Class Notes

• Class Notes 2020 - 29
  • Harjot Dhillon '20 has been appointed Deputy District Attorney of Santa Clara County. 2/21
  • Nicole Englanoff Herzberg '20 joined Youngman Reitshtein as an associate. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Ajwang Rading ’20 has joined the race for a congressional seat to represent Silicon Valley. 09/21
  • Jeremy Weese ’20 received an honorable mention award in the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s 2021 “Rule of Law” writing competition for his UCLA Law Review article “The (Un)Holy Shield: Rethinking the Ministerial Exception” 04/21
  • Vukie S. Mpofu ’21 was named Manager of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs for the LA Kings.  Click here to read more. 06/21
  • Penny Rosenberg '21 was named editor of the Albany Democrat-Herald, the Corvallis Gazette-Times, and the Lebanon Express newspapers in Oregon. Please click here to read more. 09/21
• Class Notes 2010 - 2019
  • Elina Avakian '10 was named the winner of the inaugural 2021 LA Times In-House Counsel Leadership Award in the Mid-Sized Public Company category. Avakian is Senior Counsel for Snap Inc. 07/21
  • Jenna Glassock '10 joined Lido Advisors LLC to expand the firm's wealth planning services. Jenna is the founding attorney of Glassock Law APC and has expertise in estate planning and trust administration. 10/20
  • Emily Haan '10 has joined UC Hastings College of the Law as Director of Student Services. 04/20
  • Dana Lee ’10 has joined UC Irvine as an Assistant Professor and as the Mohannad and Rana Malas Scholar in Islamic Legal Studies. Prior to her appointment, she was a research fellow at the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School for the 2019–2020 academic year. 07/20
  • Sharlene Lee ’10 was elected shareholder at Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner PC. 04/21
  • Mary Prendergast ’10 has been promoted to partner at Morrison & Foerster's Washington D.C. office. She is a member of the Litigation Department and part of the firm’s Patent Litigation, Trade Secrets, and ITC Litigation Groups. Mary is a trial lawyer with extensive experience litigating patent and trade secrets cases in district courts across the country and at the ITC. 01/20
  • Ira Steinberg '10 was promoted to partner at the law firm of Greenberg Glusker LLP. Steinberg practices complex commercial and business litigation in the technology, real estate, entertainment, and media fields. 01/21
  • Az Virji ’10 was promoted to General Counsel of Marlin Equity Partners. 11/21
  • Jeremy Avila '11 has been appointed as Chief Counsel of the California Department of Aging. He has been Deputy County Counsel of Santa Clara County since 2019. 02/21
  • Katherine Bissett '11 was made partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP. Bissett is a commercial finance attorney on the firm’s Capital Markets Team and specializes in representing lenders and borrowers in all their real estate finance needs. 01/21
  • Alan Butler '11 was named Executive Director of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Alan has served as Interim Executive Director since April 2020. 02/21
  • Drew Capurro ’11 was named partner at Latham & Watkins LLP. He is a member of the Corporate Department who focuses his practice on corporate representation, with an emphasis on capital markets and corporate governance matters. 01/20
  • Andrew Cosgrove ’11 joins LendingUSA as general counsel and chief compliance officer. He leads LendingUSA’s legal, compliance and regulatory management functions and reports directly to the company’s founder and CEO, Camilo Concha. 01/20
  • Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter '11 made partner at Gibson Dunn. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Drew Harbur '11 joined Allen Matkins as partner. Click here for more info. 09/21
  • Kendall Johnson '11 has been named one of Hollywood's New Leaders of 2021 by Variety. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Vandana Kapur '11 was elected Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California. Vandana is an associate in the Employment Services Group at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Los Angeles. 05/20
  • Nick Kennedy '11 made partner at Baker McKenzie, where he sits in the Dallas office and focuses on international arbitration and commercial litigation throughout the United States and worldwide. 08/20
  • Darcy Meals '11 has been appointed to a two-year term on the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee. Meals, a graduate of the UCLA Epstein Public Interest Program, was selected because of her commitment to expanding public interest opportunities on law campuses across the country. 09/20
  • Krysta Kauble Pachman '11 has been named a partner with Susman Godfrey LLP. 01/20
  • Mary Tanagho Ross '11 led a class action lawsuit which overturned a government policy affecting the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children. 01/20
  • Michael Seiden '11 joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in their Real Estate Practice. 07/20
  • Anne-Sophie Skrebers '11 was promoted to Head of Intellectual Property at the European Broadcasting Union. 05/21
  • Scott Timpe '11 was elected shareholder at Polsinelli. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Lauren Woodland ’11 reprised her role as Brittany Hodges on The Young and the Restless during the show's Summer Fun Week. Woodland is a Senior Counsel at Novian & Novian LLP in Century City. She is a civil litigator specializing in business and entertainment litigation. 07/20
  • Daniel Belzer '12 was promoted to partner at Sheppard Mullin. He is a member of the firm's Corporate practice group and is based in the Century City office. 02/21
  • Alisha Burgin '12 joined the board of Bet Tzedek. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Cara Dessert '12 was appointed to the Healthy California for All Commission by the Senate Rules Committee. Dessert currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Click here to read more. 02/21
  • Joshua Escovedo '12 was elected to shareholder at Weintraub Tobin. 01/21
  • Kendall Johnson '12 has been elected partner of Latham & Watkins in Century City, Los Angeles. She is a member of the firm's Corporate Department who works at the intersection of entertainment, sports, and media. 01/21
  • Rachel Landy '12 joined YouTube's government affairs and public policy team (at Google) to be the global lead for music policy. 04/20
