Nicole M. Howell joined Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP as a counsel in Los Angeles.

Howell advises strategic and financial buyers and sellers on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, as well as the formation of joint ventures and strategic partnerships. She also regularly counsels clients regarding corporate governance, private equity and general corporate and commercial matters, including the structuring and negotiation of manufacturing, procurement, professional services, transition services and other operational agreements. Her experience spans a wide variety of industries, including media and entertainment, sports, technology, life sciences, gaming, food and beverage, manufacturing and professional services, among others.

G. David Rubin joined Kaufman Dolowich as a partner in Torrence

Rubin has successfully represented clients in high-stakes litigation in both state and federal courts - including appellate courts - across the country. His work includes product and professional liability defense, directors and officers' (D&O) litigation, employment litigation, commercial litigation, and construction litigation; representing a variety of clients including insurers, insurance brokers, business owners and operators, condo associations, architects, accountants and executives. He has also been called upon to handle unique First Amendment litigation matters including anti-SLAPP motions and related appeals.

Monique Matosian-Bharucha was promoted to partner of Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP in San Diego. The promotion is effective Jul. 1, 2025.

Matosian-Bharucha's practice focuses on estate planning, trust administration and probate matters. She works closely with individuals and families to guide them through planning as well as the complexities that arise after the loss or incapacity of a loved one. With a reputation for compassion and clarity, she is known for building strong client relationships through communication, trust and thoughtful problem-solving.

Lisa M. Magorien joined Seyfarth Shaw LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Magorien has built a strong reputation in employment litigation, especially in the health care sector. Leading health care providers entrust her with significant cases in both state and federal courts. She vigorously defends employers in a variety of legal claims, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, and wage and hour. Clients frequently call upon Magorien for employment advice and counsel, and to lead workplace investigations.

Parker S. Zangoei joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Zangoei's practice focuses on representing lenders, with particular emphasis on private credit and direct lending transactions in the emerging company and venture capital space. He regularly advises private credit funds, BDCs, banks, non-bank financial institutions, strategic investors, and other lenders on structuring, negotiating, and executing growth debt facilities -- including venture debt and middle market financings -- for technology, life sciences, healthcare, and other high-growth companies. Parker has extensive experience in both single- and multi-lender transactions and counsels clients on a broad range of domestic and cross-border financings, as well as related equity arrangements.

Max E. Rawn was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles.

Rawn represents lenders and borrowers in connection with a wide range of financing transactions, including construction loans, mezzanine loans, commercial mortgage loans, secured and unsecured syndicated loans, letters of credit, asset-based loans, factoring arrangements, and bond issues. He represents banks and other financial institutions in loan workouts and restructurings, and advises both lenders and borrowers on matters related to bankruptcy, foreclosure, and other collections litigation.

Shauna E. Woods was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles.

Woods believes that her most important case is the one she is currently working on. Her diligence, combined with her can-do and client-centric approach, has proven successful in her representation of real estate, entertainment, and technology companies in a variety of disputes in state court, in federal court, and in arbitration.

Joseph P. Dzida was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles.

Dzida advises clients on a range of real estate matters, with a particular focus on leasing transactions, in which he represents landlords and tenants in both large- and small-scale data center, office, retail, industrial, medical, shopping center, and mixed-use real estate projects across the country.

John Jefferson was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Los Angeles.

Jefferson serves a range of clients in complex real estate transactions, including representing clients in acquisitions, dispositions, development projects, joint ventures, and secured financings. John prides himself on his ability to close deals efficiently by identifying, assessing, and addressing gating items and the material business issues involved in each particular deal.

Jennifer Jeffers was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in San Francisco.

Jeffers advises clients on land use and environmental matters arising from the development of commercial, residential, medical, and mixed-use projects in California, with a special emphasis on natural resources issues. She guides private, nonprofit, and public sector entities on all phases of project development from the earliest stages of design through completion, including acquisition, due diligence, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, entitlement and permitting, and construction.

