Gov. Gavin Newsom
Robert A. Bonta
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as california attorney general in Sacramento.
Bonta has been a state Assembly member for Alameda County since 2012. If confirmed, he will replace Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Bonta is based in Sacramento.
Dennis D. Kim
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as director of real property at the california high- speed rail authority in Roseville.
Kim has been assistant vice president and deputy director of real property at the authority since 2019.
He is based in Roseville.
Kathryn Ellen Doi
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as california new motor vehicle board in Sacramento.
Doi has been on the board since 2013 and is a partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP.
She is based in Sacramento.
Samantha Murray
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as california fish and game commission in Del Mar.
Murray has been on the commission since 2019 and is executive director of the Master of Advanced Studies Program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
She is based in Del Mar.
Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
Renee M Gabbard
joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as partner in Irvine.
Gabbard specializes in trust, estate and succession planning.
She is based in Irvine.
Charles W. Lin
joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as partner in Irvine.
Lin focuses on advising clients in trust, estate and succession matters.
He is based in Irvine.
Address
100 Spectrum Center Dr, Ste 520 , Irvine 92618-4968 USA
T:
(949) 346-8399
F:
(619) 788-5566
Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl Inc.
Robyn B. Sokol
joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl Inc. as partner in Pasadena.
Sokol specializes in litigation and transactions related to bankruptcy law.
She is based in Pasadena.
Address
200 S Los Robles Ave, Ste 300 , Pasadena 91101-2483 USA
T:
(626) 796-4000
F:
(626) 795-6321
Blank Rome LLP
Sharon R. Klein
joined Blank Rome LLP as partner, office chair and chair of the privacy, security and data protection practice.
Klein specializes in data privacy, information security laws and regulation.
She is based in Orange County.
Alex C. Nisenbaum
joined Blank Rome LLP as partner in Orange County.
Nisenbaum focuses on data privacy, information security laws and regulation.
He is based in Orange County.
Karen H. Shin
joined Blank Rome LLP as associate in Orange County.
Shin specializes in data privacy and information security laws and regulation.
She is based in Orange County.
Address
2029 Century Park E, Ste 600 , Los Angeles 90067-2907 USA
T:
(424) 239-3400
F:
(424) 239-3434
Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP
Richard R. Sheridan
joined Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP as of counsel in San Diego.
Sheridan is the former general counsel and corporate secretary of Scripps. He specializes in governance and corporate law.
Sheridan is based in San Diego.
Address
101 West Broadway, Ninth Floor , San Diego 92101 United States
T:
(619) 237-5200
F:
(619) 615-0700
Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP
Alexa Belonick
joined Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP as partner in San Francisco.
Belonick advises companies in securities and transactional matters including public offerings, compliance, public reporting and governance.
She is based in San Francisco.
Address
One Bush Plaza Suite 1200 , San Francisco 94104 USA
T:
(415) 978-9803
F:
(415) 978-9806
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Gargi Talukder
joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner and head of the life sciences patent strategy and prosecution practice in San Francisco.
Talukder specializes in patent portfolio management, intellectual property diligence and patent prosecution.
She is based in San Francisco.
Address
405 Howard Street , San Francisco 94105-2669 USA
T:
(141) 577-3562
Montgomery Law
Frederick W. Montgomery
as founding partner
in Santa Barbara
Montgomery launched his solo practice on March 1. He specializes in family law with a focus on complex marital dissolutions involving businesses and personal assets.
He is based in Santa Barbara.
T:
(805) 560-0100
American College of Coverage Counsel
Amy B. Briggs
joined American College of Coverage Counsel as fellow in San Francisco.
Briggs is a partner at Farella Braun + Martel LLP and focuses on complex business litigation involving insurance coverage and bad faith disputes.
She is based in San Francisco.
Klinedinst PC
Alyssa Caitlin Garchie
joined Klinedinst PC as associate in San Diego.
Garchie focuses on professional liability, general liability and products liability.
She is based in San Diego.
Address
501 W. Broadway Ste. 600 , San Diego 92101 United States
T:
(619) 239-8131
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Paul D. Tripodi II
joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as partner in Los Angeles and Irvine.
Tripodi focuses on intellectual property litigation including patent, contract and licensing disputes and strategic patent counseling.
He is based in Irvine and Los Angeles and Irvine.