  • Elizabeth Levin '12 was promoted to partner at Manatt. She is part of their real estate group. 01/21
  • Karen Lorang '12 made partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson. She has extensive experience in real estate law. 02/21
  • Joshua McDaniel '12 was appointed head of Harvard Law School's Religious Freedom Clinic. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Chris Myers '12 has been elected to a partnership at Holland & Hart. 01/21
  • Luis A. Patiño ’12 was promoted to Vice President at ViacomCBS. 04/21
  • Abigail Stecker Romero '12 joined Arrow Electronics, Inc. as corporate counsel in Denver, specializing in employment matters. 06/21
  • Brandon Golob '13 was named the 2020-2021 Professor of the Year for the University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology. 07/21
  • Tanya Franklin '13 was elected to become Board Member for the Los Angeles Unified School District 7. 12/20
  • Nicole M. Howell '13 was promoted to counsel in the Corporate group of Skadden's Los Angeles office. 06/21
  • Sarah E. Moses '13 joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, as counsel in their Entertainment Group. Click here to read more.10/21
  • Zachary Thompson ’13 was promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins. A member of the Investment Funds Practice in the Corporate Department, he represents private fund sponsors, investors, and joint venture participants in forming, investing in, and operating private investment funds. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • David Kramer '14 was promoted to partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP. 04/21
  • Ines Gillich '15 finished her post-PhD qualification (“Habilitation”) at the University of Cologne/Germany. The Habilitation, or post-doctoral degree, is the highest university degree that can be awarded in Germany and is a prerequisite to work as a Full Law Professor. 07/21
  • Peter A. Griffin '15 was awarded the California Minority Counsel Program's (CMCP) Marci Rubin Emerging Diversity Leader Award, which is given to those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. 09/20
  • Jessica Krouner '15 joined Wasser, Cooperman & Mandles as an associate. 07/21
  • Kelly Orians '15 joined the University of Virginia School of Law faculty as the director of the school's new decarceration clinic. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Delaram Peykar '15 joined Fox Rothschild LLP in its Los Angeles office as an associate in the Taxation & Wealth Planning Department. 08/21
  • Lindsey Shi ’15 was promoted to Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. 11/21
  • Christina Behrman '16 joined the board of the Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara. Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara is a local nonprofit providing comprehensive mental health care to thousands of patients since 1976. 04/20
  • Aurore Boussemard ’16 joined Franklin Templeton as corporate counsel. 11/21
  • Iricel Payano'16 has joined law firm Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney as an Associate in New York. 4/21
  • Geneva E. Thompson '16 has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency. Click here to read more. 04/21 
  • Michael Zorkin '16 left Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP to launch his own litigation practice concentrating on health care and business disputes. 04/21
  • Brian Fink '17 wrote a legal guidebook for farm businesses on complying with federal food-safety and labeling laws, which has been published by the National Farmers Union under a grant from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. He was also named a 2021 New York Metro Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the area of Food and Drug Law. 04/21
  • Daniel J. Matloubian ’17 joined Snell & Wilmer’s Orange County office. He is a private client services attorney, and his practice focuses on complex trust and estate litigation, as well as trust and estate administration. 11/21
  • Addison H. DiSesa '18 joined Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise LLP as an associate focusing on high net worth trust, probate and conservatorship litigation. Prior to joining Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise, DiSesa was a litigation associate at Reed Smith LLP in the Global Commercial Disputes practice group. 04/21
  • Kathleen Foley '18 has joined Goldstein & Russell, P.C., as an associate. Goldstein & Russell is an appellate litigation boutique with a focus on practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. 10/21
  • Rebecca Ney Robinson ’18 joined Eden Health as corporate counsel. 09/21
  • Kelsey E. Clayton '19 joined Sullivan Hill as an associate litigation attorney in the San Diego office. She will be a member of the firm's Commercial and Business Litigation, Construction Law, and Insurance Coverage practice groups. 04/21
  • Mathew A. Leonard '19 joined Carlton Fields as an associate in the Los Angeles office. He is a member of the firm's Business Litigation Practice. 08/21

   

• Class Notes 2000 - 2009
  • Melissa Dagodag '00 has had her own law firm in Beverly Hills for 14 years. She handles transactional matters related to intellectual property, as well as music, film, and fashion contracts. 10/20
  • Michael Weil '00 joined Morgan, Lewis & Bockius as partner in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices. Click here for more info. 06/21
  • Peter Ballance '01 has joined the Los Angeles office of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP as a partner in the national Real Estate Group. 10/20
  • Camille Carey '01 has been named Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • John Carrigan '01 of Cozen O'Connor, had an article about getting your workforce vaccinated without being sued featured in Law360 and it reached #1 of their top ten articles. 01/21
  • Rasha Gerges Shields '01 has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Ur Jaddou '01, President Biden's pick to head U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), was confirmed by the Senate, making her the first woman and first person of Arab and Mexican descent to lead the agency. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Alphonsie Nelson '01 has been named Managing Partner of the Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.'s Atlanta office. 01/21
  • Allen Seto '01 is appointed chief legal officer of FinancialForce. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Natalie Fields '02 celebrated a decade of Accountability Counsel, the non-profit legal organization she founded and directs that has supported 2 million people in 50 countries to have their voices heard when their rights are violated. 02/20