A. Andrew Demirchyan was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Demirchyan represents developers, owners, and financial institutions in complex commercial real estate transactions, including secured lending, commercial leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, and Mills Act matters. He tackles all problems head-on, using his experience to add value for clients no matter how big or small the issue may be – he takes pride in delivering effective solutions for his clients on both simple and highly sophisticated matters.

Miles Carter was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Orange County.

Carter focuses his practice on the representation of residential, commercial, and industrial builders in the development and sale of master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, urban infill and high-rise condominium projects. He excels in the preparation of legal management and governing instruments and related sales documents that comply with the current regulations and guidelines imposed by the California Department of Real Estate and other federal, state and local government regulatory agencies. He also advises real estate developers on all aspects of real property disclosure laws related to the disposition of residential and commercial properties, including construction defect management and insurance coverage matters.

Kelly Smith was promoted to partner of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP in Orange County.

Smith is a commercial litigator and construction lawyer. She represents developers, owners, and lenders in complex construction disputes involving design and construction defects, project delays, and mechanics liens claims. Kelly also provides strategic counseling to help clients structure construction contracts to minimize risk and navigate project close-out. She has represented clients in construction disputes of all types, including infrastructure, commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, and residential projects. In addition to construction matters, Kelly maintains an active commercial litigation practice, representing clients in high-stakes real estate, business, and employment disputes.

Tom Posey joined Buchalter as a shareholder in Los Angeles. The move was June 20, 2025.

Posey also serves as the National Chair of the firm's Labor Management Relations Group.

Posey brings decades of experience advising and representing employers in labor negotiations, employment litigation, and a broad range of management-side workplace matters. He represents clients across industries including hospitality, manufacturing, health care, construction, entertainment, and transportation.

Joseph Tartakovsky joined Eimer Stahl LLP as a counsel in Campbell. The move was June 9, 2025.

Tartakovsky's practice focuses on government investigations and enforcement actions, complex civil and constitutional litigation, and pharmaceutical matters. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Francisco and Deputy Solicitor General of Nevada, he brings nearly a decade of senior government experience, including leading major investigations involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency, consumer fraud, and pharmaceutical offenses. He regularly partners with federal regulatory and enforcement agencies and advises on high-stakes litigation strategy.

Noel Cook joined Buchalter as a shareholder in San Francisco. The move was June 19, 2025.

Cook advises clients on the protection and enforcement of trademarks, designs, images, and a wide range of creative content. His work spans multiple industries, including retail and outdoor goods, technology, furniture and product design, character merchandising, music, and food and beverage.

Valerie R. Chrissakis joined Wesierski & Zurek, LLP as counsel in Lake Forest

Chrissakis served as a Kings County Superior Court judge from 2017 until February. During her judicial tenure, Chrissakis held leadership roles as both assistant presiding judge and presiding judge of the Family Law Division. She presided over a diverse range of civil and criminal calendars throughout her service. Chrissakis has contributed to the broader judicial community as an appointed member of the California Judges' Association Civil Law & Procedure Committee and the California Judicial Council Unlawful Detainer, Small Claims, & Civil Advisory Committee. Before her judicial appointment, she was a staff attorney with the Kings County Superior Court and worked as a temporary judge for the same court from 2009 to 2017. From 1997 to 2006, Chrissakis was an associate at civil litigation firms in Visalia and San Mateo.

Annie Lowey Austrian joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as an associate in San Francisco. The move was Jun. 16.

Austrian is a member of the firm's tax and litigation teams. Prior to joining the firm, she worked at a large accounting firm representing businesses and individuals in state and local tax controversies before the California Office of Tax Appeals and the Franchise Tax Board.

During her time at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Austrian was the president of the Students of Tax and Estate Planning Law Society. As a law student, she interned at a tax firm where she assisted with audit defense, legal research, and drafting protests involving complex tax issues.

