Thompson has handled cases related to clearance, domestic and foreign prosecution, and portfolio management. She also counsels clients on regulatory compliance for online and print marketing.
Address
515 South Flower Street, Forty Second Floor
Los Angeles, 90071
Shryne Group Inc.
Cary J.A.A. Berger
joined Shryne Group Inc. as chief legal officer in Los Angeles.
Berger is a former partner with Los Angeles firm Irell & Manella LLP, where he represented corporate and private equity clients. He has also worked as in-house counsel for a number of companies in California including Maker Studios and Broadcom.
Address
728 E Commercial St
Los Angeles, 90012
Miller Barondess, LLP
Alvaro J. Peralta
joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.
Peralta is a business litigator with experience representing clients in state and federal courts in diverse matters including contract, fraud, and copyright disputes.
Address
1999 Avenue Of The Stars, Suite 1000
Los Angeles, 90067 United States
T:
(310) 552-4400
Miller Barondess, LLP
Neva Cirkveni
joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.
Cirkveni is a business litigator with experience representing clients in diverse matters, including contract, fraud, entertainment, and investment disputes.
Address
1999 Avenue Of The Stars, Suite 1000
Los Angeles, 90067 United States
T:
(310) 552-4400
Buchalter
Sanjay Bhandari
joined Buchalter as shareholder in San Diego.
A former federal prosecutor and Securities & Exchange Commission attorney, Bhandari specializes in government investigations, white collar defense
and intellectual property law.
Bryn C Spradling
joined Buchalter as shareholder in San Diego.
Spradling practices general business, corporate and health care law. He has overseen business transactions including mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, frequently representing physicians and medical groups.
Gary J Spradling
joined Buchalter as counsel in San Diego.
Spradling works with startup businesses in the health care field, advising on financial needs, compensation, and ownership succession. He also negotiates mergers and acquisitions and helps resolve governance and management disputes.
Address
655 W Broadway Ste 1600
San Diego, 92101-8494
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Christopher I Rendall-Jackson
joined Farella Braun + Martel LLP as special counsel in San Francisco.
Rendall-Jackson practices environmental and commercial litigation as well as land use and regulatory law.
Address
235 Montgomery St Fl 17
San Francisco, 94104-3104
JAMS
Renee E Wilson
joined JAMS as neutral in Irvine.
Wilson was an Orange County Superior Court commissioner for 22 years, overseeing thousands of family law trials. She has also handled cases related to domestic violence, parental rights and surrogacy.
Address
5 Park Plaza Suite 400
Irvine, 92614
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Caitlin M Hartsell
was promoted to partner of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in San Francisco.
Hartsell litigates corporate transactional matters for private and public companies, handling mergers and acquisitions among others. Her practice also includes corporate governance, securities law and commercial contracts.
Polsinelli LLP
Alex Polishuk
was promoted to shareholder of Polsinelli LLP in Los Angeles.
Polishuk specializes in employment litigation as well as labor and employment law. He has represented employees and employers in wage and hour,
wrongful termination and class action matters.
Pavel (Pasha) A. Sternberg
was promoted to shareholder of Polsinelli LLP in Los Angeles.
Before practicing law, Sternberg developed a full-scale privacy program at a large health care agency. He now litigates privacy and cybersecurity as well
as technology transactions.
Jacek M Wnuk
was promoted to shareholder of Polsinelli LLP in San Francisco.
Wnuk litigates cases related to electrical engineering, computer science, intellectual property, patent prosecution, unmanned aircraft systems and advanced
robotics. Before practicing law, Wnuk helped engineer autonomous vehicle technology for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge. He now assists in identifying patentable inventions and
building strong patent portfolios.
Michelman & Robinson LLP
Mona Hanna
was promoted to national litigation chair of Michelman & Robinson LLP in Irvine.
After 21 years and several precedent challenging cases at Michelman & Robinson LLP, Mona Hanna
has been named to head the firm's national litigation team.
Hanna was impressed by the newly formed Los Angeles firm when she faced one of its attorneys in
a high profile case. When she heard they were opening an office in Orange County she jumped at the chance to sign on as manager.
"I met the founding partners of the firm and I loved their entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that they felt
they could do anything that they put their mind to," Hanna said in a recent interview. "I felt like it was an
opportunity I had to take a chance with, and I'm obviously super glad I did."