  • Johanna Schiavoni ’02 recently joined the specialty appellate boutique firm California Appellate Law Group LLP, launching the firm's San Diego office. She also just completed her term as the 2020 President of the San Diego County Bar Association and was appointed by San Diego's Mayor as the 2021 Chair of the Board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. 02/2
  • Diego Cartagena ’03 was appointed to the California Access to Justice Commission. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Michelle Decasas '03 has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. DeCasas has served as a Deputy City Attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office since 2007. 04/20
  • Andrew Kendall ’03 was appointed to serve as a judge on the Kern County Superior Court. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Lisa Laffer '03 has been promoted to Principal and will join Regent Properties (Regent) Executive Team. Previously Laffer served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at the real estate investment and development firm. 03/21
  • Songhai Miguda-Armstead '03 has been selected to lead a "Care First, Jails Last" initiative to implement a broad set of alternatives to incarceration. Armstead is scheduled to retire from the Superior Court bench this month. 09/20
  • Phuong Phillips ’03 has been named one of Legal Momentum's 2021 honorees at their 16th Annual Women of Achievement Awards. 02/21
  • Todd Piro ’03 currently serves as lead anchor of Fox & Friends First. 08/20
  • Abigail Zelenski '03 is serving as the 2021 President the Philippine American Bar Association, the largest local association of Filipino American lawyers in the United States. 09/21
  • Arti Bhimani '04 has joined Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in their Los Angeles office as Senior Counsel. Arti most recently served as Deputy General Counsel and head of litigation for a leading global healthcare nonprofit. 02/21
  • Phillip E. Carter ’04 was appointed as Senior Director for Legal at Salesforce, responsible for the legal team supporting the company's public sector sales in the U.S. and Canada. Alongside this work, Carter continues to teach government contracts and national security law as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. 04/21 
  • Cheryl M. Lott '04 began her term as a voting alumni Regent on the University of California Board of Regents. the governing body for all ten UC campuses and six healthcare systems on July 1, 2021. Lott also serves as the Vice President of the Alumni Associations of the University of California and is the immediate Past President of the UCLA Alumni Association, serving 500,000 living alumni world-wide. She is also a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Directors. 06/21
  • J. Carlos Orellana '04 became the District Counsel of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Valley Water is a California special district providing Silicon Valley safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. Orellana advises the elected Board of Directors and staff, and is responsible for all in-house counsel, outside counsel, and risk management for the agency. 07/21
  • Kelly Pope ’04 was honored by Sacramento Magazine as a 2021 Top Lawyer in Eminent Domain and Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor areas. 06/21
  • David Ambroz '05 has been named President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. 02/21
  • Pallavi Dhawan ’05 is now the Director of Domestic Violence Policy and Prevention for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. 06/20
  • Shana Elson '05 launched the world's first customizable-on-the-spot chocolate store in Ventura, California. At the store customers can choose premium milk, white or dark chocolate, select their toppings from various nuts, dried fruit, candy, cookies and salty snacks and decide whether they want their creation handmade into a bar, squares or hearts. 08/20
  • Julie Goldstein '05 was appointed President-Elect of the Bucks County Bar Association for a one-year term. 01/21
  • David Guess '05 joined the Orange County office of Greenberg Traurig, LLC as a Shareholder. Although as a member of the firm's sizable Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group David will be involved in bankruptcy cases across the country, he will play a leading role in West Coast bankruptcy cases. 11/19
  • Eric Scarazzo '05 made partner at Gibson Dunn. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Renée Delphin-Rodriguez ’06 has joined DLA Piper as a partner in the firm's Corporate practice based in San Francisco. 05/21
  • M. Douglas Flahaut ’06 was promoted to partner at Arent Fox LLP. Flahaut focuses on business reorganizations, representation of Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustees, representation of creditors, preference litigation, and related business litigation matters. 12/19
  • Michael Pulos ’06 was appointed to serve as a judge on the San Diego County Superior Court. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Michael Rivera '06 joins Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson as partner. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Lucy Schwallie '06 was named the Managing Attorney for the Athens, Ohio office if Southeastern Ohio Legal Services. Lucy represents indigent clients in civil legal matters in Appalachian Ohio, and leads the program's Education Equity practice group. 01/20
  • Matt Bonovich '07 was promoted to partner at Sheppard Mullin. He is a member of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Project Finance team and the Real Estate, Land Use, and Environmental Practice Group and is based in the Chicago Office. 02/21
  • Andrew Brunsden ‘07 was named General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs at the New York City Department of Investigation, the City’s independent anticorruption and oversight agency. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Veronica Darling '07 has joined the offices of Cultiva Law PLLC, a boutique cannabis practice with offices in Washington, Oregon, and California. 01/20
  • Greg Good '07 was elected President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works. 07/20
  • Patrick Hammon ’07 joined McManis Faulkner as a partner. He has more than a decade of trial experience on a wide range of complex commercial disputes, and he joins the firm from Skadden Arps. 02/20
