Elias Dabaie was promoted to partner of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP - Los Angeles, CA in Century City.

Elias Dabaie focuses on complex commercial litigation and advises clients in a wide range of high-stakes disputes, with particular emphasis on claims involving breach of contract, business torts, consumer fraud and products liability. His clients span a diverse array of industries, including real estate finance, professional sports and multinational retail.

With expertise in all aspects of litigation-including serving as lead counsel in several trials and obtaining lucrative settlements-Mr. Dabaie's commitment to his clients' success has earned him a reputation for fierce advocacy and imaginative litigation strategies.

Misty Ann Murray was promoted to partner of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Murray counsels and defends insurers in matters involving coverage disputes, unfair competition, welfare benefits plans concerning ERISA benefit claims and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as insurance bad faith.

Robert Edward Hess was promoted to partner of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Hess focuses his practice on a wide range of disability, life, and health insurance litigation. Practicing at both the trial and appellate levels, Mr. Hess has litigated hundreds of cases, primarily defending insurers in cases involving insurance breach of contract and bad faith claims and ERISA‐governed cases involving employee welfare benefit plans.

Vivian Orlando was promoted to partner of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Orlando's practice focuses on life, health and disability insurance, and she routinely handles insurance bad faith litigation, and litigation involving the defense of unfair competition claims, fraud/misrepresentation claims, elder abuse claims, STOLI and IOLI claims, claims concerning insurance-related investment products, coverage disputes, long term care related disputes, customer complaints, suitability related disputes, and general business matters.

Ophir Johna was promoted to partner of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Johna focuses his practice in the areas of life, health, disability, and long-term care disputes ranging from matters involving bad faith and punitive damage exposure to ERISA-governed litigation. He also has experience representing health insurers and health care plans in payor-provider disputes and litigating matters involving agent and broker sales practices as well as insurance and annuity suitability.

Richard Bryan Hopkins II was promoted to partner of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Hopkins focuses his practice on complex litigation and regulatory matters, with particular emphasis on health care payor/provider disputes, life insurance fraud actions, business practices, claims handling practices, reinsurance, trade secrets, insolvency, and inter-company disputes. He regularly represents business entities, including insurers, health plans, underwriters and holding companies in a variety of contexts, such as federal and state class actions, arbitrations, administrative hearings, regulatory investigations and market conduct examinations.

Alison Jaroch Shilling was promoted to associate of Maynard Cooper & Gale, LLP in Los Angeles.

Shilling defends the interests of businesses and individuals in litigation and has extensive experience advising on matters involving reinsurance and insurance treaties and contracts, both domestically and internationally.

David Kwasniewski was promoted to partner of BraunHagey & Borden LLP in San Francisco.

David Kwasniewski is a partner at BraunHagey & Borden. David has extensive experience on both plaintiff and defense sides of complex commercial and intellectual property disputes. He has served as lead counsel in federal and state court trials, and has obtained multiple federal and state appellate victories.

David has successfully defended a number of food, beverage, and supplement manufacturers in Proposition 65, false advertising, and CLRA disputes, including obtaining dismissals of a Proposition 65 challenge to TerraSoul Superfoods' raw cacao powder and a false advertising claim against RiteAid's house-brand body wash and hand lotion. Additionally, David conducted expert discovery and served as trial counsel to Broadcom in an ITC Investigation brought against some of the largest television manufacturers in the world, which resulted in a favorable settlement. David obtained a precedential opinion from the Federal Circuit reversing the dismissal of his client's trade secret claim, brought against Goodyear for their theft of self-inflating tire technology.

David is also committed to serving clients in need on a pro bono basis. David has obtained multiple favorable Ninth Circuit rulings for former inmates whose civil rights were violated, including a precedential opinion confirming that prison officials are not due any deference when they violate rights without any security-based justification.

John D. Cooke was promoted to partner of Bergeson LLP in Silicon Valley.

