Brian M. McDaniel joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as partner in Palo Alto.

Brian McDaniel focuses on corporate and securities law, specializing in the formation and operation of venture capital and other private investment funds. His practice is oriented around finding commercial solutions across multiple areas of law, including partnership, tax and regulatory.

Matthew J. Meyer joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as chief client corporate development advisor in San Francisco.

Meyer will lead the firm's life science business advisory practice. He is an experienced executive who has held diverse roles of increasing responsibility across a wide range of private and public biopharmaceutical, medical technology and precision medicine companies in the U.S. and Europe.

Noelle M. Natoli joined Clark Hill PLC as member in Los Angeles.

Natoli's principal areas of practice are transportation and elder abuse, with extensive experience from pre-litigation investigation and emergency response to post-trial law and motion in both areas. Some of Natoli's clients include long-term care facilities, nursing homes, adult family homes, doctors, nurses, independent contractors, trucking companies and more.

David P. Simonds joined Hogan Lovells US LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Simonds represents debtors, official and informal creditors' committees, secured and unsecured creditors, asset purchasers and other parties involved in out-of-court restructurings, cross-border insolvencies and transactions.

A. Jeanne Grove joined Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP as partner in Sonoma.

Grove's focuses on real estate and business litigation including Homeowners Association and co-ownership issues, purchase and sale disputes and nondisclosure claims as well as development and construction matters. She has experience advising clients such as homeowner associations, real estate brokers or agents, developers, lenders, property owners and business owners.

Ashley E. Klein joined Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Klein is experienced with residential and commercial real estate litigation, including landlord-tenants matters, property management, purchase and sale and co-ownership disputes. She represents clients in matters involving breach of contract, quiet title actions, unlawful detainer, fraud and misrepresentation and professional negligence, among other matters.

Patrick J. Wingfield was promoted to shareholder of Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney PC in San Francisco.

Wingfield's primary practice is business, corporate, employment and real estate law with an emphasis in the hospitality industry. His litigation practice includes business-related disputes, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation claims, violations of wage and hour laws, trademark infringement, real estate disputes and food mislabeling disputes.

Peter L. Weber was promoted to shareholder of Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney PC in San Francisco.

Weber maintains an active practice in employment law, real estate and homeowner association matters and personal injury defense. His clients include lawyers, directors and officers, insurance brokers, design professionals and small businesses.

Dr. Nicole Ballew Chang joined Umberg Zipser LLP as patent agent in Irvine.

Ballew Chang's practice revolves around patent prosecution in biotechnology, life sciences and chemical arts. She has experience in molecular and cellular biology that provides her with insight into intellectual property challenges, so she can provide her clients with strategic solutions. Ballew Chang also provides support for due diligence and licensing matters.

Vikki L. Vander Woude joined Umberg Zipser LLP as partner in Irvine.

Vander Woude focuses her practice on commercial litigation, litigation consulting and neutral services. She assists smaller and mid-sized businesses as an “outside in-house” counsel with management and oversight of litigation, legal expenses, discovery, proactive risk management and alternative dispute resolution.

Jennifer A. Neill joined California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as assistant secretary for legal affairs and chief counsel in Sacramento.

Neill focuses on constitutional, correctional and appellate legal matters. She has experience as an attorney general for the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General and in the Correctional Writs and Appeals Section.

Eric J. Beste joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP as partner in San Diego.

Beste handles white-collar matters that involve securities fraud, corporate malfeasance, domestic and foreign corruption, government contracting offenses, health care fraud and financial institution crimes.

Charles G. La Bella joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP as of counsel in San Diego.

La Bella focuses on white collar defense, complex business litigation and internal corporate investigations. He has also worked on cases involving enforcement and privacy work.

Ken Krug joined FisherBroyles LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Krug centers his practice around debt and equity financing of multifamily housing. He specializes in residential rental housing with governmental subsidies and limitations on the income earned and rentals payable by residents. Krug has represented clients in the preparation and negotiation of loan documents, tax exempt and taxable bond transactions and partnership.

John C. Opgenorth joined FisherBroyles LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Opgenorth represents banks and other institutional lenders and investors in real estate transactions. He focuses on the origination and structuring of loans and equity investments in multifamily housing developments financed with low income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds.

Erin E. Schneider was promoted to director of The Securities and Exchange Commission in San Francisco.

Schneider has investigated or supervised dozens of enforcement matters involving a variety of securities law violations. In her new role, Schneider will lead more than 125 enforcement attorneys, accountants, investigators and compliance examiners to handle investigation and prosecution of enforcement actions as well as compliance inspections with registrants across the region.

Christina A. Morkner Brown joined California Environmental Protection Agency as deputy secretary for law enforcement and general counsel in Sacramento.

Morkner Brown advises state agencies in cases involving state-owned and managed lands and environmental resource regulations. She focuses on land use issues and the California Environmental Quality Act.

Daniel J. Kanter joined Fisher Phillips LLP as of counsel in San Diego.

Kanter represents employers in employment litigation matters, such as wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misclassification and wage and hour violations. He also handles traditional labor matters including collective bargaining, arbitrations and unfair practice charges.

Karen Michail Shah joined FisherBroyles LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Michail Shah's practice involves representing commercial lenders and institutional investors in multifamily affordable housing and mixed-use developments. She advises clients on originating and structuring construction and permanent loans and equity investments involving low income housing tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and taxable bonds, among other entities.