  • Matthew W. Harris '07 pursued a career in education after graduating from UCLA Law. He has been a Principal, Assistant Superintendent, and now Superintendent of Petaluma City Schools in Petaluma, California. 04/21
  • Andrea Hwang ’07, partner at Ropes & Gray in New York, was profiled in “They’ve Got Next: Banking & Finance Fresh Face Andrea Hwang.” Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Taisuke Kimoto ’07 joined Covington & Burling as partner and co-head of the firm’s Japan Initiative. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Adrianne Marshack '07 joined Goodwin's Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice as partner in the firm's Santa Monica office. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Katrina Mulligan ’07 will join the Biden-Harris Administration as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. 10/21
  • Priscila Ocen '07 has been appointed to the Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code by California Governor Gavin Newsom. 4/21
  • Rishi Puri '07 has been named a Shareholder at Lane Powell. His practice focuses on labor and employment issues. 01/21
  • Lorna Wilson ’07 was made a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Wilson’s practice focuses on federal income tax matters, including corporate and partnership tax matters in both the United States and international contexts. 01/20
  • Gregory Broege '08 appeared on the cover of the December 2019 Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine due to his article on California's upcoming "Split Roll" ballot initiative which could drastically change the state's property tax system. 12/19
  • Ethan Goldman '08 was elected partner at Davis Polk. Goldman is a member of the firm's Tax practice in New York. 07/21
  • Sean McKissick '08 joined the trust and litigation practice as of counsel in the Sacramento office of Downey Brand. 4/21
  • Tim Reed '08 was promoted to Partner at FordHarrison LLP and recognized by the National Bar Association as a 40 Under 40 - Nation's Best Advocate award winner. 07/20
  • Edwin Sadik '08 joined Kemp Klein in Troy, Michigan, as a shareholder. Click here to read more.10/21
  • Sara Urch '08 has begun serving as a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice. She works in the Natural Resources Section of the General Counsel Division focusing on the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup project. 09/20
  • Jon Cieslak '09 joined Bona Law PC as a Partner. Jon brings nearly a decade of Anti Trust litigation and white-collar criminal defense experience. 04/20
  • Aaron Friberg ’09 was promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Tanya Greene ’09, partner at McGuireWoods LLP, was profiled by L.A. Biz as one of this year's Women of Influence honorees. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Heather Brooks Karatz ’09 has been named president of the XFL team the LA Wildcats. She previously worked as the Executive Vice President and general counsel of the Los Angeles Football Club. 01/20
  • Linda Klein '09 has been promoted to partner at Cox, Castle, and Nicholson LLP. Klein’s practice focuses on land use entitlement and litigation, with extensive expertise in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and in particular air quality and greenhouse gas issues. 01/20
  • Michael Saryan '09 joins Structure Law Group, LLP for the opening of their new Los Angeles office. Michael has been working with clients solely in business law for 10 years. 12/19
  • Michael A. Titera ’09 was made a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Titera’s practice focuses on advising public companies regarding securities disclosure and compliance matters, financial reporting, and corporate governance. 01/20
• Class Notes 1990 - 1999
  • Anthony Barron '90 was named head of the Litigation Department at Nixon Peabody. 05/21 
  • Philip E. Cook '90 was recently elected Chair of the Board of Public Counsel, the nation's largest public interest law firm. Phil has been involved in pro bono work with Public Counsel for some time; he received its Volunteer of the Year award in 2012 (representing applicants for child care centers and homes), 2013 (representing victims of mortgage and other consumer fraud), and 2017 (representing operators of child care homes). 01/20
  • Lisa Halko '90 has been reappointed Chief Counsel of the Department of Conservation. She has served in this role since 2017. 01/21
  • Francis James '90 was appointed as Resident Representative for the UN Development Programme in Gabon (Central Africa) where his work focuses on climate change, the environment, good governance, youth and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Francis has spent the past 4 and a half years in Haiti with UNDP and the UN peace-keeping mission in Haiti. 02/20
  • Hui Chen '91 has been hired by the Hawaii Attorney General's Office to work as the Chief Integrity Adviser. 02/20
  • Nicole Healy '91 was appointed to be a judge in the San Mateo County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newson. Click here for more info. 07/21
  • Jayne Lee ’91 has been appointed to a judgeship in the San Joaquin County Superior Court. Lee has served as a commissioner at the San Joaquin County Superior Court since 2018 and has served as a judge pro tem and supervising probate attorney at the San Joaquin County Superior Court from 2015 to 2018. 01/20
  • Marlene Nowlin '91 was promoted to partner at Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP. 01/21
  • Dan Robbins ’91 was elected to a two-year term as President of the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), a leading nation law group. Robbins is Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in Los Angeles, California. 07/21
  • Eric Sagerman '91 was named one of the 500 most influential people in the Los Angeles business community. Sagerman is Managing Partner of BakerHostetler's Los Angeles office and has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal on its LA 500 list for the second year in a row. The annual feature highlights the most influential, powerful, and most impactful business professionals in Los Angeles. 08/21
  • Rafael A. Sivilla-Jones '91 was appointed as a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Matt Fawcett '92 has been awarded Legal Momentum's "Man of Distinction" honor at their 16th Annual Women of Achievement Awards. 02/21
