Jennifer Jokerst was promoted to partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP‐ in San Diego.

Jokerst focuses her practice in the areas of business and securities-related litigation, electronic discovery, and products liability litigation.

Manda McElrath was promoted to associate of Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel in San Jose.

McElrath served as a teaching assistant for the UC Davis School of Law's Legal Research, and Writing I course. Additionally, she worked as a research assistant for the Tribal Justice Project, conducting research on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and CalNAGPRA.

Maria Mendoza was promoted to associate of Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel in San Jose.

During law school she assisted detained asylum seekers in filling out asylum applications and was a member of the UC Hastings Pro Bono Society. She was a senior staff editor and author with the UC Hastings Journal on Race and Poverty where she published an article titled “Protecting California’s Farmworkers During the Wildfire Crisis: The State’s Response and the Need for Reform.” She was also a student mediator with the UC Hastings Mediation Clinic, where she earned a CALI award for earning the highest grade in the class. Outside of law school, Maria served as Vice President of Diversity Initiatives with the Latino Law Students’ Association.

Peter A. Singh was promoted to associate of Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel in San Jose.

Singh is a member of Hoge Fenton’s Real Estate and Land Use practice group. He is a versed litigator who focuses on real estate litigation and some transaction work, specifically involving construction, land use, and easement issues.

Billy Abbott was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Silicon Valley.

Abbott advises clients on tax matters in the context of private and public mergers and acquisitions, the formation of, and investments in, private equity funds, partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs), debt and equity securities issuances, and large-scale syndicated credit facilities.

Matt Cowan was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.

Cowan counsels clients through sensitive internal investigations, inquiries by federal and state enforcement authorities, and related criminal and civil litigation in the energy, technology, higher education, and financial services industries.

Timothy B. Heafner was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Century City.

Heafner represents a broad range of clients in the sports and entertainment industries, as well as other Fortune 500 companies, in complex litigation matters. He has advised clients ranging from boxing promoters and superstars; to motion picture, media entertainment companies; to land development companies; to non-profit organizations in a variety of disputes, including matters in connection with breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, and copyright issues.

Mark Liang was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in San Francisco.

Liang focuses his legal practice on patent and technology-related litigation. He has experience in all stages of patent cases, including claim construction, fact and expert discovery, dispositive motions, trial, post-trial, and appeal. He represents clients in federal courts, the International Trade Commission, and United States Patent and Trademark Office, including reexaminations and inter partes review (IPR). He has litigated over sixty patent cases in district courts, five ITC investigations, and over forty IPRs. He has been on several successful trial teams, including in the Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Delaware, and the International Trade Commission, and has also served as lead counsel for clients in IPR proceedings. He has argued at dozens of hearings on claim construction and dispositive motions, and also taken/defended several dozen depositions, including of expert witnesses, inventors, and corporate fact witnesses. He has also briefed and argued appeals at the Federal Circuit.

Esteban Rodriguez was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.

Rodriguez's practice focuses on defending life sciences companies in government investigations and complex, multi-jurisdictional matters alleging product liability, false advertising, unfair competition, and other consumer fraud claims. Most recently, he was a critical member of the trial team that defended Johnson & Johnson in opioid litigation brought by the State of Oklahoma. He continues to play a key role representing the company in nationwide litigation concerning its opioid medications, including state attorneys general investigations and litigations. Esteban also provides life sciences law compliance advice to pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Jillian Weinstein was promoted to partner of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.

Weinstein is lawyer to the firm’s lawyers and management, advising on a vast array of matters, including client intake and conflicts; policy development and compliance; data controls; and daily HR counseling. Since 2020, Weinstein has also served as O’Melveny’s de facto public safety officer, helping the firm stay on top of shifting COVID-19 public health and safety mandates. She previously practiced as an O’Melveny litigator, representing public and private companies in a variety of complex civil, employment, and labor matters. In 2020, she received the firm’s Warren Christopher Values Award

Nick Spear was promoted to partner of Susman Godfrey LLP in Los Angeles.

Spear litigates high-stakes and high-profile matters across the United States, representing both plaintiffs and defendants and regularly facing-off against industry titans. Spear is a true litigator - he has tried cases in federal courts, state courts, and arbitrations across a variety of legal areas including false claims, insurance, securities, real property, breach of contract, personal injury, intellectual property, and employment.

