Matthew Kugizaki joined Public Counsel as a partner in Los Angeles.

Kugizaki leads efforts to build and strengthen partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and volunteers to expand access to justice and respond to unmet legal needs. His work focuses on building collaborative pro bono initiatives that advance civil rights and racial and economic justice. Prior to joining Public Counsel, Kugizaki served as Pro Bono Director at Inland Counties Legal Services, where he led the transformation and expansion of the organization's pro bono program. He built an extensive network of law firm, corporate, and community partners and helped launch programs addressing a wide range of legal issues facing Inland Southern California, including small business and nonprofit development, immigration rights, food insecurity, LGBTQ+ justice, health equity, children and families, reentry and record clearing, and disaster resilience. In this role, he brought together the expertise and resources of the private bar, legal services organizations, and community partners to develop sustainable responses to unmet legal needs.

Genevieve Weiner joined Katten as a partner in Los Angeles.

In her restructuring practice, Weiner represents secured and unsecured creditors, lenders, debtors and other stakeholders in complex restructuring matters, distressed mergers and acquisitions, general assignments for the benefit of creditors, receiverships and out-of-court restructurings. She has experience across many industries, including healthcare, real estate, technology and general corporate transactions. In matters involving financial institutions, private credit and alternative lenders and trade creditors, Weiner provides guidance on distressed investments, loan enforcement strategies, cash collateral and debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing matters, adequate protection disputes, claims prosecution and bankruptcy litigation. She also advises private and public companies facing financial distress, as well as strategic purchasers pursuing distressed acquisitions through Section 363 sales and UCC foreclosure proceedings.

Chad Hummel joined Faegre Drinker as a partner in Los Angeles. The move was Aug. 17, 2026.

Hummel has tried more than 50 civil and criminal cases to verdict in federal and state courts across the United States and has appeared for clients in dozens of arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution settings. He has represented clients in numerous industries, including entertainment, media, sports, technology, health care, financial services, hospitality, telecommunications, consumer products, airline, agribusiness, and real estate. His experience spans a range of complex business disputes, including antitrust, class actions, intellectual property (including patents), advertising and marketing, unfair competition, false advertising and consumer protection, breach of fiduciary duty, profit participation, data theft, fraud, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) actions. In addition to his trial practice, Hummel has advised and represented numerous public and private companies in regulatory investigations and actions by governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, and numerous state attorneys general.

Elizabeth Dyer joined Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP as a of counsel in Los Angeles.

Dyer counsels employers on workplace and employment law matters, drawing on significant in-house experience at technology companies. Most recently, she served as senior employment counsel at OpenAI after previously serving as employment counsel at Block. In those roles, she advised business leaders on U.S. and global employment matters, including employee relations, workplace investigations, compensation, mergers and acquisitions, workforce compliance and employment policies. She also advised on the prevention and resolution of workplace disputes and employment litigation.

Alexandra Ward joined Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP as a counsel in Los Angeles. The move was June 22, 2026.

Ward represents clients in complex commercial litigation, consumer class actions, business disputes, False Claims Act matters and intellectual property disputes in state and federal courts. She has handled cases involving the transportation, consumer products, retail, technology and artificial intelligence industries. Ward also represents clients in arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and has experience handling matters from pre-suit counseling and case assessment through trial and appeal.

Scott S. Humphreys was promoted to Los Angeles office managing partner of Ballard Spahr LLP.

Humphreys handles complex business, product liability and intellectual property disputes. Based in Los Angeles, he also has experience litigating media and entertainment matters. His practice is focused on California state and federal courts, and he litigates cases nationwide.

Johah D. Mitchell joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Mitchell's experience spans computer hardware and software, networking equipment, cloud computing, cybersecurity, database and data integration software, integrated circuits, WiFi chips and devices, Ethernet technology, MEMS sensors, medical imaging software, medical devices, and outdoor sports and recreation products. His clients include companies in high-technology, health care, manufacturing, and consumer goods industries.

Woody O. Woodland joined ADR Services, Inc. as a neutral in Los Angeles. The move was Aug. 10, 2026.

Woodland has more than 34 years of civil litigation experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, insurance, transportation and other complex disputes. An ABOTA Fellow, he mediates civil matters throughout California.

Richard S. Whitney joined JAMS as a neutral in San Diego. The move was Aug. 12, 2026.

Whitney will serve as an arbitrator, mediator, and neutral evaluator based in San Diego, handling business, employment, environmental, land use and CEQA, insurance, personal injury, mass tort, life sciences, and real estate disputes. On the bench, Whitney presided over thousands of complex civil matters. Before becoming a judge, he spent more than 18 years as a civil litigator for insurance carriers, tried more than 20 jury trials.

Charlotte K. Pashley joined Saul Ewing LLP as a partner in Los Angeles

Pashley advises landlords, tenants, purchasers, sellers, lenders and borrowers on commercial real estate transactions, including office, retail, industrial and ground leases; acquisitions and dispositions; easements; title and survey matters; and related real estate agreements. She structures, negotiates and closes transactions on behalf of clients.

John Visconsi joined Saul Ewing LLP as a partner in Los Angeles

Visconsi advises clients on commercial real estate transactions, including leasing and the purchase and sale of office, retail and industrial properties. He has more than 30 years of experience as a real estate attorney negotiating and documenting real estate transactions.