Michele Levinson joined Frost Brown Todd as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Jun. 16.

Levinson represents insurers, nonprofits and public entities in a broad range of matters, including automobile claims, first-party property, insurance bad faith litigation, personal injury defense and subrogation and has extensive experience conducting examinations under oath.

She has also handled cases involving business and probate disputes, general tort liability, and labor and employment discrimination and has appeared before California state courts, the California courts of appeal, and the U.S. district courts for the Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California.

Andrew Wright was promoted to shareholder of Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jun. 3, 2025.

Wright's practice focuses on representing CPA's, fiduciaries, attorneys, directors and officers, and other professionals in litigation and regulatory matters. He also represents creditors in post-judgment enforcement and prosecutes commercial litigation matters. He has achieved first-chair success in civil trial, arbitration, and the Court of Appeal.

Kylie Brooke Runkle joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as an associate in Sacramento. The move was Jun. 5.

Runkle's practice areas includes all forms of civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm, during law school, she served on the Corporate and Business Law Journal, the First-Generation Law Students Association, and was a participant in ASU's Grads to Golf program.

Gurpreet Bal joined Foley & Lardner as a partner in Silicon Valley.

Bal's clients represent a broad spectrum of the technology sector, including leaders and investors in the artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital health, fintech, enterprise security, consumer tech, food innovation, and social enterprise, among others. He is known for his practical, forward-thinking approach to complex transactions and possesses a deep understanding of the challenges faced by leading and leading-edge companies, their investors, and supporters.

Shaalu Mehra joined Foley & Lardner as a partner in Silicon Valley.

Mehra guides clients through complex corporate and technology transactions, focusing his practice on emerging company venture capital, corporate venture capital, multinational joint ventures, technology procurement, and intellectual property acquisition and licensing. With clients spanning Fortune 50 multinationals making critical technology investments to technology and digital health care start-ups backed by Tier 1 venture capital, Mehra leverages his background in computer science research and software development to navigate transactional matters for clients, including for FAANG companies, automakers, energy producers, telecos, chipmakers, and more.

Matthew Pham joined Friedland Cianfrani LLP as an associate in Irvine.

Pham brings a dual background in engineering and law to his practice. Before law school, he worked at Mondelez International--maker of Oreo cookies and Sour Patch Kids--developing food packaging and contributing to the company's invention disclosure system. That experience sparked his interest in intellectual property and ultimately led him to the University of Illinois College of Law.

Madison Karsenty was promoted to partner of Donaldson Callif Perez LLP in Los Angeles.

Karsenty joined the firm in 2021, bringing with her an invaluable background in legal production for marketing and unscripted productions. At DCP, Karsenty has been working on a variety of financing and development deals, running production legal, and handling clearance reviews for many of the firm's premiere clients such as Hartbeat, Lady and Bird, Mighty Entertainment, MGX, Film Independent, Women in Film and Madhouse. Through her work, she has been recognized among Realscreen's "Factual Under 40" and Variety's "Up Next" Dealmakers.

Alexandre M. Yousefzadeh was promoted to partner of Donaldson Callif Perez LLP in Los Angeles.

Yousefzadeh joined the firm in 2015. He works in all areas of the firm’s entertainment and media law practice, advising clients through the various stages of corporate structuring, development, financing, production, rights acquisition, clearance, and distribution.

Louis N. Haas joined Farella Braun + Martel LLP as a counsel. The move was Jun. 2, 2025.

Managing partner of Haas & Najarian for 52 years, Haas has tried and supervised government contract disputes in virtually every forum in the country, including contract appeals boards, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He provides business advice to clients across a wide range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, mining, technology, and an array of service businesses.

Robert C. Nicholas joined Farella Braun + Martel LLP as a counsel. The move was June. 2, 2025.