As a specialist in class action and complex litigation, Hanna has made her name heading up precedent
challenging, multiparty, multijurisdictional cases. In one of her proudest moments, a case she successfully defended against appeal became a published, precedent-setting decision within the insurance industry. Adhav v. Midway Rent A Car Inc., 37 Cal. App. 5th 954 (Cal. App. 2019).
Sanford Michelman, co-founder and chairman of Michelman & Robinson LLP, said the firm is fortunate
to have "one of the premier litigators in the country" as its new national litigation chair.
"This year alone, Mona's been recognized as 'Orange County Lawyer of the Year (Litigation and Insurance)'
and included on a list of the 'Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California,'" Michelman said in a
statement. "This recognition was based upon her work defending newsworthy class action cases and 'bet the company' litigation matters, her uncanny ability to secure early-stage dismissals and defeat high-exposure class certified cases, and a remarkable string of courtroom victories. Truth be told, when it comes to big name litigators handling the most consequential of matters, there's no one finer than Mona Hanna."
Hanna's goal is to shepherd the litigation team through the uncertain times presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For the first time we're all practicing law remotely, taking remote hearings, appearing remotely in federal court, state court, arbitrations, mediations, and now even trials are being conducted remotely," Hanna said. "It provides us with a real challenge: How do we continue to be the powerhouse litigators that we're known to be in a new medium?"
The newly minted chair says she plans to meet these challenges with training sessions on how to effectively use exhibits and presentations in a remote setting.
"That's definitely one of the goals I've set for myself, is to take advantage of the challenges that our industry has been faced with and use it to our advantage to better serve our clients," Hanna said.
King & Spalding LLP
David L Wallach
joined King & Spalding LLP as partner in San Francisco.
Wallach handles high value complex construction and commercial disputes. He has worked with the oil, gas, agriculture, retail and pharmaceutical industries, and has managed projects from several countries.
Address
50 California Street Suite 3300
San Francisco, 94111
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Kimberly Rowe
was promoted to partner of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Los Angeles.
Ms. Rowe represents private equity funds and public and private companies across a wide variety of industries on a broad range of strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, carve-out transactions, cross-border transactions, minority investments and other complex corporate matters. Ms. Rowe received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, and her B.S.M. from Tulane University, magna cum laude.
Jeff Cohen
was promoted to partner of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
Mr. Cohen represents lenders, developers and investors in the development, financing, acquisition and disposition of large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. He maintains a focus on the renewable energy sector, including advising on all stages of wind, solar and hydrogen projects, which is of particular interest to firm clients focused on energy transition. Mr. Cohen is a certified public accountant, and he received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and his B.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Details
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein LLP (formerly Bradley & Gmelich LLP)
Jaimee K Wellerstein
as equity partner
in Glendale
"It's like being on Broadway and seeing your name in lights," said Jaimee K. Wellerstein, after she was added to the name of the firm where she has worked for nearly 14 years. Wellerstein said in an interview she is excited to help shape the firm's future in this new role. Wellerstein is the employment team leader, representing clients in PAGA lawsuits, wage and hour class actions and internal audits of employment practices. "Jaimee has provided incredible leadership and client service during her time with the firm, establishing and building our employment law team," managing partner Barry A. Bradley said in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome her to the partnership and look forward to her continued contributions." Wellerstein has been with the firm for most of its lifetime. Founded in 2000 by Bradley and Thomas P. Gmelich, the firm handles civil litigation, business and employment law. It's based in Glendale. Wellerstein graduated from Loyola Law School in 2000 and from San Diego State University in 1996.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Megan M Cooney
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Irvine.
Cooney focuses on employment and class action litigation, including class and representative actions involving wage and hour violations, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and employment misclassification.
Colin B Davis
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Irvine.
Davis focuses on complex business and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on merger and acquisition and securities litigation.
Cassandra L Gaedt-Sheckter
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Palo Alto.
Gaedt-Sheckter focuses on data privacy, cybersecurity and data regulatory litigation, enforcement, transactional and counseling representations.
Michelle M Gourley
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Irvine.
Gourley practices general corporate and business law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate counseling.
Sean K Tierney
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.
Tierney represents real estate investors,developers, operators, lenders and borrowers in negotiating and structuring joint ventures, acquisitions, sales, developments and financings. He also represents hotel owners and operators in connection with the acquisition, financing, branding and management of hotels.
Tiffany X Phan
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.
Phan advises employers in all aspects of labor and employment law and has significant experience in class action defense and complex employment litigation at the trial and appellate levels.
Miller Barondess, LLP
Margret L. Flodeen
joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.
