Stephe B Ballas joined Sidley Austin LLP as partner in Century City.

After a 19-year legal career encompassing in and out of house counsel, attorney Stephen B. Ballas has joined Sidley Austin LLP
as a partner in Century City. Ballas had been a partner at DLA Piper since 2019.
Ballas' ties to Sidley Austin LLP run deep, dating back to his time at the New York offices of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. It was there that he met Sidley partner Dan Clivner, who at the time worked at Simpson's Los Angeles offices.
"Dan is one of the people I liked working with at Simpson, and one of the lessons you learn as you go through your career is that you keep the relationships you build and develop them, because those are people whose paths you'll cross later," Ballas said. "So Dan was one of the first people I reached out to when I was looking
for jobs out in L.A."
Clivner said, "I'm a little older than Stephen, and I served as a trusted adviser to him during his career, both internally when we worked at the same firm and then when he relocated to L.A."
Ballas moved to Los Angeles in 2011, where he joined real estate firm CBRE as senior counsel. By 2013, he had risen to the rank of senior vice president and deputy general counsel.
"I oversaw M&A and SEC reporting and public company governance," Ballas said. "So not totally dissimilar from the things I hope to do at Sidley."
In 2016, Ballas moved on to communications firm Global Eagle Entertainment, where he served as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. In these capacities, Ballas continued to work in mergers and acquisitions and SEC reporting while also overseeing compliance functions and employment litigation.
"That was true general counsel, a little bit of everything," Ballas recalled.
Ballas' various positions helped him find a true passion for legal work, which he initially pursued in his father's footsteps.
"When I actually went to law school and then had my first job at Simpson, I realized I actually like the negotiation aspects of it, I like the attention to detail aspects of it, and I'm kind of drawn to the power of language," Ballas said. "I recognize legal contracts are so dry and not the most exciting thing in the world, but there's a lot packed in them."
Clivner believes that the addition of Ballas to Sidley will only strengthen the firm's practice as part of an ongoing effort to bring in fresh new talent.
"What we've done at Sidley over the last decade in Los Angeles is really very special, and it's because people like Stephen have joined us to make it so special," Clivner said. "It's been a lot of recruiting and a lot of lateral movement -- we expect more to come -- and that's really elevated us in the market nationwide."

Matthew D Segal joined Stoel Rives LLP as partner in Sacramento.

Formerly the chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit in the Eastern District, Rives worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for 17 years. He now focuses his practice on internal investigations, white-collar crime and antitrust litigation.

Bradley E Wolf joined Blank Rome LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Wolf specializes in commercial law and transactional litigation on secured and unsecured debt financing. He has worked in many industries, including manufacturing, casino gaming and agricultural business.

Nicholas A Doloresco was promoted to partner of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP in Silicon Valley.

After participating in numerous high value transactions at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, private equity attorney Nicholas A. Doloresco has been elected to partner at the firm's Silicon Valley office.
Doloresco's connection to Weil goes back to his days at New York University, when he took a bankruptcy seminar with the firm's attorneys Harvey R. Miller and Michael F. Walsh. During this time he said he came to think of the firm as a "bankruptcy and restructuring powerhouse." When it came time to find his first legal job, he looked toward its Bay Area offices.
"I had the opportunity to talk to Weil partners Kyle C. Krpata and Craig Adas, and it was clear early on that Weil was the best place for me - a well-respected firm that has cultivated strong practices and great client relationships on the West Coast and beyond," Doloresco said in an interview.
Doloresco has advised client companies in transactional matters including mergers, acquisitions, equity investments and divestitures. He notably helped represent Applied Materials in a proposed $29 billion merger with Tokyo Electron Ltd., as well as Facebook in its $16 billion acquisition of WhatsApp.
"Many large, 'bet the company' deals take on a life of their own," Doloresco said. "They can be all-consuming and the amount of effort that goes into them on every level - associates, paralegals, partners and staff working across multiple offices and practice groups - is pretty amazing."
Krpata praised Doloresco's "excellence in every aspect of the job" in a prepared statement. "He has a broad skill set that enables him to handle all of the types of transactions we do in the Silicon Valley office -- from growth equity to traditional private equity, to public and private mergers and acquisitions,"
Krpata said. "He is a key member of our team and his election to partner is a significant part of our growth strategy."
Doloresco said he is gratified for the opportunity to handle a range of matters.
"It is exciting to work on large deals that make headlines, but my colleagues and I take tremendous pride in every matter we handle," he said. "Personally, I have had the good fortune of working with some great clients who are truly excited about how a deal is going to transform their company. They are really grateful for our help, and I'm very proud of those outcomes."

Paul I Barker joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as partner in San Francisco.

