Jennafer M. Tryck was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Orange County. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Tryck was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. She specializes in defending plan sponsors and insurers in high-stakes Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") litigation in the trial courts and on appeal. She has represented clients in a wide range of single-plaintiff and class-action matters, including defending employers against excessive fee and prohibited transaction claims, tobacco surcharge claims, and 401(k) plan forfeiture claims. She also defends plan sponsors and fiduciaries against challenges to the calculation of benefits for large defined-benefit pension plans. In addition to litigation defense, Jennafer also dedicates a significant portion of her practice to advising clients on limiting litigation exposure for ERISA and non-ERISA benefit plans.

Joseph Edmonds was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Orange County.

Edmonds was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. His practice focuses on complex litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, with a special emphasis on mass torts, environmental litigation, and transnational litigation.

Tom Brower was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Palo Alto.

Brower was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, corporate borrowers, investment and commercial banks, and other financial institutions in a variety of domestic and cross-border debt financing transactions, including leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations, recurring revenue facilities, sustainability-linked credit facilities, asset-based financings, and working capital facilities.

Jeff Lombard was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Palo Alto.

Lombard was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. Lombard's practice focuses on the representation of companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, merger and acquisition disputes, and shareholder derivative litigation. In addition, Lombard has substantial experience representing clients in other shareholder and securities related matters, including governmental and internal investigations, books and records demands, and FINRA inquiries. Lombard also regularly advises public and private companies about a wide range of issues relating to corporate governance, insider trading, disclosure obligations and litigation risk and strategy.

Eli M. Lazarus was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.

Lazarus was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. He practices in the firm's Litigation Department with particular focus on antitrust law and clients based or operating in Japan. Lazarus has also represented clients at the federal and state appellate and trial court levels in a variety of business-related disputes involving class action, professional malpractice, and breach of contract.

Leah Collins was promoted to partner of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco.

Collins was elected to the firm's partnership effective Jan. 1. Collins is a real estate transactional attorney who represents investors, developers, owners, lenders, and borrowers in complex real estate transactions across California and the United States. Her practice covers the full lifecycle of real estate assets - including acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, development, and sophisticated debt and equity financing - across a variety of property types, including office, retail, hospitality and luxury resort, mixed-use projects, multi-family, and entitled and unentitled land. She routinely structures, negotiates, and closes complex purchase-and-sale transactions, handles new and modified financings on behalf of both borrowers and lenders, and oversees project-related documentation for ground-up and redevelopment projects.

Stephanie Albrecht joined Faegre Drinker as a counsel in Los Angeles. The move was Dec. 8, 2025.

Albrecht represents employers of all sizes in strategically resolving complex employment law matters. She has represented financial institutions, accounting firms, tech companies, retailers, health care organizations and hospitality companies in federal and state class actions, Private Attorneys General Act representative actions and single-plaintiff matters. Albrecht has extensive experience compelling wage-and-hour matters to arbitration, defeating class certification, and obtaining dismissal through dispositive motion practice. She has successfully defended clients in sensitive single-plaintiff matters involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and failure to accommodate claims, often resolving these matters early and on favorable terms.

Thomas James Auner was promoted to partner of Jones Day in Los Angeles.

Auner's practice focuses on high-stakes commercial disputes, both domestic and cross-border. He represents clients in state and federal courts and in arbitrations under the rules of the major arbitral institutions, including the American Arbitration Association (AAA), International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA). He will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Jeremy R. Kauffman was promoted to partner of Jones Day in Los Angeles.

Kauffman's practice focuses on complex civil litigation in state and federal courts cases, with a particular emphasis on antitrust litigation. Kauffman has litigated cases at all stages, from the initial pleadings through appeal. He has experience drafting motions to dismiss, managing discovery, taking depositions, developing case strategy, drafting dispositive and other pretrial motions, opposing class certification, and drafting briefs on appeal. He will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Caroline D. Murray was promoted to partner of Jones Day in Los Angeles.

Murray handles civil disputes and complex litigation for clients in the pharmaceutical, health care, hospitality, and media and entertainment industries. She has in-depth experience in all stages of litigation in state and federal courts. She will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Kelly M. Watne was promoted to partner of Jones Day in Los Angeles.

