Ivo Keller joined Shartsis Friese LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Keller has built an impressive portfolio of expertise, handling a wide range of high-stakes litigation and complex bankruptcy cases. His adeptness at navigating the intricacies of real estate law, ranging from environmental challenges and eminent domain proceedings to boundary disputes and HOA governance, sets him apart as a leader in the field. Keller has also built a nationwide practice representing landlords and other creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. He has represented everything from large institutional investors to small businesses in case venues ranging from San Diego to Connecticut.

Luis E. Lorenzana was promoted to office managing shareholder of Littler Mendelson in San Diego.

Lorenzana represents a wide range of employers in complex, single plaintiff and class action employment litigation before state and federal courts and agencies. Lorenzana regularly defends employers against wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination (disparate treatment and disparate impact), sexual harassment and battery, pay equity, failure to accommodate, PAGA, and wage and hour claims.

Robert J. Wilger was promoted to office managing shareholder of Littler Mendelson in San Jose.

Wilger represents clients in all aspects of employment law, including civil lawsuits and administrative proceedings involving allegations of wrongful termination, discrimination, and other claims arising out of employment disputes.

Erika Mayshar joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as shareholder in Orange County.

Mayshar's clients include sophisticated tax-exempt organizations across the country facing complex legal and tax issues and ultra-high-net-worth individuals deploying philanthropic capital. She advises philanthropists, foundations, and family offices on making significant charitable contributions, creating succession structures, and enhancing their philanthropic impact. Mayshar works with corporate foundations to develop philanthropy models such as employee assistance funds, disaster relief efforts, and research grant programs.

Tracy S. Combs joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP as shareholder in San Francisco.

Combs counsels corporations, financial institutions, and individuals regarding complex investigations, litigation, and regulatory matters, including those involving the SEC, the Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other law enforcement agencies and financial regulators.

Chad Hummel joined McKool Smith as principal in Los Angeles.

Hummel has tried and won landmark cases in the entertainment, mortgage banking, hospitality, telecommunications, advertising, and fashion industries. He also advises public and private companies on compliance, regulatory investigations, and actions by governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the CFPB, the SEC, and multiple state attorneys general.

Ali Hmoud joined Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, PC as associate in San Diego.

Hmoud has experience representing corporations in a broad range of employment matters, including wage and hour, PAGA, class action, FEHA, employee benefits, equal pay, and medical leave and disability accommodations. He has also represented clients in various insurance defense litigation matters, in areas including employment, personal injury, and environmental toxic torts.

Michael Shonafelt joined Buchalter as shareholder in Los Angeles.

Shonafelt advises landowners, developers, lenders, receiverships, and public agencies on all aspects of zoning and land use, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Coastal Act, general plan amendments and zone changes, conditional use permits (CUPs), subdivision maps, variances, development agreements, wetlands issues, and coastal development permits (CDPs). He is also well-versed in California housing laws.

Roger C. Rappoport joined Snell & Wilmer LLP as partner in San Diego.

Rappoport is a seasoned advisor to startups and emerging growth companies and the investors who finance them, guiding clients from inception through exit. With over two decades of experience in the startup ecosystem, He focuses on venture capital and angel investor financings, including convertible notes, SAFEs, and other debt financings. His knowledge extends to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution, development, manufacturing, and licensing transactions, as well as executive compensation and establishing equity incentive plans.

Michael E. Brewer was promoted to north america employment & compensation practice chair of Baker & McKenzie LLP in San Francisco.

Brewer most recently served as managing partner of the firm's California offices, and he is also chair of the firm's Global Employment & Compensation practice. A trial lawyer who represents global and domestic clients, he has tried class action and single-plaintiff employment cases before judges, juries, and arbitrators for more than two decades.

Denise M. Glagau was promoted to california managing partner of Baker & McKenzie LLP in San Francisco.

Glagau's practice focuses on advising multinational companies on complex tax and legal issues associated with offering employee share plans and other incentive compensation programs globally. She has authored several articles and frequently speaks on topics of interest for legal and other professionals dealing with share plan issues. She is a member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and Global Equity Organization (GEO). She is a ranked practitioner by Chambers USA in the area of Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation. She is also a member of the firm's Financial Institutions and Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Groups.