Rohit Nath was promoted to partner of Susman Godfrey LLP in Los Angeles.

Nath represents plaintiffs and defendants in high stakes litigation. He has taken on industry leaders such as the country’s biggest insurers, major media and technology companies, and international wireless carriers in courts across the United States. Nath has handled disputes in an array of practice areas, including insurance, copyright, patent, breach-of-contract, and real estate.

Halley Josephs was promoted to partner of Susman Godfrey LLP in Los Angeles.

Josephs represents clients in complex business disputes and high-stakes litigation. Her experience covers a wide range of practice areas, such as breach of contract, consumer protection, intellectual property, and False Claims Act litigation. She regularly advocates for clients before state and federal courts around the country, including in California, New York, the District of Columbia, Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Janlynn Fleener was promoted to managing partner of Downey Brand LLP in Sacramento.

Fleener is a trial attorney with nearly 30 years of experience representing businesses, individuals, and agencies in complex litigation and before appellate courts. Fleener joined Downey Brand as an associate attorney in 1993.

Stuart L. Eisler was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Diego.

Eisler has extensive experience representing award-winning heavy civil, industrial, commercial, and residential developers and general contractors in complex construction disputes. His expertise has been utilized in a wide range of bet-the-company matters that include contract issues, strict products liability, project delay and disruption, loss of use, deficient quality, redevelopment matters, LEED green building construction complications, personal injury, and negligent supervision claims. In addition to his litigation practice,

Anthony J. Dutra was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco.

Dutra focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy, business reorganizations, workouts and commercial litigation. His insolvency and bankruptcy practice has involved the representation of both debtors and creditors—individually and as counsel to the creditors’ committee. He has experience both defending and prosecuting adversary proceedings, including preference actions.

Stefan R. Chacon was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in Sacramento.

Chacon represents clients in matters involving health care fraud and abuse, qui-tam actions, compliance, government investigations, licensure, and commercial and civil litigation. He has successfully advised and counseled various clientele, including hospitals, nursing homes, Federally Qualified Health Centers, family medical practices, and dental offices.

Sheila B. Bridges was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco.

Bridges focuses on trusts and estates, as well as charitable giving. She advises individuals and families on a broad range of sophisticated estate and gift tax planning strategies and works closely with each client to create a comprehensive estate plan designed to meet the client’s objectives. Shepreviously practiced in Massachusetts and California.

Alan S. Bishop was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco.

Bishop focuses his practice on the construction industry, performing both transactional work and litigation. Clients benefit from his experience as a licensed civil engineer, allowing him to quickly identify and understand key technical issues as well as the legal issues.

Katherine Bowles was promoted to partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP in Los Angeles.

Bowles began her professional career as a registered nurse and her experience has translated to valuable strategic insights for her provider clients in negotiating contracts, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. She has experience representing hospitals, surgery centers, group practices, telehealth companies and psychiatric health entities in transactional and regulatory matters. She has developed an expertise in understanding the implications of the flow of revenue and routinely performs compliance reviews for Stark and Anti-Kickback, Corporate Practice of Medicine, Billing/Pricing and related concerns.

Chris Beatty joined Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP as commercial litigation partner in Los Angeles.

Beatty has extensive trial and appellate litigation experience in both state and federal courts. His practice concentrates on finance, startups, "business divorces," entertainment matters, real estate, insurance issues, bankruptcy, trusts and estates, family disputes, employment, intellectual property, and other business matters. He has represented clients in a range of industries including entertainment, travel and health care, as well as hedge funds and venture capital firms and pharmaceutical companies.

Scott D. Howie joined Allen Matkins as senior counsel in Irvine.

Howie has a broad scope of transactional real estate experience, representing developers and owners of industrial, office, retail, and residential properties on acquisitions and dispositions, financing, and leasing-related matters.

Bo Harvey was promoted to partner of Stoel Rives LLP in San Diego.

Harvey is a member of the firm's Energy & Regulatory practice. He represents energy clients and financial institutions in connection with a wide variety of matters. He has particular expertise in negotiating and structuring energy hedges, swap, and derivative transactions, and providing related regulatory advice concerning the Dodd-Frank Act and Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations.

