Karen Liao was elected co-office managing partner of the Orange County office of Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP.

Liao is a trial attorney whose practice focuses on defending health clubs, sports facilities, attractions, retailers and theaters in matters involving general liability, premises liability and business litigation. She has experience representing clients on both sides of litigation and has tried cases to verdict.

Lawrence D. Esten was elected co-office managing partner of the Orange County office of Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP.

Esten launched the firm's Orange County office in 1995 and served as its managing partner for 16 years. He has a diverse practice that includes a focus on professional liability defense, premises and products cases, and special investigation unit (SIU) matters. Esten is also a member of the firm's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Committee.

Leo Q. Li joined McGuireWoods LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Li is an employment attorney in McGuireWoods' Los Angeles office. His practice focuses on defending employers in wage and hour class, collective and PAGA actions, as well as claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. He also advises employers on day-to-day workforce issues and employment-related disputes.

Shawn Kim joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Kim advises companies on complex transactions, cross-border investments, and strategic corporate matters. He has extensive experience representing multinational companies in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, project finance transactions, and energy and infrastructure projects across the U.S. and internationally.

Gil Walton was promoted to counsel of The Norton Law Firm in Oakland.

Walton represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes criminal and civil litigation at all levels of the judiciary. He has briefed and argued dispositive motions, jury instructions, and evidentiary rulings; examined witnesses; led discovery; and drafted appellate briefs in state and federal court, including the United States Supreme Court. Among other successes, he was a member of a trial team that secured a $27 million net verdict on breach of contract claims related to payments for pistachio crops following a seven-week jury trial in California state court.

Celine G. Purcell was promoted to counsel of The Norton Law Firm in Oakland.

Purcell represents businesses and individuals in commercial litigation and white collar matters, including contract disputes, consumer class actions, and FINRA, SEC, and FCPA investigations. She also represents pro bono clients seeking domestic violence restraining orders and asylum.

Matt Ohlheiser was promoted to counsel of The Norton Law Firm in Oakland.

Ohlheiser is a seasoned litigator with expertise across complex commercial litigation, class actions, civil rights matters, criminal law, and consumer actions on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He has led every stage of litigation, including complex discovery, depositions, dispositive motions, trial preparation, trials, and appeals in state and federal courts, before administrative bodies, and in arbitration. Among other successes, he led early government tort claim and complaint drafting on behalf of an individual who was wrongly imprisoned for nearly three decades resulting in a pre-suit, eight-figure settlement for the client.

Liz DeChellis was elected shareholder based in the Sacramento office of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation.

DeChellis' practice focuses on conducting workplace investigations as well as Title IX investigations and hearings. She is available as an expert in evaluating Title IX and sexual harassment matters.

Jennifer Doughty was elected shareholder based in the Sacramento office of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation.

Doughty's practice focuses on conducting investigations relating to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct involving the workplace, athletic teams, and Title IX complaints. With experience in employment litigation and client counseling, she also conducts trainings for staff and management on how to conduct effective workplace investigations.

Judge Barbara A. Kronlund joined Judicate West as a neutral. The move was April 2, 2026.

Judge Kronlund served on the bench for 30 years. During that time, she held several judicial and administrative roles, including 10 years as a court commissioner handling civil settlement conferences and trials; five years in juvenile court, where she served as Presiding Juvenile Judge; and 15 years in the Direct Civil department, including a term as Supervising Judge.

In her civil assignment, she managed a high-volume calendar and presided over a range of matters, including personal injury (including sexual assault), business and commercial disputes, employment cases, government liability, and medical negligence. She conducted more than 1,000 civil settlement conferences.

In 2006, she helped establish San Joaquin County's Homeless Court and served as its presiding judge for 20 years. In 2015, she was involved in creating the county's Veterans Treatment Court and served as its presiding judge for five years.

Before joining the bench as a court commissioner in 1995, Judge Kronlund was a deputy district attorney in San Joaquin County, where she supervised the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit. She began her legal career in 1987 with the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

Daniel Brunton joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as a shareholder in San Diego. The move was March 31, 2026.

