LA'S LEGAL CLASS OF 2022 - Fisher Phillips

 
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LA'S LEGAL CLASS OF 2022 - Fisher Phillips
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                                                              M AY 16 , 2 02 2

                                LA’S LEGAL CLASS
                                     OF 2022
                                                               PLATINUM SPONSORS

                                                                 GOLD SPONSORS

                                  Buchalter | CBRE | DLA Piper | Glaser Weil | Latham & Watkins | Miller Kaplan
                                                Nixon Peabody | Polsinelli | Thompson Coburn LLP

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LA'S LEGAL CLASS OF 2022 - Fisher Phillips
26 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                   MAY 16, 2022

        Letter from the Publisher

                                  T
                                        he Los Angeles Business Journal was proud to host our                 Los Angeles legal professionals in two different ways moving forward,
                                        inaugural Top 100 Lawyers Awards event on the evening of              this Top 100 Lawyers event and a Corporate Counsel Awards event
                                        May 12th at ASU California Center. This exciting event shone          in October.
                                        the spotlight on the region’s outstanding legal community by            The 100 lawyers listed throughout this section have demonstrated
                                  recognizing Los Angeles’ top 100 lawyers for their legal achievements,      exceptional legal skill and achievements across the full spectrum of
                                  community involvement and impacts on the profession. In addition,           responsibility, exemplary leadership and contributions to the Los
                                  we also presented several specialty awards to those who continue to         Angeles community at large.
                                  excel in profession in unique and impactful ways.                             In the following pages we share biographical information on these
                                     Considering the fact that the Los Angeles region has long been           legal thought leaders and shed some additional light on some of the
                                  known for its status as a hub for legal though leaders and record-setting   premier examples of business law practitioners among us today.
                                  attorneys, being a standout in that field is particularly impressive.         We hope you enjoy this special section, which contains some
                                     After 11 years, we at the Los Angeles Business Journal decided to        unique insights on what exactly it means to be a leading attorney in
                                  restructure our Leaders in Law event. We will now honor our esteemed        today’s business climate.
                                  Best regards,

                                  Josh Schimmels
                                  Publisher & CEO

             WE CONGRATULATE OUR
             ESTEEMED PARTNER
             Patricia L. Glaser
             LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL
             “TOP 100 LAWYER” AND “LEGAL EXCELLENCE
             (LIFETIME) SPECIALTY AWARD” RECIPIENT

                                                              GLASERWEIL.COM

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MAY 16, 2022                                          CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

          Baker McKenzie congratulates our
          Partner, Perrie M. Weiner, for being
          listed as one of the Los Angeles
          Business Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers.

            Partner in Charge of Baker McKenzie’s
            Los Angeles office and Chair of the Firm’s
            North America Securities Litigation Group

            We are proud of our Los Angeles office's
            growth from 4 to 40 lawyers.

            bakermckenzie.com

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28 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                                 MAY 16, 2022

                           ANGELA AGRUSA                                            CLIFTON W. ALBRIGHT                                                SEAN ANDRADE
                       Managing Partner, Los Angeles;                               President and Founding Partner                                           Partner
                    Co-Chair, Commercial Litigation Group;                          Albright, Yee & Schmit, APC                                       Andrade Gonzalez LLP
                    Co-Chair, Food and Beverage Subsector

                                                                      C                                                            S
                                DLA Piper                                 lifton Albright is the president of Albright, Yee &           ean Andrade, founding partner at Andrade Gon-
                                                                          Schmit. Based in downtown Los Angeles, Albright               zalez, is well known for his ongoing representation

       D
            LA Piper partner Angela Agrusa handles high-stake             specializes in labor and employment law. He was the           of the nation’s second largest school district, Los
            matters that command headlines and shape legal            first attorney to win a lawsuit against the Department of    Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), playing a
            precedent. From Chipotle to T-Mobile, she has suc-        Health and Human Services (DHHS) regarding its Pub-          critical role in leading the District through the recent
        cessfully defended her clients in more than 50 putative       lic Health Service Training Program. In December 2010        chapter of numerous difficult and complex, multi-plain-
        class actions with combined potential exposure of over        and March 2014, President Barack Obama appointed             tiff tort matters and the subsequent high-stakes efforts
        $100 billion in just the last five years alone, including     Albright to the International Trade Advisory Commit-         to obtain insurance coverage for those same multi-mil-
        Danone in first-of-its-kind impact litigation. Her track      tee (ITAC 11). Albright was reappointed to (ITAC 9)          lion litigations. He has led the defense in multi-plaintiff
        record has resulted in long-term partnerships with icon-      in February 2018 by President Donald Trump. Albright         cases and the plaintiff-side of the insurance recovery
        ic brands Danone, Hilton, Chipotle and Motel 6.               is currently being considered for reappointment by Pres-     efforts in cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
            Within DLA Piper, Agrusa serves as the managing           ident Biden.                                                      Over the past nine years, Andrade represented
        partner of DLA Piper’s Los Angeles offices, helping               A sought-after speaker, Albright conducts continu-       LAUSD in the Miramonte Litigation – the largest sex-
        grow the firm’s presence in the market. She serves as         ing education programs for attorneys, executives, and        ual abuse litigation ever facing a K-12 public school sys-
        co-chair of the firm’s Business and Commercial Litiga-        employees in such areas as employment and labor law,         tem – and other major, multi-plaintiff cases. Also, over
        tion sub-practice and its Food and Beverage subsector.        business management, and complex litigation. The             this past year and despite the impact of the COVID-19
        She is hired to defend clients in bet-the-brand litigation    National Institute of Trial Advocacy awarded Albright        pandemic, Andrade and his team were able to resolve
        and in cases where unique legal theories are advanced         a diploma and a master’s degree in its Master Advocates      100 potential claims for the City of Santa Monica.
        or when the court of public opinion threatens to over-        Program. He is licensed to practice before United States
        power justice in the courtroom.                               Supreme Court.