  • Lisa Hone '92 joined the National Economic Council team to steer the Biden administration's broadband expansion efforts. Click here for more info. 06/21
  • Laurie J. Hepler '92 was elected in 2020 as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. She also became the Contributing Editor for California's leading treatise in the field - Eisenberg, "Civil Appeals & Writs" (The Rutter Group.) 04/21
  • David Korduner '92 joined Endeavor Content, the cutting edge independent film and television studio that puts creative talent at the forefront, as Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Labor Relations - the company’s first in-house labor hire. 06/20
  • Dan Kupetz ’92 will join 20th Century Fox TV as Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and Operations. Dan had worked at CBS Television Studios as head of business affairs since 2004. 01/20
  • Patrick Marette ’92 joins Miller Starr Regalia as senior counsel. Click here for more info. 09/21
  • Ruth Bermudez Montenegro ’92 was nominated to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Tony Rodriguez '92 was promoted to Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Litigation at Kaiser Permanente. With over 12 million members in eight states and D.C., KP is America’s largest integrated healthcare system. He joined KP in 2015 after partnerships at Morrison & Foerster and Donahue Fitzgerald. 09/20
  • John Ulin '92 joined TroyGould PC. John brings more than 25 years of experience to TroyGould and an outstanding reputation as a copyright and trademark litigator. 06/20
  • James Farrell '93 joined Gibson Dunn as partner. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Jeffrey Freedman '93 has been appointed chief administrative officer at Creative Artist Agency (CAA.) Previously General Counsel at CAA, he will maintain oversight of CAA’s global legal, human resources, information technology, and real estate areas. 03/21
  • Jeff Galvin ’93 was honored as a 2021 Northern California Super Lawyer in Estate and Trust Litigation and as a 2021 Top Lawyer in Estate Planning and Probate by Sacramento Magazine. He was also recognized by JD Supra as a Top Author in the 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. Galvin is a partner at Downey Brand in the Sacramento office where he represents clients across Northern California in trust and litigation and related civil disputes. 07/21
  • Judy Posner ’93 became a partner in the appellate boutique of Benedon & Serlin, LLP. 09/21
  • Liane Randolph '93 has been appointed as Chair of the California Air Resources Board. She has been Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2015. 12/20
  • Daniel Alexander II '94 is the new director of the Startup and Small Business Clinic (SSBC) at UC Irvine Law School. Alexander is a graduate of Howard University, where he received a bachelor’s in international relations. 01/20
  • Kevin Davis ’94 was named to the advisory board of the Cornell Center for Real Estate and Finance. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Darren Green '94 was promoted to Professor of Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and Practice at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. 07/21
  • Michael Kalt '94 was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2021. He is a partner in the litigation office of Wilson Turner Kosmo. 08/20
  • Brad Small '94 joined Fox Rothschild as partner. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Adaora Udoji ’94 is named Vice President of Programming & Operations at PBS. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Teri Vasquez '94 was appointed to the 17th Judicial District Court by Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado. She was previously a shareholder at Bayer & Carey, PC. 01/21
  • Hernán D. Vera '94 was nominated to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Vera has served as a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2020. He previously worked as a principal at Bird Marella P.C. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Michael Chang '95 was appointed a member of the Advisory Board at the University of California, Irvine Customer Experience Continuing Education Program. Chang will review and advise the curriculum, leveraging his experience bringing great content to passionate fan bases by negotiating sponsorships, tie-in arrangements with sports and entertainment properties and co-promotion and licensing deals. 07/21
  • Lesley Freeman '95 was named the Hollywood Reporter's 2021 Raising the Bar honoree. A top attorney for MGM, Freeman was featured in an article about find her place in Hollywood and keeping a busy film slate amid the pandemic. Click here to read more. 05/21
  • Dmitry Gorin ’95 and his law partner Alan Eisner, both State-Bar Certified Criminal Law Specialists, successfully argued that a murder conviction should be reversed, and obtained a new trial for the elderly client. 02/20
  • Alexander Hoehn-Saric '95 was nominated by President Biden to be the Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Gregory Jones '95 moved from being a partner at Dykema Gossett to a shareholder at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, in Century City. 08/20
  • Jeffrey Prieto '95 was confirmed as general counsel at U.S. EPA. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Angela Reddock-Wright ’95 was featured in the "Women of Influence" write-up by the Los Angeles Business Journal. 04/21
  • Alexander Tamin '95 has been named Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Angels. 12/20
  • David Warner '95 has been hired as Principal Counsel by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The Commission governs land use and planning for the 2,000,000 residents bordering Washington D.C. in Prince George’s and Montgomery County, Maryland. 12/20
  • Jennifer Hasbrouck ’96 has been named Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Southern California Edison. Hasbrouck has been with SCE since 1999 and currently serves as the assistant general counsel. 08/20
  • Alexander Lee '96 has been awarded the 2021 Dana Latham Memorial Award by the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Taxation Section for his outstanding contribution to the community and to the legal profession. He is the youngest practitioner to receive this prestigious award. Alexander Lee is a partner at Cooley LLP and focuses on domestic and international transactional tax matters with a concentration on public and private M&A, lending and finance and capital markets and an emphasis on cross-border transactions and corporate transactions involving Asian clients. 01/21