Sean Morrissey joined Civica Law Group, APC as of counsel in Irvine.

Morrissey is a seasoned legal professional whose career is marked by a steadfast commitment to excellence, strategic litigation management, and successful client advocacy. Morrissey has shown an exceptional ability to navigate complex litigation processes, from initial client consultations to the execution of sophisticated legal strategies. His expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of practice areas, including business and contractual disputes, collection matters, landlord-tenant issues, and employee disputes. He has been instrumental in directing cases through pre-litigation settlement strategies, initiating and defending lawsuits, and managing appeals. Notably, Sean Morrissey has achieved significant victories, such as settling multimillion-dollar claims for nominal amounts and obtaining summary judgments that were upheld on appeal.

Lesley D. Holland joined Judicate West as neutral in Sacramento.

Holland retired from the San Joaquin County Superior Court in 2019. He was elected as presiding judge in 2014 and was named the court's first supervising judge for the Civil Division in 2011, serving through 2014. Holland spent the last several years as of counsel at Herum Crabtree Suntag Attorneys, where he devoted his practice to alternative dispute resolution services in civil matters with emphasis on probate/trusts and estates, business/contractual, construction, employment, professional malpractice, real estate and personal injury disputes. Holland spent the first 18 years of his career in private practice, trying commercial, products liability and construction defect matters.

Brandon Gantus joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as partner in San Francisco.

Gantus focuses on representing public and private companies on benefits and compensation matters. He has particular experience counseling technology and life sciences companies on benefits and compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions, including many high-profile deals in recent years.

Marc Koonin joined Ogletree Deakins as of counsel in San Francisco.

Koonin regularly advises employers on a broad range of employment related matters, including multistate compliance issues and workplace safety issues. He has defended employers in cases alleging employment discrimination and harassment, failure to accommodate disabilities, wrongful termination, whistleblower and other retaliation claims, wage and hour claims, ERISA violations, defamation, and violation of various leave laws. Koonin also represents employers before administrative agencies, including the California Occupational Safety & Health Appeals Board, as well as in traditional labor matters such as collective bargaining, avoiding and defending complaints of unfair labor practices, and labor grievance arbitration.

Trinity Taylor joined Ogletree Deakins as associate in San Francisco.

Taylor has extensive experience defending employers against claims involving wage and hour disputes; wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation; unlawful discrimination; and unfair competition. She also litigates cases involving breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets.

Jerome "Jerry" Ku joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Ku represents early-stage and emerging growth companies, venture capital and private equity firms, and other clients in California and beyond. Ku counsels clients in heavily regulated industries on their most complex transactions, including high-dollar investments, high-value M&A deals, debt/equity financings, commercial contracts, and corporate formation and governance matters. His clients include leading companies in the energy, mobility, telecom, food and beverage, entertainment, and healthcare sectors, with a focus on both traditional and emerging tech, such as AI, SaaS, semiconductors, and blockchain.

Stephen A. Cazares joined Foundation Law Group LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Cazares is a former assistant U.S. attorney who has tried 17 federal jury trials to verdict. He represents companies, their executives, and others confronted with regulatory investigations, fraud litigation, and state and local prosecutions, including matters before the U.S. Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. He also conducts internal investigations relating to allegations of securities and regulatory compliance violations, as well as allegations of misconduct by whistleblowers.

Daniel C. Lorenzen joined Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP as partner in Westlake Village.

Lorenzen has considerable experience advising clients who are the core of Stradling's business, including general partners of private equity, venture capital, and other funds. He also represents business founders and frequently advises on valuation and qualified small business stock opportunities. He also helps his cross-border contacts on tax and estate planning matters, such as applying Japanese inheritance taxes to U.S. assets, qualifying for foreign estate treatment, and implementing cross-border estate plans.

Aaron Gbewonyo was promoted to managing attorney of Shegerian & Associates in Los Angeles.

Gbewonyo has built a reputation for his diligence and hard work on behalf of his clients. He exemplifies what it means to effectively litigate cases, which has allowed him to secure significant settlements for his clients while also helping those around him. The firm said his promotion to managing attorney is a testament to his substantial contributions to the firm and the promising future that lies ahead.