                        ANDREW APFELBERG                                                   RYAN BAKER                                                      ADAM BASS
                                 Partner                                                   Managing Partner                                Shareholder, President and Chief Executive Officer
                          Greenberg Glusker LLP                                            Waymaker LLP                                                        Buchalter

        A                                                             O                                                            A
            ndrew Apfelberg, a partner at Greenberg Glusker                ne of California’s elite trial and appellate lawyers,       dam Bass is the president and chief executive officer
            LLP, is a corporate and finance attorney for mid-              Waymaker LLP co-managing and founding partner               of Buchalter. Bass joined the Firm in 1993 and after
            dle-market companies throughout the United                     Ryan Baker regularly wins trial verdicts and appeals        20 years became president and CEO in January of
        States. He often acts as outside general counsel to his       in high-stakes cases. A skilled litigator and trial lawyer   2013. Under his leadership, Buchalter has experienced
        clients, providing advice on a business’ significant trans-   who often deals with cases involving intellectual prop-      substantial growth and opened six new office locations
        actions, whether it’s a merger or acquisition, private        erty and innovative or disruptive technology, Baker          in Napa Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, San Diego, Port-
        equity or other financing, joint venture or licensing         has built Waymaker (formerly Baker Marquart LLP)             land, and Salt Lake City.
        deal. He has a considerable depth of experience in the        into one of the nation’s premiere trial and litigation           As chair of the Family Office & Wealth Manage-
        branded consumer products, manufacturing & distribu-          boutiques. The firm regularly handles litigation at the      ment Practice Group and co-chair of the Social Media
        tion, new media and technology industries.                    intersection of innovative technology and complex            Influencers Industry Group, Bass’ practice includes the
            Apfelberg’s strong business and finance background        legal issues and Baker himself has a stellar record of       representation of companies of all sizes and financial
        results from his education from USC’s Marshall School         achievement at both trials and appeals in intellectual       institutions in both transactional and litigation matters.
        of Business and from working in investment banking            property cases.                                              He is often called upon to handle general business mat-
        prior to going to law school. This experience enables             In particular, Baker is known for presenting argu-       ters for his corporate clients. Further, his areas of exper-
        him to more effectively structure transactions and nego-      ments in a clear, elegant, persuasive manner in his rep-     tise include regulatory matters at the local, state, and
        tiate agreements to maximize the value to the client          resentation of industry innovators. Baker has tried cases    federal levels, as well as government procurement. His
        and increase the likelihood of getting the deal closed.       and argued motions in state and federal courts across        experience includes corporate, loan workouts, creditors’
        He is the former president of the Association of Corpo-       the country and has appeared in the courtrooms of no         rights, real property, labor relations, public contracting
        rate Growth Los Angeles chapter.                              fewer than 15 states.                                        and regulatory compliance.

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MAY 16, 2022                                                CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 29

            Congratulations

                                        ALISON L. PLESSMAN
                                        Top 100 Lawyers
                                        —Los Angeles Business Journal

                                        HUESTON.COM

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30 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                             MAY 16, 2022

                          STEPHANIE BLUM                                                  PHILIP BONOLI                                                   ERICA BOSE
                                 Partner                                                  Co-Managing Partner                                                 Partner
                       Reuben, Raucher & Blum PC                                              BG Law                                                  Cox, Castle & Nicholson

       S                                                              P                                                              E
            tephanie Blum, a certified family law specialist who          hilip Bonoli of BG Law is a seasoned litigator with           rica Bose has built a reputation in California for
            has practiced exclusively in the area of family law           extensive experience in a wide array of employment            representing developers of all sizes, as well as various
            for 25 years, supports those who face the turmoil,            matters, including wrongful discharge, discrimi-              equity providers, in connection with their acquisi-
        uncertainty and challenges of divorce. Though her first       nation and harassment, tort claims, and contractual            tion, disposition, and development of real estate assets.
        preference is always to mediate spousal, financial and        matters. As the co-managing partner of BG Law, he is           She has carved out a niche over the last 20 years repre-
        custody issues, Blum is also a fierce and relentless oppo-    involved in the day-to-day administration of the firm.         senting capital providers and to a lesser degree, builders,
        nent in a court of law.                                       As part of his duties and responsibilities, he is required     in the land bank financing arena and homebuilders in
            Blum regularly speaks before professional organiza-       to ensure that there is open communication between             their acquisition of properties.
        tions on various aspects of family law. She has frequent-     management, attorneys and staff to allow for the effi-             Bose started representing clients in land bank
        ly appeared on radio and television shows and has been        cient operation of the firm and its business.                  finance transactions both inside and outside of Califor-
        featured and quoted in online and print publications.             Bonoli has been a litigator his entire career and          nia back in 2002. Since then, the land banking industry
        She also co-authored the book “Divorce and Finances:          has appeared before many state, federal and appellate          has gained widespread popularity homebuilders, many
        Know your Rights Clearly and Quickly.” Blum is active         court judges in all facets of litigation – trial, oral argu-   of which are gravitating towards a “land light” business
        in her profession and the community, serving on the           ment and/or evidentiary hearings. He has been lead             model in which the builder does not hold legal title to
        Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar             trial attorney in jury trials, has argued cases before the     land during the horizontal development stage of home-
        Association’s Family Law Section and a long-time sup-         California Courts of Appeal, and has argued before             building. This trend has allowed some of the nation’s
        porter of the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law.           the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Bonoli has always          largest homebuilders to significantly increase their out-
                                                                      persevered through all of the difficult and stressful situa-   put, and Bose has been extensively involved in facilitat-
                                                                      tions associated with these cases.                             ing many of these transactions.

                                BRAD BRIAN                                              JOSHUA BRIONES                                                ALEXANDER CALFO
                             Chair and Partner                                              Managing Member                                                   Partner
                        Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP                                              Mintz                                                     King & Spalding

       L                                                              J                                                              A
           eadership through crises is a recurring theme in Brad         oshua Briones is a son of immigrant farm workers                 lexander Calfo is a national trial lawyer who has
           D. Brian’s career. Undeterred by difficulties, he guides      who came to the US from Mexico to work in the                    received numerous accolades and awards for his
           his clients through some of the most challenging              fields of Northern California. His hard work ethic at            verdicts on behalf of Fortune 100 companies in the
        legal issues of the day. The lasting impacts of his leader-   an early age was the fuel that helped him succeed later        pharmaceutical, medical device, automotive, toxic tort
        ship transcend client work, effecting positive change on      in life. Today Briones is managing member of Mintz’s           and heavy industry sectors in national multi-district
        the world and the next generation of lawyers.                 Los Angeles office and serves on the firm’s Policy             litigation and statewide coordinated proceedings. Calfo
            As the first elected chair of Munger, Tolles & Olson      Committee. Briones has received awards and national            has been awarded five of the Top 10 winning first-chair
        and one of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers,      recognition for his innovative approach to the defense         trial verdicts in California by The Daily Journal. His
        Brian is frequently retained to represent high-profile        of bet-the-company litigation.                                 verdicts have also been named Top 5 nationally by Lex-
        companies in their most difficult lawsuits and inves-             Briones has represented clients in such industries as      isNexis, and Courtroom View Network recently named
        tigations. Known as a “lawyer’s lawyer,” he regularly         financial services, building products, retail, pharmaceu-      another high-profile national verdict as the “Number
        represents leading law firms facing complex claims that       ticals, automotive, professional sports, food and bever-       One Impressive Defense Victory in the United States.”
        threaten severe financial and reputational consequenc-        age, petroleum, chemical manufacturing, health care,               Calfo was one of the first partners to join King &
        es. Client service is at the forefront of everything Brian    high technology, and higher education. He frequently           Spalding’s Los Angeles office, and has been instrumen-
        does. He has sustained a career as a top trial lawyers        publishes and lectures before national and local bar           tal in building the firm’s reputation as a West Coast trial
        because he goes beyond the typical outside counsel,           and industry organizations. Briones has served as lead         powerhouse. The bulk of his current work is comprised
        becoming fully immersed in his clients’ teams and meet-       defense counsel on over 550 alleged nationwide class           of serving as a lead counsel for Johnson & Johnson in
        ing their needs as a true business partner.                   actions in state and federal courts across the country,        connection with claims pertaining to talcum-based
                                                                      including many filed in the most plaintiff-friendly juris-     products.
                                                                      dictions.