Address
4 Park Plz, Ste 1900 , Irvine 92614-2585 USA
T:
(949) 885-4220
F:
(949) 885-4101
Gov. Gavin Newsom
Alexandre Makler
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as member of the california water commission in Berkeley.
Makler is senior vice president of the west region of Calpine Corporation.
He is based in Berkeley.
Barry N. Steinhart
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom as deputy director of legislation at the california department of motor vehicles in Plumas Lake.
Steinhart was previously assistant executive director at the California Energy Commission.
He is based in Plumas Lake.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
Jennifer M. Urban
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon as chair of the california privacy protection agency board in Kensington.
Urban is a clinical professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law.
She is based in Kensington.
Angela Sierra
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon as member of the california privacy protection agency board in Los Angeles.
Sierra is an assistant attorney general who formerly led the public rights
division.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Lydia de la Torre
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon as member of the california privacy protection agency board in Santa Clara.
De la Torre is a professor at Santa Clara Law.
She is based in Santa Clara.
Vinhcent H. Le
joined Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon as member of the california privacy protection agency board in Oakland.
Le is a technology equity attorney at the Greenlining Institute.
He is based in Oakland.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Thaila K. Sundaresan
joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as partner in San Francisco.
Sundaresan focuses on legal matters before the Federal Communications Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, as well as other appellate and regulatory matters.
She is based in San Francisco.
Address
505 Montgomery Street Suite 800 , San Francisco 94111-6533 USA
T:
(415) 276-6500
F:
(415) 276-6599
Klinedinst PC
Bryan R. Delgado
joined Klinedinst PC as associate in Sacramento.
Delgado specializes in premises liability, professional liability, employment and personal injury matters.
He is based in Sacramento.
Address
501 W. Broadway, Ste. 600 , San Diego 92101 United States
T:
(619) 239-8131
DLA Piper LLP
Jayme Long
joined DLA Piper LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
Long specializes in complex litigation including product and premises liability, mass torts and commercial litigation.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Address
601 S Figueroa St, Ste 2500 , Los Angeles 90017-5709 USA
T:
(213) 243-6229
F:
(213) 623-9924
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Julian L. André
joined McDermott Will & Emery LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
André focuses on litigation related to government prosecutions, enforcement actions and investigations, internal investigations, complex civil disputes and appellate matters.
He is based in Los Angeles.
Address
2049 Century Park E, Ste 3200 , Los Angeles 90067-3206 USA
T:
(310) 551-9335
Foley & Lardner LLP
Dahna S. Pasternak
joined Foley & Lardner LLP as of counsel in Silicon Valley.
Pasternak specializes in life science patent prosecution.
She is based in Silicon Valley.
Address
975 Page Mill Rd , Palo Alto 94304-1013 USA
T:
(650) 251-1132
Klinedinst PC
Mark Masao Imada
joined Klinedinst PC as associate in San Diego.
Imada focuses on lawsuits brought against attorneys and other professionals as well as defending personal injury claims and other general liability cases in the insurance defense context.
He is based in San Diego.
Address
501 W. Broadway, Ste. 600 , San Diego 92101 United States
T:
(619) 239-8131
Buchalter PC
Cecilia O'Connell Miller
joined Buchalter PC as shareholder in San Diego.
Insurance coverage litigation attorney Cecilia O'Connell Miller joined Buchalter in San Diego from Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch.
"What stood out for me was the firm's established insurance recovery practice," said Miller of her decision to move. "It's over 20 years old and there are some fantastic attorneys within the practice group, who have been litigating insurance coverage issues for policyholder clients for decades."
"I was really attracted to the opportunity to grow and expand my insurance practice here with their established practice and the network of offices throughout the West Coast," she added. Miller, who was with Procopio for eight years, specializes in representing policyholders, with the bulk of her practice focusing on liability policies and helping clients obtain insurance coverage for lawsuits. Since the pandemic she, like many in her field, has been focusing on assisting clients in pursuing insurance coverage for their COVID-19 losses.
Her clients range from health care companies to financial services companies and municipalities.
"What drew me to insurance law and policyholder work was when I started as an attorney at Latham and I had the opportunity to work on cases like the Montrose case, which really is a gold standard for defense coverage for policyholders. Montrose Chemical Corp. v. Admiral Ins. Co., 10 Cal. 4th 645 (Cal. 1995).
What I found is that insurance law is really a specialized form of contract law and insurance litigation is a specialized form of civil commercial litigation," she said, adding insurance law provided a marriage of both of those interests.
