Class Notes Fall '18
2016
Katelyn Phillips formed the trusts and estates law firm of Phillips & Phillips, A Professional Corporation, in Pleasanton with her father, James J. Phillips ’80, a certified specialist in probate, estate planning, and trust law.
2014
Scott J. Kalter joined Klinedinst PC’s Santa Ana office as an associate. Scott will work with the firm’s business and commercial litigation, product liability, and retail and premises liability practice groups.
2011
Garrett J. Colli has been promoted to counsel at Perkins Coie. Garrett is a partner in the real estate and land use practice and focuses on coordinating land use entitlements and environmental compliance for residential, commercial, industrial, and renewable energy projects.
2010
Suzette Barnes was elected treasurer of the 2018 board of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California (BWLNC). Prior, Suzette served as strategic partnership chair of BWLNC. Suzette is a managing associate with global law firm Orrick.
Carlos Becerra joined Epstein Becker Green, a national labor, employment, and health care law firm. Carlos is an associate in the employment, labor, and workforce management practice in Los Angeles.
Anthony Isola is an associate in the San Francisco office of Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm. Anthony joins the firm from Louderback Law Group’s San Francisco office.
Michael Kanach has been elevated to partnership at Gordon & Rees in San Francisco. Mike is a partner on the intellectual property team, where he focuses on IP disputes, including patents, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, and copyrights. He also counsels clients on obtaining IP, avoiding disputes, and licensing. Industries include high tech and low tech.
2009
Edward (Eddie) Ahn was appointed to the San Francisco Environment Commission on Oct. 4, 2017. The commission sets policy for the San Francisco Department of the Environment and advises the mayor and Board of Supervisors.
Alicia McKnight was promoted to partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Her practice includes corporate finance. She has handled matters for clients such as Tenaska and Chevron, including financing for the Tengizchevroil oil and gas production facilities in Kazakhstan. She is an advisory board member of the Institute for Energy Law and a member of Young Professionals in Energy.
Jason Mottley served as the legal advocate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Safer Schools Sexual Assault Task Force, which focused on addressing collegiate-level sexual assaults for all San Francisco colleges, including UC Law SF. The yearlong task force has issued a report that can be found on the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women’s website.
Matthew Saxon was elected to partner at Winston & Strawn. Matt concentrates his practice on complex commercial disputes involving financial institutions and pharmaceutical companies.
2008 (reunion year)
Justin Fields was one of nine Duane Morris associates and special counsel promoted to firm partnership. Justin represents individuals and businesses in commercial litigation, with a focus on professional liability, legal malpractice, intellectual property, and real estate and construction-related disputes.
Arielle Harris has been elevated from counsel to partner at Downey Brand. Arielle assists public agencies
and private clients with environmental review; land use entitlements; and local, state, and federal permitting for a diverse range of projects including residential commercial development, groundwater and surface water supply projects, public infrastructure, renewable energy, and mining operations.
Lindsay Llewellyn was named among the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law. Honorees were featured on The Recorder website last fall and toasted at a reception in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2017. Lindsay is associate general counsel at Lyft.
2007
Loni Mahanta was named among the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law. Honorees were featured on The Recorder website last fall and toasted at a reception in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2017. Loni is associate general counsel at Lyft.
Maxwell Pritt was named partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. Maxwell tries highstakes cases for plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts. He has secured significant victories for his clients in antitrust, unfair competition, class action, contract, securities, civil rights, and other disputes. Maxwell clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. He serves as a commissioner on the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission of the California State Bar and as vice chair of the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society.
Sarina Saluja has been promoted to partner in the Los Angeles office of employment law firm Fisher Phillips. Sarina concentrates her practice on employment litigation and client counseling.
Kristin Sverchek was named among the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law. Honorees were featured on The Recorder website last fall and toasted at a reception in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2017. Kristin is general counsel at Lyft.
2006
Eric Casher joined Meyers Nave in 2010 as a member of the municipal and special district law practice and is currently chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. He serves as city attorney for the city of Pinole and general counsel of the East Bay Dischargers Authority, advising on all legal matters affecting the agencies’ governance, decisionmaking, daily operations, and long-term policies. Eric recently completed a four-year term as a commissioner on the California Fair Political Practices Commission and remains active in the community serving as president of the Charles Houston Bar Association and vice president of the California Bar Foundation.
Valerie Green recently joined Pierce Atwood as a partner in the energy practice group.
Natella Royzman joined the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles as director of charitable gift planning. In her role, Natella is the largest manager of charitable assets and planned-giving solutions for Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists.
Vien Truong became the new CEO of Dream Corps, a social justice accelerator that backs initiatives to close prison doors and open doors of opportunity for all. Vien will oversee Green For All, #YesWeCode, and #Cut50 initiatives at Dream Corps. She is widely regarded as a top policy expert; progressive leader; and strategist on economic development, workforce policies, clean energy, public finance, and growing the green economy.
2005
Joel Buckingham was hired by the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Joel worked for the past 11 years in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. In that office, he was assigned most recently to the Cold Case Homicides Unit. In Humboldt, Joel has been assigned general felonies and homicides.
Sophia (Belloli) Castillo has been elevated from counsel to partner at Downey Brand. Sophia specializes in environmental and toxics litigation and compliance in California and advises clients on issues related to California’s Proposition 65 law, state and federal natural resource damages, the Clean Water Act, and CERCLA. She defends environmental and toxics lawsuits and provides compliance advice for clients in a number industries, including midstream oil and gas companies; industrial facilities; and manufacturers, retailers, and businesses across the consumer supply chain.
Joy Chang was listed among the Ones to Watch in Legal Week’s Private Client Global Elite listing for 2017. Joy is an international tax and estate-planning attorney at Withers Bergman, a global law firm focusing on private clients.
