Navneeta Rekhi joined Latham & Watkins LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Rekhi joined Latham & Watkins LLP's mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices in San Francisco Dec. 1. Rekhi joined the firm from Kirkland & Ellis, where she practiced for just under 9 years.
"It was an opportunity to partner with a top tier platform and help [Latham] grow their presence in the Bay Area," Rekhi said of the move. "They are already doing great work, and I think this is an opportunity to kind of bring my strengths to bear in a place where there's already an incredible platform available."
The firm's breadth, depth, international platform and the ability to further her practice was what drew her to the opportunity at Latham, she said.
Rekhi describes her focus as a broad private equity practice.
The bulk of her work involves the representation of private equity funds and private companies in matters such as mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, distressed acquisitions, minority investments and in-court and out-of-court restructuring.
Notable work she has done in the past includes the representation of Oaktree Capital Management in its acquisition of apparel company Quiksilver as well as the representation of Quiksilver in its acquisition of Billabong.
"My favorite part is collaborating with clients and often parties on the other side to kind of obtain an outcome that both sides are pleased with," she added. "I just genuinely really enjoy the process of deal making and, especially in private equity, being creative to come up with the right solutions to hard problems."
Outside of her practice, Rekhi is involved in various outreach programs and initiatives through her alma maters and has been involved in educational programs focused on low-income youth in the U.S. and abroad.
Prior to Kirkland & Ellis, Rekhi was a corporate associate at Proskauer Rose LLP. She earned her J.D. from Northwestern California University School of Law.

Eddie A. Jauregui joined Holland & Knight LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Holland & Knight has expanded its white collar defense and investigations practice in Los Angeles with the addition of Eddie A. Jauregui as a partner, the firm announced Nov. 23. Jauregui is a former prosecutor and most recently served as deputy chief in the U.S. attorney's office in the Central District of California.
"I had a phenomenal experience in the U.S. attorney's office," said Jauregui. "I got to work with some really incredible people there and it was the greatest privilege."
Jauregui had been with the U.S. attorney's office for six years when the opportunity to join Holland & Knight arose.
"What Holland & Knight was looking to do was expand their white collar presence on the West Coast," he explained. "So it really just provided a great opportunity for somebody like me, who was seeking to develop a white collar practice here and also do some of the work that I did before I was in the government, which was white collar criminal defense and internal and corporate investigations."
Additionally, the firm's commitment to diversity also made the opportunity stand out, Jauregui said.
During his time at the U.S. attorney's office, Jauregui was involved in several high profile cases including the prosecution and conviction of former Los Angeles County sheriff Leroy Baca and undersheriff Paul Tanaka for obstruction of justice.
Most recently Jauregui was deputy chief of the general crimes section, where he helped to train and supervise new prosecutors on cases related to violent and organized crime, drug and gun trafficking, bank and wire fraud, threats against federal officers and identity theft.
"I'm looking forward to working with the many talented former AUSAs at Holland & Knight and supporting our clients' white collar and internal investigation needs on the West Coast," he added. "The firm also has an expansive footprint in Latin America. They're doing some exciting work there including in the investigation space, so I'm hoping to not just develop a white collar criminal defense and investigations practice on the West Coast, but also potentially in Latin America."

Scott J Street joined Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Street represents plaintiffs and defendants in business litigation.
He is based in Los Angeles.

Chet A. Cramin joined Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP as partner in Orange County.

Cramin specializes in real estate and business transactional law.
He is based in Orange County.

Nancy J.W. Brown joined Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Brown represents insurers in coverage disputes and insurance related litigation.
She is based in Los Angeles.

Susannah J. Galiano joined LightGabler as attorney in LightGabler, Camarillo, CA.

Galiano specializes in labor and employment law. She counsels employers in the discipline and discharge of employees, counseling and documentation, and litigation disputes including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
She is based in Camarillo.

George Albutt joined LightGabler as attorney in LightGabler, Camarillo, CA.

Albutt is a civil litigator, who specializes in employment law. He also has experience in wildfire tort litigation, real estate litigation and personal injury defense.
He is based in Camarillo.

