Scott D. Howie joined Allen Matkins as senior counsel in Irvine.

Howie has a broad scope of transactional real estate experience, representing developers and owners of industrial, office, retail, and residential properties on acquisitions and dispositions, financing, and leasing-related matters.

Bo Harvey was promoted to partner of Stoel Rives LLP in San Diego.

Harvey is a member of the firm's Energy & Regulatory practice. He represents energy clients and financial institutions in connection with a wide variety of matters. He has particular expertise in negotiating and structuring energy hedges, swap, and derivative transactions, and providing related regulatory advice concerning the Dodd-Frank Act and Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations.

Julian Zou joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves and Savitch LLP as partner in Palo Alto.

Zou counsels corporate clients from startups to multinational corporations on venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, both inbound into and outbound from China, finance and banking. His clients include innovative life sciences and technology entrepreneurs. He has also represented investors and portfolio companies in private equity and venture investments. As part of his cross-border Asia Pacific practice he has experience ensuring compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) as well as Chinese anti-bribery law counseling and investigations. He is admitted to practice law in the U.S. and qualified in China.

Alan S. Petlak joined Judicate West as neutral.

Based in the Los Angeles office, Petlak is available as a mediator and arbitrator for matters statewide. He has more than two decades of litigation experience, handling a variety of complex matters, including real estate, consumer finance, personal injury, securities, employment, professional negligence and other business-related disputes.

Yvonne Toy joined Ogletree Deakins as shareholder in San Francisco.

Toy focuses her practice on corporate clients on all aspects of immigration program development, compliance management, and strategies for global talent mobility. She regularly handles nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications, providing alternative, out-of-the box strategies for dealing with complex matters. Before joining Corporate Immigration Partners, she served as an in-house attorney for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she managed their immigration and J-1 exchange visitor programs.

Aman K Joea joined Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney P.C. as associate in Sacramento.

Joea is a litigation associate whose practice areas include professional liability, employment law, medical malpractice, real estate, and general business litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Joea gained extensive experience in civil defense, business immigration law, and at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Rishi Sodhi joined Foley & Lardner LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Rishi is a transactional tax attorney whose practice focuses on advising clients on the tax aspects of a wide range of business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, and strategic investments. He represents private equity funds and public multinational corporations on numerous complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, serving as the deal lead on all tax-related matters.

Judge Mark V. Mooney joined Judicate West as neutral.

Mooney, formerly of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, is based in Los Angeles. He is available as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge for matters statewide. Mooney served more than 27 years on the bench, originally appointed in 1995 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson to the Los Angeles Municipal Court before being elevated to the Superior Court bench in 1998. He began his legal career litigating a variety of matters at civil trial law firms specializing in medical malpractice, and immediately prior to his appointment, he was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Garth W. Aubert joined MG+M The Law Firm as partner in Los Angeles.

Aubert represents aerospace product manufacturers, airline service providers, aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul organizations, airport authorities, and airlines in state and federal courts throughout the United States, in matters ranging from complex litigation and class actions to local litigation. Aubert has also represented his clients before the National Transportation Safety Board. Aubert has successfully defended clients facing lawsuits regarding severe personal injuries, wrongful death, commercial disputes, substantial property damage, and exposure to toxic substances, arising from incidents, accidents, disputes and exposures throughout the United States and abroad.

Joshua Ritter joined El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers as partner in Los Angeles.

Ritter is a criminal defense attorney, who handles complex cases that garner media attention. Before moving into private practice, Ritter was a Los Angeles County prosecutor for nearly 10 years with a 90% conviction rate. In 2015, he was awarded Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. Ritter hosts the True Crime Daily: Sidebar Podcast and has been interviewed by top media outlets including the New York Times, the LA Times, CBS2 Los Angeles and KTLA5 News.

Kevin Dale Rising was promoted to office managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg in Los Angeles.

Rising has practiced at the firm since 2011. One of the original six founding members of the firm's Los Angeles office, he will oversee the office's strategic growth and management. He succeeds David Allen, who will remain on the firm's Management Committee but is stepping down from office leadership to focus on client work.