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MAY 16, 2022                                                                                                                                                  CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

               Congratulations to Brad D. Brian
                                           Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP congratulates our Firm
                                           Chair, Brad D. Brian, for being recognized in the Los
                                          Angeles Business Journal's inaugural Top 100 Lawyers
                                                                     list.
                                   With a litigation career spanning four decades, Brad has
                                   partnered with numerous Los Angeles-based companies
                                      in multi-billion dollar trials that have shaped entire
                                    industries. Brad's unwavering focus on excellence has
                                   established him as one of the leading trial lawyers in the
                                                             country.
                                    Beyond his courtroom victories, Brad is a trusted leader,
                                     supportive mentor, and a major impact player in our
                                                        community.
                                                                                                           www.mto.com

                                                                     LOS ANGELES                   I       SAN FRANCISCO                  I     WASHINGTON, D.C.

                                        Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP I Brad D. Brian I 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 I Attorney Advertising I For further information, please visit www.mto.com.
                                                         Please note past results are not guarantees of future results and each matter depends on the unique circumstances of each.

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32 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                               MAY 16, 2022

                                DAN CLIVNER                                          NANCY SHER COHEN                                                    KANIKA CORLEY
                                 Managing Partner                                          Partner in Charge                                                    Partner
                                Sidley Austin LLP                                         Lathrop GPM LLP                                                    Akerman LLP

       D                                                            N                                                                 K
            an Clivner is a global leader at Sidley Austin. He          ancy Sher Cohen is the partner in charge of the                   anika Corley has a broad-based commercial litigation,
            is managing partner of the firm’s 140-lawyer Los            Lathrop GPM Los Angeles office, a firm Executive                  entertainment, and emerging technology practice.
            Angeles offices, among the top 10 in Los Angeles,           Committee member and an Insurance Recovery                        Through her many years practicing law, she has
        and he also guides the direction of the firm interna-       & Counseling Practice Group leader. Lathrop GPM                   worked with and provided legal assistance for a wide
        tionally as a member of its Executive Committee and         (formerly Lathrop Gage) recruited Cohen in late 2017              array of clients including print, digital and television
        co-leader of the firm’s 390-lawyer global M&A and Pri-      seeking the right individual to rejuvenate and bring              media companies; landowners and real estate develop-
        vate Equity group. He achieves this while maintaining a     local visibility to its Los Angeles office and national           ers; advertising agencies; boutique hotels; footwear and
        prolific and influential practice.                          visibility to its insurance recovery work. Cohen helped           apparel designers and manufacturers; professional ath-
            As a leader, Clivner holds the distinction of opening   build the Los Angeles office from two lawyers to 15               letes; restaurant chains; software developers; musicians,
        offices in Century City (both for Sidley and previously     and catapulted the firm’s policyholder capabilities and           writers and other creatives; and wine manufacturers,
        for Simpson Thacher). In the past five years, he has        profile to a new level, now one of the largest practice           among others.
        elevated the firm’s global M&A/Private Equity practice      groups in the United States representing policyholders.               Clients turn to Corley for strategic counsel and risk
        from 40th place to 8th place nationally in Bloomberg’s          A lawyer of 40-plus years, Cohen entered the legal            assessment when contemplating major business decisions,
        rankings by deal value. His leadership was crucial          world when the glass ceiling was still very much intact,          including protecting their assets and brand – including
        during recent events. He helped guide the firm through      especially in litigation departments. She often stood             name, image, and likeness – anticipated litigation, and
        the pandemic and gave voice to the concerns of lawyers      alone as a sole female on large teams, but that has never         intellectual property issues involving trademarks and
        dealing with the stresses of COVID-19 and its impact        stopped her. She continues to litigate cases for signifi-         copyrights for names, logos, and slogans or catchphrases.
        on the legal profession.                                    cant companies on precedent-setting matters.                      She has extensive experience advocating for the rights
                                                                                                                                      of her clients through arbitration and trial, assisting with
                                                                                                                                      appeals, advising on best methods for dispute resolution,
                                                                                                                                      advising on deal terms and business structures, and man-
                                                                                                                                      aging rights acquisitions.

                                  EVA DAVIS                                             PAUL de BERNIER                                                   MIKE De VRIES
                        Chair, Transactions Department                      Partner; Office Practice Leader in Los Angeles for                                  Partner
                          Winston & Strawn LLP                          Corporate & Securities Practice; Co-Chair of India Practice                      Kirkland & Ellis LLP
                                                                                          Mayer Brown LLP

       E                                                                                                                              A
           va Davis focuses her practice on United States and                                                                              t the forefront of the evolution of IP litigation

                                                                    P
           cross-border complex business transactions with a            aul de Bernier is the office practice leader in Los                legal work, Mike De Vries leads the legal industry
           particular focus on mergers and acquisitions and pri-        Angeles for Mayer Brown’s Corporate & Securities                   in high-stake competitor cases – as evidenced by
        vate equity. Her expertise lies in market trends and deal       practice, co-chair of the firm’s India practice, US           his string of successful outcomes over the last two
        terms in the middle market – while taking a commercial      contact for its media/entertainment practice and an               years. During this time, De Vries has secured over $2
        approach to transactions and navigating clients through     active member of its East Asia and Healthcare/Life Sci-           billion in verdicts and settlements representing clients
        changing landscapes. As an advisor to both strategics       ences practices.                                                  like Motorola, TriZetto, LivePerson, EagleView and
        and private equity funds and their portfolio companies,         Upon law school graduation in 1999, de Bernier                APCON in major trials held throughout the US while
        Davis anticipates the arguments (and counterargu-           joined Mayer Brown’s LA office as one of the early                also navigating courtroom protocols designed to keep
        ments) that each party to a transaction will likely pur-    members of the firm’s LA corporate practice. He relo-             courtroom participants safe during the pandemic. The
        sue, and thus can position clients to get the best deal     cated to the London office in 2004, where he worked               results achieved by De Vries and his team will influence
        terms. Typical transaction sizes in her purview range       on US M&A matters and in turn led the firm’s US                   IP protection strategies in future litigations for years to
        from $50 million to over $1.0 billion.                      Desk in London (doing US/cross-border M&A and cap-                come, and will guide the adaptation of trial advocacy in
            Davis’ industry expertise and impressive list of cur-   ital markets). In 2011, he returned to the LA office to           technology disputes during the ongoing pandemic.
        rent clients include consumer products, with a partic-      expand the California corporate practice, cross-border                Additionally, as IP litigation continues to become
        ular focus on “better-for-you” brands, food & beverage,     capabilities, client roster and bottom line. His broad            more high-stakes due to the growing importance of
        personal care, pet, and health brands; technology, from     M&A and securities practice includes working on                   technology and the need to protect businesses’ inno-
        software to semiconductor; industrials/manufacturing,       dozens of innovative and complex deals, involving mul-            vations, De Vries and team are likely to be busier than
        with a particular focus on aerospace & defense; and         tiple jurisdictions and in evolving and emerging areas,           ever.
        business services.                                          including tech, media/entertainment and ESG.

