David Song joined Miller Starr Regalia as associate in San Francisco.

Song is a litigation associate in Miller Starr Regalia's Walnut Creek office. His practice focuses on litigation, arbitration, and investigations. Before joining Miller Starr Regalia, he successfully represented various clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including breach of contract, federal agency investigations, product liability, and Proposition 65 matters.

Clara "Zazi" Pope joined Signature Resolution as neutral in Century City.

Pope began her career playing a vital role in the landmark Buchwald v. Paramount case, an achievement that set the stage for her three-decade tenure at Warner Bros., Warner Media, and Warner Bros. Discovery in Los Angeles. As the senior vice president and chief litigation officer, she successfully managed numerous legal proceedings in the entertainment industry. Under Pope's leadership, Warner's litigation team achieved extraordinary success, including several landmark rulings confirming the rights of creators of expressive works to fictionalize real-life stories.

Benjamin R. Buchwalter joined Farella Braun + Martel LLP as special counsel in San Francisco.

Buchwalter specializes in defending companies of all sizes in employment litigation and strives to understand what is most important to his clients to reach the best company-tailored resolution of disputes. He has deep experience defending companies in single-plaintiff and class and representative action lawsuits related to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, leaves of absence, wage and hour compliance, and requests for accommodations in federal and state courts and arbitrations and before administrative agencies.

Liliana Paparelli Ranger was promoted to partner of Latham & Watkins LLP in Century City, Los Angeles.

Ranger is a member of the Entertainment, Sports & Media Practice and Corporate Department, she advises entertainment and media companies, financial institutions, and investors on complex M&A transactions, strategic joint ventures, company and project-level debt and equity financings, and content production, licensing, and distribution arrangements. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Harrison J. White was promoted to partner of Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles.

White is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department. He represents private equity firms and strategics across industries, particularly clients active in middle-market transactions, on transactional insurance matters. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Tiffany M. Ikeda was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Century City, Los Angeles.

Ikeda is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. She represents businesses in a range of complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts, with a focus on IP, insolvency, and entertainment and media litigation. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Juan Carlos Olivares was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles.

Olivares is a member of the Banking Practice and Finance Department. He represents direct lenders, business development companies and other financial institutions, and equity sponsors and other borrowers in structuring, negotiating, and documenting various financial transactions. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Nathan M. Saper was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles.

Saper is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents clients in complex civil disputes, investigations, and enforcement actions before government agencies and courts throughout the US, and conducts internal investigations across a range of industries. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Nima J. Movahedi was promoted to partner of Latham & Watkins LLP in Costa Mesa.

Movahedi is a member of the Emerging Companies & Growth Practice and Corporate Department. He advises private and public companies, venture capital and private equity firms, and investment banks on M&A, investments, joint ventures, and other complex corporate transactions, particularly in the technology and life sciences sectors. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Jordan Davisson Cook was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Costa Mesa.

Cook is a member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. She represents clients in complex commercial litigation, with a focus on securities litigation, shareholder derivative litigation, complex business disputes, professional liability, and class actions. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Sara E. Schlau was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Costa Mesa.

Schlau is a member of the Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice and Tax Department. She advises public and private companies and private equity funds on the employee benefits and compensation aspects of corporate transactions including M&A, corporate financings, and initial public offerings (IPOs). The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Ryan A. Walsh was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in Costa Mesa.

Walsh is a member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents public and private companies, as well as their officers, directors, and special committees, in a variety of litigation, white collar, and enforcement matters. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Hannah C. Cary was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego.

Cary is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department. She counsels clients on all forms of transactional insurance, including representations and warranties, tax, and contingent-risk policies, both in the context of transactions and with respect to claims. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Joshua Chao was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego.

Chao is a member of the Banking Practice and Finance Department. He represents corporate borrowers, investment banks, direct lenders, and other financial institutions in corporate finance transactions across industries, focusing on leveraged finance in the context of acquisitions, refinancings, and recapitalizations. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Joanna A. Gorska was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego.

Gorska is a member of the Project Development & Finance Practice and Finance Department. She advises sponsors, commercial banks, and other financial institutions on developing and financing projects across multiple sectors, with a focus on renewable energy projects. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

David F. Kowalski was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego.

