Thomas Speiss joined Snell & Wilmer LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Speiss focuses his practice on trademark branding and advertising, licensing, counterfeiting investigations, and working with Federal and state law enforcement to blunt such counterfeiting activities. He further quarterbacks IP due diligence efforts both on the sell side for his clients and on the buy side for institutional investors.

Mykhal N. Ofili joined Goldberg Segalla as associate in Los Angeles.

Ofili counsels and defends employers, insurers, and third-party administrators in workers' compensation matters throughout California. An experienced litigator, he handles all aspects of workers' compensation matters including trial, status conferences, expedited hearings, priority conferences, and mandatory settlement conferences. Ofili draws on his experience practicing civil litigation, family law, and criminal law, and has handled more than 50 bench trials.

Harvey A. Silberman joined Signature Resolution as neutral in Los Angeles.

Appointed to the bench in 2004, Judge Silberman has since devoted his judicial career to the family law division. Throughout his tenure, he has earned multiple Judge of the Year accolades from various bar associations and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, with his most recent recognition coming from the Inn of Court. His leadership is further evidenced by his involvement on the Los Angeles County Superior Court executive committee and his service on the boards of the California section of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the San Fernando Valley Legal Foundation. Judge Silberman holds a Juris Doctorate and Master of Arts from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University. He has also served as a professor of family law at USC Law School and continues to mentor the next generation of legal professionals through a Student Extern Program.

Deborah Yoon Jones joined Polsinelli LLP as principal in Los Angeles.

Jones is an experienced trial attorney and commercial litigator who works with diverse clientele across various industries. With extensive experience in California state and federal courts, Jones addresses a broad spectrum of business concerns, from pre-litigation through trial, including issues related to business operations, unfair competition, consumer protection, debt collection, and high-stakes environmental toxic torts.

Ellie K. Vilendrer joined Signature Resolution as neutral in Los Angeles.

Throughout her impressive career, Vilendrer has successfully represented a diverse array of clients, from individuals to large corporations, in fields such as commercial, employment, and intellectual property law. In 2013, she founded Vilendrer Law PC, specializing in supporting technology firms, from emerging startups to established enterprises. Her broad experience includes serving as outside general counsel and advising on intellectual property and privacy matters, underscoring her adaptability and depth of understanding in the tech industry.

Francisco Cabada joined Kaufman Dolowich as partner in Los Angeles.

Cabada focuses his practice on labor and employment law and commercial litigation. He has over twenty years of experience defending employers in employment litigation, including claims of alleged harassment, retaliation, discrimination, and wrongful termination. Cabada handles wage and hour matters, including class and representative actions. He conducts investigations and interviews to analyze complex wage and hour data to assess his client's risk and exposure.

Steven J Pearse joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as senior counsel in Los Angeles.

Pearse's practice focuses on Professional Liability (with an emphasis in accountancy and legal malpractice), Employment (litigation, including single-plaintiff, wage & hour, and PAGA claims, administrative investigations, including with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), the California Civil Rights Department ("CRD") and the California Department of Industrial Relations ("DIR"), and counseling), Business and Commercial, and General Liability matters. He is a seasoned litigator with an eye for strategic risk assessment and strives to prevent, minimize, or eliminate his clients' potential liability exposure from the onset. He is well-versed in all aspects of civil litigation and handles matters from inception through trial.

J. Andrew Wright joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as senior counsel in Los Angeles.

Wright's practice focuses on representing CPAs, fiduciaries, attorneys, directors and officers, and other professionals in litigation and regulatory matters. He also represents creditors in post-judgment enforcement and prosecutes commercial litigation matters. He has achieved first-chair success in civil trial, arbitration, and the Court of Appeal.

Bram Alden joined Hueston Hennigan LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.

Alden spent the last eight and a half years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office. In his most recent role as chief of Criminal Appeals, he handled and oversaw the most complex appeals, supervised nine other appellate prosecutors, advised hundreds of trial attorneys, and taught legal writing. During his tenure in the U.S. Attorney's Office, he also tried five felony jury trials and one misdemeanor bench trial, never losing a single count, including for attempted murder, threats to kill major presidential candidates, bank robbery, false impersonation of a federal agent, conspiracy, and fraud. Alden also argued over 30 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and drafted multiple successful en banc petitions. He received the Department of Justice Director's Award for devising responses to novel legal issues arising from the pandemic and guiding federal prosecutors nationwide.