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MAY 16, 2022                                                                                                       CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 33

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34 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                              MAY 16, 2022

                         WILLIAM DELGADO                                        RENÉE DELPHIN-RODRIGUEZ                                            DAVID deRUBERTIS
                                Managing Partner                                              Partner                                           Founder and Principal Attorney
                                  DTO Law                                             Crowell & Moring LLP                                     The deRubertis Law Firm APC

        W                                                            R                                                           D
               illiam Delgado, managing partner of minori-               enée Delphin-Rodriguez is a partner in Crowell &            avid deRubertis heads one of Los Angeles’ leading
               ty-owned law firm DTO Law, which he co-found-             Moring’s Los Angeles office and a member of its             boutique contingency-fee trial law firms, handling
               ed in 2019, is a relentless litigator focused on          Corporate and Health Care groups. Her practice              employment disputes on behalf of employees, cat-
        superior results. He approaches litigation with a clear      focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures,        astrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters,
        focus: win, as fast as possible. To do that, he dives into   equity and debt financing, corporate governance, and        contingency business litigation, consumer class actions
        his clients’ business so that he has a clear understanding   complex commercial agreements. Her clients span a           and insurance bad faith matters.
        of what matters, what doesn’t, what creates leverage,        wide range of industries (with a particular emphasis on         During the last few years, deRubertis has been lead
        and what triggers a successful outcome.                      companies within the health care industry).                 counsel in single-plaintiff employment settlements
            Delgado did not inherit a book of business from a            Delphin-Rodriguez has experience representing           totaling well over $55 million, with an average settle-
        retiring partner; rather, he built his book of business      special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsors,        ment of over $2 million for individual employment
        from scratch, relying on the same tenacity that fueled       investors and underwriters in initial public offerings      cases. He is also a leader in class action recoveries.
        him throughout his early years. His book has grown year      (IPOs) and business combinations (deSPACs). She also        deRubertis has continued to secure sizeable confidential
        after year in the class action, commercial litigation, and   advises large corporations on a variety of significant      pre-litigation resolution in matters such as #metoo cases
        intellectual property arenas. Not only does he contin-       M&A and other strategic corporate transactions. She         or high-level-executive whistleblowing cases. He has
        ue to represent major clients, he is representing them       regularly assists public and private corporations on cor-   also continued his aggressive pursuit of changing the
        in significant matters such as his work for American         porate governance, compliance, and general corporate        workplace for the better for AT&T and Walmart work-
        Honda in both a patent case and in four major class          matters. Delphin-Rodriguez has a unique blend of law        ers. In one of his most high-profile cases, he represented
        actions.                                                     firm and in-house experience. She served as assistant       Oscar-winning actress and famed comedian Mo’Nique
                                                                     general counsel to a Fortune 500 health care company        in her quest for equal pay against Netflix.
                                                                     and general counsel to a health care management ser-
                                                                     vices organization.

                                ERIC EARLY                                              DAVID EISMAN                                               THEANE EVANGELIS
                        Founding and Managing Partner                           Partner; Head of Los Angeles Corporate                 Partner and Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group
                 Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP                           and Global Entertainment Group                               Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
                                                                             Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

       E                                                                                                                         T
            ric Early, founding and managing partner of Early                                                                        heane Evangelis has spent close to 20 years honing a

                                                                     D
            Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, has earned a              avid Eisman is the newly appointed head of Skad-            practice that has positioned her as one of the coun-
            national reputation for his representation of Fortune        den’s Los Angeles Corporate Group, reflecting his           try’s leading appellate, employment, class action,
        500 companies, small business entrepreneurs and indi-            many contributions to its rise in prominence on         and general commercial litigation lawyers. She serves
        viduals around America, and has built one of the best        the West Coast over the last more than 25 years. Eis-       as co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s global Litigation Practice
        and most respected boutique law firms in the nation. He      man also continues to be the head of Skadden’s global       Group and previously served as co-chair of the firm’s
        is one of the go-to attorneys for all of the major nation-   Entertainment Group, which has been at the forefront        Class Actions Practice Group.
        al title insurance companies including Fidelity National     of some of the most impactful deals in the industry             Evangelis has played a lead role in a wide range of
        Financial, First American Title Insurance Company,           in recent years. He is known for his representation of      high-profile, groundbreaking litigation matters and
        and Stewart Title.                                           entertainment companies in all segments of the market,      has been a leading lawyer who has helped shaped how
             Early is leading what many consider one of the most     particularly in high stakes matters where a delicate bal-   companies serving the “gig economy” operate. As the
        important defamation lawsuits in the nation currently        ance of business and legal issues is required.              achievements highlighted in this submission showcase,
        pending in Federal Court in West Virginia, and led the           In 2021, Eisman led and successfully led numerous       Evangelis has emerged as a go-to class action lawyer for
        first lawsuit in the nation filed four years ago against     high profile corporate transactions and he has been on      businesses whose business models are under attack. In
        what is now commonly known as critical race theory.          the leading edge of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and          these instances, the stakes couldn’t be higher for these
        He is currently lead counsel representing former coal        innovative transaction structures. Eisman has also been     clients. Evangelis’ recently secured a landmark arbi-
        baron and West Virginia Senatorial Candidate, Don            a prolific dealmaker and has been involved in some of       tration ruling for Uber and also secured the reversal of
        Blankenship, in a high-profile defamation case.              the most significant transactions over the past several     a record-setting $102 million judgment in an employ-
                                                                     years.                                                      ment class action and PAGA case.