Julian Zou joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves and Savitch LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Zou counsels corporate clients from startups to multinational corporations on venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, both inbound into and outbound from China, finance and banking. His clients include innovative life sciences and technology entrepreneurs. He has also represented investors and portfolio companies in private equity and venture investments. As part of his cross-border Asia Pacific practice he has experience ensuring compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) as well as Chinese anti-bribery law counseling and investigations. He is admitted to practice law in the U.S. and qualified in China.

Alan S. Petlak joined Judicate West as neutral.

Based in the Los Angeles office, Petlak is available as a mediator and arbitrator for matters statewide. He has more than two decades of litigation experience, handling a variety of complex matters, including real estate, consumer finance, personal injury, securities, employment, professional negligence and other business-related disputes.

Yvonne Toy joined Ogletree Deakins as shareholder in San Francisco.

Toy focuses her practice on corporate clients on all aspects of immigration program development, compliance management, and strategies for global talent mobility. She regularly handles nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications, providing alternative, out-of-the box strategies for dealing with complex matters. Before joining Corporate Immigration Partners, she served as an in-house attorney for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she managed their immigration and J-1 exchange visitor programs.

Aman K Joea joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as associate in Sacramento.

Joea is a litigation associate whose practice areas include professional liability, employment law, medical malpractice, real estate, and general business litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Joea gained extensive experience in civil defense, business immigration law, and at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Rishi Sodhi joined Foley & Lardner LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Rishi is a transactional tax attorney whose practice focuses on advising clients on the tax aspects of a wide range of business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, and strategic investments. He represents private equity funds and public multinational corporations on numerous complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, serving as the deal lead on all tax-related matters.

Judge Mark V. Mooney joined Judicate West as neutral.

Mooney, formerly of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, is based in Los Angeles. He is available as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge for matters statewide. Mooney served more than 27 years on the bench, originally appointed in 1995 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson to the Los Angeles Municipal Court before being elevated to the Superior Court bench in 1998. He began his legal career litigating a variety of matters at civil trial law firms specializing in medical malpractice, and immediately prior to his appointment, he was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Garth W. Aubert joined MG+M The Law Firm as partner in Los Angeles.

Aubert represents aerospace product manufacturers, airline service providers, aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul organizations, airport authorities, and airlines in state and federal courts throughout the United States, in matters ranging from complex litigation and class actions to local litigation. Aubert has also represented his clients before the National Transportation Safety Board. Aubert has successfully defended clients facing lawsuits regarding severe personal injuries, wrongful death, commercial disputes, substantial property damage, and exposure to toxic substances, arising from incidents, accidents, disputes and exposures throughout the United States and abroad.

Joshua Ritter joined El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers as partner in Los Angeles.

Ritter is a criminal defense attorney, who handles complex cases that garner media attention. Before moving into private practice, Ritter was a Los Angeles County prosecutor for nearly 10 years with a 90% conviction rate. In 2015, he was awarded Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. Ritter hosts the True Crime Daily: Sidebar Podcast and has been interviewed by top media outlets including the New York Times, the LA Times, CBS2 Los Angeles and KTLA5 News.

Kevin Dale Rising was promoted to office managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg in Los Angeles.

Rising has practiced at the firm since 2011. One of the original six founding members of the firm's Los Angeles office, he will oversee the office's strategic growth and management. He succeeds David Allen, who will remain on the firm's Management Committee but is stepping down from office leadership to focus on client work.

Rising focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including contractual disputes and business torts, partnership and fiduciary litigation, consumer class action defense, multidistrict litigation, product liability and torts. With an active trial practice, he has served as trial counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in numerous high-stakes jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations.

In addition to office managing partner, Rising will also continue his role as co-chair of the Consumer Class Action Defense Practice Group.

John B. Major was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.

Major focuses his practice on complex civil litigation with an emphasis on litigation involving Internet and technology companies. He has significant experience in litigation involving the Communications Decency Act and in representing internet and technology companies in disputes involving platform liability, trade-secret issues and compliance with novel regulatory requirements. Major also litigates high-stakes disputes in a variety of other contexts, representing law firms, higher education institutions and major corporations in their most challenging cases. Prior to joining the firm, Major clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski and Judge Paul J. Watford, both of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Faye Paul Teller was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.

Teller represents clients in a broad array of industries including life sciences, health care, technology, higher education and automotive. Teller has particular experience with patent trials, having served as trial counsel in bench and jury trials in courts across the nation. Her recent work also includes high-stakes internal and government investigations. Prior to joining the firm earlier this year, Teller was a partner at a trial boutique in Chicago. She clerked for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and was a champion of the University of Chicago Law School's Hinton Moot Court Competition.