Brunton focuses his practice on environmental law, with an emphasis on helping developers obtain entitlements for large or controversial projects and defending those entitlements in court. Brunton has extensive experience with California's environmental-review law and the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). He frequently collaborates with developers to ensure their CEQA documents are ready for litigation and has successfully defended many CEQA lawsuits challenging the environmental review of projects. Brunton also has broad expertise in other statutes related to development, including the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), the Clean Water Act, the Subdivision Map Act, the Coastal Act, the Endangered Species Act and local zoning and land-use laws. He has also developed expertise in tribal consultations under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and under California law. His entitlement practice primarily focuses on large-scale infrastructure projects, including renewable energy projects, stadiums, rail and highway projects, and transmission lines.

Bardia Moayedi was promoted to managing partner of Snell & Wilmer LLP in San Diego.

Moayedi was elected managing partner of the firm's San Diego office effective April 1. He is also a member of the firm's Corporate and Securities Practice Group, and is co-chair of the firm's Life Sciences Industry Group. Moayedi primarily advises emerging growth and public companies throughout their life cycles as well as venture capital and private equity firms, particularly in the life sciences, high-technology, financial technology, food and beverage, and clean-technology industries.

Rebecca Reed joined Cox, Castle & Nicholson as a partner in San Diego. The move was March 30, 2026.

Reed handles a broad range of complex disputes on behalf of developers and landowners. Her practice includes litigation involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the California Coastal Act, planning and zoning laws, and the Subdivision Map Act. She also represents clients in disputes involving boundary lines, easements, covenants and restrictions, deeds, purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, trespass and nuisance, adverse possession, and inverse condemnation.

Alexandra (Allie) N. Rahimi joined Miller Barondess LLP as an associate in Los Angeles. The move was March 11, 2026.

Rahimi is a litigation associate who has represented individuals, businesses, and public entities in high-stakes disputes in state and federal courts nationwide. Her practice focuses on commercial, labor and employment, and government-related litigation.

Garrett M. Fahy was promoted to partner of Cummins & White in Newport Beach.

Garrett represents clients in a wide range of complex business, employment, intellectual property, privacy, and commercial matters. He also serves as outside general counsel to companies navigating strategic legal and operational issues. His practice spans litigation, counseling, compliance, and risk management, with experience representing clients in state and federal courts and arbitration matters across the country. His work reflects the practical, business-minded counsel that has long defined Cummins & White's approach to serving clients. In addition to his business practice, Garrett is active in election law and regularly advises political candidates, campaigns, elected officials, and political organizations on election-related legal issues. He currently serves as chair of the California chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association and was recently appointed to the Orange County Registrar of Voters' Community Election Working Group.

Christopher Van Gundy joined Buchalter as a partner in San Francisco. The move was April 1, 2026.

Van Gundy brings more than 30 years of experience advising and representing companies in both complex litigation and regulatory matters involving food, dietary supplements, e‑vapor, medical device and consumer products. His litigation background includes extensive first‑chair responsibility in state and federal courts and arbitral tribunals involving consumer false advertising claims, Lanham Act disputes, and complex supply‑chain matters.

Gregory S. Cordrey joined Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP as a partner in Newport Beach.

Cordrey represents both patent owners and accused infringers in federal court litigation and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). His dual-sided experience gives clients an edge when formulating strategies for a client's specific dispute. Cordrey regularly litigates in the most active patent venues in the country, including the federal district courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Margaret G. Maraschino joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Maraschino advises employers on labor and employment matters. She represents companies in wage-and-hour class and collective actions, discrimination claims, and other workplace disputes in federal and state courts in California and nationwide. Her work includes litigation, trials, and appeals.

She also counsels employers on compliance and risk management, including issues arising in mergers and other corporate transitions. In addition, she advises the home offices and charitable foundations of celebrities and ultra-high-net-worth individuals on employment matters involving personal staff and philanthropic operations.

Kira L. Klatchko joins JAMS as a neutral in Century City. The move was March 25, 2026.

Judge Klatchko served nine years on the Superior Court of California, Riverside County. For seven years, she presided over an unlimited civil department and handled matters from filing through resolution across areas including business, real estate, land use, construction, contract, employment, personal injury, professional negligence, civil rights, insurance, trust, government and complex litigation. For two years, she served in an independent family law department, handling dissolution, custody and support matters.

