Tom K Ara joined DLA Piper as partner in Los Angeles.

Ara focuses his practice on entertainment and media industry transactions, both domestic and international. He represents banks, private equity groups, hedge funds, investors and borrowers in financing and strategic industry transactions. In addition, he advises feature film studios, television networks, production companies, Internet and mobile-based content producers and distributors in corporate transactions as well as in the development, production and distribution of feature films, television programs and digital content. Tom's clients also include entertainment, media and technology companies employing new methods and technologies to produce and distribute content and content experiences, including through augmented and virtual reality platforms, as well as financiers and investors active in these areas.

Tom has led multiple large financing and M&A transactions that have involved many of the major film and television studios and production companies and some of the most successful feature film and television franchises and several iconic comic book properties, including slate financing vehicles valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, corporate credit facilities, investment, joint venture and restructuring transactions involving the ownership of film, television and comic book properties, and the acquisition and sale of feature film and television libraries. He has also led debt, equity and gap financing transactions for the production and distribution (including P&A expenditures) of numerous independent feature films, television series and digital content.

Robert J. Sherman joined DLA Piper as partner in Los Angeles.

Sherman focuses his practice in the area of finance.

Peter J. Woo joined Goldberg Segalla as partner in Los Angeles.

is a highly experienced civil litigator who focuses on complex labor and employment matters. Peter is the vice chair of the firm's Employment and Labor Practice Group, and in his practice, he defends high-level executives and employers against claims including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour matters (individual, class action, and representative matters) in state, federal, arbitration, and administrative venues. He provides preventive and risk management counsel on hiring practices, terminations, workplace investigations, and crafting employee policies. He routinely provides sexual harassment training and materials to executives, managers, and employees under current California and federal law with emphasis on practical solutions, and regularly defends clients against various claims made under the Americans with Disabilities Act and equivalent state-based claims involving public accommodations.

Stephen C. Mazzara joined Goldberg Segalla as partner in Los Angeles.

Stephen's practice encompasses all aspects of employment law, with a focus on claims of discrimination and harassment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). He also defends unpaid wage claims arising from minimum wage, overtime, meal/rest period claims, and various claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For over a decade, Stephen has represented employers of all sizes, including locally owned business, non-profits, and multi-national corporations in state, federal, arbitration, and administrative venues. An essential part of Stephen's practice is meeting with clients to assess pre-litigation strategy including preventive counseling, evaluating employee handbooks and policies, and analyzing hiring and termination decisions in an effort to minimize the potential risk of litigation.

Loretta C. Thompson joined Greenspoon Marder LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Ms. Thompson's practice includes both commercial and residential real estate matters. She regularly negotiates and facilitates real estate acquisitions and dispositions and handles tax exchanges for REIT's, public and private corporations and high net worth individuals. Ms. Thompson also has extensive experience negotiating and administrating finance transactions, commercial leasing, property management contracts, construction and design contracts, and development agreements and easements.

Jeremy M. Dukmen joined Cozen O'Connor in Los Angeles.

Dukmen has a strong background in patent analysis and prosecution, covering domestic and global technologies. He comes to Cozen O'Connor from BakerHosteteler, where he was an associate in the firm's IP department.

Dukmen joins two attorneys from Seattle's Seed IP Law Group LLP, Frank Abramonte and Lorraine Linford, who joined the firm in August, making the Seattle office Cozen O'Connor's fifth largest with more than 30 attorneys.

It also continues the overall expansion of the firm's IP practice, which earlier this month added litigator Thomas J. Fisher to its Washington, D.C., IP team. In July Susan Grueneberg -- one of California's best known and highly regarded franchise law attorneys -- also joined the west coast IP team, taking up residence in the firm's Los Angeles office.

S. Desmond Jui joined Lathrop Gage LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

patent infringement

Kevin Bendix was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

IP litigation

Jacob H. Johnston was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Litigation

Barry S. Le Vine was promoted to partner of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco.

Investment Funds

Christine Wong joined Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco.

Christine joins the firm after spending the last five years at Fujitsu, where she most recently served as Vice President, Head of International Compliance. In this role, she led the development and implementation of compliance programs including anti-bribery/corruption, antitrust and competition, and export control. Christine also has significant prosecutorial experience, having served seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York and in the Northern District of California. She has prior experience at a national law firm as well.

Amir Freund joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Tyler Woods joined Fisher Phillips as partner in Irvine.

Woods represents employers in litigation involving discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, wage-and-hour, breach of employment contracts, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets claims. He also defends restaurants and retail businesses against claims brought under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and he counsels clients regarding employment policies and practices.

