Kimberly C. Carter joined Fisher & Phillips LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Carter represents employers - including Fortune 500 companies - in single-plaintiff actions, complex class actions, and PAGA representative matters. She has extensive experience handling claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour violations. Her litigation practice spans state and federal courts, arbitration, and appearances before agencies such as the EEOC, California Civil Rights Department, Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, and Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Clients value her ability to align legal strategy with their business goals, whether pursuing an early resolution or mounting a vigorous defense.

David C. Codell joined Fisher & Phillips LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Codell brings decades of high-stakes litigation experience to his representation of employers in labor and employment matters. His distinguished background spans trial and appellate courts, complex business disputes, constitutional issues, and class actions. Employers turn to Codell for strategic advocacy in appeals, litigation, and counseling, particularly when cases involve intricate constitutional or statutory questions.

Joshua Halen joined Fisher & Phillips LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Halen defends and advises employers in a wide range of workplace-related litigation matters in state and federal courts, with a focus on appellate matters. Halen's experience includes employment litigation, commercial disputes, trade secret and antitrust matters, and intellectual property disputes.

Daniel D. Douglas joined Miller Barondess, LLP as an associate in Los Angeles. The move was Oct. 20, 2025.

Douglas is a litigator experienced in representing clients in state and federal courts across a range of complex commercial litigation matters, including contract disputes, real property, fraud, and employment.

Judge Timothy Taylor joined Judicate West as a neutral in San Diego. The move was Oct. 22, 2025.

Over his two decades on the San Diego County Superior Court bench, Judge Taylor presided over 189 civil jury trials to verdict and hundreds more bench trials and settlement conferences, and his decisions have been affirmed by reviewing courts more than 170 times. He has presided over all kinds of civil matters, including real estate, employment, personal injury, product liability and professional malpractice. He served as the Civil Supervising Judge from 2013-2017. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Taylor spent 21 years with Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, trying securities, environmental, defamation, civil rights and antitrust matters. He served as chair of the firm's Compensation Committee and was instrumental in establishing its Washington, D.C. and San Diego offices. Judge Taylor has received the State Bar of California's Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services four times.

Josh McLane joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

McLane focuses his practice on the tax aspects of complex transactions and reorganizations, with an emphasis on private equity, LBO, merger, acquisition and liability management transactions. He previously served as the general counsel and secretary of CareTrust REIT, Inc. (NYSE: CTRE).

Teresa K. Goebel joined Mayer Brown as a partner in San Francisco.

Goebel represents many of the world's leading hotel companies, focusing particularly on the acquisition, development, financing, management, and sale of hotels and mixed-use hospitality properties. She regularly negotiates, structures, and documents management agreements and equity and debt investments for hotels, resorts, and other mixed use hospitality projects throughout the world.

Benjamin T. Tschann joined Mayer Brown as a partner in San Francisco.

Tschann represents clients in real estate transactions across asset classes with intense operating business that are dependent on the real estate, including hotels and resorts, senior housing/assisted living, sports facilities, and industrial projects. His work covers structuring, negotiating, and documenting complex real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, debt financings, preferred equity and mezzanine financings, work-outs and restructurings, and short-sales. Ben also advises clients on key operating agreements such as hotel management agreements, franchise and strategic affiliations, operating agreements, asset management and project management agreements.

Dustin Calkins joined Mayer Brown as a partner in San Francisco.

Calkins leverages his significant experience in representing leading public and private, and national and international real estate investors, developers, operators and sponsors on a broad array of commercial assets, including industrial, mixed-use, multifamily, office, hospitality, sports venues, and retail properties.

Joseph R. Finnerty was promoted to partner of ACTS Law in Los Angeles.

Finnerty has successfully represented clients against individuals, government entities, and multi-billion-dollar companies. His practice is motivated by his desire to serve the community and protect consumers against injustice.

Kevin Pollack was promoted to partner of ACTS Law in Los Angeles.

Pollack manages the firm’s insurance bad faith litigation practice. He exclusively represents insurance policyholders in both residential and commercial insurance claims against insurers and insurance agents/brokers. His practice also overlaps with the firm’s wildfire practice group, where he helps pursue those responsible for playing a role in causing ’ fire victims’ harms and losses.

