Jennifer W. Chang was promoted to senior partner of Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP in Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP (HechtSolberg), San Diego.

Ms. Chang's practice focuses on:

Representing commercial developers and home builders in real estate acquisitions and dispositions, entity formation, and financing.

Representing landlords and tenants in a variety of leasing transactions, including office, industrial, and retail leases, and covering all property types, including single-tenant, multi-tenant, and mixed-use projects.

Drafting and negotiating easement agreements for commercial developments.

Advising clients regarding complex title-related issues.

Business entity structuring, formation, and advising.

Nonprofit organizations

Márcia H.Y. Loeffelholz was promoted to senior partner of Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP in San Diego.

Márcia Loeffelholz specializes in real estate and business transaction matters, with a focus on acquisitions and dispositions, financing transactions, commercial leasing, entity formation and corporate governance and purchase and sale of business entities and assets. She assists clients, including real estate developers, landlords, tenants’ retail businesses, corporations and entrepreneurs, with real estate and general business needs.

Talon J. Powers was promoted to partner of Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP in San Diego.

Talon Powers' practice focuses on business litigation and risk management, with emphasis on construction, land use and environmental appeals, purchases and sales, commercial leases, real estate brokerage, and insurance issues. He is a director on the board of Rebuilding Together San Diego, a local nonprofit focused on rehabilitating homes and facilities for San Diego residents in need, and was honored as one of the 2019 “San Diego Rising Stars” by Super Lawyers.

Andrew D. Thorpe joined Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC as member in San Francisco.

Thorpe joins Mintz' corporate group and brings his practice, which focuses on securities regulation, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters. At Mintz, Thorpe said he intends to be a part of expanding the firm's capital markets capabilities on the west coast.
One of the reasons for joining Mintz was his interest in the intersection between the life sciences and capital markets, he said.
"Their life sciences platform is excellent, and all of their capabilities in IP licensing, healthcare, regulatory and FDA provides a lot of tools to work with and compete in the Bay area for life sciences clients that a lot of firms in the area don't have," said Thorpe.
While many venture-backed technology firms stay in the private sector for several years before going public, the life sciences and the healthcare sector use the public capital markets to a higher degree, according to Thorpe, who spent time working in the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"I think with my background, coming from the SEC and working on capital markets transactions at my prior firms, combined with Mintz' capabilities in both capital markets and in life sciences and health care, really create a powerful arsenal to be able to compete and grow the practice in the Bay area," he said.
Thorpe, who holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, has always had an affinity for corporate finance.
"I've always enjoyed working with companies and helping them at their most crucial points in their life cycles. From navigating very complex processes to go public to establish well-functioning finance and accounting and good corporate governance. I find it extremely gratifying to help companies when the stakes are high," Thorpe said.
Thorpe is based in Mintz' San Francisco office and received his law degree from Washington University.
Thorpe's move was brokered by Larry Watanabe, a partner at the California legal placement firm Watanabe LLC.

Nicole Christine Baldwin joined Klinedinst PC as counsel in Klinedinst PC, San Diego.

Nicole C. Baldwin litigates and counsels clients in employment law, business litigation, and is an experienced trial lawyer. She has over a decade of corporate defense litigation, and regularly counsels employers with the goal of minimizing litigation risks.
An experienced employment litigator, Ms. Baldwin has tried cases involving claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Ms. Baldwin is also experienced in defending employers against class actions involving wage and hour claims.
Before joining Klinedinst, Ms. Baldwin taught Civil Litigation and Legal Research for UC San Diego Extension's Paralegal Certificate Program.
In 2006 Ms. Baldwin received her J.D. from California Western School of Law. Prior to attending law school she graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003, where she obtained a B.A. in Communication/Journalism and a B.S. in Sociology.

Troy A. Valdez joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP as partner in San Francisco.