She is based in the Century City Resolution Center and will serve as an arbitrator, mediator, special master/referee and neutral evaluator in appellate, business and commercial, real estate, employment, construction, civil rights, government, professional liability and family law matters.

Duane Morris LLP welcomes Michael Y. Lateef as a partner in San Francisco.

Lateef's practice focuses on corporate financings, venture capital, tax, and mergers and acquisitions. He works closely with startup and private and public companies on issues related to equity and financings, tax matters, the structuring of executive compensation (including
stock arrangements), strategic ventures, acquisitions and management buyouts. Lateef counsels clients in all phases of business development, including capital formation, operation, acquisition and restructuring. His practice includes material transactions representing a variety of companies in the technology industry (both software and service-based companies), health and senior care, and civil construction. Lateef has represented a variety of foreign corporations based in China, India and Europe in establishing U.S.-based operations through formation, joint ventures and acquisitions. He was previously a partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP.

Kirsten C. Jackson joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Jackson represents policyholders in high-stakes insurance coverage disputes, seeking to maximize recovery under their insurance programs. She guides clients, including public entities, healthcare systems, manufacturers and other sophisticated organizations through business interruption, cyber, D&O, professional liability and property claims, helping them navigate contentious disputes, secure substantial awards and settlements, and mitigate operational risk.

Ellie Heisler joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

Heisler has 18 years of experience advising individuals and companies worldwide on brand building, licensing and intellectual property strategy, particularly in food, fashion and beauty. She works across every dimension of the creator economy--representing creators, influencers, celebrities, athletes, brands, tech companies, founders, as well as various platforms and agencies that support them. Her focus is helping these clients grow, protect and diversify their businesses.

Amina Larsen joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as an associate in San Diego.

Larsen's experience includes managing litigation related to general liability and construction defect claims. She has represented insurers, developers, contractors, and others in high-stakes defense matters, working with them through all phases of litigation. Earlier in her career, Larsen served as a compliance extern for The Ohio State University Office of Institutional Equity, where she conducted comprehensive benchmarking data and analyzed equity-related compliance issues within the university. She also worked as an extern for the Columbus Bar Association, where she conducted research and assisted with discovery, exhibit preparation, and other elements of ongoing legal matters.

Ruba Qashu joined Dickinson Wright as a member in San Diego.

Qashu focuses her practice on capital markets and securities. She advises public companies, boards of directors, broker-dealers, and institutional investors on capital formation, securities regulation, and complex capital markets transactions. Qashu helps companies access the public markets, raise capital, and navigate the disclosure, governance, and regulatory issues that arise throughout the public company lifecycle. She also advises on registered offerings, ATM programs, PIPE transactions, rights offerings, and Regulation A offerings, guiding companies through the structuring, regulatory considerations, and execution of financing transactions while helping preserve market credibility and investor confidence.

Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil joined Judicate West as a neutral in San Diego. The move was March 16, 2026.

Judge Wohlfeil has over four decades of combined legal experience, most recently serving nearly 19 years on the San Diego County Superior Court bench and conducting hundreds of settlement conferences. He spent three years in the court's Family Law Division before spending the remainder of his judicial tenure presiding over thousands of civil matters, including employment, real estate, insurance, business disputes, and personal injury and related torts.

Before his appointment to the bench in 2007, Judge Wohlfeil was in private practice for 25 years, and he obtained multiple seven- and eight-figure jury verdicts. He was a principal at Boudreau, Albert & Wohlfeil for the 16 years preceding his bench appointment. His firm participated in the largest pro bono undertaking in the history of the American legal system, representing the families of four people who died in the Sept. 11 attacks before a special master in New York.

Judge Wohlfeil is or has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the California Judges Association, American Judges Association, the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and the Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court. He is also a member of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, which named him "Judge of the Year" in 2013 and awarded him five outstanding trial lawyer distinctions across his 25 years in private practice.

Gina Marek joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as a partner in Silicon Valley. The move was March 11, 2026.