"Tyler has both litigation prowess and a deep understanding of business, which are decided benefits to his clients who are often facing difficult operational and reputational considerations. He's a great complement to the expanding Orange County team," said James J. McDonald, Jr., managing partner of the firm's Irvine office.

Woods joins the firm from Pacific Trial Attorneys in Newport Beach. He was honored as a Southern California Super Lawyers "Rising Star" from 2009-2011 and in 2014. Woods earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law (2004) and his B.A. from the University of California, Davis (1999).

Robert D. Wilson III joined Fisher Phillips Bolsters as partner in San Diego.

Wilson represents employers in state and federal courts and before all California administrative law agencies (including the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and Department of Fair Employment and Housing) handling various employment matters, including the defense of wage-and-hour, business expense reimbursement and unfair business practice claims. He specializes in the defense of complex "bet-the-company" wage-and-hour class actions and California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions involving California's wage-and-hour laws and claims made by employees under both the California Labor Code and the FLSA, including in other states.

Additionally, Wilson routinely defends employers and supervisors in individual employment matters, including claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, maritime injury, retaliation and individual wage-and-hour claims. He routinely advises and counsels clients on their obligations arising under federal, state and local labor laws, and regularly performs workplace trainings, investigations and audits.

"Robert's substantial litigation experience informs his workplace investigations, and he applies this keen insight in his analysis of the evidence, potential exposure and resolution options - all of which are of great benefit to our clients across industries," said Christopher C. Hoffman, regional managing partner of the firm's San Diego office.

Wilson joins the firm from Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in San Diego. In 2017 and 2018, he was selected to the San Diego Magazine's "Top Lawyers in San Diego" awards, with a distinction in Employment Law. Wilson earned his J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University (2001), where he served as Note and Comment Editor for the Albany Law Review, and his B.S. in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship with Honors, magna cum laude, from Northeastern University (1998).

Boris Zelkind joined Duane Morris LLP as partner in San Diego.

Zelkind specializes in intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement, trade secrets, trademark, copyrights and unfair competition cases. He has litigated complex trademark infringement matters and has written extensively on the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. He also oversees patent infringement proceedings and nullity actions in Europe. He is based in San Diego.

Scott M. Wornow joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco.

Wornow's experience includes general corporate and commercial matters, merger and acquisition transactions, securities law matters, public and private capital markets and venture financings, technology licensing, corporate compliance, governance and internal investigations, litigation management, intellectual property portfolio development, executive compensation and human resource matters and corporate restructurings. He is based in San Francisco.

Kelly A. Knight joined Judicate West as mediator.

Knight joins the roster of neutrals at the private dispute resolution firm. Knight has litigated cases involving employment law, including class actions, discrimination, harassment, wage-and-hour and Private Attorneys General Act claims; all types of personal injury; and business and contractual matters. He also worked handling insurance claims as an adjuster for a national carrier. As a mediator, Knight has handled matters for the Los Angeles Superior Court's Personal Injury CRASH settlement program, as well in private practice. He also works on the mediation panel for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He earned his law degree from
the University of California Gould School of Law. Knight is based in Los Angeles.

Noël M. Noël joined Best Best & Krieger LLP in Walnut Creek.

Caughman's practice concentrates on both health care and em
ployment law. She represents hospitals and various business entities working predominantly on transactional and regulatory compliance matters. She is based in Walnut Creek.

Josh Cook joined Goodwin Proctor LLP as partner in San Franciso.

Working in the firm's technology companies practice, his focus industries include consumer internet, software, blockchain and entertainment technology. He represents emerging growth companies, venture capital firms and private equity investment funds. He is based in San Francisco

Amy Hoyt joined Best Best & Krieger LLP as partner in Riverside.

Hoyt represents cities, counties and special districts in environmental and public law litigation matters. She is a certified appellate specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She joined the firm's environmental law and natural resources practice group. She is based in Riverside.

Alison Bassett Bassett joined Best Best & Krieger LLP as of counsel in Walnut Creek.

Bassett represents a broad range of health care providers across all aspects of medical practices and operations, with a focus on transactional work and regulatory compliance. She is based in Walnut Creek

Tom Duley joined Sidley Austin LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Duley joins the firm's global life sciences practice. He has experience advising international and domestic clients in the life sciences sector on multifaceted strategic partnering and commercial transactions. Duley worked as senior in-house corporate counsel at PDL BioPharma, where he brings that operational experience to advising life sciences companies on transactions such as multibillion-dollar collaboration agreements between biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as licensing agreements, supply and manufacturing agreements and asset purchases and sales. He is based in San Francisco.