Elizabeth L. Harrier joined LightGabler as attorney in LightGabler, Camarillo, CA.

Harrier is a civil litigation attorney representing clients in disputes related to automobile liability, insurance coverage and premises liability.
She is based in Camarillo.

Chris Carr joined Paul Hastings LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Carr advises businesses, land developers, individuals, public agencies and nonprofits in environmental and natural resource law.
He is based in San Francisco.

Navi Dhillon joined Paul Hastings LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Dhillon advises clients in infrastructure, energy, hedge funds, mining, timber, agriculture and technology sectors with complex litigation and regulatory matters.
He is based in San Francisco

Neal A. Fisher Jr. joined Perkins Coie LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Employment litigator Neal A. Fisher Jr. has joined Perkins Coie's labor and employment practice in Los Angeles as a partner.
"Perkins offered me an opportunity to expand my platform and continue servicing my existing clients, who are in the technology and retail industry," said Fisher. "I was afforded the opportunity to start building out a team around me of diverse individuals, which I consider to be very important, as well as help Perkins grow its footprint in California and the D.C. Metro Area."
"With this platform that we have here, you really are afforded an opportunity to assist clients with any and all sorts of matters, litigation or otherwise. So with the resources that are now at my disposal, I'm certainly looking forward to expanding my representation and helping introduce my clients to all that Perkins has to offer," he added.
Fisher represents management in employment litigation and alternative dispute resolution and counsels clients in employment policy matters such as workforce restructuring, hiring and disciplinary issues.
He joined Perkins Coie on Tuesday from Davis Wright Tremaine, where he practiced for five years and most recently was counsel. He was involved in the firm's diversity inclusion efforts and mentored young attorneys.
"I would take the time to really sit down and go through every single sort of issue I spotted with some of the work just to make sure that people understood why I made the changes that I made because this is a luxury I didn't necessarily have growing up in the profession," Fisher explained. "Sometimes you're thrown in the fire, so I sort of try to practice, at least in how I handle the people who support me, the way that I would have wished someone would have done with me."
Fisher is much involved in the young lawyers division of the National Bar Association. He has served pro bono in asylum and voter fraud cases.

Keri Curtis Axel was promoted to partner of Baker Marquart in Los Angeles.

Axel is a trial and appellate lawyer with a focus on white collar criminal and government enforcement defense and complex civil litigation.
She is based in Los Angeles.

Teresa L. Huggins was promoted to partner of Baker Marquart in Los Angeles.

Huggins focuses on complex commercial litigation related to intellectual property and financial technology.
She is based in Los Angeles.

Emily Stephens joined Vinson & Elkins LLP as partner in San Francisco, Los Angeles.

Vinson & Elkins announced the addition of Emily Stephens as a partner in the investment funds practice last Wednesday. She joined the firm from financial technology startup Capital Technology Solutions, where she was vice chairman for almost a year.
"I realized after I was helping the startup get on its feet that I really missed investment management fund formation work," said Stephens. "I initially thought I was going to do my own firm, and in reaching out to tell people about referrals and to keep me in mind that's when Vinson & Elkins said, 'Wait a second. Why don't you come and build this practice out under our umbrella? This is something that we would be really interested in expanding as well.'"
"I had originally not thought about it because they don't have an L.A. office," Stephens explained. "But the eventual goal is to open one and build out our presence here on the West Coast. So, the more I thought about it, it was just a win win."
Since Nov. 4, she has been practicing out of the San Francisco office.
Stephens had worked alongside Vinson & Elkins' attorneys during her time at Oaktree Capital Management, where she held managing director roles. She fundraised for the largest funds, before joining Capital Technology Solutions earlier this year.
"I think that I do offer a unique perspective compared to other outside counsel because I was on the front line for 14 years, inside understanding the internal issues ... and I was also an investor," she said. "I bring that experience to the table, which will be invaluable to helping clients."

Phillip Robert Kaplan joined Umberg/Zipser LLP as partner in Irvine.

Kaplan is a business trial lawyer and specializes in disputes related to real estate development, securities, mergers and acquisitions, government procurement, technology and product liability.
He is based in Irvine.