Kowalski is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents clients through trial in complex litigation matters in federal and state courts, including unfair competition, fraud, contract, and patent and other IP disputes. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Evan R. Youngstrom was promoted to counsel of Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego.

Youngstrom is a member of the firm's Emerging Companies & Growth Practice and Corporate Department. He advises founders, private and public companies, and venture capital and private equity firms in the technology, life sciences, and other growth industries. The promotion is effective Jan. 1.

Alessandra Love Simmons joined Debevoise & Plimpton LLP as partner in San Francisco.

Simons has deep expertise in advising boards and executives through successful M&A exits and helping companies in all stages of growth realize and enhance value. She represents venture-backed and publicly-traded companies in a range of domestic and cross-border transactions, as well as growth equity and venture capital funds in their investments, including structuring and executing secondary sales and other private liquidity programs. Simons sits on the advisory board for HimforHer, a not-for-profit that accelerates diversity on for-profit boards by bridging the gap between board opportunities and talented women ready for board service.

Azadeh Gowharrizi joined Wolf Wallenstein PC as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Gowharrizi has over 15 years of experience in dispute resolution, complex litigation, and mediation at mid-sized and Am Law 100 firms. She has defended claims through all phases of litigation, including drafting and arguing substantive motions, taking and defending depositions, and negotiating settlements in various state and federal actions. In addition to her extensive civil litigation experience, she has advised clients on internal and regulatory investigations and has cross-border experience that includes counseling foreign corporate clients on litigation strategies and risks.

David R. Gabor joined Wolf Wallenstein PC as partner in Los Angeles.

Gabor is a trial lawyer who represents clients in all aspects of litigation, from trials to arbitration and appeals. He has tried cases to verdict in the contract, real estate, hospitality, tax, bankruptcy, and partnership areas. He litigates real estate (including HOA/Davis-Sterling) matters, intellectual property, government contracts, tax, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, insurance, environmental, Proposition 65, and entertainment issues, among others.

Georgina Jones Suzuki was promoted to counsel of Ropes & Gray LLP in Silicon Valley.

Suzuki is a strategic IP transactions attorney practicing at the intersection of life sciences and technology. These transactions include technology licensing and transfer, collaborations, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, supply and distribution arrangements, royalty monetizations, and other strategic agreements. Her clients include public and private companies, academic institutions, and investors, including global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and leading private equity funds.

Robert Stemler joined Buchalter in Orange County.

Stemler's practice encompasses a wide range of areas, including corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, entity formation, corporate finance, commercial transactions, licensing agreements, and technology transfers. He has established himself as a trusted advisor, representing both international and domestic clients. A key focus of Stemler's practice is facilitating mergers, acquisitions, and other business combinations. He assists clients in navigating complex transactions, offering strategic counsel throughout the process. From the inception of a business to its day-to-day governance, exit strategies, liquidity events, and dissolution, Stemler provides comprehensive legal guidance.

Benjamin Allen Herbert joined Miller Barondess, LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Herbert, an experienced trial lawyer, focuses his practice on patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation litigation. Adding his patent expertise to the IP team further enhances the firm's already robust IP practice and solidifies its position as a powerhouse in IP litigation.

Ranee Adipat was promoted to partner of Ropes & Gray LLP in Los Angeles.

Adipat represents hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, and other healthcare entities in sophisticated, precedent-setting transactions. She has over a decade of corporate experience, including in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, affiliations, and governance matters.

Chelsea M. Childs was promoted to partner of Ropes & Gray LLP in San Francisco.

Childs represents investment management industry clients in a wide variety of regulatory, compliance, and transactional aspects of their businesses. She assists registered funds, private funds and their sponsors with fund structuring and formation, fund reorganizations, negotiation of service provider agreements, and ongoing compliance and operational matters. She also advises boards of U.S. registered funds on governance and fiduciary oversight matters.

Catherine Skulan was promoted to partner of Ropes & Gray LLP in San Francisco.

Skulan provides counsel to asset manager clients on their upper-tier arrangements, including GP stakes transactions and bespoke employee investment vehicles. Clients rely on her for day-to-day advice on operational and compliance matters addressing conflicts, disclosure, and other ongoing concerns. She also advises clients on matters of California law relevant to asset managers with a nexus to the state, including lobbying laws, fee disclosure requirements, and state privacy laws.