Alice Yuan joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Yuan advises private equity firms, portfolio companies, and other public and private companies across various industries on complex transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, leveraged buyouts, carve-outs, growth equity investments, special situations transactions, and joint ventures. She also advises clients on general corporate and governance matters.

Jon Dean joined Sidley Austin LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

A former prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer, Dean focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation matters, including patent and trade secrets cases, antitrust actions, securities matters, unfair competition cases, trademark disputes, employment actions, OSHA cases, and healthcare matters. Dean also represents companies and individuals in connection with civil and criminal government investigations, including investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and local law enforcement agencies.

Jeffrey A. Rudman joined Judicate West as neutral in Los Angeles.

Rudman has 26 years of experience in personal injury and employment matters. He founded his own boutique trial law firm, The Rudman Law Firm APC, in 2010, specializing in catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims. He has successfully handled more than 1,000 cases involving vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, and dangerous conditions of public property. In 2023, he pivoted to Rudman Mediation, where he focused solely on dispute resolution.

Camille A. Brooks was promoted to partner of Katten in Los Angeles - Century City.

Brooks represents financial services firms, landlords and other companies in class actions and complex litigation in state and federal court throughout the country. She has significant experience in commercial, class-action and other complex litigation, defending clients at all stages. She has defended against a variety of claims, including claims for breach of contract, violations of consumer protection statutes, and violations of federal banking statutes and regulations. She also has handled the defense of financial services firms and other companies in individual arbitrations.

Paul S. Yong was promoted to partner of Katten in Los Angeles - Century City.

Yong helps clients successfully navigate some of their most difficult and complex litigation matters. As an experienced and skilled securities litigator, he regularly defends public companies and their directors and officers in securities class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and government and internal investigations. He is a creative advocate who innovatively approaches complex legal and factual issues. He represents clients from a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on technology and life sciences. He has experience handling all phases of a lawsuit, from complaint to trial.

Marina C. Gruber joined Procopio as partner in Palo Alto.

Gruber represents California employers in a wide range of actions before state and federal courts and administrative agencies while also counseling employers in prevailing wage and labor-related matters. She defends against single plaintiff discrimination and harassment actions, as well as California wage and hour law class actions alleging off-the-clock work, donning and doffing claims, and meal and rest break compliance. She has also litigated California prevailing wage matters at the administrative and trial court levels, defending employers facing allegations of failure to pay the appropriate prevailing wage rate(s), employ apprentices, maintain certified payroll, failure of subcontractors to meet prevailing wage obligations, and disputes over whether the projects in question were public works at all. She also advises contractors on wage audits, contract negotiations, and compliance. In addition to litigation, Gruber counsels employers in labor matters including those involving the National Labor Relations Board, handles labor arbitrations, advises on organizing campaigns, and defends against charges of unfair labor practices.

Dale Bellitto joined Ogletree Deakins as associate in San Francisco.

Bellitto's practice focuses on defending employers against wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour causes of action in both state and federal court. She also counsels employers on various employment practices and personnel matters - including, but not limited to, severance agreements, Family and Medical Leave Act leave, California Family Rights Act leave, and reasonable accommodations. She earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Kate Kraus joined Covington & Burling LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Kraus is nationally recognized and has more than 20 years of experience in tax planning and structuring. She advises on a wide range of partnership, corporate, and real estate matters, including joint ventures, fund formations, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, liquidations, debt workouts, and bankruptcies.

Jennifer Brough joined Sheppard Mullin as partner in San Francisco.

Brough represents pipeline, electric, and renewable energy companies in corporate matters and before federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy. She has experience advising many companies on regulatory compliance issues on both the state and federal levels. Her practice focuses on guiding companies through the energy transition, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction programs, environmental justice, and community engagement.

Linda B. Oliver joined Goldberg Segalla as special counsel in Los Angeles.

Oliver focuses her practice on advising and defending insurance companies, national and regional retail stores, hotels, and resorts. She has more than two decades of experience handling complex civil litigation and class actions in federal and state courts and arbitration forums, often serving as lead or primary counsel. Oliver has set strategy, developed facts, and presented legal arguments that achieved successful results on motions, through settlement negotiations and mediations, and at trial.

Joseph Halloum joined King & Spalding LLP as partner in Silicon Valley.