Brian Lee joined Baker Botts as a partner in Palo Alto. The move was Nov. 5, 2025.

Lee advises private and public companies, venture capital and private equity firms and investment banks, across a broad range of industries. His practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, start-up companies and company representation. In the area of mergers and acquisitions, Lee represents financial buyers, strategic buyers and sellers in numerous acquisitions and dispositions of both public and private companies. He also represents clients in joint ventures, strategic alliances and partnership transactions.

Andrew E. Westley joined Signature Resolution as a neutral in San Fransisco, CA. The move was Nov. 3, 2025.

Westley has been recognized for his thoughtful, people-centered approach to resolving complex landlord-tenant, business, employment, and real estate disputes. During his time as a lawyer, Westley represented clients in a wide range of civil disputes, from commercial contract and employment matters to landlord-tenant and real estate cases. In 1994, he founded his own law practice dedicated to housing justice and tenant advocacy, giving him unique insight into the challenges facing renters and property owners across Northern California.

Amanda C. Fitzsimmons joined Jones Day as a partner in San Diego.

Fitzsimmons is a privacy and cybersecurity litigator who represents technology companies, consumer platforms, and organizations operating in data-intensive and highly regulated environments. She handles high-stakes disputes and investigations involving data practices, biometrics, and AI-enabled products and systems. Her work includes defending class actions alleging unlawful data collection and biometric privacy violations, as well as advising companies responding to cybersecurity incidents and data breaches.

Susan M. Natland joined BakerHostetler as a partner in Orange County.

Natland's practice covers domestic and foreign trademark selection and clearance, trademark prosecution, ex parte and inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), licensing, trademark audits, domain name disputes, trademark strategy and procurement, counterfeit enforcement, customs matters, entertainment law, rights of publicity and intellectual property issues involving artificial intelligence. She also handles copyright protection, enforcement and litigation.

Jessica Sganga joined BakerHostetler as a partner in Los Angeles.

Sganga focuses her practice on domestic and international trademark law, unfair competition, copyright and advertising law. Known for her practical approach to brand protection and her responsive client service, Sganga is consistently recognized for providing clear, business-focused legal guidance.

Kate McMorrow joined BakerHostetler as a partner in Los Angeles.

McMorrow represents a diverse range of clients in all areas of intellectual property and advertising law, including with respect to trademarks, false advertising, unfair competition, copyrights and patents. Her practice includes both domestic and international brand protection and enforcement, from trademark selection, clearance, prosecution, and enforcement to providing strategic guidance on IP licenses and assignments, marketing and distribution agreements, branding guidelines, social media marketing, endorsements and advertising matters.

Hillary Arrow Booth joined Wilson Elser as a partner in Los Angeles.

Booth is a seasoned litigator and advisor who represents clients in jury trials, court trials, administrative hearings, arbitrations, and business transactions throughout California. Booth devotes much of her practice to serving the transportation industry, with clients ranging from large national companies to small local trucking businesses. Her broad experience includes handling claims involving the transport of goods, lost or damaged freight, commercial vehicle accidents, heavy equipment accidents, and commercial lease disputes. Booth's transportation work also includes advising and preparing contracts and agreements for shippers, brokers, and motor carriers related to freight transportation equipment leases, warehouse agreements, and service agreements used across multiple industries. Additionally, Booth has extensive experience litigating disputes over complex financial agreements, particularly those used in the logistics industry.

Joshua N. Levine joined Wilson Elser as a partner in Los Angeles.

Levine has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in all stages of the litigation process, including jury and court trials, arbitrations, mediations, and appeals. Levine is known for constructing supportable and understandable narratives out of cases that have complex histories and present highly technical issues. Levine has used those skills to guide clients through complicated environmental matters, including claims involving turn-of-the-century waste dumps, chlorinated solvent distribution centers, aerospace and semi-conductor manufacturing operations, eutrophic lakes, dry-cleaners, and recycling facilities.

Jennifer L. Campbell joined Venable LLP as a counsel in Los Angeles.

Campbell focuses her practice on estate planning, trust and probate administration, lifetime gifting, and related tax matters. She counsels high-net-worth individuals, families, fiduciaries, and business owners on strategies for preserving wealth and managing risk across generations. She regularly advises clients on the design and implementation of sophisticated estate plans, including revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and customized gifting strategies involving charitable vehicles, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and spousal lifetime access trusts.

