Sheppard Mullin names managing partners for San Diego offices

In April, litigators Marisa B. Miller and Alejandro E. Moreno will take over as managing partners of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton's San Diego area offices.

Miller will lead the Del Mar office while Moreno, the downtown San Diego office. Both partners come from the firm's Business Trial practice group.

"To me, it is an acknowledgment that the firm believes I have the right character to lead our San Diego office," Moreno said. "Our office has been fortunate to be led by individuals who can navigate the diverse, and sometimes spirited, personalities of our lawyers."

Miller echoed her colleague's point of view.

"I am humbled by the firm's faith in me to assume this role," Miller said. "I have big shoes to fill. Shannon Petersen served as our office managing partner for many years and has done a great job. I'm looking forward to supporting our office through this next chapter."

Moreno

Both Moreno and Miller had inspirational role models who shaped their lives and offered them the tools necessary to become the leaders they are today.

"I grew up in a family where education was the most important thing. My mom's family fled Cuba during the revolution in the early 60s. The constant theme growing up was education is something that no one could ever take away from you," Miller said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without the tremendous role models in my family who showed me that a career like this is possible. Of course, their love of debate also helped too. If you didn't come prepared with logic and support for your argument, you would just be steamrollered. Good training for a litigator."

As a child, Moreno skillfully mastered the game of chess to better prepare his young mind for his future as a career litigator.

"I'm one of those rare people who knew from a very young age that I wanted to be an attorney and was always focused on becoming just that," Moreno said. "My father was an attorney in Mexico -- I actually grew up in Tijuana. When I was in elementary school, my father and I would play chess. It was a game of logic that helped me think through strategy and endgame, which is a skill set that is well-suited to litigation. All of that together made it the best choice for a career."

Both Miller and Moreno said they have witnessed a transformation of the firm's attorneys. "Sheppard Mullin is a reflection of our clients. We're a reflection of the communities that we live in," Miller said. "The number of diverse attorneys has grown significantly in the last 10 years since I lateraled to the firm."

"It is a great demonstration of the firm's commitment to diversity, but it's also a reflection of where society is now. Seeing people like Alex and I in these roles truly reinforces the idea that younger attorneys from all walks of life can see themselves in these roles too," Miller added.

"American society is much more diverse now than it was when my mom was growing up here in San Diego. The neighborhoods are much more diverse. You see just more mixture of people, and so, I think it's natural businesses and law firms are going to change as society changes," Moreno said. "We're the beneficiaries of a lot of pioneers who came before us."