Flodeen is a litigator who represents clients in diverse matters including contract, fraud, environmental and class action disputes.
Address
1999 Avenue Of The Stars, Suite 1000
Los Angeles, 90067 United States
T:
(310) 552-4400
Tyz Law Group
Chieh Tung
joined Tyz Law Group as attorney in San Francisco.
Tung represents technology clients across a wide spectrum of litigation matters including commercial, false advertising, privacy, trademark, copyright and patent. In recent years,
Chieh has successfully defended against mass consumer privacy claims regarding smart home technologies and secured two favorable rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeal for the
Federal Circuit against multiple patent claims. Chieh spent five years before law school as a legal analyst at Google, reviewing legal removal requests from around the world concerning intellectual property, privacy, defamation, and national security. She is based in San Francisco.
Details
Tyz Law Group is a boutique litigation and IP counseling firm comprised of former big law attorneys with highly specialized expertise in the technology, video game, and beauty and wellness industries. The virtual-based firm offers legal representation and personalized client service on a subscription basis, providing clients with accessibility, budget predictability, and fee transparency. The nimble, 9-person firm's practice focuses on copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, privacy, class action, antitrust, and other commercial disputes and counseling matters. Tyz Law Group prides itself on deeply understanding its clients' businesses and is keenly focused on tailoring its strategies to their goals. To learn more, visit www.tyzlaw.com.
Address
4 Embarcadero Center, Suite 1400
San Francisco, 94111 United States
T:
(415) 868-6900
Stradling
Arthur F Silbergeld
joined Stradling as shareholder in Los Angeles.
Silbergeld represents large and midsized corporations in employment litigation and labor relations. He is one of the few California attorneys to have defended several wage class actions through trial. As a former trial attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, Silbergeld also represents employers in matters such as organizing campaigns, bargaining negotiations, strikes, picketing, boycotts, arbitrations, unfair labor practice proceedings, and multi-employer trust fund matters.
Details
For more than 40 years top companies and municipalities have counted on Stradling to have the right team and skills to meet their toughest challenges 24/7, 365 days a year. Stradling is a leading business law firm with more than 110 lawyers providing experienced counsel in critical transactions and disputes from 11 offices across California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington. By focusing on its clients' core needs, Stradling's size, structure and culture provide big-firm counsel with small-firm flexibility and responsiveness. That deliberate focus on client success has helped the firm attract and retain many of the most accomplished lawyers in their fields. The Stradling teams work together to provide clients with innovative solutions to their corporate and securities, finance, private equity, litigation, M&A, employment, tax, venture capital, intellectual property, healthcare regulatory, bankruptcy and restructuring, environmental, real estate, and public finance needs.
Address
10100 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90067 United States
T:
(424) 214-7000
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Aaron K Briggs
was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.
Briggs represents public companies and their boards in securities regulation and corporate governance, with a focus in technology and life sciences.
Fenwick & West LLP
Rufus J Pichler
joined Fenwick & West LLP as partner in San Francisco.
Pichler advises technology and life sciences companies on strategic and transactional matters. He brings over 20 years of experience counseling clients on collaborations, licensing, commercial transactions, complex patent licensing deals, as well as intellectual property aspects of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
Address
555 California Street
San Francisco, 94104
T:
(415) 875-2300
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Kate Bowles
joined Hanson Bridgett LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.
Bowles began her professional career as a registered nurse, providing strategic insights for her health provider clients in negotiating contracts, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.
She has represented hospitals, surgery centers, group practices, telehealth companies and psychiatric health entities in transactional and regulatory matters. She routinely performs compliance reviews for anti-kickback, corporate practice of medicine, billing and pricing.
Details
Founded in 1958, Hanson Bridgett LLP is a multidisciplinary law firm with more than 190 attorneys throughout California with offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Walnut Creek and San Rafael. Our diverse client list includes large national and global companies as well as many governmental entities, regional businesses and individuals which we serve in transactions around the world. We are a certified B Corp and are socially responsible members of our communities. Our firm is driven by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; charitable giving; pro bono legal work; and hands-on service.
Address
425 Market Street, 26th Floor
San Francisco, 94105 United States
T:
(415) 995-5878
Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP
Elizabeth Dunn Rhodes
joined Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
Rhodes has a broad range of defense litigation experience in large commercial and municipal settings. She joins a team with a focus on trucking, transportation, product defect, general liability and premises liability.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Address
555 S Flower Street, 45th Floor
Los Angeles, 90071 United States
T:
(213) 542-8000
F:
(213) 542-8100
Color Health Inc.