Sean Monroe joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in Los Angeles.

Monroe's corporate work is focused on media companies, guiding clients through, for example, motion picture financing, television business acquisitions, and digital and new media venture formations. He also advises owners and investors involved in professional sports franchises and Esports leagues. Beyond the entertainment space, Monroe advises owners and investors across various industries, including financial services, private equity and venture capital, fashion and retail, ad-tech and other technology businesses through investments, financings, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and more. Monroe regularly advises startups and emerging companies on early-stage financing transactions as well as strategic investors regarding their corporate venture capital investments in various industries, including artificial intelligence.

Brian Procel forms Procel Levine LLP in Santa Monica.

Procel has been a trial lawyer for more than two decades, prevailing in complex commercial disputes involving investor and consumer fraud, class actions, breach of fiduciary duty, lender liability, intellectual property, entertainment and real estate. He has received awards from the State Bar of California, Los Angeles County Bar Association and Bet Tzedek Legal Foundation for his dedication to pro bono work. Procel graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Jeremiah Levine forms Procel Levine LLP in Santa Monica.

Levine previously served as a federal prosecutor, where he prevailed in numerous jury and bench trials and indicted the largest white supremacist case in the history of the Justice Department. He also prosecuted complex RICO matters and white-collar crime, including bank fraud and COVID benefits fraud. Before his work as a federal prosecutor, Levine was an award-winning civil and white-collar litigator at a top 20 global law firm. There, he ran internal investigations that he completed on time and under budget, won dismissal of government investigations before charges, and won not guilty verdicts at trial for corporate defendants. In the civil arena, Levine won injunctions in favor of Fortune 500 companies suffering from expressive activity on their property; resolved complex disputes in the areas of securities litigation, financial services, and intellectual property, and prevailed in numerous class actions. He also achieved appellate victories at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and California state courts of appeal. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Tom Osborn joined Knox Ricksen LLP as an associate. The move was Oct. 21, 2025.

Osborn has several years' experience trying corporate litigation and insurance defense matters in the areas of civil rights, constitutional and employment law. He has managed litigation from intake through resolution and handled all aspects of the litigation process. Osborn earned his J.D. (2020) and his B.A., summa cum laude, (2018) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He served on the UMKC Law Review and received the law school's "Pro Bono Honors" award. Before his legal career, Osborn spent 20 years in the hospitality industry, as well as a short time as a paralegal.

Danny Wan joined Donahue Fitzgerald as a of counsel in Bay Area.

Wan has dedicated his career to the economic development of communities, particularly of Oakland and the East Bay region. Most recently, he served as the general counsel and then executive director of the Port of Oakland, overseeing a portfolio including the maritime port facilities, the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport and over 875 acres of waterfront properties.

David Sarnoff joined Signature Resolution as a neutral in Burlingame.

Sarnoff brings nearly two decades of litigation and dispute resolution experience to his work, helping parties find clarity, closure, and lasting solutions to complex conflicts. Known for his meticulous preparation, calm presence, and approachable style, he guides attorneys and their clients through challenging negotiations with both analytical precision and human understanding. His mediation practice focuses on business and commercial contracts, employment, civil rights, and personal injury matters.​ ​In 2018, he founded Sarnoff Mediations, devoting his practice exclusively to mediation, recognizing that true resolution often brings clients greater peace and closure than litigation victories.

Charlene Azema was elected co-chair of trademark and brand protection group of the Irvine office of Knobbe Martens. Her tenure was effective Oct. 22, 2025.

Azema counsels clients in domestic and international trademark and copyright portfolio management, including enforcement, and developing IP procurement and expansion strategies. She also advises clients on brand marketing and advertising, domain names, and social media matters. Azema works with clients across an array of industries, including fashion and apparel, food and beverage, ad tech, medical devices, and technology.

Greg Phillips was elected co-chair of trademark and brand protection group of the Irvine office of Knobbe Martens.

Phillips advises clients on trademark and copyright matters worldwide, including clearance, registration, enforcement, and licensing. His work extends across a number of industries, including automotive, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, personnel placement and consulting services, fashion and apparel, and others.