Watne's recent experience includes defending the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in international adversary proceedings, obtaining summary judgment for Marathon Petroleum in an antitrust class action, and defending an integrated health care system in an antitrust and unfair competition lawsuit brought by a competing provider. Watne has also represented companies targeted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), including for claims of price-fixing in the computer components and capacitors industries. She will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Nicholas Hodges was promoted to partner of Jones Day in San Diego.

Hodges has experience in all stages of litigation, including trials, appeals, motion practice, mediations, arbitrations, and discovery. Her experience covers a variety of matters, including trade secrets, breach of contract, RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), unfair competition, and breach of fiduciary duty. Hodges also defends clients in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general involving possible violations of the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statutes (AKS), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and state public nuisance laws. His maintains an active pro bono practice. He will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Dr. Wenhua Yu was promoted to partner of Jones Day in San Diego.

Yu focuses on crafting tailored IP and patent strategies, working closely with scientific teams to align patenting efforts with therapeutic pipeline development. Her deep technical knowledge covers immunotherapies, gene and cell therapies, vaccines, small-molecule therapeutics, conjugated therapeutics (e.g., ADCs, AOCs, radionuclide conjugates), manufacturing, and delivery technologies (e.g., vectors, LNPs). She has conducted extensive due diligence investigations and provided legal opinions to support R&D, IP, and business strategies for industry leaders, such as BMS/Celgene, Merck & Co., and Johnson & Johnson, and has worked on several commercial products. She will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Caroline Lynch was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.

Lynch was elected to the firm's partnership effective Jan. 1. She counsels clients on a broad range of corporate matters, including internal restructurings, commercial contract drafting, and corporate governance. Noted for her creativity and collaborative nature, she maintains a robust pro bono practice and helps schools and other community clients by advising on contracts, bylaws, and board member issues.

James K. Rothstein was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in San Francisco.

Rothstein was elected to the firm's partnership effective Jan. 1. He is an experienced and versatile attorney who specializes in complex business litigation, white collar defense, and corporate investigations. He counsels companies facing critical business disputes and provides strategic guidance on complex and sensitive internal investigations and investigations by federal and state enforcement authorities.

Anne Steinberg was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Newport Beach.

Steinberg was elected to the firm's partnership effective Jan. 1. She focuses on counseling health care clients with respect to internal investigations, inquiries and investigations by federal and state enforcement authorities, and related litigation. Her expertise includes defending health care companies against alleged violations of the civil False Claims Act, Medicare reimbursement laws, and laws regulating managed care organizations, including matters related to Medicare Advantage and risk adjustment. She also maintains an active pro bono practice involving adoption, elder abuse, and advocacy for equal protection in criminal prosecutions.

Heather Welles was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.

Welles was elected to the firm's partnership effective Jan. 1. She pairs litigation and appellate success at the highest levels with substantive expertise in water, a field of growing importance to even the largest companies. A diverse set of clients, including innovative farmers, major movie and television studios, large water districts, champion athletes, skin-care pioneers, private equity funds, and environmental conservation and recreational organizations, rely on her to write case-winning briefs, develop persuasive legal theories, and creatively resolve disputes.

Jenna G. Williams joined Hueston Hennigan LLP as a counsel in Los Angeles.

Williams spent six years in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, where she represented the United States in criminal matters, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. She has brought five felony jury trials to verdict, ranging from wire fraud to drug trafficking. Additionally, during her time in the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force and the Transnational Organized Crime Section, Williams led complex, long-term financial investigations that resulted in indictments and guilty pleas, including the prosecution of the founder and former board member of a company who defrauded lenders and investors out of $248 million (United States v. Joseph Sanberg) and the prosecution of a former board member of the same company for defrauding lenders out of $145 million (United States v. Ibrahim AlHusseini). As a prosecutor, Williams also authored numerous appellate briefs and argued several appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, including briefing and argument for a complex appeal from a nearly month-long international drug trafficking and conspiracy trial.

Alex Bergjans was promoted to partner of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in Los Angeles.

Bergjans' practice focuses on complex commercial, media, employment, and intellectual property litigation. While at Quinn, he has been a member of teams that successfully tried high profile cases in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration. He previously worked in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office's Consumer Protection Unit where he first-chaired criminal trials and led complex civil investigations and litigation, including an investigation that resulted in one of nation's the largest civil judgments for COVID-19 testing fraud. He will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

James Bieber was promoted to partner of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in Los Angeles.