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36 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                                          MAY 16, 2022

                                ANITA FAMILI                                                  VINCE FARHAT                                                      MILES FELDMAN
             Leader of Real Estate Transactions and Finance Practice;    Partner; Chair of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Group                         Founder & Partner
                      Leader of Cannabis and CBD Practice                           Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP                                            Raines Feldman
                          Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

                                                                        V                                                                    M
                                                                             ince Farhat represents companies and individuals in                   iles Feldman is a founding partner of Raines Feld-

        T
            he leader of Manatt’s Real Estate Transactions and               criminal and civil investigations, corporate internal                 man LLP and is the chair of the Trials, Litigation
            Finance practice, Anita Famili is one of the nation’s            investigations, and complex federal court litigation.                 and Dispute Resolution department of the firm. A
            go-to advisors for owners, operators, lenders, develop-     His clients include licensed healthcare professionals,               seasoned trial lawyer, Feldman has over two decades of
        ers and investors looking to complete financing, devel-         healthcare companies, publicly-traded and privately-held             experience handling hard fought and often high-profile
        opment, leasing and investment-related transactions.            financial services companies, non-profits, construction              cases through trial and appeal, as well as in numerous
        Anita is a trusted partner for clients across the gamut of      companies, consulting firms, government contractors,                 arbitration forums. Prior to launching Raines Feldman,
        industries – including energy, retail and cannabis – as         and import and export companies. Farhat assists clients              he was a partner with two of Los Angeles’ most promi-
        they assemble, lead and manage major real estate trans-         with corporate internal investigations, government                   nent business litigation firms.
        actions. She is especially well-known for helping her           investigations, parallel investigations, healthcare fraud                Feldman regularly gets results in cutting-edge litiga-
        clients navigate complex transactions that require them         investigations, FDA enforcement defense, False Claim                 tion disputes for business leaders in technology, media
        to coordinate and collaborate with other legal experts,         Act defense, Civil RICO defense, affirmative enforce-                and finance, such as Belkin International, MedMen,
        third-party operators, vendors, outside managers, devel-        ment matters, AML/BSA compliance and supply chain                    United Talent Agency, Julien’s Auctions, Haymaker
        opers and consultants.                                          compliance.                                                          Content, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FilmTools
             Famili regularly guides REITs, national retail grocers,        Farhat served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the               and Westwood Financial Corporation. Feldman was the
        public utilities, and other commercial developers and           Major Frauds section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In               architect of several landmark cases that changed prac-
        owners/users in acquiring, entitling, developing, leasing,      that position, he investigated and prosecuted white-col-             tices in the entertainment industry and corporate law.
        building, financing, deleveraging and joint venturing           lar crimes, including healthcare fraud, bank fraud, wire             The cases involved California’s seven-year employment
        property across the United States. She has extensive            fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and money laundering. While                 rule, copyright fair use, the Talent Agency Act, and the
        experience in secured and unsecured financings, lever-          in Major Frauds, Vince served as the criminal healthcare             descendability of rights and publicity.
        aged acquisitions, complex subordination and intercredi-        coordinator for the Central District of California. He
        tor arrangements, letters of credit, and perfecting security    served in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions of the
        interests in collateral.                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office.

                         TERRENCE FRANKLIN                                                    ALBERT GIANG                                                     PATRICIA GLASER
                                    Partner                                                         Partner                                           Partner and Chair of the Litigation Department
                   Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise LLP                                        King & Spalding                                                    Glaser Weil LLP

        W                                                               A                                                                    G
              ith over three decades of experience handling                  lbert Giang’s practice blends class action defense,                  laser Weil’s Patricia Glaser is a partner and chair of
              some of the most significant and complex trusts                regulatory investigations and enforcement, and                       the firm’s Litigation Department. She has long served
              and estates disputes, Terrence Franklin is regard-             crisis management for public companies and tech                      as one of the entertainment industry’s preeminent
        ed as one of the top litigators in the U.S. by clients          disruptors, particularly those facing litigation or govern-          trial lawyers – a leading attorney for studios, production
        and colleagues. He is responsible for several published         ment scrutiny over their worker classification models in             companies, creative executives and A-list celebrities
        appeals and the landmark Moeller v. Superior Court              the wake of the California Supreme Court’s Dynamex                   who need to solve their issues through negotiation or
        case, which was brought before the California Supreme           decision, AB5, and Proposition 22.                                   litigation. Glaser’s clients include Fortune 500 compa-
        Court and established a fiduciary exception to the                  Giang’s leadership on cutting-edge employment                    nies, major studios, real estate investors and developers,
        attorney-client privilege for successor trustees.               issues is evidenced by an enviable roster of gig economy             financial institutions and high-profile entertainers and
           While Franklin is well-known in the legal commu-             clients like Lyft, Postmates (for whom he defeated its               public figures.
        nity for his trusts and estates expertise, he is equally        first COVID class action), and Instawork (for whom he                    Glaser is consistently ranked as one of California’s top
        renowned for his commitment to furthering the                   serves as strategy counsel on PAGA and employment                    business trial attorneys. Chambers and Partners describes
        advancement of minority lawyers. As a gay, African              litigation); other innovative startups (whom he advises              her as a “trial icon” and gives her top California rankings
        American lawyer, Franklin works tirelessly to bring             on confidential business modeling or governmental                    in General Commercial Litigation and Media & Enter-
        awareness and educate others about the importance of            inquiries); and major corporations (for whom he serves               tainment Litigation. Benchmark Litigation identifies
        diversity and inclusion. He holds countless leadership          as national strategy counsel on employment issues). He               Glaser among the “Top 20 Trial Lawyers California,”
        positions in organizations which impact the law and             is a core member of King & Spalding’s innovative Glob-               “Top 100 Trial Lawyers,” and “Top 250 Women Litiga-
        support his mission to “Help Bend the Arc of History            al Human Capital and Compliance practice, leading the                tors.” Glaser serves on the board of directors of several
        Towards Justice.”                                               practice’s notable growth with gig economy companies                 arts organizations, including the Los Angeles Music Cen-
                                                                        and disruptive startups.                                             ter Theatre Group and The Geffen Playhouse.

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MAY 16, 2022                                                                            CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 37

                                                      CONGRATULATES

                       SANFORD MICHELMAN
                                         our co-founder and Top 100 Lawyer
                                   as designated by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

                                          M&R is the most influential and in demand law firm of its kind,
                                        where bona fide industry expertise meets unsurpassed advisory and
                                                             practice area know-how.

