Bradley R Sena joined Miller Starr Regalia as associate in Walnut Creek.

Sena is a member of the transactional department and specializes in real property matters such as sale and lease transactions, surplus property issues, land use and zoning matters and California Environmental Quality Act issues.
He is based in Walnut Creek.

Jenni Krengel joined Buchalter PC as shareholder and chair of the employment benefits and executive compensation group in San Francisco and Sacramento.

Former Reed Smith partner Jenni Krengel joined Buchalter PC's San Francisco and Sacramento offices on Aug. 4 as a shareholder. She will chair the employee benefits and executive compensation group.
"Buchalter has a really strong bench of benefits and executive compensation lawyers who are solution oriented and efficient and that really resonated with me," Krengel said. "The team also has a number of subspecialties that compliment my practice."
The firm has "a very sophisticated, full service corporate practice," she said. "And so to have both of those, the opportunity to work with this strong bench of benefits lawyers and also a strong corporate group, was really kind of the best of both worlds. The opportunity to lead the benefits and executive compensation group and expand it is really exciting."
Krengel advises clients in all aspects of benefits and executive compensation such as the design, compliance and operation of health, welfare plans and retirement plans. The bulk of her work focuses on advising public employee retirement systems on tax and fiduciary issues. She also handles the employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
Over the course of her career she has practiced at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and been assistant chief counsel and acting deputy general counsel for the California Public Employees' Retirement System.
"A lot of my work is helping clients find solutions and opportunities in an area of law that tends to be complex and nuanced, and so at times it can be daunting for clients," she said. "I really enjoy counseling clients through that and finding solutions and opportunities for them."
Krengel is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law and is a member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys and the American Bar Association.

Stephen Weiss was promoted to securities & capital markets chair of Michelman & Robinson, LLP in Los Angeles.

Weiss specializes in corporate and securities law, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, public offerings and private placements.
He is based in Los Angeles.

Michael D. Kostecka joined Allen Matkins as partner in Los Angeles.

Kostecka specializes in real estate and construction transactions.
He is based in Los Angeles.

Claudia Martorell joined Ogletree Deakins as shareholder in San Diego.

Martorell focuses on employment related immigration matters.
She is based in San Diego.

Amanda Mullane joined Ogletree Deakins as shareholder in San Diego.

Mullane specializes in employment related immigration matters.
She is based in San Diego.

Erika Rae Scheideman was promoted to partner of Lagerlof LLP in Pasadena.

Scheideman specializes in family law matters.

Nicholas Everett was promoted to partner of Lagerlof LLP in Pasadena.

Everett specializes in trust and estate litigation, contested conservatorships and estate planning.

Sarah A. Tauman joined DLA Piper LLP US as partner in San Francisco.

DLA Piper has expanded its San Francisco office with the addition of partner Sarah Tauman, who advises, counsels and does transactional work for private equity and emerging company, capital market and public company deals. Her focus is on technology companies but she also has clients in other industries and jurisdictions.
"DLA presented this role as an opportunity to grow my practice and to shape it, all with the support of very talented partners and obviously highly regarded large firms and all of its many resources," Tauman said of her decision to move from Goodwin Procter, where she was counsel. She said she is still impressed with the amount of support and knowledge she's gaining from making the move.
"I learned early in my career that I really enjoy working with startups and early stage clients, because of the closeness of those relationships," she said.
"Smaller companies tend to regard outside counsel as members of their own team, which is gratifying."
Tauman worked "to ensure that clients of every type and size come to rely on me in that same way. I love the human element of the work that I do. ... I may be a little old fashioned in that I'll pick up the phone and call folks and encourage clients and colleagues to ring me anytime. I really do enjoy and appreciate the personal connection."

Nicole S. Healy was promoted to san mateo county superior court judge of Gov. Gavin Newsom in Redwood City.

Healy formerly was a partner at Ropers Majeski PC, where she specialized in complex individual, shareholder derivative and class action litigation. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George A. Miram.
She is based in Redwood City.

Babak Emil Nikravesh joined Morrison & Foerster LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Nikravesh practiced for five years and founded the sovereign investor practice.
He is based in Palo Alto

Stacey Tyree was promoted to partner of Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3) in San Diego.

Tyree specializes in the acquisition, disposition, development and leasing of commercial property.
She is based in San Diego

Palmer Hilton joined Meyers Nave APC as associate in Sacramento.

Hilton specializes in public agency, environmental, land use and water rights law.
He is based in Sacramento.