Cooke represents clients in civil litigation, criminal and regulatory matters, and corporate investigations. Prior to joining the Bergeson firm, Cooke was an assistant U.S. attorney for 12 years in the Northern District of Illinois as well as in the Northern Districts of California and New York. He led complex investigations, prosecutions, and trials in a range of matters, including fraud, money laundering, cybercrime, public corruption, violent crime, and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. As a result of his prosecution and trial of leaders of a violent street gang for RICO violations, John was tapped to coordinate the U.S. Attorney's Office's racketeering investigations amid an upswell in violent crime in Chicago. In addition to his experience in federal criminal litigation, Cooke represented the United States in civil litigation, including fraud matters under the False Claims Act and employment disputes.

Evan Peña was promoted to partner of Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP in San Diego.

Evan has wide-ranging experience with both large-scale class action lawsuits and single plaintiff litigation matters. He is an accomplished public speaker and has led presentations and trainings at large conferences and internal sessions regarding investigations, reasonable accommodations, and avoiding workplace harassment. He joined the firm in 2013.

Camille Gustafson was promoted to partner of Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP in San Diego.

Camille joined the firm in 2014 and has developed a significant practice counseling employers to ensure their policies comply with the law. Camille also litigates wage-hour and PAGA claims and has extensive experience with matters before the EEOC, DFEH and other agencies.

Jeff Michalowski was promoted to partner of Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP in San Diego.

Jeff first joined Paul, Plevin in 2013, left in 2019 to serve at the San Diego Office of County Counsel for the Appellate and Supreme Court, and has now rejoined the firm as Partner. Jeff has extensive experience litigating employment law cases in state and federal court and is a practiced appellate attorney, authoring over 75 briefs in the Courts of Appeal and handling matters before both the California and the United States Supreme Courts. He has an active pro bono practice and is also an instructor at CSUSM.

Sandy McDonough was promoted to managing partner of Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP in San Diego.

Sandy was elected Managing Partner effective January 1, 2022. She joined the firm in 2000 and has focused her practice on both the public and private sector, representing employers in every aspect of employment litigation, obtaining favorable results in arbitration and in court. Sandy was recognized as one of 2020's 500 Most Influential People in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. She has been named to Best Lawyers® list of The Best Lawyers in America in Employment Law – Management since 2017 and San Diego Super Lawyers since 2018.

Judge Judy H. Hersher joined Judicate West as neutral in Sacramento.

Judicate West welcomes retired Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Judy H. Hersher to its exclusive roster of neutrals. She is based in the Sacramento office and is available for mediations, arbitrations and private judging and Special Master assignments statewide.

Karen Ahearn was promoted to partner of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP - Los Angeles, CA in Century City.

Karen Ahearn, a partner in Glaser Weil's Real Estate Department, provides clients with a full range of real estate and development services. She assists clients with financing acquisitions, developments, leasing and land use. Her diversity of experience includes shopping centers, mixed-use projects and residential developments.

Before joining the Firm, Ms. Ahearn specialized in insurance coverage matters. Thus, Ms. Ahearn is in a unique position to advise clients on an entire range of ancillary issues that arise in real estate transactions, including insurance needs and indemnification agreements.

Matthew Jann was promoted to partner of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP - Los Angeles, CA in Century City.

Jann, a member of Glaser Weil's Corporate Department, maintains a broad corporate transactional practice with a focus on the purchase and sale of businesses and securities. He is experienced in all aspects of the purchase and sale process beginning with due diligence and the preparation of letters of intent, to the negotiation and documentation of purchase agreements and ancillary transaction documents, to the review and preparation of fairness opinions, and finally to post-closing dispute resolution. He has represented clients in the successful purchase and sale of businesses in a wide range of industries, including medical practices, construction, traditional and green energy, manufacturing, environmental systems, IT services, real estate holdings, food and liquor manufacturing and wholesaling, e-commerce, and ad-tech and marketing services. In addition to his M&A practice, Jann acts as outside corporate counsel assisting clients with the negotiation and documentation of key business agreements and governance matters, including agreements detailing partner and shareholder rights, loans and security interests, employment, non-competition, confidentiality, and commercial terms and conditions.