With more than four decades of experience, Nicholas has a diverse real estate practice representing owners and developers in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, construction, and management of all types of commercial properties. He has developed particular expertise in the hospitality industry, where he negotiates third-party and "brand" hotel management and hotel franchise agreements. He also has considerable experience in negotiating, documenting, restructuring, and enforcing commercial leases.

Lauren Horgan joined Cummins & White LLP as an associate in Newport Beach.

Horgan brings extensive experience in civil, business, and intellectual property litigation in both state and federal courts. Her dynamic approach and dedication to protecting clients' intellectual property rights strengthen the firm's robust litigation practice.

Daniel Hitzfield joined Cummins & White, LLP as an associate in Newport Beach.

Hitzfield brings his expertise in real estate, finance, and corporate transactions to the firm. He counsels clients on balancing business objectives with legal liabilities in commercial real estate and corporate transactions. His prior experience includes working at a law firm specializing in real estate transactions and corporate governance, particularly involving retail shopping centers, industrial, and office parks, enhancing the firm's capabilities in these areas. Hitzfield also has a strong background in drafting and negotiating service and financing agreements, including master service agreements, licensing, loans, and corporate governance documents.

Tom Ara joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Jun. 4, 2025.

Ara's practice focuses on domestic and international transactions across entertainment, sports and media. He represents a broad range of clients in M&A and financing transactions, including private equity firms, investors, sovereigns, lenders and borrowers. Additionally, he advises entertainment companies worldwide on strategic deals and complex corporate and commercial transactions, handling billions of dollars of transactions for media properties and major sports media rights, among other high-profile deals.

Stacey Geis joined Crowell & Moring LLP as a counsel in San Francisco. The move was May 29, 2025.

Geis recently served at EPA headquarters, first as a senior advisor, then as a deputy assistant administrator. During her tenure, she helped to lead the 2,800-person Office of Enforcement & Compliance Assurance and implement policy goals, including addressing climate change, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and revitalization of EPA's enforcement and compliance programs throughout the country. Most notably, Geis helped create EPA's Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy, provided guidance on EPA's National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives, and helped implement two recent Supreme Court decisions -- Sackett v. EPA, which limited the definition of wetlands under the Clean Water Act; and SEC v. Jarkesy, which limited the scope of federal administrative proceedings.

At Crowell, Geis' practice will focus on advising clients on a broad range of environmental and policy matters, including compliance assistance, corporate governance, and risk and crisis management. She will also advise on compliance and enforcement issues, including internal investigations, pre-filing negotiations, and litigation as needed.

Samuel Jo joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in San Diego.

Jo focuses his practice on complex commercial and licensing agreements, as well as technology product and platform development, integration, launch, and counseling, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies such as machine learning and AI, quantum computing, aerospace, custom Silicon applications, and Internet of Things.

William Ticknor joined Thompson Hine LLP as a partner in Santa Monica. The move was May 30, 2025.

Ticknor advises real estate funds, developers, high-net-worth individuals, and institutional investors on acquisitions, dispositions, and complex financing transactions. His work includes single- and multi-asset portfolios; acquisition and construction loans; refinancings; workouts; syndicated and securitized loans; mezzanine financings; and preferred equity.

He has handled deals across a broad range of property types--industrial, hospitality, office, retail, self-storage, student housing, and multifamily--and has facilitated the acquisition and financing of high-value projects totaling more than $850 million across California and the U.S.

Matt Ashby joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a partner in Los Angeles, Century City.

Ashby focuses his practice on complex litigation defense. For more than a decade, he has served as local and national trial counsel for some of the largest U.S. companies in the government contracting, chemical, pharmaceutical, construction, maritime, and automotive industries. He brings a unique perspective to client service based on his prior experience as a certified public accountant in California.

Julia Romano joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a partner in Los Angeles, Century City.

Romano is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and litigator, with extensive experience in products liability and California law. She has a proven track record of success for her clients in a wide range of complex litigation matters, including medical device, pharmaceutical, toxic tort and other product liability and tort cases.