Stuart M. Rice joined JAMS as a neutral in Los Angeles. The move was Oct. 22, 2025.

From 2005 to 2025, Judge Rice served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court, including on its Complex Civil Litigation Panel from 2022 to 2025. Earlier in his judicial career, he served as a court commissioner and an as-needed juvenile referee for the Superior Court. Before his appointment to the bench, he built a distinguished private practice as a senior partner at Rice & Rothenberg, where he handled civil, tort and probate litigation, as well as juvenile defense matters.

Based in the Los Angeles Resolution Center, Judge Rice will serve as a mediator, arbitrator, court-appointed neutral (special master/referee), neutral evaluator and allocator, handling business and commercial, employment, professional liability, construction, insurance, real property, class action, entertainment and sports matters, among several others. He is available to conduct sessions in person, as well as virtually, for clients across the country and internationally.

Michael Murphy joined JAMS as a neutral in San Francisco. The move was Oct. 13, 2025.

Murphy brings more than 40 years of experience representing clients in straightforward to complex, high-value matters across the U.S., Europe, London, Bermuda/Offshore and Asia-Pacific insurance markets.

Julia Arruda was promoted to partner of Fenwick and West in Santa Monica. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Arruda advises technology clients on intellectual property matters in corporate transactions and commercial agreements. She represents companies at all stages of growth across industries such as fintech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and gaming. Arruda has extensive experience in strategic transactions involving intellectual property, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and complex collaboration and licensing agreements.

Christopher Crawford was promoted to partner of Fenwick and West in Santa Monica. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Crawford counsels technology companies and their founders through all stages of the startup life cycle, with a focus on complex and evolving blockchain-related legal matters. He regularly advises clients on matters involving corporate governance, venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, and other public capital markets transactions, helping them navigate the enhanced complexity of these transactions in the blockchain space.

Reed Harasimowicz was promoted to partner of Ropes & Gray LLP in San Francisco.

Harasimowicz's practice focuses primarily in the firm's private equity group and has experience representing private equity funds, other strategic investors, and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and other strategic transactions. Harasimowicz also advises private equity firms and their portfolio companies on general corporate governance matters.

Colleen B. Meyer was promoted to partner of Ropes & Gray LLP in San Francisco.

Meyer advises U.S. and global asset managers on a range of matters, including regulatory and compliance matters. For more than 15 years, she has advised clients across the asset management spectrum, from private equity and venture capital firms to hedge funds and other leading asset management companies.

Jonie Ing Kondracki joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a partner in San Francisco.

Kondracki represents companies through all stages of growth, from private companies to established public companies, as well as investment banks and investors. Jonie has advised clients on a wide range of transactions, including initial public offerings, follow-on and secondary offerings, private placements, tender offers, direct listings, and debt offerings, with significant experience in the technology and life sciences industries. She also counsels clients on corporate governance, reporting obligations, and other compliance matters.

Alexandra E. Garchie joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Garchie advises clients on a wide range of legal issues throughout all stages of litigation as well as in alternative dispute resolution methods. Alexandra focuses her practice on commercial liability. She has represented businesses in healthcare, transportation, property management, and hospitality all over California.

Amy E. Proctor joined Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Proctor advises clients on intellectual property issues and handles patent infringement disputes across a wide range of technologies. She leverages both scientific and legal acumen to defend clients against patent infringement claims and has particular expertise in proving patent damages, including by carefully apportioning complex technology to a patented invention's footprint.

Julia Ramos joined Dordick Law Corporation as an associate in Riverside.

Ramos began her career representing clients in both misdemeanor and felony criminal defense proceedings, gaining hands-on courtroom experience and developing a deep understanding of the challenges individuals face in the justice system. This early exposure to criminal law honed her litigation skills and fueled her passion for standing up for people in difficult circumstances.

Michael A. Vann joined Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Sep. 29, 2025.

Vann's clients range from entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals to a broad spectrum of national, regional and local real estate development companies, private equity funds and other investment platforms. His work includes the acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing, and development of commerical properties across all real estate asset classes, including hospitality, industrial, multi-family, office and retail. Vann also provides strategic advice to companies in connection with the formation, development and expansion of hotel brands.