Rising focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including contractual disputes and business torts, partnership and fiduciary litigation, consumer class action defense, multidistrict litigation, product liability and torts. With an active trial practice, he has served as trial counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in numerous high-stakes jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations.

In addition to office managing partner, Rising will also continue his role as co-chair of the Consumer Class Action Defense Practice Group.

John B. Major was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.

Major focuses his practice on complex civil litigation with an emphasis on litigation involving Internet and technology companies. He has significant experience in litigation involving the Communications Decency Act and in representing internet and technology companies in disputes involving platform liability, trade-secret issues and compliance with novel regulatory requirements. Major also litigates high-stakes disputes in a variety of other contexts, representing law firms, higher education institutions and major corporations in their most challenging cases. Prior to joining the firm, Major clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski and Judge Paul J. Watford, both of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Faye Paul Teller was promoted to partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles.

Teller represents clients in a broad array of industries including life sciences, health care, technology, higher education and automotive. Teller has particular experience with patent trials, having served as trial counsel in bench and jury trials in courts across the nation. Her recent work also includes high-stakes internal and government investigations. Prior to joining the firm earlier this year, Teller was a partner at a trial boutique in Chicago. She clerked for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and was a champion of the University of Chicago Law School's Hinton Moot Court Competition.

Jeanette Boykins joined Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP as attorney in Berkeley.

Boykins' practice is focused on conducting neutral investigations. She joins OIG after working at UC Davis' Employee and Labor Relations Department, where she worked with the university and the unions to ensure compliance with union contracts and university policies.

Pamela R. Miller joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl LLC as counsel in Los Angeles and New York.

Miller's practice focuses on Television Entertainment. She has held senior-level television business and legal affairs roles at major media companies including ABC, CBS, and Discovery for dramatic and non-fiction programs, sports, and news. In those roles, she oversaw, structured, and negotiated deals for broadcast network, syndication, digital platforms and cable. Her expertise covers programming for unscripted, animation, children's programming, events, format sales, international production and distribution, and sponsorship, marketing, and promotion of events and programming. She has also advised clients on risk assessment, intellectual property matters, litigation, and employment matters.

Kristen L. Chic was promoted to counsel of Tucker Ellis LLP in Los Angeles.

Chic focuses on complex business litigation, contract disputes, employment/ERISA matters, and real estate litigation. She has successfully represented some of the largest retailers worldwide, as well as title insurers, contractors, and fiduciaries in hotly disputed matters.

Lester Ang was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Ang represents start-up and late-stage private companies in matters ranging from incorporation and initial capitalization to venture capital, debt financing, and initial public offerings. He also represents public companies in securities offerings, M&A transactions, SEC reporting, and corporate governance matters. In addition, Ang advises investment banks, venture capital firms, and private equity firms.

Jonathan Chan was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Chan works in the emerging companies practice, and represents private technology companies and investors in formation, venture capital financing, and mergers and acquisitions. He focuses on representing companies and investors in the fintech, blockchain, and gaming sectors.

Broderick K. Henry was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Henry focuses on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, equity investments, and other strategic matters involving public and private companies. He primarily represents clients in the technology industry, but he has represented clients in a wide range of sectors, including aviation, financial services, consumer products, energy and infrastructure, security, and manufacturing.

Megan K. Kayo was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Francisco.

Kayo advises clients on information security and privacy issues under various laws and regulations, specializing in data breach response and mitigation. She has worked on hundreds of security incidents and acted as the lead counsel, directing the investigation, notifications, and responses to regulators and consumers in connection with global data breaches.

David Pirko was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Pirko represents leading life sciences companies and venture capital investors in strategic transactional and corporate matters, including partnering and collaboration agreements, licensing agreements, services agreements, clinical trial agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, and other complex matters. His practice extends from start-ups to public companies operating in all sectors of the life sciences industry.

Dr. Deborah M. Smith was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Diego.

Dr. Smith advises companies on IP strategy beginning from early platform development through commercialization. This includes venture capital, capital markets, and M&A transactions in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Dr. Smith specializes in advising clients that use platform technologies to bring new therapeutics to market.