Sherry-Maria Safchuk was promoted to partner of Buckley LLP in Los Angeles.

Sherry-Maria Safchuk represents clients in regulatory and compliance matters and provides support for complex litigation and government investigations involving the mortgage, consumer, and commercial lending industries. She also has a focus on federal and state privacy and cybersecurity issues, including those related to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Ali Abugheida was promoted to partner of Buckley LLP in San Francisco.

Ali Abugheida represents corporate and individual clients in complex civil litigation and government enforcement actions, with a focus on matters involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and unfair and deceptive trade-practice statutes.

Michael Scott Eisenbaum was promoted to managing partner of Gray•Duffy, LLP in Encino.

Michael Eisenbaum Elected as New Managing Partner of Gray•Duffy, LLP effective January 1, 2022.

Eisenbaum will oversee the firm's two offices, including Redwood City, California. Eisenbaum has a diversified practice which includes extensive litigation experience. He has successfully represented hundreds of individuals and businesses in the areas of premises liability, contract liability and enforcement, construction defect, product liability, professional liability, personal injury, and property damage litigation. Eisenbaum obtained his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Colorado State University.

Charles Edward Slyngstad was promoted to partner of Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP in Los Angeles.

Charles E. Slyngstad, partner and Chair of Burke's Litigation practice, has been appointed General Counsel for the firm. Slyngstad has served as lead trial counsel in a number of high profile cases involving Burke's public sector and private sector clients. He is a certified specialist in Legal Malpractice Law by the Board of Legal Specialization for the State Bar of California. In his expanded role as Burke's General Counsel, Slyngstad will help guide decisions on all legal, risk, and compliance issues affecting the firm.

Jesse Levin was promoted to partner of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP - Los Angeles, CA in Century City.

Jesse Levin is a problem solver. For clients that face high-stakes disputes in corporate, entertainment, employment, real estate, and general commercial litigation, he is an aggressive advocate and a dedicated advisor. Mr. Levin takes pride in being responsive to his clients' unique concerns, and understanding the impacts litigation can have on his clients' attention and bottom lines. With that understanding, he helps each of his clients identify and pursue their objectives in litigation efficiently, and when necessary, relentlessly.

Mr. Levin's maintains a diverse practice built upon his extensive experience in both defending and prosecuting claims for breaches of contract and fiduciary duties; profit participation and royalty disputes; employment claims and wage & hour violations; class actions; intellectual property infringement and trade secret violations. Mr. Levin also routinely represents and advises partners and corporate officers and directors in matters of business divorce, internal investigations, and professional liability.

Recently, Mr. Levin prevailed on behalf of a management company suing for seven figures in unpaid royalties and defeated counter-claims for alleged violations of the Talent Agencies Act after a two-week arbitration. In a recent real estate matter before the Los Angeles Superior Court, Mr. Levin won a motion for summary judgment of contract claims that alleged over $150,000,000 in damages.


A life-long Angeleno, Mr. Levin received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California, and his law degree from UCLA Law. Year after year, he is repeatedly selected as a "Rising Star" by Southern California Super Lawyers.

Aaron L. Osten was promoted to partner of Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP in Santa Monica.

Osten focuses on catastrophic personal injury, business and employment litigation, wrongful death, and legal malpractice. He has helped effectively litigate and settle a wide range of cases for the firm, including an $8 million jury verdict he helped obtain in a sexual harassment and wrongful termination case involving a whistleblower who sued a celebrity yoga guru.

Jill M. Manning joined Pearson, Simon & Warshaw LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Manning specializes in plaintiffs-side antitrust litigation. She has successfully sued several major companies including Apple.