Bieber's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with a specialization in high-stakes disputes. He frequently advises clients in the life sciences field, and has litigated several contract disputes between pharmaceutical companies in state and federal court, and in arbitration. He also has extensive experience in antitrust and patent litigation and in white-collar defense, where he has helped defend clients in some of the largest FCPA and money-laundering cases in history. He has secured numerous victories for clients on the plaintiff and defense side, and has helped recover hundreds of millions in damages for his clients. He will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Julia Zhu-Morelli joined ArentFox Schiff as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Dec. 10, 2025.

Zhu-Morelli advises companies on a wide array of domestic and cross-border corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, greenfield investments, fund formation, private equity/venture capital transactions, licensing, and general corporate matters. She also assists clients, as their outside general counsel, with their legal needs for day-to-day business operations, including regulatory compliance, labor and employment, financing, intellectual property, and dispute resolution. Zhu-Morelli's clients span various industries, including renewable energy, real estate, health care, manufacturing, E-commerce, logistics, consumer goods, telecommunications, and automotive. She is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Paige Zielinski was promoted to partner of Jenner & Block in San Francisco. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Zielinski was promoted to partner effective Jan. 1. Zielinski is a white-collar defense attorney with extensive experience conducting investigations and representing executives and companies before the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, state Attorneys General, and District Attorneys. Formerly a California state prosecutor, she leverages her significant courtroom and first-chair trial experience to advocate for clients in a variety of forums. She is adept at navigating complex fact sets and devising defensive strategies in cases involving allegations of AI washing, wire fraud, money laundering, data privacy violations, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Sherman Act, among others. She also helps her clients proactively assess their compliance with the changing federal, state, and local regulatory landscape before the government gets involved. She provides a strategic and practical perspective to companies facing issues at the intersection of enforcement and compliance.

Elizabeth Baldridge was promoted to counsel of Jenner & Block in Century City. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Baldridge was promoted to counsel effective Jan. 1. Baldridge represents clients in all types of businesses in federal and state trial and appellate courts, through mediation, and in informal disputes. She represents clients in a wide variety of matters, with a focus on media, entertainment, and intellectual property. Baldridge is experienced in all stages of litigation, including investigations and pre-litigation strategy, discovery, motion practice, trial, and early resolution.

Carmen M. Aguado was promoted to shareholder of Ogletree Deakins in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Aguado was promoted to shareholder effective Jan. 1. Aguado's practice has a strong focus in litigation, as she represents employers in both high-impact single-plaintiff and collective matters. Aguado has substantial litigation experience defending both public and private entities in all aspects of employment litigation, including sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour, Private Attorneys General Act, and class action matters.

Daniel R. Adler was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Adler was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. He specializes in complex commercial and constitutional litigation in trial and appellate courts. Daniel has briefed more than 80 appeals for federal and state courts across the country and has argued before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and several California Courts of Appeal.

Dione Garlick was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Garlick was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and in the Real Estate Practice Group. Dione specializes in real estate disputes, including both litigation and pre-litigation advising. She also has expertise in environmental litigation.

Shaun A. Mathur was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Mathur was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. Mathur's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Appellate and Constitutional Law, Antitrust and Competition, Class Actions, Media, Entertainment and Technology, and Intellectual Property Practice Groups. He represents clients across a variety of industries, including technology, media and entertainment, consumer products, automotive, insurance, and pharmaceuticals.

Lauren Traina was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Traina was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. Her practice focuses on land use and real estate matters, with an emphasis on energy transactions, including project development, acquisitions, financings and restructurings. She has significant expertise in wind power, solar power and other renewable energy technology, and has represented both developers and tax equity investors in connection with these transactions. Lauren also has notable experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and securities regulation.

Carissa H. Zidell was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Century City.

Zidell was elevated to partner effective Jan. 1. She represents private equity funds, developers, operators, and institutional and non-institutional investors in all aspects of real estate transactions, ranging from acquisitions and dispositions, financings, preferred equity investments, development matters, and joint ventures in a variety of asset types, including hospitality, office, student housing, multi-family, industrial, and data center.

Aman Badyal joined Polsinelli as a principal in Los Angeles.