Tamar Terzian joined Hanson Bridgett LLP as counsel in Los Angeles.

Terzian's bankruptcy experience encompasses representing both individual and small business debtors and creditors - including the creditors committee - in Chapter 11 restructuring matters, Chapter 7 trustees, and individual debtors in Chapter 13 proceedings; serving as patient care ombudsman in many Chapter 11 health care cases; and representing individuals and small businesses in a wide variety of litigation and bankruptcy appellate issues. Terzian is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School and chairs the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section; co-chairs the International Woman's Insolvency Restructuring Confederation; and is a past president of the James T. King Southern California Bankruptcy Inn of Court.

Jeff S. Westerman was promoted to of counsel of Zimmerman Reed in Los Angeles.

Westerman was selected by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for a three-year term as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Lawyer representatives draw on their experience and contacts within the federal bar to assist in improving the administration of justice. Westerman is also an assistant vice president on the Los Angeles County Bar Association Executive Committee and member of the Finance Committee. He is treasurer of the Chancery Club in Los Angeles, an organization founded in 1925 and comprised of attorneys who are active in professional, civic, and philanthropic organizations.

Scott Joachim joined Paul Hastings LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Joachim has led some of Silicon Valley's most prominent M&A deals, including Twitch Interactive, in its sale to Amazon; General Motors, in its acquisition of Cruise; Responsys, in its sale to Oracle; and Symantec, in its acquisition of Blue Coat Systems. His practice also focuses on fintech, representing many of the largest banks and other financial institutions-including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo-in connection with consortia and other strategic transactions. Among other consortia deals, Joachim represented 35 banks in connection with a cross-border acquisition of blockchain company R3 and 15 banks in connection with an investment in Symphony Communications.

David Ambler joined Paul Hastings LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Ambler’s practice focuses on representing high-growth emerging private and public technology companies in capital markets and other corporate transactions. He also represents underwriters such as Morgan Stanley & Co., Goldman Sachs & Co., and J.P. Morgan Securities and a number of leading venture funds.

Nancy R. Thomas joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as of counsel in Los Angeles.

Thomas brings strategic and innovative approaches to the defense of class actions, regulatory enforcement actions, and high-stakes litigation and arbitration. She has long been recognized as a top financial service and class action litigator who regularly defeats claims efficiently, either at the pleading stage or at class certification.

Karin M. Cogbill joined Jackson Lewis P.C. as principal in Silicon Valley.

Cogbill represents and counsels employers in connection with all types of employment matters. She devotes a significant portion of her practice to representing employers in wage and hour litigation, with an emphasis on class, collective and PAGA actions, in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. Her experience also includes investigating and responding to claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation; ensuring compliant written policies and procedures; advising on leaves of absence and requests for accommodation; advising on wage and hour compliance; and representing employers before the Labor Commissioner and in wage and hour audits conducted by the Department of Labor.

Rob McCarthy joined Miller Barondess, LLP as associate in Los Angeles.

McCarthy has experience representing individuals and entities in complex and diverse litigation matters, including media and entertainment, intellectual property disputes, white collar investigations, data privacy and security, breach of contract, and mergers and acquisitions.

Elizabeth Weldon joined Haynes & Boone LLP as partner in Orange County.

Weldon is a certified specialist in franchise and distribution Law, The State Bar of California and, Board of Legal Specialization. In addition to her focus on representing franchisors, Weldon represents both large and small businesses in commercial litigation matters, including breach of contract, tort, unfair competition, class action, commercial real estate, intellectual property disputes, such as patent, trademark, and trade dress claims, as well as other complex matters.

Julie E. Van Wert joined Cozen O'Connor as shareholder in Los Angeles.

Van Wert's background includes nearly three decades of handling intricate and often complicated corporate-level insurance coverage disputes, with an emphasis on professional liability, directors' and officers' liability, cyber defense, technology and media, and commercial general liability matters. Known for her ability to bring sometimes bitterly contested matters to an amicable resolution, Van Wert brings to the firm an aggressive and efficient litigation practice paired with a commitment to exploring all avenues of early resolution. She earned her J.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her B.A. at University of California, Berkeley. She is joining the firm as a shareholder.