                       Los Angeles | Orange County | San Francisco | Dallas | Houston | Chicago | New York
                        310.299.5500
                                                                www.mrllp.com

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38 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                                    MAY 16, 2022

                     CHRISTINA N. GOODRICH                                                 DAVID GRAELER                                                DEMETRIA L. GRAVES
                                   Partner                                 Chair, Litigation Department; Co-Chair, Real Estate Group    Founding & Managing Partner and Certified Family Law Specialist
                                K&L Gates LLP                                                      Nossaman                                              The Graves Law Firm

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            hristina Goodrich is an intellectual property litigator        avid Graeler serves as chair of Nossaman’s Litigation           ertified family law specialist Demetria Graves
            in the Los Angeles office of K&L Gates LLP – a                 Department and co-chair of its Real Estate Group.               opened her own family law practice, The Graves
            fully-integrated full service global law firm. She has         With more than 20 years of litigation and trial                 Law Firm, at the age of 25, just six months out of law
        experience litigating complex civil cases in federal trial     experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants,         school. She has offices in both Pasadena and Beverly
        and appellate courts across the nation. Goodrich has           Graeler excels at partnering with his clients to identify       Hills and is today considered a leading family law attor-
        trial experience in the International Trade Commis-            goals and to develop and execute winning strategies             ney and has received many accolades for her dedication
        sion on a large patent infringement case and first chair       to effectively resolve complex business disputes inside         to the field of family law as well as to the community.
        arbitration experience in a complex and lengthy action         and outside the courtroom. Through the development                  Graves hosts a podcast, “Legally Uncensored with
        in which she and her team secured a complete defense           of his civil trial practice, Graeler has honed his ability      Attorney Demetria L. Graves‚” available on Apple Pod-
        verdict.                                                       to communicate and connect with judges and juries, as           cast, addressing family law-related topics. In addition,
            Goodrich has consistently held numerous import-            well as with clients, witnesses and other attorneys.            Graves wrote and released a book in 2021 titled, “When
        ant leadership roles at the firm over the past ten years,          Graeler strives to learn and understand his client’s        Women Run the Firm: How to Successfully Launch and
        including Intellectual Property Litigation Practice            business objectives, key issues and goals in order to           Manage Your Law Practice with Confidence‚” which
        Group coordinator, co-chair of the Los Angeles Women           develop a tailored strategy and obtain the best possible        was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Graves currently
        in the Profession committee, member of the firmwide            result. His track record of success in high stakes litiga-      serves as the secretary of the Family Law Executive
        Women in the Profession committee, inaugural member            tion in federal and state courts has earned him numer-          Committee with the California Lawyers Association
        and co-chair of the Global Associate Liaison Commit-           ous awards and accolades, including a California Lawyer         (vice-chair as of September 2021).
        tee, member of the firmwide Idea Group (which focuses          Attorney of the Year Award for litigation.
        on innovation at the firm), and co-chair of the Los
        Angeles Associates Group.

                       JORDAN HAMBURGER                                                    MIRA HASHMALL                                                     GARY HECKER
                         Co-Head of Healthcare M&A                                                 Partner                                                   Managing Partner
                             Sheppard Mulllin                                              Miller Barondess, LLP                                        Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP

        J                                                              M                                                               G
           ordan Hamburger, Sheppard Mulllin’s co-head of                   ira Hashmall is an accomplished litigator and trial             ary Hecker has more than 40 years of legal expe-
           Healthcare M&A, is a lead attorney and project                   attorney who specializes in labor and employment.               rience in technology and entertainment law in
           manager focusing on healthcare and financial services            She is sought out to defend private and public                  the Los Angeles market. He began his career as a
        industry transactions, private equity representation and       employers in high stakes litigation involving claims of         power systems engineer before attending law school at
        sell-side M&A engagements. He has additional expertise         harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour,         the University of San Diego School of Law. His engi-
        advising public companies with capital markets offerings,      wrongful termination, disability discrimination and             neering background combined with his love for enter-
        SEC periodic reporting, NYSE and NASDAQ compli-                accommodation, and family and medical leave rights.             tainment positioned Hecker for a dynamic legal career
        ance and corporate governance matters.                         She was named Employment Lawyer of the Year 2021                during which he has had the privilege of representing
            Hamburger’s practice focuses on corporate and              by the Century City Bar Association.                            many of the nation’s leading technology companies in
        securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions,           In a ruling recognized as a Daily Journal Top Defense        patent, trademark, and copyright law, as well as celebri-
        public and private securities offerings and other general      Verdict in 2020, Hashmall won summary judgment on               ties and entertainment clients.
        corporate representation. He represents private equity         behalf of the County of Los Angeles in a FLSA class                 Throughout his legal career, Hecker has been known
        firms, corporations, entrepreneurs, and other market par-      action lawsuit relating to the State of California’s IHSS       as the tech-savvy, go-to lawyer for the businesses of
        ticipants in the healthcare and financial services indus-      program, in which plaintiffs sought nearly $50 million.         well-known technology and entertainment leaders in
        tries, among others. Additionally, Hamburger advises           Also, In December 2021, Hashmall won a summary                  the California region, including luminaries such as
        public and private companies on corporate governance           judgment on behalf of the County of Los Angeles in              Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett, and Maria
        matters, and represents public companies in connection         an action filed by an employee against the County               Shriver. He also testified twice on behalf of Apple
        with securities law compliance and reporting, including        and other employees and supervisors employee by the             before the U.S. House of Representatives.
        compliance with NASDAQ and NYSE listing standards.             County.
        Hamburger also volunteers at the Veterans Free Legal
        Clinic, offering free legal and practical advice to Veterans
        in the Haven and New Directions programs.

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40 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                                  MAY 16, 2022

                                JANE HINTON                                                    CRAIG HOLDEN                                                MARK HOLSCHER
                                  Partner                                                            Partner                                                       Partner
                         Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP                                                 Lewis Brisbois                                            Kirkland & Ellis LLP