"When I meet my clients, they're in a difficult situation, they're facing a lawsuit or they're facing a catastrophic fire at their home, and they're looking to their carrier to abide by their promises," she said. "My favorite part of the practice is being able to obtain insurance coverage for my clients, giving them the peace of mind that they do, in fact, have the coverage that they procured." Miller is a member of the Lawyers Club of San Diego and is a former chair of the insurance and bad faith section of the San Diego County Bar Association.
She also has an active pro bono practice that has included projects with Free to Thrive, a San Diego nonprofit that provides legal and supportive services to survivors of human trafficking.
Address
655 W Broadway Ste 1600 , San Diego 92101-8494 USA
T:
(619) 219-5335
F:
(949) 720-0182
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Jenny-Anne S. Flores
was promoted to litigation manager of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in Los Angeles.
Flores will focus on litigation guidelines compliance, budgeting and defense strategy, working with the firm's Litigation Practice Group.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
James Turken
joined Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP as partner in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Turken specializes in litigation related to commercial disputes, intellectual property, securities, enforcement defense, labor and employment.
He is based in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Rebecca Lawlor Calkins
joined Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
Calkins specializes in litigation related to media, copyright and trademark
law.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Neil Paresh Thakor
joined Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP as associate in Los Angeles.
Thakor specializes in commercial litigation.
He is based in Los Angeles.
Address
555 South Flower Street, 41st Floor , Los Angeles 90071 USA
T:
(121) 389-2920
F:
(121) 389-2920
Contra Costa County Bar Association
Andrew R. Verriere
joined Contra Costa County Bar Association as board director in Orinda.
Verriere is a principal at Hartog, Baer & Hand APC and specializes in trust and estate litigation, conservatorship litigation and financial elder abuse.
He is based in Orinda.
Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP
Thomas R. Sestanovich
joined Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP as partner in Los Angeles.
Sestanovich specializes in sales, acquisitions, securitized financing and negotiating and documenting leases for office, retail and industrial properties nationwide.
He is based in Los Angeles.
Alan M. Bergman
joined Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.
Bergman specializes in real estate matters related to commercial, industrial and multi-residential properties.
He is based in Los Angeles.
Christine Ciarlo
joined Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP as associate in Los Angeles.
Ciarlo focuses on various types of real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, land development, asset management and business expansion.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Address
1888 Century Park E, Ste 1500 , Los Angeles 90067-1719 USA
T:
(310) 255-6100
F:
(310) 255-6200
Dykema Gossett PLLC
James S Azadian
was promoted to member, colead of appellate and complex motion practice of Dykema Gossett PLLC in Los Angeles.
Azadian specializes his appellate practice on business and constitutional issues.
He is based in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
American College of Trial Lawyers
Jeffrey M. Fisher
joined American College of Trial Lawyers as fellow in San Francisco.
Fisher is a partner at Farella Braun + Martel LLP and cochairs the litigation department.
He is based in San Francisco.
K & L Gates LLP
Daniel W. Fox
was promoted to partner of K & L Gates LLP in San Francisco.
Fox focuses on commercial disputes, product liability defense and environmental litigation.
He is based in San Francisco.
Saman Rejali
was promoted to partner of K & L Gates LLP in Los Angeles.
Rejali specializes in litigation related to labor and employment and commercial disputes.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Office of the U.S. Secretary of Energy
Karen Skelton
joined Office of the U.S. Secretary of Energy as senior advisor in Washington D.C..
Skelton is the CEO and founder of policy and political consulting firm Skelton Strategies. She is a former director of strategic partnerships at the Global Climate Action Summit under Gov. Jerry Brown.
She is based in Washington D.C.
Isaacs Friedberg LLP
Paul Murtagh
was promoted to partner of Isaacs Friedberg LLP in Los Angeles.
Murtagh specializes in complex commercial litigation including class actions, competitive business disputes, government litigation and insurance coverage disputes.
He is based in Los Angeles.
Davis Wright Tremaine
Michelle Quijano
joined Davis Wright Tremaine as of counsel in Los Angeles.
Quijano was vice president of legal affairs at NBC and specializes in production issues including talent, acquisition and rights agreements, intellectual and trademark matters.
She is based in Los Angeles.
Address
865 South Figueroa Street Suite 2400 , Los Angeles 90017-2566 USA
T:
(213) 633-6800
F:
(213) 633-6899