  • Janai Nelson ’96 will become the next president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Andres Almanzan '97 was re-elected to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Mounce, Green, Myers, Safi, Paxson, & Galatzan, P.C. 01/21
  • Heather Anderson ’97 moved to ESPN as Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. Prior to joining ESPN, she served as vice president and assistant chief counsel at The Walt Disney Company. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Sarah Gill '97 is named ombudsman of FINRA. As the new Ombudsman, Gill will handle issues, inquiries and complaints that arise from FINRA’s interactions with public investors, member firms, member firm employees, FINRA staff and other stakeholders. Click here to read the press release. 09/21
  • Michelle Hernandez ’97, shareholder at Modrall Sperling in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has again been named a Southwest Super Lawyer and is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law, Litigation – Health Care, and Litigation – Insurance. 09/21
  • Dan Limerick '97 has been appointed to Chief Operating Officer of WME (William Morris Endeavor.) 11/20
  • Ingrid Myers ’97 joins King & Spalding as a partner. Myers joined the firm's Corporate, Finance, and Investments practice group in its Houston office. Myers's practice focuses on the drafting and negotiation of construction-related contracts for the development of energy and other major infrastructure projects. 02/20
  • Rosemary Nunn '97 was named 2021 Commercial Real Estate Visionary. Nunn is a partner at Musick Peeler. Click here to read more. 07/21
  • Tracy Rane '97 joined Ballard Spahr's Los Angeles office. Rane is a member of the firm's Litigation Department and Media and Entertainment Law Group. She is a litigator with two decades of experience providing counsel to clients through all stages of a trial. 07/21
  • David Frockt '98 is currently serving his third term in the Washington State Senate, representing parts of Seattle and surrounding suburbs. He serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and on the Senate Health Care Committee. 10/20
  • Sandra Fujiyama ’98 was named executive director of the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business. Click here to read more. 10/21
  • Jamie Jefferson '98 joined Barg Coffin Lewis & Trapp as partner. Click here for more info. 06/21
  • Richard Johnson '98 joined Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP's California office. He is Senior Litigation Counsel to the firm and represents international and domestic insurers in complex coverage and litigation matters. 08/21
  • Jeffrey Lowenstein ’98, partner at Bell Nunnally in Dallas, Texas, made the Best Lawyers in America 2022 list for Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property. He was also named to the 2021 “Texas Super Lawyers” list. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Marie Mendoza '98 was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc. 05/20
  • Joshua Briones ’99 was named one of the 500 most influential people in the Los Angeles business community. Briones is Managing Member of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.'s Los Angeles office and has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal on its LA 500 list for the second year in a row. The annual feature highlights the most influential, powerful, and most impactful business professionals in Los Angeles. 08/21
  • Peter Nguyen '99 was appointed to the position of Associate Director - Systemwide Labor Relations at the University of California, Office of the President. 12/20
  • Daniel Wu '99 joined O'Melveny & Myer's technology practice in Century City as partner. Wu, a leading technology focused lawyer, was recently named one of the Most Influential Minority Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Click here to read more. 06/21
  • Navid Yadegar '99 was named among the top 100 lawyers in Southern California by Super Lawyers. Navid practices employment law and is a partner at Yadegar, Minoofar, & Soleymani LLP. 03/20
• Class Notes 1980 - 1989
  • Theresa Fay-Bustillos ’80 joins Benetech board of directors. Benetech, the leading software for social good nonprofit, announced the appointment of Theresa Fay-Bustillos to its Board of Directors. Fay-Bustillos’s appointment will provide insight, support and guidance for Benetech’s work in education, poverty alleviation, and human rights. 05/20
  • Knox Kimberly '80 serves as Chair of the Steering Committee for the Texas Child Protection Roundtable and on the Board of Directors for Texans Care for Children, the state's leading advocacy organization for the wellbeing of children. 09/20
  • Alec Nedelman '80 has joined Katten's Real Estate practice as Senior Counsel. 04/20
  • James Ash ’81 retired December 31, 2020 from Husch Blackwell LLP, where he had served in several leadership roles, including Executive Board membership, Business Division Chair, and Food and Agriculture Business Unit head. Ash was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for 26 straight years in the areas of corporate, M&A and corporate finance, and was twice named by that publication as the top corporate attorney in the Kansas City market.  He was also ranked Tier 1 by Chambers.  In retirement, Jim and his wife Pam of 44 years are enjoying their granddaughter and Jim continues to serve as an appointee of President Obama to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, which advises USAID on issues of food insecurity in developing countries. 08/21
  • Douglas Canfield '81 has worked in legal services for almost 30 years. He is the founding Executive Director of Legal Services Corporation of Delaware, Inc. and has served in that position, going into his 25th year. He is the longest serving executive director of any legal aid or legal services organization in the history of the State of Delaware. In that position he has been the involved in the creation of numerous initiatives, including the Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program, the Access to Justice Program and the Homelessness Prevention Project. 01/20
  • Joscelyn Jones Torru '81 was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Alameda County Superior Court to serve as a Judge. 06/20