Anthony A. DiMonte joined Clark Hill PLC as member in Los Angeles.

DiMonte focuses on mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions, regulatory compliance and general business matters. He has experience counseling businesses and individuals in sales and acquisitions, commercial transactions, corporate governance and compliance matters. DiMonte has also advised clients on vendor contracts, licensing agreements, real property, executive employment agreements and loss mitigation issues.

David R. Callaway joined Goodwin Procter LLP as partner in Redwood City.

Callway, the former chief of the criminal division and head of the white collar unit at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, advises clients on a wide range of white collar cases, complex cross-border commercial litigation and internal investigations. He has handled federal, state and military criminal cases related to economic crime and securities fraud, national security, public corruption, cybercrime, trade secret, OFAC and export enforcement and money laundering.

Brian J. Nese was promoted to office managing partner of Stoel Rives LLP in San Diego.

As the former co-leader of the firm's Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group, Nese focused on representing renewable energy project developers, owners and operators in connection with project development, mergers and acquisitions, financing and related due diligence.

Anna K. Soliman joined Fiduciary Trust Company as trust counsel in Los Angeles.

Soliman's practice focuses on real estate plans and complex wealth transfer transactions. She has assisted clients in matters from trust administration and probate to Internal Revenue Service audits.

Michael W. McConnell joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as senior of counsel in Palo Alto.

McConnell is a constitutional law scholar, experience appellate litigator and former federal appellate judge. He specializes in topics such as securities, antitrust, administrative law, federal lands, First Amendment and criminal law and procedure.

Susannah J. Braffman Amen joined Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Braffman Amen represents clients in a variety of family law cases such as dissolution of marriage, paternity, custody, post-judgement modifications, prenuptial agreements and domestic violence restraining orders.

Mitchell S. Kim joined Fox Rothschild LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Kim focuses his practice on resolving commercial disputes involving labor and employment, copyright, trademark and product liability matters such as clothing, retail and complex commercial liability defense. Being fluent in Korean, Kim also provide pro bono legal advice to fledgling businesses through the Korean American Apparel Manufacturers Association.

Diana T. Chao joined Goldberg Segalla LLP as special counsel in Irvine.

Chao's counsels and defends clients in general liability, catastrophic injury, toxic tort, construction and mass tort matters. She has defended developers, property owners, contractors, public entities and large corporations. Chao specializes in breach of contract, bad faith, reimbursement, contribution and subrogation claims.

Marc A. Jones joined Loeb & Loeb LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Jones has represented clients, such as private equity firms, strategic buyers, sellers, and issuers across many industries. Strategic acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, venture and growth capital financings are some of the matters he has handled along with corporate governance controversies, joint ventures, recapitalizations and restructurings, executive compensation and incentive equity matters.

Michael Wiener joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Century City.

Wiener advises clients on tax, real estate and corporate aspects of complex business transactions that involve partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts and corporations. He has experience structuring tax-deferred 1031 exchanges and drafting complex partnership agreements and limited liability company operating agreements.

Warren J. Kessler joined Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP as partner in Century City.

Kessler has extensive experience with finding solutions to complex and complicated transactions as well as with real estate, partnership, limited liability company and finance matters. He also has practice structuring Qualified Opportunity Zone funds and businesses as well as with Section 1031 exchanges.

Paul W. Pitts was promoted to office managing partner of Reed Smith LLP in San Francisco.

Pitts focuses his practice on advising health care providers and life science companies on a wide range of business transactions and regulatory compliance matters. He often provides clients with guidance on fraud and abuse laws, payment and coverage rules, privacy and security laws, payment and coverage rules, privacy and security laws and participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Gabriel R. Ravel joined California Health and Human Services Agency as general counsel in Sacramento.

Ravel, in his new role, will advise the director and chief deputy director on general legal matters, coordinate legal counsel and act as a liaison to other stakeholder groups and the governor's office. He has an understanding of health care reform and federal and state health insurance regulation.

Julie R. Gerchik was promoted to partner of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shaprio LLP in Los Angeles.

Gerchik deals with various types of complex commercial matters while specializing in arbitration, business, class action, entertainment and general complex commercial matters. She has experience assisting clients such as international financial institutions, private equity firms, hedge funds and financial advisory firms.

Jennifer L. Cornell was promoted to partner of Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP in San Francisco.

Cornell focuses her practice on employment-related litigation and general business matters such as wage and hour class actions or pay equity lawsuits. She has a special emphasis in defending companies in complex class action matters in both the technology and retail sectors.

Andrew B. Serwin joined DLA Piper as partner in San Diego.

Serwin advises Fortune 500 and emerging companies on matters relating privacy, security, crisis management and national security. He focuses on international compliance, health privacy, mobile, behavioral advertising, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and wiretap issues, electronic marketing, social media and Federal Trade Commission requirement compliance.

Paul L. Tetzloff was promoted to managing partner of Newmeyer & Dillion LLP in Newport Beach.

Tetzloff has experience representing national and international corporations and individuals in a wide variety of matters involving high stakes litigation, risk management, contracts, investigations and government relations. He serves a variety of industries such as real estate, hospitality, commercial construction, insurance, health care, technology, financial services and homebuilding.