David M. Berke joined Cozen O'Connor as member in Los Angeles.

Berke, who joins the firm as a member, focuses on providing coverage analyses and litigating a range of coverage disputes involving employment practices, professional liability, cyber/technology, directors’ and officers’ insurance, commercial general liability, and media. He also has experience handling a range of ERISA and errors and omission (E&O) liability matters; providing oversight in litigated employment practices liability (EPL) and technology policies; and representing insurers in coverage and underlying action mediations. He earned his J.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jerome P. Doctors joined Cozen O'Connor as member in Los Angeles.

For the last 25 years, Doctors has provided insurers with guidance on complex risks and high-severity losses, offering insights into underwriting, coverage, and claims matters. Jerry represents insurers in disputes across a wide spectrum of issues arising under primary and excess policies, reinsurance coverages, cyber defense and coverage, and various areas of liability like toxic torts, products, construction, health care, professional liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, and environmental concerns. He earned his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Doctors joins the firm as a member.

Rangi Perera joined Cozen O'Connor as counsel in Los Angeles.

Perera, who joins the firm as counsel, focuses her practice primarily on representing companies in personal injury cases, construction defect cases, professional liability cases, insurance defense/coverage cases, and employment related claims. She has successfully litigated a wide range of business and commercial disputes in various state courts, and at trial. She earned her J.D. from Western State University College of Law and her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Riverside.

Thomas S. Lee was promoted to office managing partner of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in San Francisco.

Lee's practice focuses on three main areas: transactional work, compliance counseling, and enforcement defense. In his transactional work, he represents buyers and sellers of real estate and corporate entities that are impacted by environmental conditions or related liability, with a particular focus on brownfield acquisition and redevelopment.

Angela L. Dunning joined Cleary Gottlieb as partner in San Francisco.

Dunning's practice focuses on trademark, copyright, trade secrets, unfair competition, and other complex commercial litigation for the world's top companies. She has tried numerous cases to a jury verdict and has substantial experience in the federal appellate courts, including successful arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in high-profile, published cases. Dunning served as an assistant district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco under then-District Attorney Kamala Harris, prosecuting criminal cases. In 2022, she taught trademark law and branding at UC Berkeley School of Law.

Judge John G. Evans joined Judicate West as neutral in Riverside.

Appointed in 2008 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Evans served 15 years on the Riverside County Superior Court. He has presided over 68 civil jury trials, including matters involving employment, construction defects, negligence, insurance and contract disputes. Evans also served six years as a probate judge, overseeing trials involving guardianships, conservatorships and trust and decedent estate trials, ranging from small estates to those exceeding $60 million dollars.

Alexis Bortniker joined Cooley LLP as partner in San Diego.

Bortniker advises digital health companies, healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology companies on emerging issues in the highly regulated healthcare space. She is a sought-after healthcare regulatory and transactional lawyer working with clients as they navigate the complex regulatory landscape - including joint ventures, regulatory considerations, payment structures, and complex business transactions. Bortniker also advises digital health providers on compliance issues, corporate practice considerations, and business structures.

Debbie Birndorf joined Norton Rose Fulbright as partner in Los Angeles.

Birndorf represents employers in all aspects of employment law, including defense of harassment and discrimination claims, wage claims, wage and hours class actions, PAGA claims, disability claims, and misappropriation of trade secrets. She also provides counseling, drafts, and reviews employment contracts, severance agreements, employee handbooks, and personnel policies. She represents both individuals and large corporations in a broad range of industries, including electronics, manufacturing, computer software and hardware, printing, engineering, healthcare, pharmacy, and grocery stores.​

Suzie M Tagliere was promoted to shareholder of Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. in San Francisco.

Tagliere has extensive experience representing lawyers, accountants, corporate directors and officers, healthcare facilities, and physicians in professional liability defense. She further advises a broad range of individual and corporate clients concerning network information privacy and security and data breach response.

Jenny Tran joined Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth as shareholder in Newport Beach.

Tran handles mergers & acquisitions, corporate and tax planning for owners of privately held businesses on entity design, risk management and allocation, corporate compliance and governance, operations, and succession planning. With her legal and tax background, she acts as outside general counsel to privately held businesses in a variety of industries, including aerospace, online digital media and communities, retail markets, healthcare, fashion, food, and beverage.