Jeanette Boykins joined Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP as attorney in Berkeley.

Boykins' practice is focused on conducting neutral investigations. She joins OIG after working at UC Davis' Employee and Labor Relations Department, where she worked with the university and the unions to ensure compliance with union contracts and university policies.

Pamela R. Miller joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl LLC as counsel in Los Angeles and New York.

Miller's practice focuses on Television Entertainment. She has held senior-level television business and legal affairs roles at major media companies including ABC, CBS, and Discovery for dramatic and non-fiction programs, sports, and news. In those roles, she oversaw, structured, and negotiated deals for broadcast network, syndication, digital platforms and cable. Her expertise covers programming for unscripted, animation, children's programming, events, format sales, international production and distribution, and sponsorship, marketing, and promotion of events and programming. She has also advised clients on risk assessment, intellectual property matters, litigation, and employment matters.

Kristen L. Chic was promoted to counsel of Tucker Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Chic focuses on complex business litigation, contract disputes, employment/ERISA matters, and real estate litigation. She has successfully represented some of the largest retailers worldwide, as well as title insurers, contractors, and fiduciaries in hotly disputed matters.

Lester Ang was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Ang represents start-up and late-stage private companies in matters ranging from incorporation and initial capitalization to venture capital, debt financing, and initial public offerings. He also represents public companies in securities offerings, M&A transactions, SEC reporting, and corporate governance matters. In addition, Ang advises investment banks, venture capital firms, and private equity firms.

Jonathan Chan was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Chan works in the emerging companies practice, and represents private technology companies and investors in formation, venture capital financing, and mergers and acquisitions. He focuses on representing companies and investors in the fintech, blockchain, and gaming sectors.

Broderick K. Henry was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Henry focuses on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, equity investments, and other strategic matters involving public and private companies. He primarily represents clients in the technology industry, but he has represented clients in a wide range of sectors, including aviation, financial services, consumer products, energy and infrastructure, security, and manufacturing.

Megan K. Kayo was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Francisco.

Kayo advises clients on information security and privacy issues under various laws and regulations, specializing in data breach response and mitigation. She has worked on hundreds of security incidents and acted as the lead counsel, directing the investigation, notifications, and responses to regulators and consumers in connection with global data breaches.

David Pirko was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Pirko represents leading life sciences companies and venture capital investors in strategic transactional and corporate matters, including partnering and collaboration agreements, licensing agreements, services agreements, clinical trial agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, and other complex matters. His practice extends from start-ups to public companies operating in all sectors of the life sciences industry.

Dr. Deborah M. Smith was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Diego.

Dr. Smith advises companies on IP strategy beginning from early platform development through commercialization. This includes venture capital, capital markets, and M&A transactions in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Dr. Smith specializes in advising clients that use platform technologies to bring new therapeutics to market.

Stephen B. Strain was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Strain is part of the firm's complex litigation and investigations group. He focuses on representing clients in government and internal investigations, including matters involving allegations of insider trading, complex financial reporting and accounting fraud, violations of the FCPA, and disclosure violations, among others. Strain also frequently represents companies, as well as their officers and directors, in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and related litigation matters.

Mei Dan was promoted to partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in Silicon Valley.

Dan's practice focuses on the representation of financial and strategic clients in various acquisition transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and cross-border matters. She also has been involved in advising on general corporate and transactional matters.

Samantha Grant joined Reed Smith LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Grant represents employers and management in administrative, arbitration, and trial proceedings. She has handled cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, fraud, defamation, trade secret, and unfair competition cases, among others.

Arielle Tolman joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Tolman works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters with an emphasis on civil rights in federal and state court.

Ginger Jackson-Gleich joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Jackson-Gleich works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters in federal and state court.

Ben Hattem joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Hattem works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters in federal and state court.

Robyn C. Crowther was promoted to regional managing partner of Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Crowther was previously managing partner of Steptoe's Los Angeles office, a role she has had since 2019 and which she has used to grow the talent and clients in Los Angeles. She currently serves as a member of Steptoe's Executive Committee and its Lateral Committee. She is a partner in the firm's Commercial Litigation group and has been recognized repeatedly by the California Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers and Top Women Lawyers.