With a national practice focused on tax structuring, Badyal counsels clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, cross-border investments and distressed asset strategies. He is a strategic advisor to developers, investors and companies navigating tax issues in complex transactions across real estate, energy and emerging technologies industries.

Badyal's experience includes crypto fund formation and token monetization, renewable energy development and Qualified Opportunity Zone planning. He regularly advises real estate developers, fund sponsors, family offices and blockchain-related businesses on structuring approaches that balance opportunity with risk.

Eliza R. Finley was promoted to partner of Susman Godfrey in Los Angeles.

Finley represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation in courtrooms across the country. She has litigated cases spanning a variety of practice areas including antitrust, breach of contract, business disputes, intellectual property, employment, and healthcare. Similarly, Finley's clients range from large, well-known corporations to small businesses and individuals. She will join the partnership effective Jan. 1.

Victoria A. Anglin was promoted to counsel of Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles.

Anglin was elevated to counsel effective Jan. 1. She is an experienced regulatory lawyer focused on the complexities of Advisers Act compliance. With a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape, she provides strategic guidance to investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity firms, and other financial institutions on navigating the intricacies of SEC regulations. Anglin helps clients effectively manage compliance challenges, mitigate risks, and achieve operational efficiency within the bounds of federal securities laws.

Alexandria P. Daugherty was promoted to counsel of Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles.

Daugherty was elevated to counsel effective Jan. 1. Her practice focuses on representing individual and corporate clients in connection with investigations and enforcement actions by government agencies. She has extensive experience with multi-faceted, high-stakes matters that involve the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal agencies and state attorneys general. Daugherty has represented clients across a variety of sectors, including automotive, technology, telecommunications, retail, financial, healthcare, and accounting.

Jonathan H. Koh was promoted to counsel of Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles.

Koh was elevated to counsel effective Jan. 1. He counsels clients on a broad range of real estate transactions, including purchase and sale transactions, mortgage and mezzanine loan originations and restructurings, joint ventures, and leasing. These matters involve a wide variety of asset types, including hotel and hospitality, restaurants and retail, office, healthcare, multi-family, industrial, and mixed-use projects.

Justice William W. Bedsworth joined Judicate West as a member. The move was Dec. 1, 2025.

Justice Bedsworth joined Judicate West's Appellate Practice Group focusing on private appellate consultation. His range of services includes evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of potential appeals, reviewing appellate briefs, identifying potential appellate concerns, and giving parties practice in oral arguments. Additionally, he will help develop and advance private appellate panel experience, giving lawyers more clarity, insight and control in the appellate process.

Justice Bedsworth retired from the California 4th District Court of Appeal in October 2024 following 27 years on the bench. The longest serving justice in the history of the 4th District, Division 3, he wrote 220 published opinions and authored over 2,000 more in all areas of the law, and his opinion in People v. Garcia (2000) was the first gay rights precedent in American history, prompting the state's legislature to bar peremptory jury challenges based on sexual orientation. Justice Bedsworth was elected to the Orange County Superior Court in 1986, serving 10 years on the bench before his appointment to the Court of Appeal in 1997.

Jonathan M. Westreich was promoted to partner of Sidley Austin LLP in Century City.

Westreich's practice includes representing public and private companies and investment funds in public and private mergers, equity and asset acquisitions and dispositions, tax-free reorganizations, and internal restructurings, with a focus on sports, entertainment, and media. He counsels corporations, investment managers of hedge funds and private equity funds, LLCs, and operating partnerships on structuring and tax issues of formation, choice of entity, and operating and joint-venture agreements. In addition, Westreich works on transactions involving equity and mortgage REITs, including representing issuers and underwriters in capital markets transactions, and other real estate finance and joint-venture transactions. His entry into the partnership is effective Jan. 1.

Shayona Schiely was promoted to partner of Sidley Austin LLP in Century City.

Scheily focuses her practice on debt finance. She represents both private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, public and private companies, and lenders in connection with debt financing. Scheily also has experience representing corporate borrowers in both acquisition and non-acquisition contexts, having advised on complex secured and unsecured leveraged financing transactions. These matters include syndicated and privately placed financings, recurring revenue-based facilities, concurrent acquisitions and combination of multiple unaffiliated companies, spin-offs and carve-outs, as well as acquisition financings and dividend recapitalizations. She also has significant experience in both in-court and out-of-court restructuring matters, including complex liability management and other capital structure transactions. Her entry into the partnership is effective Jan. 1.