Eric Francisconi joined Stuart Kane LLP as partner in Newport Beach, CA.

Francisconi focuses his practice on complex business and commercial litigation, real estate litigation, and probate litigation. In his nearly 30 years of practice, most of his cases pertain to contracts, trade secrets, unfair competition, fraud, fiduciary duties, real property estates, employment, commercial landlord rights, the rights and responsibilities of participants in corporations/LLCs/partnerships, construction law, insurance bad faith, and bankruptcy. Francisconi advises and represents clients and individuals such as hospitality companies, commercial landlords, construction companies, health care professionals, pharmaceutical companies, real estate brokers, homeowners, business owners, and investors.

David L. Cheng was promoted to office managing partner of FordHarrison LLP in Los Angeles.

Cheng has practiced employment law in California for almost 20 years, focusing on complex business disputes and wage and hour class and collective action cases brought under federal and state law. He co-leads the firm's Wage & Hour practice group and serves as editor for the Class and Collective Actions module of FordHarrison's Labor & Employment Law Sourcebook.

Ehsun Forghany joined Arentfox Schiff LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Forghany provides business-focused counsel to clients in the fashion & retail, engineering, medical device, and consumer products sectors. He advises clients on risk-reduction strategies during product development, helps guide product launches, and is known for curating creative and comprehensive IP protection for commercialized product designs.

Jonathan Olsen joined Sidley Austin LLP as partner in San Diego.

Olsen regularly advises large multinationals, as well as emerging companies in the technology and life sciences industries. In addition to providing strategic counseling to his clients, his practice includes M&A, venture capital financings, joint ventures, and corporate governance. He has substantial experience representing buyers and sellers in M&A transactions, as well as significant experience in cross-border transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, minority investments, and joint ventures in over 30 international jurisdictions. Olsen also regularly represents corporate venture groups in their minority investments in both U.S. and international emerging growth companies.

Elaine Lee joined Peckar & Abramson, PC as partner in Los Angeles.

Lee represents owners, general contractors, and design and engineering professionals in construction litigation. She has extensive experience advising and advocating for clients in significant construction projects, including public infrastructure, commercial buildings, and cultural icons. From early-stage claim development and mediation, discovery, and motion practice to evidentiary hearings and appeals, Elaine helps clients find their most advantageous position in high-stakes situations.

Myra Chack Fleischer joined Moore, Schulman, & Moore, APC as of counsel in San Diego.

Fleischer has decades of experience in family law. She is on the short list of attorneys qualified to serve as a special master.

Tana J. Landau joined Moore, Schulman, & Moore, APC as associate in San Diego.

Landau strongly emphasizes personalized service for her clients with a hands-on approach to practicing family law.

David Korduner joined KM&M as partner in Los Angeles.

Korduner was previously general counsel and later associate national executive director at the Directors Guild of America, where he spent much of his career. He was a primary participant in DGA Basic Agreement negotiations and drafting, managed internal union governance, and oversaw the Credits, Membership, Reports Compliance, Research, Residuals, Signatories, Human Resources, IT, and Legal Departments, foreign levies, and the Tri-Guild Audit program. He served on the Board of Trustees of the DGA Pension & Health Plans, including eight years as co-dhair of its Legal and Delinquency Committee. Between his two stints at the DGA, Korduner spent three years as senior counsel for labor relations at ABC and Touchstone Television Productions, handling union issues across television productions and TV and radio stations, and one year as senior counsel, legal affairs at the Disney Cable Networks Group, handling production legal issues for the Disney Channel, ABC Family, and SoapNet.

Gabrielle Cuskelly joined Alston & Bird as partner in Century City.

Cuskelly guides private equity funds, management companies, investment banks, institutional lenders, life insurance companies, and other real estate investors through cross-border and domestic real estate finance and other real estate transactions. She has significant expertise in organizing permanent, bridge, or construction mortgage and mezzanine loans, negotiating inter-creditor and co-lender relationships, joint ventures, and portfolio and "one-off" acquisitions and dispositions.