Evelyn M. Rodriguez joined Fenchel Family Law PC as a senior attorney in San Francisco

Rodriguez has more than 30 years of legal experience, including more than two decades practicing complex family law. She represents entrepreneurs, executives, founders, business owners, professionals, physicians, investors and international families in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Geoffrey S. Beckham joined FBT Gibbons as a partner in San Francisco

Beckham is a litigation and regulatory enforcement attorney with over 20 years of experience advising financial services firms on complex legal and compliance matters. As in-house and outside counsel, Beckham represents retail brokerage firms, investment advisors, and their registered representatives in securities arbitration forums, such as FINRA and AAA, managing matters from initial claim through hearing and resolution.

Alex Talarides joined Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Aug. 3, 2026.

Talarides' practice focuses on defending companies and their officers and directors, as well as investment banks and underwriters, in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, mergers and acquisition litigation, and other shareholder-related disputes, and advising clients on corporate governance and disclosure matters. He has extensive experience representing public and private companies and their D&Os, as well as investment banks and underwriters, in securities and corporate governance-related litigation and other complex commercial litigation. He also regularly advises companies and their boards on corporate governance best practices and fiduciary and disclosure duties.

Jackie Ward was promoted to partner of RAMO in Culver City. The promotion is effective Aug. 1, 2026.

Ward is a trusted advisor to producers, financiers, and production companies, guiding them through content creation, financing, and distribution. She handles complex financing, rights, production legal matters, and IP strategy. As the only attorney in RAMO's Content & Media Strategy team, she advises on legal and business strategies for content across film, TV, and emerging media. Ward works with top independent producers like Duplass Brothers, Tango Entertainment, Cold Iron Pictures, and supports RAMO clients such as Lion Forge, iGeneration, and Riff Raff.

Cooper Ward was promoted to associate of RAMO in Culver City. The promotion is effective Aug. 1, 2026.

Ward specializes in scripted development and production legal, working with producers, writers and directors on legal matters throughout the production process. Based in Atlanta, he oversees production legal for projects including Green Bank and On a Bell and works with production companies including Hybrid. His credits also include production legal work on Baywatch and The Lincoln Lawyer. RAMO has promoted Ward to senior associate.

Natalie Locke joined RAMO as a counsel in Culver City. The move was Aug. 1, 2026.

Locke has more than 15 years of entertainment and media legal experience, advising producers, production companies, financiers, talent and media companies on development, financing, production, rights clearance, chain of title, distribution and business affairs. She has served as counsel on more than 50 scripted and unscripted films, series and specials released through Apple TV+, HBO Max, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney/Hulu. Her recent credits include Mr. Scorsese (Presser Films) and Diane Warren: Relentless (XTR/Asteria).

Aubrianna Bourgault joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Bourgault gained extensive courtroom experience as a deputy district attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, participating in nine jury trials, conducting more than 100 preliminary hearings and drafting more than 100 motions. She also gained appellate experience with the California Attorney General's Office and served as a judicial extern to Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Houston.

Brooke T. Harris joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Harris practiced family law with a San Jose-based firm, where she handled all phases of litigation, including case strategy, legal research, and courtroom representation.

Justina Robinson joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Robinson served as a deputy attorney general in the California Attorney General's Office, representing correctional healthcare professionals, including nurses and physicians, in federal civil rights litigation. She handled pleadings, depositions, discovery and settlement matters and assisted with complex healthcare class actions.

Ian B. Edvalson joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Edvalson advises public and private biopharmaceutical, medtech, and life sciences companies on transactions supporting the development and commercialization of their products and services, including license and collaboration agreements, IP aspects of M&A transactions, and other commercial agreements.

David Jargiello joined Holland & Knight as a partner in San Francisco.

Jargiello advises law firms, legal services businesses, private equity investors and legal technology companies on strategic transactions and business structures where corporate and professional responsibility issues intersect. He counsels clients on law firm mergers and combinations, lateral group transactions, private investments in law firms and legal services businesses, as well as management services organization (MSO) and alternative business structure (ABS) models, including related ownership, governance and regulatory issues.

Lisa C. Hamasaki joined Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C. as a partner in San Francisco.

Hamasaki represents employers in labor and employment matters throughout California. With more than 25+ years of experience, she advises employers on all aspects of California and federal employment law and defends companies in state and federal courts, arbitration, and before administrative agencies. Prior to joining NFC, Hamasaki served for more than five years as the managing shareholder of her former firm's San Francisco office, providing strategic leadership while maintaining an active employment law practice.

Raymond M. Buddie joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Buddie advises clients on complex construction matters and disputes. A former surveyor and structural engineer, he also served on the project management team of a major commercial construction company, giving him experience with the legal, technical, and commercial aspects of construction projects.

David Emanuelson joined Hogan Lovells Cadwalader as a partner in San Francisco.

Emanuelson leads merger review and regulatory strategies before the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, European Commission, and other competition authorities worldwide. He also advises on issues at the intersection of antitrust and national security, including CFIUS, outbound investment, foreign direct investment, and export control matters affecting cross-border transactions and strategic investments. He is among the few antitrust lawyers outside China with substantial experience working directly with China's State Administration for Market Regulation.

Grant Puleo joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in San Diego.

Puleo represents developers, owners, operators, investors, lenders, and financial institutions in real estate, finance, and business transactions across California and throughout the United States. He handles acquisitions, development, construction, syndications, dispositions, leasing and financing across commercial, multifamily, student housing, hospitality, data center and other product types.