        A                                                                   C                                                            M
            s a partner in the Los Angeles office of Hunton                     raig Holden is a dedicated, accomplished leader both           ark Holscher has a diverse national litigation
            Andrews Kurth on the Capital Finance & Real                         within Lewis Brisbois and in the legal industry as             practice with an emphasis on complex commercial
            Estate Team, Jane Hinton brings a broad range of                    a whole. He serves as a national co-chair of Lewis             matters. Described by his clients as “go-to litigator
        experience to commercial real estate and finance trans-             Brisbois’ Complex Business & Commercial Litigation           for tough matters,” Holscher represents clients across
        actions, representing investors, financial institutions,            and White Collar Defense Practices. In addition, he          the U.S. and abroad in their most significant litigation
        investment funds, and other clients in single-asset and             serves as vice-chair of the firm’s Government Relations      ranging from securities litigation and white-collar and
        portfolio transactions. She focuses on highly structured            Practice. In these roles, Holden consistently delivers       regulatory investigations, to trade secret and high-pro-
        debt and equity real estate transactions, with responsive           the highest level of service to firm clients and success-    file employment disputes.
        transaction management and timely execution. She                    fully achieves their business objectives, while serving as       Holscher’s clients range from entertainment and
        maintains a nationwide 360-degree practice in real                  a trusted mentor and advisor to his colleagues and more      media companies to hospitality companies, real estate
        estate law that includes leasing, acquisitions, disposi-            junior attorneys.                                            developers, defense manufacturers, private equity firms,
        tions, joint ventures and lending throughout the capital                A skilled first-chair trial attorney, Holden manages     hedge funds, and other major financial institutions.
        stack, such as mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity             a wide range of domestic and international commercial        A nationally recognized trial attorney, Holscher is
        financing.                                                          matters, with an emphasis on litigation, trials, and         branded a board-level strategist skilled in taking on the
            A significant portion of the firm clients Hinton                arbitrations involving complex and contested business        FBI, Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange
        represents are composed of alternative or non-bank                  transactions, intellectual property, unfair competition,     Commission, along with other state and national reg-
        lenders, which have found opportunity and transaction               entertainment, investment, and high-stakes disputes.         ulatory agencies, and obtaining outcomes that others
        volume due to the ongoing market conditions and the                 His clients range broadly from multinational companies       thought impossible. With particular experience with
        evolving regulatory environment. Hinton also works to               and entrepreneurs to entertainment companies and             bet-the-company cases, Holscher has been an elite liti-
        expand the firm’s real estate client base and support the           businesses of sovereign Indian nations.                      gator for more than 30 years, leading Kirkland & Ellis’
        firm’s existing clients.                                                                                                         California commercial litigation group.

                           MELANIE HOWARD                                                       NICKY JATANA                                                  ROY JIMENEZ
           Chair, Intellectual Property Protection; Chair, Luxury Brands;                     Office Managing Principal                                            Partner
                  Deputy Chair, Advanced Media and Technology                                      Jackson Lewis                                                  TLD Law
                                   Loeb & Loeb

                                                                            N                                                            R
                                                                                  icky Jatana is a principal in the Los Angeles              oy Jimenez, a partner at TLD Law since 2006, has

        W
              hen iconic brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Canada                    office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses          over 25 years of experience in business and real
              Goose, and The Gap, and celebrity personalities                     on employment litigation, as well as on advising           estate litigation. Jimenez has extensive experience
              like Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins, need to protect and               employers regarding daily workplace issues. Jatana has       in resolving or litigating large, small, and complex busi-
        monetize their intellectual property assets, they turn to           experience with litigation involving wrongful termina-       ness disputes involving collections, breach of contract,
        Melanie Howard, chair of Loeb & Loeb’s Intellectual                 tion, discrimination, harassment, breach of contract,        unfair competition, fraud, intellectual property disputes,
        Property Protection; and chair of the firm’s Luxury                 wage and hour, preventive advice and training, and           ownership & partnership disputes, shareholder disputes,
        Brands practices. Howard’s business-savvy guidance is               other labor and employment-related matters. She has          purchase and sale disputes, unfair business practices,
        trusted by her clients in connection with complex intel-            litigated numerous wage and hour class and multi-plain-      misappropriation of trade secrets, and other business
        lectual property transactions, advertising and marketing            tiff actions, has trial experience and is a member of the    torts.
        matters, and privacy and data security issues.                      firm’s national Trial Team. She has represented employ-          Jimenez is successful in economically and favorably
            Howard is sought after for her practical approach.              ers in the retail, restaurant, manufacturing, pharmaceu-     settling real estate disputes affecting title, transfer, and
        As demonstrated by her clientele, Howard has expertise              tical, tech, entertainment, transportation, and banking      use of real property, and in lending issues. In this capac-
        in luxury fashion, but her range of experience spans                industries, among others.                                    ity he works with agents, buyers, sellers, lenders and
        numerous industries, including beauty and wellness,                      Jatana conducts training seminars and frequently        escrow officers. Jimenez consults and provides general
        entertainment and media, and Web3. She has served                   speaks publicly on a multitude of employment law             counsel services to financial institutions, medical prac-
        as lead counsel in on a number of matters, including                topics. Her experience includes handling employment          tices, entertainment, retail, distribution, manufacturing
        representing Kobe Bryant’s estate in the filing of federal          matters from both in-house counsel and outside counsel       and national packaging and packaging-related business-
        trademark applications for virtual and digital goods to             perspectives. She practices in both state and federal        es. He enjoys the competitive and fast-paced nature of
        protect Bryant’s name and brand in the metaverse.                   court and also before such tribunals as the United           civil litigation. He strives to reach successful results in
                                                                            States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.              the most cost-efficient manner for each client.

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                        CARY JONES                                               ASHLEY JORDAN                                                     ROLAND JUAREZ
                   Managing Partner, Los Angeles                                        Partner                                                         Partner
                        Snell & Wilmer                                              Reed Smith LLP                                             Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

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      ary D. Jones is the managing partner at Snell &            os Angeles-based Reed Smith LLP partner Ashley                      oland Juarez is known for handling high-stakes labor
      Wilmer. He draws upon his over 30 years of exten-          Jordan has a proven record of maximizing insurance                  and employment cases for some of California’s largest
      sive experience practicing real estate law to serve        recoveries through strategic negotiation, litigation,               and most high-profile employers in the temporary
  as a trusted advisor, often serving as the go-to outside    and alternative dispute resolution, handling billions in          staffing, service, manufacturing, and retail industries,
  counsel or lead counsel for his clients. His practice       claims for major energy, construction, and manufacturing          successfully defending clients against the most challeng-
  focuses sophisticated national real estate transactions,    clients; natural disaster claims for property owners; and         ing wage and hour, discrimination, non-compete and
  including mixed use, transit, hotel, historic properties,   major financial services firms.                                   anti-raiding claims facing employers in California and
  ski resort, shopping center and office developments and         Jordan recently led a legal team as co-lead counsel in        across the nation. He is currently leading class, collective
  joint ventures; zoning and land use; real estate financ-    two parallel, high-stakes lawsuits on behalf of high-profile      and other complex employment litigation and has devel-
  ing, and construction. He has experience in affordable      Kuwait client, PVT Limited. The actions arose out of a            oped a highly-successful unfair competition and employ-
  housing law through his work on Heroes Project, which       total loss to PVT Limited’s G550 business jet, exceeding          ee raiding practice in California.
  builds housing for teachers, police officers and hospital   $20 million in damages. National Union Fire Insurance                 Juarez has been at the helm helping companies nav-
  staff.                                                      Company filed a declaratory judgment action against               igate the uncharted challenges brought on by the pan-
      Jones is actively involved in internal Snell & Wilm-    PVT Limited concerning property insurance coverage.               demic and by regulation keeping up with technology. He
  er committees and groups. As the managing partner of        PVT Limited came to Jordan’s team with denied claims              is representing several companies in cases that implicate
  the Los Angeles office, Jones leads his fellow attorneys    and no expectation of recovery. Following two years of            COVID issues, including a novel question about whether
  and staff in efforts to exceed client expectations while    hard-fought litigation, Jordan recently secured favorable,        masks and COVID-19 testing via temperature checks
  fostering an enjoyable working environment, based on        global settlements in both cases that contributed to the          can be considered compensable time and reimbursement
  open communication and mutual respect.                      client recovering approximately 90% of its losses.                issues related to work at home.