Halloum represents public and private companies, as well as private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, in a wide range of domestic and international transactions, capital structures and investments, governance and activism defense, finance, securities and other general corporate matters.

Jackson T. Herndon joined Miller Barondess, LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.

Herndon is a business litigator who has represented leaders in the financial, healthcare, pharmaceutical, energy, and aviation industries. He has extensive experience litigating high-profile and high-stakes litigation, including bet-the-company and multi-billion-dollar disputes.

Coleman D. Heggi joined Knox Ricksen LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.

With more than 17 years of legal experience, Heggi represents clients in civil litigation related to alleged false, fraudulent, or misleading health care benefit claims. Before joining Knox Ricksen, he advised insurance carriers on legal strategy and analysis in coverage disputes. He also represented attorneys in legal malpractice and professional responsibility cases, as well as various types of business litigation.

Annalisa Zulueta joined Kaufman Dolowich as partner in San Francisco.

Zulueta is a civil litigation and trial attorney who focuses her practice in general liability defense and professional liability. She provides counsel and represents clients in state court, federal court, before governing agencies, and through mediation.

Celia Moutes-Lee joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Moutes-Lee focuses on insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation. Her practice primarily involves defending bad faith lawsuits and resolving coverage disputes relating to first- and third-party claims. With extensive experience in litigating bad faith lawsuits, she handles cases involving claims under personal and commercial policies, including theft, fire, smoke, water, hail, sand, floods, earthquakes, and other catastrophic events, as well as uninsured motorist claims. Insurers regularly retain her to assist in the investigation of claims and determination of coverage, which includes conducting examinations under oath. She is highly skilled at investigating and litigating suspicious losses.

Kayla Berlin joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Berlin manages pre-litigation coverage issues and lawsuits related to bad faith disputes stemming from first-party insurance policies for insurer clients. Her practice is focused on insurance law, and she has achieved early dismissals and secured favorable judgments for insurers in bad-faith litigation. Berlin has extensive experience handling litigation and pre-litigation coverage matters under automobile, homeowners, renters, and commercial property policies. She also manages property loss claims for personal and commercial policies, including water damage, fire, wind, and other catastrophic losses. Additionally, she excels in conducting examinations under oath and litigating suspected fraudulent claims.

Tiffany M. Spencer joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP as associate in San Diego.

Spencer has represented clients in all phases of litigation, including arguing motions on their behalf and serving as first chair attorney. While her work with Legal Aid covered various areas of law, Spencer's practice focuses particularly on unlawful detainer cases.

William Mentlik joined FedArb as mediator in Los Angeles.

Mentlik now focuses his practice on mediating complex IP disputes. Most notably, he has successfully mediated disputes involving domestic and international IP litigation and patent portfolio licensing, including SEP/FRAND disputes between large international technology companies and Hatch-Waxman disputes. His skills as a mediator also derives from his experience as an IP appellate practitioner, which required him to combine a thorough knowledge of the case record with a proven penchant for thinking on his feet.

Ariel Valerio-Meek joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete as associate in San Diego.

Valerio-Meek focuses on litigation and assisting employers with allegations of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour violations, and related issues. Her experience includes navigating employee relations, developing compliance strategies, and providing preventative advice and counsel to best avoid the disruption and expense of litigation.

Arcelia N. Magaña joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete as associate in San Diego.

Magaña is a litigator and trial attorney specializing in labor and employment law. Focusing on creating stable and high-functioning work environments, she leverages her extensive experience to guide employers on best practices that help avoid the costly disruptions of litigation.

Daniel J. Galván joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete as associate in San Diego.

Galván brings a wealth of experience in workplace law. He represents employers in various labor and employment matters, including offering preventive advice and counseling. His proactive approach equips clients with the tools and knowledge necessary to manage employee relations effectively and reduce potential legal risks.

Guillermo A. Escobedo joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete as partner in San Diego.

Escobedo brings extensive experience to the table, particularly in defending claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment across various protected categories, retaliation, failure to accommodate, defamation, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets. His experience is particularly evident in handling wage-and-hour claims, including failure to pay overtime wages, off-the-clock work, meal and rest period violations, and misclassification issues. His litigation practice spans defending employers in single and multi-plaintiff lawsuits, class actions, and claims under the Private Attorney General Act (PAGA), showcasing his ability to navigate complex legal terrain.