  • Jocelyn Thompson ’82 has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Apollo Silver Corporation, bringing California Resource Department expertise to the Apollo team. In addition to her project permitting experience, Ms. Thompson will provide additional legal and governance support to the Board and executive team. Most recently, Ms. Thompson was a partner at Alston and Bird LLP. Click here to read more.11/21
  • Tim Coates '83 was appointed Co-Chair of the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s California State Region. 12/19
  • Jeffrey Nagler ’83 was promoted to President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Studio Operations effective February 1, 2020. Nagler most recently served as Executive Vice President of the Studio Facilities group at Warner Bros., a role he was promoted to in 2001. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for the group. 02/20
  • David A. Thompson ’83, Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, announced his official retirement from the court this month. He will be taking a position with JAMS, a private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services. 10/21
  • Leslie Gilbert-Lurie '84 has released an audiobook version of her highly-acclaimed Holocaust memoir "Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir". The audiobook is available on Audible. 02/21
  • Daniel A. Olivas ’84 is an award-winning author of nine books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He has written on culture and literature for the New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, BOMB, La Bloga, and the Guardian. Most recently, Playwrights' Arena announced the cast of his play, Waiting. This is a shorter, pandemic version of his full-length play, Waiting for Godinez. 07/21
  • Val Ackerman '85 was elected to the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class. Click here to read more. 05/21
  • Joanne Moore ’85 won an "Excellence in Teaching" award from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Moore is a full-time faculty member in the School of Filmmaking. 02/20
  • Arnold Wuhrman '85 relocated to Lake Oswego, Oregon in June, 2018. Both of his kids graduated in 2020, and he and his wife are living the joyous life of empty nesters on top of a beautiful, pine tree-filled mountain. 08/20
  • Joel Beres ’86 has been named to the 2021 "IP Stars" list in Kentucky as a Copyright Star and a Trademark Star. He was also recognized as the Louisville Litigation - Patent Lawyer of the Year for 2021. Beres is a founding member and former co-chair of the Intellectual Property and Technology Service Group at Stites & Harbison PLLC. 07/21 
  • Lolita Buckner Inniss ’86 was named Dean of University of Colorado Law School. Inniss will become Colorado Law’s first African American dean and second female to lead the school. 04/21
  • James M. Burns ’86 joined Dykema Gossett PLLC's Business Litigation practice group as a member in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. 04/21
  • Gary Bradus '87 was named a 2020 Northern California Super Lawyer. Gary is a Shareholder in the Corporate group at Weintraub Tobin. 09/20
  • Scott Campbell ’87 serves as City Attorney for the City of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island and General Counsel for Gold Coast Health Plan, which provides Medi-Cal benefits for over 200,000 members in Ventura County. He also continues to serve as the Practice Group Leader of Best Best and Krieger's Municipal Law practice group. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for over a decade. 05/21
  • Patricia Donahue '87 was appointed Magistrate Judge by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. She will sit in the court's Western division. 05/20
  • Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. '88 was confirmed to serve as a federal judge in the Central District of California. He has been an LA County Superior Court Judge since 2016. 08/20
  • George Brown '88 was appointed executive director of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice at Stanford Law School. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Jeff Galvin '88 was selected to join the Executive Committee of the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court. Galvin is a partner at the firm Downey Brand. 07/21
  • Mark Miller ’88 has been appointed Senior Vice President of investor relations and strategic planning at Encompass Health, a national leader in integrated healthcare services. Previously, Miller was Vice President at Maximus. Click here to read more. 09/21
  • Arthur Rieman '88 established The Law Firm for Non-Profits (LFNP) as a solo practice in August 1996. This month marks the 25th anniversary for the now seven-person firm who help guide the important work of the LFNP, "helping good people do good things." Click here to read more. 08/21
  • Mary D. Rodriguez ’88 is the recipient of the Latina Commission Mari Carmen Aponte Award at the 2021 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention. 10/21
  • Ronald Sally ’88 joined JLL's Project and Development Services team as a Senior Vice President in charge of Sports & Entertainment and Higher Education sectors in the West. Sally is a seasoned and accomplished business executive with considerable experience and success in the sports/entertainment, venue development, and education industries. At CAA ICON, he served as an owner’s representative and development executive on several successful, high-profile projects including the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the first LEED platinum indoor sports arena in the country. 08/20
  • Thomas R. Sestanovich '88 joined Freeman Freeman & Smiley (FFS) as partner in its real estate practice. Sestanovich brings to FFS over 30 years of commercial real estate experience. 03/21
  • Erich Andersen ’89 has been named the Global General Counsel of TikTok. He will lead global legal team as the company expands its compliance and regulatory engagement capabilities. Previous, he held various leadership roles at Microsoft. He will be based in New York. 01/20
  • Ronald Kaye '89 has been appointed to serve on the L.A. County Superior Court. Kaye was previously a partner at Kaye, McLane, Bednarski, & Litt LLP. 11/20
  • Susan S. Shields ’89 , a shareholder and tax and estate planning attorney with the law firm of McAfee & Taft, has been elected to serve as president-elect of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She will assume the role of president of the professional organization, which currently has more than 18,000 members, in 2020. She also received a top Band 1 ranking in the Private Wealth Law category of the recently released 2020 edition of Chambers High Net Worth. 01/20.