The decision to move to a different firm came after Valdez had lunch with his former mentor and boss, Fred W. Alvarez, who is also a partner at Coblentz.
"It was pure happenstance, really. We just started talking about Fred's move to Coblentz, and he suggested that I should think about it," Valdez said. "And a few months later, I made the move."
Valdez said he joined the firm because it gave him an opportunity to broaden his practice and client base.
Coblentz will give Alvarez more resources to focus on his practice, labor and employment law, he said.
A trial attorney with over 20 years of experience with labor and employment law, Valdez has advised clients on wage and hour class actions, founder and executive disputes, breach of contract actions, whistleblower and other retaliation claims, discrimination and harassment matters as well as arbitrations.
He also prosecuted and defended trade secret misappropriation and corporate raiding lawsuits.
One of the more significant developments in his practice area in recent years have been the increase of wage and hour cases, Valdez said.
"I had no clue that when I started practicing labor and employment, that wage and hour would become such a huge part of my practice with all the class actions that have focused on the intricacies of California labor code," Valdez said. "You can't practice labor and employment law these days without knowing the California labor code and being somewhat of a wage and hour lawyer."
Now based in Coblentz' San Francisco office, the UC Davis School of Law graduate said he aims to continue providing high quality legal services to clients.
"I want to continue to provide good, solid legal advising and counseling to clients and find a place where I can practice for a long time. And I think I've done that at Coblentz," Valdez said.

Benjamin J. Morris was promoted to partner of Foley & Lardner LLP in San Diego.

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce Benjamin J. Morris has been elected to the firm's partnership, effective February 1, 2020. Benjamin is a member of the Litigation and Construction Practices at Foley & Lardner LLP. He advises and counsels owners, developers, contractors, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers throughout all phases of complex construction projects and construction litigation. Benjamin also handles business and complex litigation, including defense of trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, unfair competition and consumer class action claims. His commercial clients have included biopharmaceutical companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, technology companies, consumer products companies, banks and engineering and construction firms.

Shawn Shaffie was promoted to patner of Parker Mills LLP in Los Angeles California.

Shawn Shaffie Becomes Partner At Parker Mills LLP

Having joined Parker Mills in 2016, and hailing from a practice previously focused on professional liability concerning attorneys, accountants and other business professionals, Shawn Shaffie's current practice involves all aspects of litigation and arbitration.

Mr. Shaffie is a trial attorney who has favorably resolved numerous high stakes lawsuits, and has wide-ranging experience in a variety of substantive areas including legal malpractice and ethics, insurance, business law, including contractual disputes and entertainment, fee disputes, real estate, traumatic personal injuries, and sober living home/drug treatment center malfeasance.

Mr. Shaffie has authored numerous publications, and is active within the local community. He is currently co-chair of the Southern California Professional Underwriting Society, as well as on the board of Open Immigration Legal Services, a non-profit legal services organization.

He has been consecutively named to the list of Super Lawyers, Rising Stars from 2014 through 2019, putting him in the top 2.5% of lawyers under 40 years of age in Southern California.

Marc André Bertet was promoted to partner of Hersh Mannis LLP in Beverly Hills.

Mr. Bertet is Certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and brings a substantial breadth of knowledge to the field of family law, having represented renowned members of the entertainment industry, politicians, and high net worth clients for over 15 years. Mr. Bertet has contributed to various publications and lectured before several organizations including the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Christopher G. Gordon was promoted to partner of Hersh Mannis LLP in Beverly Hills.

Mr. Gordon has broad experience in cases involving dissolution, separation, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, property characterization and division, and is equally adept at handling both high-conflict cases involving contentious litigation, and more collaborative cases focusing on mediated solutions. Clients appreciate his empathetic listening skills, calm demeanor, and active pursuit of practical solutions to today’s common and uncommon family law conflicts.

Andrew Stein was promoted to partner of Hersh Mannis LLP.

Mr. Stein brings over fifteen years of knowledge and experience representing high profile, high asset individuals in family law cases. Additionally, Mr. Stein has proved to be a highly capable advocate in the appellate arena and has also litigated cases in civil court. He also clerked in Washington, D.C., at the Center for Individual Rights where he worked on high-profile cases before the United States Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Nestor Barrero was promoted to partner of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP in Los Angeles.