Alexandria V. Ruiz was promoted to partner of Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles.

Ruiz is a commercial litigator with experience handling complex business disputes and defending class actions and consumer fraud suits. Alexandria's practice spans all stages of litigation, from initial fact investigation and drafting pleadings, through discovery and motion practice, to trial and post-trial work. She has significant experience in both state and federal courts, and in arbitration, obtaining successful outcomes at trials and arbitration hearings. She advises clients in complex business disputes, consumer protection defense, contests, breach of fiduciary duty, false advertising and unfair competition. Ruiz represents clients in a variety of industries, including apparel, consumer products and services, e-commerce, financial services, life sciences, media and entertainment, and mortgage banking. Her entry into the partnership is effective Jan. 1.

Caleb J. Bowers was promoted to partner of Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles.

Bowers focuses his practice on environmental regulatory and litigation matters and enforcement defense, with particular emphasis on e-commerce, industrial businesses, ground transportation and logistics, and infrastructure development. He advises clients on environmental compliance obligations, defending against government enforcement and citizen suits, and environmental requirements for development projects, especially air, water, and wetlands permitting. His entry into the partnership is effective Jan. 1.

Lauren C. Freeman was promoted to partner of Sidley Austin LLP in San Francisco.

Freeman helps clients navigate complex regulatory environments and represents them in government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions. Freeman's government investigations experience includes representing clients in regulatory proceedings and enforcement actions before agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration. Her entry into the partnership is effective Jan. 1.

Jarrick S. Goldhamer was promoted to partner of Berger Kahn, A Law Corporation in Lake Forest. The promotion is effective Jul. 1, 2025.

Goldhamer joined Berger Kahn after 10 years of civil litigation experience at the Law Offices of Richard A. Jones during which he had the honor of representing a wide variety of clients, including former Lakers player and coach Byron Scott.

Manish Kumar joined Freshfields LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Dec. 8, 2025.

Kumar specializes in criminal antitrust enforcement and related white-collar matters. Drawing on more than 15 years as a federal prosecutor and senior Justice Department official, he advises companies and individuals facing high-stakes criminal antitrust investigations, dawn raids, litigation, and cross-border enforcement actions.

Kumar previously served as deputy assistant attorney general for criminal enforcement, the highest-ranking career position in the DOJ's Antitrust Division, where he oversaw all domestic and international criminal antitrust prosecutions from grand jury through appeal, supervising more than 100 attorneys. He also held leadership roles as chief and assistant chief of the division's San Francisco office, supervising criminal and civil antitrust and white-collar investigations involving the technology sector, multinational companies, and government procurement. Earlier in his career, he served as an Antitrust Division trial attorney and as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California, prosecuting felony cases.

Kumar has overseen and tried precedent-setting matters, including the first felony criminal monopolization conviction, the first guilty plea and trial conviction in a labor market antitrust case, and the conviction of a C-suite executive. He also played a key role in shaping criminal antitrust policy, including the division's Corporate Leniency Policy, compliance frameworks, and cooperation with domestic and international enforcement authorities.

Joshua Carter joined Tully Rinckey PLLC as an associate in Ladera Ranch.

Carter focuses his practice on military law. Before joining Tully Rinckey, he served 17 years in the U.S. Army on active duty and in the Virginia National Guard. He began his military career as a musician in Army Bands, serving at multiple U.S. duty stations and spending two years in Seoul, South Korea. He later returned to active duty as a legal noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he gained experience on both the government and legal assistance sides of military justice matters.

After leaving military service, Carter served as an assistant Commonwealth's attorney in Virginia, prosecuting misdemeanor and felony cases in General District Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and Circuit Court.

Mojan Anari was promoted to partner of Akerman LLP in Los Angeles. The promotion is effective Nov. 1, 2025.

Anari focuses her practice on pre-litigation disputes, administrative claims, civil individual and class litigation, and preventative advice and counseling. She has experience handling single-plaintiff FEHA matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) actions, wage-and-hour actions, and commercial and business litigation from inception to conclusion in California state and federal courts, employment arbitrations, and FINRA arbitrations. She has defended high-exposure cases from commencement to resolution, handling fact investigation, discovery, depositions, law and motion, oral argument, settlement negotiations, mediation, trial preparation, and arbitration.