  • Melinda Murray '89 was elected to her third term as President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. She is also President of the California Association of Black Lawyers. 08/20
  • Scot Stone '89 retired from the Federal Communications Commission at the end of 2019 and reports that tele-retirement, while not optimal, still beats teleworking. 05/20
• Class Notes 1970 - 1979
  • Dick Eiden ’70 recently published his memoir “Paying the Rent: Adventures of a Left Coast Activist Lawyer from the Turbulent ‘60s to the Era of Donald Trump,”. The book covers his 25 years a lawyer and his continuing struggle for peace and justice. 12/19
  • John Dobroth '71 has retired and has been doing some commercial acting. 06/20
  • Donald Engleman ’71, Managing Partner at North Harbor Associates LLC investment firm, is also one of the founders of the investment group TechFort Worth and is Chair of its Screening Committee. He retired as Vice President -International Partnership of Verizon Information Services. He is also a judge in the Metroport Court in Southlake, Texas. 09/21
  • Paul S. Meyer ’71 was appointed to the Newport Beach Civil Service Board for 2021.  He continues to be active in the American College of Trial Lawyers and International Society of Barristers. 11/21
  • Steven Yslas ’72 is the recipient of the Ohtli Award presented by the Government of Mexico at the 2021 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention.10/21
  • Joshua Dressler '73 is in his 43rd year of full-time teaching, his 20th year at Ohio State, and prior recipient of the Distinguished University Scholar and Distinguished University Professor awards. 05/20
  • Arnold Gross '73 was selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for 2022 in plaintiff personal injury, a selection he has received every year since 2008. Gross was selected as a Best Lawyer for 2022 as well. He has been pre-eminent AV rated by Martindale Hubbell for over 35 years. Gross is senior trial counsel for State Law Firm, APC. 07/21
  • Joe Hilberman ’73 is happy to announce yet another potential Bruin! His daughter Charlotte gave birth to daughter Ruby 8/1/21.  He continues his mediation and arbitration practice is and enjoying his now 4 grandchildren! 09/21
  • Kenneth Gibbs '74 successfully mediated a dispute between Kiewit Corp. and the Metropolitan Transit Authority using a seldom-used mediation technique often referred to as a "mini trial". His 75-page non-binding was accepted by both parties and it became the settlement of the case. 11/20
  • Lynn Miller ’74 joined autonomous trucking company Plus as General Counsel. Prior to Plus, Miller was Associate General Counsel and Chief of Litigation and Privacy at Tesla Motors. Prior to Tesla, Miller was Senior Litigation Manager at Apple Inc. Miller was also partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, and served as Assistant City Attorney for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted 40 jury trials. Click here to read more. 06/21
  • Andrew Guilford ’75 was honored by the OC Bar Association one year after his retirement as a federal judge. Judge Guilford spent over 13 years on the federal bench before joining Judicate West last year. 09/21
  • Juan Ulloa ’75 was featured in an article in the Calexico Chronicle about devising ways to get more people of color into law and onto the bench. Judge Ulloa was elected to Imperial Country Court - an under-funded, high intensity drug trafficking, impoverished area - in 1994. Judge Ulloa is known for his ability to efficiently manage cases, empathy and creative thinking. 06/21
  • Alex Kozinski ’75 was inspired by his ex-law clerk, once imprisoned, to pen 5th Circuit amicus brief. Click here to read more. 03/21
  • Maggie Levy '75 is a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Services, Inc., which has offices in Century City, downtown LA, Orange County, San Diego, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. Since April of this year, she has been conducting mediations on Zoom. 10/20
  • Carolyn Starks Saxon '75 retired from the Office of the State's Attorney, Baltimore City in 2004 and retired from the Office of the State's Attorney Prince George's County in 2012. She resides in Bowie, Maryland. 10/20
  • Marc Steinberg '75 has recently published a new book entitled Rethinking Securities Law, Urges Reform of Nation’s Securities Laws. 07/21
  • Norman Tarle '76 joined Judicate West's roster of neutrals. Judicate West is one of California's leading providers of dispute resolution services. 07/21
  • Rickey Ivie '77 was appointed to the Commission on Judicial Performance by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Ivie is a Founding Member of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs, where he has been a Director since 1980. 06/21
  • Vincent O'Neill '77 recently retired after a 43-year career, including 28 years on the Ventura County Superior Court. He has affiliated with Alternate Dispute Resolutions (ARC). 02/21
• Class Notes 1960 - 1969
  • John Liebman '61 Retired 5 years ago and moved to Santa Fe, NM. Then came to Marin County with his partner, Bonnie Kohl, and we’ve been here ever since. He would welcome hearing from his old classmates. 12/20
  • A. Barry Cappello '65 has won billions of dollars for plaintiffs during a 50-year career. He is still taking on major corporations, including Southern California Edison, Boeing, and Plains All America Pipeline. 09/20
  • Walter Howald '65 was named the 2021 Newport Beach Citizen of the Year. 09/21
  • Arnold York ’65 has served as the publisher of the Malibu Times since 1987. Recently, he and his wife, Karen, sold the 75-year-old institution. He remarked his greatest accomplishment over the past 34 years as publisher was never missing an issue. Please click here to read more.11/21
  • Gil Garcetti ’67 was appointed to the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy. Click here to read more. 11/21
  • Steven Wawra ’67 was featured in a Los Angeles Daily Journal Article entitled "The Dealmaker". Following a 30-year career in law and real estate business, Steve has focused since 2000 exclusively on conducting mediations, settlement conferences and arbitrations, and on ADR instruction. He is based in Newport Beach, CA. 10/21 
  • Bob Weeks ’67 and his wife Nancy were featured in the Bruin Spotlight in the UCLA Alumni Connection newsletter. The article focuses on their time at UCLA, their lives together since then and their support for UCLA and Alumni Scholarships over the years. 09/21
  • Jordan J. Paust '68 retired from the University of Houston Law Center in 2017. Click here to read more.  Professor Emeritus Paust and his wife Paula now reside in Reno, Nevada. 04/21
  • Allan Morton '68 has retired from Family Law litigation practice and has established a family law mediation practice in Santa Barbara. 09/20