National labor and employment law firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP is pleased to announce the promotion of Nestor Barrero to partner in its Los Angeles office. Barrero joined Constangy in 2017 and was formerly Vice President-Employment Law for NBCUniversal Media LLC. He advises clients in various industries including media, hospitality, gaming, banking and retail on employment and labor law compliance.

Jeannine Y. Sano joined Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP in San Francisco.

Having been a partner at White & Case for nine years, Sano said she didn't expect to switch
firms.
"I wasn't interested in moving law firms at first. This was a truly unique opportunity that I
couldn't resist," Sano said. "You get the best of the best people who are known for antitrust litigation
and IP litigation, and they called me to say that they wanted me to help build their IP practice
in San Francisco. It was just too good to pass up."
She joined Axinn Jan. 13.
Axinn focuses exclusively on antitrust and intellectual property law. This is a change for Sano
because her former firm offered several practice areas.
"It'll be a different challenge since I can no longer offer one size fits all. But it's a challenge that
I'm looking forward to," Sano said.
Sano brings 25 years of trial experience to Axinn. Among her victories are a unanimous jury
verdict for the defense in a patent infringement case involving computer-aided design software
in the Northern District of Texas; a damages verdict of over $100 million on behalf of the patent
holder in the Northern District of California; and final determination of no liability on all asserted
patents in the International Trade Commission on behalf of the respondent, affirmed by a federal
circuit court, according to a statement from Axinn.
She started her partnership career at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in 2001 during the technology
boom. Since then, her focus has been on computer hardware and software cases.
Sano graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law.

Sonia Nayak was promoted to partner of Nixon Peabody in Los Angeles.

Sonia Nayak, Community Development Finance, Nixon Peabody

Sonia Nayak's practice centers on real estate development and financing, including new markets tax credits, affordable housing, and commercial lending. Much of Sonia's work involves bringing private capital to high-impact community development projects in California and nationwide. These projects include affordable multifamily rental housing complexes, health care facilities, charter schools, cultural and community centers, and research and technology incubator facilities. Her recent pro bono work includes structuring dormitory financing for a San Francisco-area school serving vulnerable young adults.

Johanna Schiavoni as counsel

The California Appellate Law Group, a 16-attorney appellate specialty boutique with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, is proud to announce that it is expanding to San Diego with the addition of Johanna Schiavoni.

Johanna has nearly two decades of experience handling state and federal appeals, and she is a certified appellate specialist by the State Bar of California. She is also the 2020 President of the San Diego County Bar Association, which serves 10,000 members in and around California's second-largest city. Johanna is a former law clerk to Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Johanna's full background is at www.calapplaw.com/johanna. You can reach her at johanna.schiavoni@calapplaw.com or (619) 642-2929.

Learn more about the California Appellate Law Group LLP at www.calapplaw.com.

Ashley Vaccaro joined Rutan & Tucker, LLP as senior counsel in Costa Mesa.

As an experienced litigator, Ashley handles all aspects of trial, pre-trial, and post-trial proceedings in state and federal courts throughout the country, including arbitration, mediation and settlement negotiations. Ashley's matters cover a range of practice areas, focusing on complex commercial litigation, and have included employment, insurance, breach of contract, securities, environmental, unfair business practices, and business tort claims. In addition to her litigation practice, Ashley represents clients in government investigations and enforcement actions, and advises clients in connection with internal audits. Ashley guides corporate clients through any business matter they may face, including reviewing and understanding contracts, identifying potential liabilities and coverage positions, understanding and abiding by corporate compliance programs, properly handling investigations, and improving training and related policies and procedures.

Michael Rossiter joined Rutan & Tucker, LLP as associate in Costa Mesa.

Michael Rossiter represents and counsels employers in all areas of employment law, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, employment agreements, wage and hour issues, and employment policies.