Christopher Franich was promoted to partner of Snell & Wilmer LLP in San Diego.

Franich was promoted to partner effective March 1. Franich concentrates his practice in patent prosecution, intellectual property portfolio counseling and transactions, and USPTO proceedings. During his more than 10 years of practice, he has developed and executed intellectual property strategies for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Franich also has experience developing and managing domestic and international patent portfolios.

Michael A. Hale joined Miller Barondess, LLP as an associate in Los Angeles. The move was Nov. 17, 2025.

Hale is a complex commercial litigator who represents clients in high-stakes business and entertainment disputes. He has represented leading companies in the entertainment, sports, technology, and consumer products industries in matters involving breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, defamation, and environmental and regulatory disputes.

James Ferguson joined KENT | PINCIN as an associate in Redondo Beach. The move was Jan. 5, 2026.

Ferguson is a civil litigation attorney with prior experience as a judicial law clerk for the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he worked closely with multiple judges and gained extensive experience in civil law and motion practice.

Nicole Merri Engler was promoted to director of Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. in San Francisco. The promotion is effective Dec. 1, 2025.

Engler draws on two decades of experience in business and executive coaching to translate complex litigation concepts into clear, accessible guidance for clients. Using a range of communication styles, she takes a compassionate, client-centered approach to ensure clients understand both the litigation process and their role in it.

Engler has represented attorneys in professional liability matters and, combining her HR background with her legal practice, has represented employers--including a large manufacturer--in wage and hour, PAGA, and employment claims under FEHA and federal law. She has also represented contractors and subcontractors in breach of contract and complex construction defect cases.

Monique L. Fierro joined Berger Kahn, A Law Corporation as a partner in Lake Forest. The move was July 21, 2025.

Fierro has litigated matters in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, securing millions of dollars in damages for clients facing discrimination and abuse while also obtaining dismissals and reduced liability in high-risk cases. She serves as president of the Ventura County Unity Bar and previously was president of Women Lawyers of Ventura County in 2024.

With more than a decade of experience, Fierro's practice spans civil litigation, pro bono work, and matters involving employment, personal injury, civil rights, and education law. Her work includes cases alleging employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, business disputes, and education-related claims, including bullying, special education, and disability-based discrimination.

Dane P. Shikman was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in San Francisco.

Shikman maintains a diverse practice focusing on complex civil litigation, jury trials and appeals across numerous areas including antitrust, technology and employment law. He has argued and won favorable results for clients in state and federal courts and represents clients on appeal in high-stakes matters. He also has experience handling government investigations for major technology companies, and he advises clients on regulatory and employment matters.

J. Max Rosen was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in San Francisco.

Rosen's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including mass tort litigation, strategic advising, insurance ,and appeals. He has extensive experience in resolving complex high-stakes commercial litigation, including representing multiple utilities in cases arising out of wildfires. He was one of the lead members of the team that represented Hawaiian Electric in securing a historic global settlement resolving litigation related to the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires. He has also become a go-to policy advisor to utility companies on wildfire legislation. He has represented numerous utilities in drafting and conceptualizing legislative solutions to the challenge of wildfire liability and spoken on the topic at a leading utility conference.

Nicole M. Howell was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.

Howell advises strategic and financial buyers and sellers in connection with domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and 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.

Michèle Bissada joined Signature Resolution as a neutral in San Francisco. The move was Dec. 3, 2025.

Bissada will serve as a mediator, arbitrator, private judge (JPT/PCTJ), and parenting plan coordinator. With more than 30 years of experience in California family law, Bissada has earned a reputation for her integrity, discernment, and calm command of even the most emotionally charged disputes. Her ability to balance clarity and compassion with legal precision has made her a trusted resource for families, attorneys, and business partners seeking lasting resolution.

Ashley E. Dang joined Kent| Pincin as an associate in Redondo Beach. The move was Nov. 17, 2025.

Dang has worked alongside some of the top plaintiff's attorneys in California and has extensive experience in employment, personal injury, and mass tort matters. She has assisted in obtaining several notable seven-figure settlements against global defense corporations, public entities, trucking companies, and ride share companies, to name a few.