Stephen B. Strain was promoted to partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

Strain is part of the firm's complex litigation and investigations group. He focuses on representing clients in government and internal investigations, including matters involving allegations of insider trading, complex financial reporting and accounting fraud, violations of the FCPA, and disclosure violations, among others. Strain also frequently represents companies, as well as their officers and directors, in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and related litigation matters.

Mei Dan was promoted to partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in Silicon Valley.

Dan's practice focuses on the representation of financial and strategic clients in various acquisition transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and cross-border matters. She also has been involved in advising on general corporate and transactional matters.

Samantha Grant joined Reed Smith LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Grant represents employers and management in administrative, arbitration, and trial proceedings. She has handled cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, fraud, defamation, trade secret, and unfair competition cases, among others.

Arielle Tolman joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Tolman works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters with an emphasis on civil rights in federal and state court.

Ginger Jackson-Gleich joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Jackson-Gleich works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters in federal and state court.

Ben Hattem joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP as associate in San Francisco.

Hattem works on complex litigation and prelitigation matters in federal and state court.

Robyn C. Crowther was promoted to regional managing partner of Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Crowther was previously managing partner of Steptoe's Los Angeles office, a role she has had since 2019 and which she has used to grow the talent and clients in Los Angeles. She currently serves as a member of Steptoe's Executive Committee and its Lateral Committee. She is a partner in the firm's Commercial Litigation group and has been recognized repeatedly by the California Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers and Top Women Lawyers.

Jessica R. Bogo was promoted to partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Bogo focuses her practice on construction law, guiding clients through all phases of the construction process, including licensing, contracting, project delivery, claims and dispute resolution. Primarily representing owners and general contractors, Bogo has represented clients in the United States and abroad, on a wide range of projects, including commercial, residential and energy projects. In addition to California, Bogo is also licensed to practice in Washington, DC.

Lee Brand was promoted to partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Francisco.

Brand represents technology companies and financial institutions, ranging from emerging startups to Fortune 100 businesses. His practice focuses on securities and competition, including shareholder and consumer class actions, international cartel litigation, high-stakes contract disputes, and government and internal investigations. He regularly handles matters in federal and state courts across the country, as well as in various arbitral settings.

Michael S. Horikawa was promoted to partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles.

Horikawa handles all aspects of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret law, with a focus on computer technologies, consumer electronics and biomedical devices. He represents clients in both litigation and transactional matters—including IP litigation in federal courts, at the International Trade Commission and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings—and advises on IP issues in mergers and acquisitions, investments, joint developments and licenses. He also assists clients with IP aspects of their business activities, including their IP portfolios, policies and practices.

Drew Simon-Rooke was promoted to partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Silicon Valley.

Simon-Rooke focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, startups, venture capital, capital markets, public company reporting and corporate governance in the technology, financial and health care sectors. He represents public and private companies in buy-side and sell-side M&A, PIPE transactions and de-SPACs, emerging companies and venture funds in connection with financings and issuers with equity and debt offerings.

Amy Schuller Hitchcock was promoted to partner of King & Spalding LLP in Sacramento.

Hitchcock's practice focuses on internal investigations, government investigations, compliance counseling, and complex white-collar criminal defense. A former AUSA in the Eastern District of California, Hitchcock uses her experience to help clients across sectors successfully navigate, resolve, and prevent criminal matters. She also has extensive experience conducting cross-border internal investigations and compliance counseling for multinational corporations.

Samuel R Diamant was promoted to partner of King & Spalding LLP in San Francisco.

Diamant's practice focuses on representing companies in commercial disputes, including matters involving licensing disputes, false advertising, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and various other business torts. He has represented Fortune 500 and emerging companies alike in the technology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and financial services industries.

Jennifer Taylor Stewart was promoted to partner of King & Spalding LLP in San Francisco.

Stewart defends Fortune 100 and other large companies in a wide range of complex litigation matters, including pharmaceutical and other product liability, toxic tort and commercial cases. She also has significant deposition, motion, case management and trial experience.

Josh Heideman was promoted to partner of Vinson & Elkins LLP in Los Angeles.

Heideman's practice focuses on renewable energy asset finance, acquisitions and the energy transition. He has represented clients in numerous renewable energy transactions in solar, wind, storage, geothermal, and biomass, with a particular emphasis on tax equity financing.