Marek brings decades of experience structuring complex deals for high-growth companies across life sciences, fintech, healthcare, and enterprise software. She focuses on corporate partnering, technology licensing, strategic alliances, and IP-driven M&A -- counseling venture capital investors and public companies on IP, privacy, and data protection. At Orrick, she collaborates with the firm's venture capital, M&A, and emerging company teams. She previously co-chaired the Strategic Transactions and Licensing Group at her prior firm.

Jakarra (J.J.) Jones joined Dechert LLP as a partner in San Francisco.

Jones focuses her practice on cybersecurity law, incident response, crisis management, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance and governance, advising complex global organizations on their most critical security, privacy and data challenges. Jones draws on two decades of integrated experience spanning senior in-house leadership at major technology companies, defense of federal agencies in civil litigation matters, and white-collar criminal defense and complex commercial litigation in private practice. As assistant general counsel for cybersecurity regulatory strategy, compliance and operations at Microsoft, Jones advised the Global CISO and senior security leadership on legal risk management, incident and data breach response, cybersecurity regulatory compliance across global jurisdictions, government and industry partnerships and cybersecurity policy - helping to safeguard the company and its customers against sophisticated cyber threats.

Joseph Halloum joined Baker Botts as a partner in Palo Alto. The move was March 10, 2026.

Halloum is West Coast M&A chair at Baker Botts, representing public companies and private equity sponsors in complex domestic and cross-border transactions. A prominent dealmaker in the technology and life sciences sectors, he handles M&A, take-privates, carve-outs and strategic investments involving industries such as AI, semiconductors and medtech.

He also advises boards on shareholder activism and unsolicited takeover matters, including disclosed engagements for TriNet, Del Frisco's, Yahoo!, Autodesk and Tessera Technologies. Halloum teaches M&A at both Berkeley Law and Stanford Law School and co-founded The GC Roundtable. He also established the Halloum Business and Negotiation Competitions for students at Berkeley Law and the Haas School of Business.

Judge James Mangione joined Judicate West as a neutral in San Diego. The move was March 4, 2026.

Judge Mangione spent more than a decade on the San Diego County Superior Court bench, serving in both the family and civil courts and presiding over matters including personal injury, employment, family law and business litigation. Before his appointment to the bench in 2015, Mangione spent 34 years representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation. He began his career as a partner at Mitchell & Mangione in 1981, where he practiced for 13 years. He then handled insurance matters at Luna Brownwood & Rice for five years. Following a three-year period leading his own private practice, the Law Offices of James A. Mangione, he joined Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Walshok LLP as a partner, a position he held until his appointment to the bench.

Judge Mangione has been a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 1998, serving as president of the chapter's board of directors in 2018. He has been a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2015.

Zach Howe joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP as a partner in San Diego.

Howe's practice focuses on appellate litigation. During his career, Zach has presented oral argument over 50 times in various appeals courts, including the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Ohio and intermediate appellate courts in Ohio and Texas. His experience includes handling a wide variety of civil and criminal appellate matters. Beyond appeals, Howe is a seasoned trial attorney with 11 jury trials to his name and years of experience as a former federal prosecutor. Drawing on that experience, Howe also supports clients in white collar and high-stakes civil litigation matters, government and internal investigations, and corporate compliance counseling.

Jenica Maldonado joined Hanson Bridgett LLP as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Mar. 9, 2026.

Maldonado is an experienced labor and employment attorney who advises public and private sector clients on sensitive, high-stakes workplace and governance issues. Known as a strategic partner to her clients, she helps them navigate not only complex legal challenges but also the practical, political and business considerations that often accompany employment disputes and organizational decisions.

Her practice includes advice and counseling, labor negotiations, workplace investigations, litigation, arbitration and training. She has extensive experience handling matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodations, leaves of absence, whistleblower claims, due process and First Amendment issues, as well as labor law matters affecting unionized and nonunion workforces. She also frequently advises public safety agencies on issues specific to sworn personnel.

In addition to her labor and employment practice, Maldonado advises public agencies on government law matters, including California's open meeting and public records laws, political conflicts of interest and ethics compliance. She also serves as general counsel to special districts and nonprofit organizations, providing day-to-day guidance on governance, risk management and regulatory compliance.