With a litigation career spanning continents, attorney Paul Barker is at the forefront of the especially timely and relevant field of environmental, social and governance law (ESG). Now, the former British barrister is bringing his expertise to the San Francisco office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a partner in the firm's ESG and impact practice group.
"I have several long standing connections with Kirkland and have always been impressed by how dynamic and pioneering the firm is," Barker said in an interview. "Alexandra Farmer has created an exceptional ESG and impact team in such a short space of time, so when I heard she was looking to grow the practice in the Bay Area I leapt at the opportunity."
Barker is a trained corporate attorney who practiced from Doughty Street Chambers in London. In this capacity he initially focused on public international law, finance and investment.
"My pathway to ESG practice was through my work at the London bar and at Stanford on a range of issues including international renewable energy disputes, international climate change law, and sustainable finance regulation," Barker said.
He prides himself on having litigated several cases where he feels his work has led to a positive social impact, in matters ranging from sovereign debt restructuring to business and human rights.
"I also think pro bono is very important, and have been grateful for the opportunity to work recently with Columbia Law School's Sabin Center on Climate Change, helping them draft model laws on deep decarbonization," he said.
Alexandra Farmer, the head of Kirkland's ESG and impact practice, praised Barker's skill in international arbitration, cross-border ESG and sustainable investment law.
"His multi-jurisdictional knowledge will be an asset," Farmer said in a company statement.
In joining up with Kirkland & Ellis, Barker hopes to harness his formidable ESG knowledge to aid the firm in navigating the uncertain terrain of climate-related
litigation.
"There is tremendous need from the private sector for thoughtful legal counsel in the context of climate strategies and disclosures, and sustainability linked incentives and financing, which is where I expect to spend a significant portion of my time, at least initially," Barker said. "In addition, I expect to leverage my international experience to support private funds clients in jurisdictions such as Asia, which are rapidly evolving on ESG and impact."

Neva Cirkveni joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.

Cirkveni is a business litigator with experience representing clients in diverse matters, including contract, fraud, entertainment, and investment disputes.

Taisuke (Tai) Kimoto joined Covington & Burling LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Taisuke (Tai) Kimoto co-leads the firm's Japan Practice, which advises a number of Japan's largest corporations as well as individuals, trade associations and governmental agencies on their most sensitive and complex legal challenges in the United States, Europe, China, and elsewhere. Drawing upon his long-standing relationships and robust business and legal networks in Japan, Tai serves as an ambassador of the firm to the Japanese business community and to global companies with interests in the Japanese market.

Tai is a corporate lawyer whose practice focuses on M&A transactions, general corporate matters, and real estate transactions for companies based in Japan. He also serves as an outside U.S. general counsel for a number of Japanese companies and in that capacity provides advice in many areas, including dispute resolution and employment. In 2021, Chambers Global has recognized him among the leading lawyers for Japan Corporate/M&A (expert based abroad in USA).

Tai completed his legal education at top Japanese and U.S. universities and has practiced at leading Japanese and U.S. law firms. Through this experience, he is fully bilingual/bicultural and is a trusted legal advisor, frequently advising on the difference between the U.S. and Japanese legal systems, and any cultural differences often embedded in cross border deals.

Mona Hanna was promoted to national litigation chair of Michelman & Robinson LLP in Irvine.

After 21 years and several precedent challenging cases at Michelman & Robinson LLP, Mona Hanna
has been named to head the firm's national litigation team.
Hanna was impressed by the newly formed Los Angeles firm when she faced one of its attorneys in
a high profile case. When she heard they were opening an office in Orange County she jumped at the chance to sign on as manager.
"I met the founding partners of the firm and I loved their entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that they felt
they could do anything that they put their mind to," Hanna said in a recent interview. "I felt like it was an
opportunity I had to take a chance with, and I'm obviously super glad I did."
As a specialist in class action and complex litigation, Hanna has made her name heading up precedent
challenging, multiparty, multijurisdictional cases. In one of her proudest moments, a case she successfully defended against appeal became a published, precedent-setting decision within the insurance industry. Adhav v. Midway Rent A Car Inc., 37 Cal. App. 5th 954 (Cal. App. 2019).
Sanford Michelman, co-founder and chairman of Michelman & Robinson LLP, said the firm is fortunate
to have "one of the premier litigators in the country" as its new national litigation chair.
"This year alone, Mona's been recognized as 'Orange County Lawyer of the Year (Litigation and Insurance)'
and included on a list of the 'Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California,'" Michelman said in a
statement. "This recognition was based upon her work defending newsworthy class action cases and 'bet the company' litigation matters, her uncanny ability to secure early-stage dismissals and defeat high-exposure class certified cases, and a remarkable string of courtroom victories. Truth be told, when it comes to big name litigators handling the most consequential of matters, there's no one finer than Mona Hanna."
Hanna's goal is to shepherd the litigation team through the uncertain times presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For the first time we're all practicing law remotely, taking remote hearings, appearing remotely in federal court, state court, arbitrations, mediations, and now even trials are being conducted remotely," Hanna said. "It provides us with a real challenge: How do we continue to be the powerhouse litigators that we're known to be in a new medium?"
The newly minted chair says she plans to meet these challenges with training sessions on how to effectively use exhibits and presentations in a remote setting.
"That's definitely one of the goals I've set for myself, is to take advantage of the challenges that our industry has been faced with and use it to our advantage to better serve our clients," Hanna said.

Alvaro J. Peralta joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.

Peralta is a business litigator with experience representing clients in state and federal courts in diverse matters including contract, fraud, and copyright disputes.

Janie L Thompson joined Tucker Ellis LLP as intellectual property counsel in Los Angeles.

Specializing in intellectual property and trademark law, Thompson has handled cases related to clearance, domestic and foreign prosecution, and portfolio management. She also counsels clients on regulatory compliance for online and print marketing.

Sanjay Bhandari joined Buchalter as shareholder in San Diego.

A former federal prosecutor and Securities & Exchange Commission attorney, Bhandari specializes in government investigations, white collar defense
and intellectual property law.

Bryn C Spradling joined Buchalter as shareholder in San Diego.

Spradling practices general business, corporate and health care law. He has overseen business transactions including mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, frequently representing physicians and medical groups.

Gary J Spradling joined Buchalter as counsel in San Diego.

Spradling works with startup businesses in the health care field, advising on financial needs, compensation, and ownership succession. He also negotiates mergers and acquisitions and helps resolve governance and management disputes.