Christopher W. James was promoted to partner of Vinson & Elkins LLP in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

James' principal areas of practice include anti-corruption, antitrust, securities law, shareholder derivative suits, data privacy, and corporate risk and compliance. He represents clients in state and federal court, in arbitration, and in pre-litigation matters involving the United States Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal and state agencies. He also conducts compliance risk assessments and provides counseling on internal controls, employee and third-party training, and transactional diligence.

Stephen Yeh was promoted to of counsel of Mayer Brown in Los Angeles.

Yeh represents financial institutions, corporate investors, project sponsors, developers, and corporate borrowers in connection with a wide variety of complex project financings, including tax equity investments, back-leverage financings, reserve-based financings, acquisition financings and other types of secured and unsecured financings, with particular emphasis on renewable and clean energy.

Tricia L. Greenlee was promoted to partner of Mayer Brown in Los Angeles.

Greenlee’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions including acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, and finance transactions.

Graham M. Buccigross was promoted to partner of Mayer Brown in San Francisco.

Buccigross’ practice largely focuses on patent litigation involving high technology, but also includes medical devices and life sciences. The high technology cases frequently involve standards essential telecommunications patents, and semiconductor, light emitting diode and computer hardware and software patents.

Jeremy S. Smith was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Smith represents clients in complex litigation and class actions in both trial and appellate courts across numerous areas of law, including privacy, consumer fraud, constitutional law, and insurance law

Benjamin Saltsman was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Saltsman focuses his practice on land use and real estate matters, with an emphasis on successfully obtaining land use entitlements for major real estate development projects in California.

Joseph R. Rose was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.

Rose focuses his practice on high-stakes employment disputes, commercial litigation, class actions, antitrust matters, and law firm defense.

Casey J. McCracken was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Orange County.

McCracken focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with particular experience in technology litigation, including patent litigation, software copyright, contract disputes, and licensing.

Daniel Landy was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Landy represents real estate funds, lenders, and institutional and non-institutional investors in all areas of real estate.

Angelique Kaounis was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Century City.

Kaounis represents clients in a range of commercial litigation, with a focus on trade secret misappropriation cases, business torts, and contract disputes.

Tiaunia Henry was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Henry is an experienced trial attorney who focuses primarily on complex high-stakes business litigation, including antitrust, breach of contract and transnational cases.

Taylor Hathaway-Zepeda was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Hathaway-Zepeda focuses her practice on public and private company mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, restructuring transactions and general corporate governance.

Sarah L. Graham was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles.

Graham represents strategic and financial buyers, sellers and investors in public and private M&A, joint ventures, investments, and other business transactions, with a focus on the media and entertainment, private equity, technology, and gaming industries.

Martie Kutscher Clark was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Palo Alto.

Clark represents Silicon Valley technology companies in all stages of litigation, with a focus on high-stakes, bet-the-company matters, including founders’ disputes, consumer class actions, data privacy actions, securities actions, and trade secret disputes.

Jaysen S. Chung was promoted to partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco.

Chung focuses on patent and appellate litigation and has extensive experience in a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and virtualization technologies.

John Lu joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Lu’s practice focuses on patents, trade secrets, and life sciences litigation. He has represented clients in matters involving patent infringement, U.S.-China trade secret misappropriation, biosimilars, ANDA litigation, and licensing disputes. He also represents clients in connection with proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. His clients have included Genentech, Tris Pharma, Rosenberger, Natera, and Gilead.

Lauren Drake joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Drake handles complex patent litigation and patent post-grant proceedings and has represented clients in connection with a broad spectrum of technologies, ranging from central nervous system stimulants to immunotherapies and monoclonal antibody medications to anti-angiogenesis drugs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Gary N. Frischling joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Frischling focuses his practice on intellectual property, including both litigation and counseling. He represents a wide range of clients, from startups to large multinational corporations, in a variety of industries with a focus on the life sciences and technology sectors.

David I. Gindler joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as partner in Los Angeles.

Gindler’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and licensing, with a strong emphasis on trials of high-stakes patent and trade secret disputes.