Catherine Lacavera
joined Color Health Inc. as chief legal officer in Burlingame.
Lacavera spent 10 years at Google, where she was director of intellectual property and litigation. She also spent four years at international law firm White & Case after earning a degree in computer engineering, her law degree and a master's in business administration.
She is based in Burlingame.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Vinita Kailasanath
joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP as partner in Silicon Valley.
Kailasanath's clients are in the life sciences and medical device sectors. She has worked on intellectual property and transactions including those with artificial intelligence and machine learning components.
She is based in Silicon Valley.
Address
2710 Sand Hill Road, 2nd Floor
Menlo Park, 94025 USA
T:
(650) 461-8215
California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
Michael J. von Loewenfeldt
joined California Academy of Appellate Lawyers as member in San Francisco.
Von Loewenfeldt is a partner at Wagstaffe, von Loewenfeldt, Busch & Radwick LLP and a State Bar of California certified specialist in appellate law.
He is based in San Francisco.
Anna-Rose Mathieson
joined California Academy of Appellate Lawyers as member in San Francisco.
Mathieson is a partner at California Appellate Law Group and a State Bar of California certified specialist in appellate law.
She is based in San Francisco.
Gov. Gavin Newsom
Catherine Purcell
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the board of parole hearings in Vallejo.
Purcell was presiding judge of the court since 2014, a review judge there
since 2008, and a former judge of the Kern County Superior Court.
.
John F. Garcia
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the board of parole hearings in Rancho Cucamonga.
Garcia has been a deputy commissioner and administrative law judge at
the board since 2017.
Julie L. Garland
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the board of parole hearings in San Diego.
Garland has been a senior assistant attorney general since 2006.
She is based in San Diego.
Lawrence D. Nwaje
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the board of parole hearings in Tarzana.
Nwajei has been a deputy commissioner and administrative law judge for the board since 2020.
He is based in Tarzana.
Ryan Buckle
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as chief counsel at the department of health care access and information.
Buckley has been an attorney for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development since 2018 and acting chief counsel since 2019.
He is based in West Sacramento.
Daniel E. Muallem
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as deputy secretary and chief counsel at the california department of veterans affairs in Rocklin.
Muallem has been assistant chief counsel at the department since 2019.
He is based in Rocklin.
Cindy N. Elias
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as counsel to the labor commissioner at the department of industrial relations in San Francisco.
Elias has been a Bureau of Field Enforcement attorney at the Labor Commissioner’s Office since 2018.
She is based in San Francisco.
Sara A. Dutschke
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the california native american heritage commission in San Francisco.
Dutschke has been a partner at Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP since 2019 and chair for the Ione Band of Miwok Indians since 2018.
She is based in San Francisco.
Alto Litigation
Derek T. Deavenport
joined Alto Litigation as attorney in San Francisco.
Deavenport will specialize in electronic discovery project management. He has worked with law firms to extract and manage electronic information in cases involving cutting-edge technology, high finance, antitrust and government investigations.
He is based in San Francisco.
Address
4 EMBARCADERO CENTER
SAN FRANCISCO, 94111 USA
Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek
Paul Vargas
joined Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek as of counsel in San Diego.
Vargas, a veteran tax attorney, handles transactional tax planning, tax controversy, international finance, and investment matters for businesses, investors and individuals.
He is based in San Diego.
Address
750 B St #2100
San Diego, 92101 United States
T:
(619) 685-3003
Advocates for Survivors of Abuse
Vanessa Baehr-Jones
as founding partner
in Oakland
Baehr-Jones spent nearly a decade prosecuting child sex offenders and securing restitution for survivors. As the Project Safe Childhood coordinator in Los Angeles, she managed the intake of all child exploitation cases in the seven-county Central District.
She is based in Oakland.
Ami Sheth Sagel
as founding partner
in Oakland
Sagel, a litigator for more than 15 years, was a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and Riverside. She was human trafficking coordinator in Riverside and helped create the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration of prosecutors, law enforcement, and victim servicers.
She is based in Oakland.
FedArb
Stephen S. Strick
joined FedArb as arbitrator and mediator in Los Angeles and New York.
Strick has more than 30 years of experience in alternative dispute resolution. He handles contract, accounting, finance, banking, lender liability, entertainment, media, sports, intellectual property, aerospace, defense, mergers, acquisitions and telecommunication disputes.
He is based in Los Angeles and New York.