                 MAKING
                 AN IMPACT
                   Nixon Peabody congratulates our healthcare partner
                   Harsh Parikh, for being recognized among the Top 100
                   Lawyers by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
                   Harsh makes a positive impact every day with his talent,
                   insight, and dedicated service to healthcare providers
                   and managed care organizations in California.

                                                                  300 South Grand Ave.
                                                                  Los Angeles, CA
                                                                  nixonpeabody.com/healthcare
                                                                  @NixonPeabodyLLP

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42 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – BRANDED CONTENT                                                                                                                                 MAY 16, 2022

                        CHRISTIANNE KERNS                                                       KATHY KU                                                  LAUREN LANGER
                             Managing Partner                                                    Partner                                                          Partner
                            Hahn & Hahn LLP                                         Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati                                        Best Best & Krieger

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            hristianne Kerns is the first female managing partner          athy Ku’s career legal work stretches from the high-             est Best & Krieger partner Lauren Langer manages
            of the prestigious 121-year-old Pasadena-based law             est levels of the judicial system as a clerk to the late         the legal matters for numerous prominent California
            firm, which has transitioned from a historic “old-line         Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to the                entities. She serves as city attorney for the City of
        firm” into a majority woman and minority-owned firm.           highest levels of the corporate world, as an advisor on          West Hollywood and as land use counsel for the cities
        As managing partner, Kerns is responsible for managing         transformative deals like Careem’s $3.1 billion acquisi-         of Lomita and Hermosa Beach. She also serves as legal
        day-to-day business operations, developing, imple-             tion by Uber. The transactions she has handled for pub-          counsel for the Westside Cities Council of Govern-
        menting and driving organizational goals, procedures,          lic and private companies includes the IPO of Internet           ments, which includes the Westside cities of West Hol-
        and policies, managing firm lawyers and the director of        Brands (owner of Fodor’s Travel, CarsDirect, and other           lywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City and
        administration, collaborating with other partners and          top consumer websites) and Berkshire Hathaway’s com-             portions of the City of Los Angeles and the County of
        maintaining positive client relationships.                     plex acquisition of Duracell.                                    Los Angeles.
            Kerns and her team handle sophisticated financing              In the last two years, Ku has played a lead role on a            In these roles, Langer advises her clients on land
        transactions and restructure; manage complex commer-           host of particularly impactful deals, including her work         use, zoning, development projects, environmental and
        cial business relationships and contracts, and lead mul-       acting as lead M&A partner on the $550 million sale of           housing laws, including SB 9, Density Bonus Law, the
        tifaceted real estate deals and projects. Kerns is a trusted   Lyft’s self-driving vehicle division, Level 5, to the Toyo-      Housing Accountability Act, the Housing Crisis Act
        board member and advisor to boards of directors, equity        ta subsidiary Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. Lyft executed          (SB 330) and the California Environmental Quality
        holders, and C-suite executives with a track record of         the deal in part to accelerate its path to profitability,        Act (CEQA). She also drafts legislation and contracts
        identifying and effectively addressing risks and legal         which the company has now achieved for multiple                  and advises on all other legal issues associated with
        issues and strategic and operational challenges with the       consecutive quarters.                                            municipal law practice, such as the Brown Act and
        overarching goal of optimizing results value and ROI.                                                                           California Public Records Act.

                          STEPHEN LARSON                                                       DAVID LASH                                                  RANDALL S. LEFF
                                  Partner                                  Managing Counsel for Pro Bono and Public Interest Services                       Co-Managing Partner
                                Larson LLP                                             O’Melveny & Myers LLP                                            Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

       F                                                               D                                                                R
           ormer U.S. District Judge and Larson LLP founding               avid Lash has long been a leader in the public inter-            andy Leff is a co-managing partner of ECJ and a part-
           partner Stephen Larson has been a renowned trial                est community. As an attorney he has devoted his                 ner in the Litigation Department. For more than 30
           lawyer for high-stakes civil, commercial, and white             career to using the law to fight poverty and advance             years, he has tried and resolved “bet the company”
        collar matters since returning to private practice in          the causes of the underserved, ensuring that our demo-           business disputes in both state and federal court. His cli-
        2009. Perhaps what distinguishes Larson most is how he         cratic protections work for those who need them most.            ents value his consistently customized, high-quality legal
        handles every case on a personal level. His reputation         He believes in the power of judicial branch to preserve          services with his signature enthusiasm, creativity, and
        in the courtroom is as an even-tempered litigator with         the basic necessities of life for those in need, under-          passion.
        a keen mind, but clients know him for his unyielding           standing that access to justice is meaningless without               Leff has many long-term clients in various industries,
        work ethic that drives him to advocate relentlessly for        representation by competent, compassionate counsel.              including technology, healthcare, real estate, manufac-
        their best.                                                        Lash helped launch O’Melveny & Myers’ Pro Bono               turing, food and beverages, entertainment, biotechnolo-
            Larson achieved landmark results during an unprec-         Initiative, a recipient of the ABA’s distinguished Pro           gy, and financial services. Leff has built his reputation by
        edented two years. In 2022, with several law firms vying       Bono Publico Award, the Rose L. Schiff Commitment                developing innovative strategies that recognize the rela-
        for the role, he was selected to serve as interim co-lead      to Justice Award, the Beacon of Justice Award from               tionship between the immediate legal and the long-term
        counsel of the oil spill class actions against Amplify         the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and             goals of the business. By working collaboratively with his
        Energy Corp. He and partner Hilary Potashner were              many others. Following the murder of George Floyd,               clients, he is able to solve problems creatively and min-
        also hired to conduct an investigation into the allega-        he was one of the founders of the Law Firm Antiracism            imize the impact of litigation. Whether it be litigating a
        tions regarding the treatment of the 13 Turpin children        Alliance.                                                        multi-state class action matter involving more than $100
        while under the care of Riverside County.                                                                                       million, resolving a business dispute before the case is
                                                                                                                                        filed, or strategizing business expansion, Leff consistently
                                                                                                                                        delivers exceptional results.

025-66_Top100Law_SUPP.indd 42                                                                                                                                                             5/12/22 11:06 AM
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