Charli Hoffman is a partner at Hanson Crawford Crum Family Law Group, a premier Silicon Valley family law firm headquartered in San Mateo, which opened a second office in San Francisco.
Meaghan Kent was promoted to partner at Venable. Meaghan is a registered patent attorney and counsels and litigates copyright, trademark, patent, false advertising, trade secret, right of publicity, and domain name matters.
2004
Nicholas Baran co-authored The Age of Monopoly Capital, a book about his father, economist Paul A. Baran, and another famous economist, Paul Sweezy.
Brian Malloy was selected to Best Lawyers in America for 2018 and Northern California Super Lawyers for 2017. He works at The Brandi Law Firm in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife, Aimee.
Jesús Rodriguez has been appointed to a judgeship in the Butte County Superior Court. Jesús has been a solo practitioner since 2007. He was an associate at the Law Offices of Dane A. Cameron from 2004 to 2007. He will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James F. Reilley.
2003 (reunion year)
Franklin Lebo and his wife, Amy, welcomed their daughter, Elora Eloise Lebo, on Dec. 10, 2017. Franklin is an assistant professor of sustainability at Baldwin Wallace University, teaching courses in multiple disciplines. His most recent publication, Between Democracy and Technocracy: Regulating Administrative Guidance in Japan, is available through Rowman and Littlefield.
Michael Rexford has been promoted to partner at Manatt Phelps & Phillips. Michael, who joined the firm in 2012, works in the firm’s entertainment and media practice. Previously, he served as vice president of business affairs at Universal Music Publishing Group.
2002
Katherine Konschnik will serve as director of Duke University’s Environmental Law Program, which is housed at Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental
Policy Solutions. Katherine will work with faculty and state and federal leaders on climate change, the Clean Air Act, and energy law issues.
2001
Arash Aminian Baghai has been promoted to counsel, effective Jan. 1, 2018, at Latham & Watkins’ Los Angeles office. Arash is a member of the Corporate Department, which handles complex equity derivative transactions across diverse industries, with a focus on the power, health care, life sciences, and automotive sectors. His experience includes IPOs, follow-on debt, equity and equity-linked offerings, and debt and capital restructuring transactions, as well as the structuring of unique securities products. He is also a chartered financial analyst.
2000
Laurel Gift is chair of the criminal defense and internal investigations practice group for Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. On April 27, she was elected to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL). Laurel founded PACDL’s Allegheny Chapter and also serves as its chairperson. A trial lawyer and former prosecutor, Laurel has represented criminal defendants, grand jury witnesses, and witnesses and targets of federal investigations, including subjects of false claims act investigations, targets of IRS and SEC investigations, and defendants in public corruption investigations.
Eugene Ryu received the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California Alumnus of the Year Award and was honored at its annual gala on Sept. 8, 2017.
1998 (reunion year)
Robert Burlingame started his own trademark and copyright practice named Amplitude IP after nearly 20 years at the Pillsbury firm. Amplitude IP provides legal assistance on all aspects of trademarks and copyrights, including clearance, registration, policing, and transactions in the U.S. and abroad.
Anthony Schoenberg is a partner at the San Francisco–based law firm Farella Braun + Martel and has been named chair of the firm’s business litigation practice area. Anthony represents companies and individuals in commercial real estate disputes, trade secret matters, and contractual arbitrations. He has tried many cases to successful verdicts before juries, judges, and arbitrators.
Todd Williams has been selected to the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America. He is a partner with Oakland-based law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean.
1997
Hasan Shafiqullah was named attorney-in-charge of the Immigration Law Unit at the Legal Aid Society in New York. With over 50 staff members, it is one of the largest not-for-profit immigration practices in the country.
Barack Obama Mandela was recently appointed a blogger for the Times of Israel, a leading news and commentary site in Israel.
The Honorable Charles Smiley was recognized in December 2017 with the Charles Houston Bar Association Judicial Excellence Award.
1996
Steven Coopersmith was selected as one of 50 Influential Business Leaders in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript.
Rachel Ehrlich is a nationally recognized mediator with Judicate West. She became a mediator after nearly 20 years as insurance counsel and an executive. Rachel mediates insurance, personal injury, and real estate matters. She serves on boards and committees relating to mediation, trains attorneys in mediation ethics, and mentors UC Law SF students and grads.
Charlene Usher received the Excellence in Jurisprudence Award from Inland Valley News at the 20th annual Celebration of Excellence Scholarship Gala on Nov. 18, 2017.
Helen Yi and her husband, James S. Choi, welcomed their third son on Aug. 27, 2017. Mom, Dad, and big brothers Andrew and Aaron are thrilled with the newest addition to their family.
1995
Lesley Kim Grossblatt was named one of Fast Company magazine’s Most Creative People in Business for 2017. Lesley is the chief operating officer and vice president of product at Boardlist, an organization working to increase gender diversity on tech company boards.
1994
Joel Agron has been appointed to judgeship in the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Joel has served as a commissioner at the San Bernardino County Superior Court since 2016. He served as a deputy public defender at the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office from 2002 to 2016. He was a sole practitioner from 1997 to 2002 and an associate at the Law Office of Randall Knox from 1995 to 1997. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gerald S. Brown.
Steven Allen and John Matra saw each other in the Bahamas by coincidence in April 2018. John was vacationing with his family at Atlantis and Steve was on a cruise aboard the NCL Breakaway where his son was performing with Cirque Dreams. They reminisced about The Beach at UC Law SF while enjoying the white-sand and warm-water Caribbean beach.
1992
Richard Darwin has been appointed to a judgeship in the San Francisco County Superior Court. Richard has been a shareholder at Buchalter since 2008, where he has held several positions since 2003, including co-chair of the litigation department and senior counsel. He was an associate at Covington and Burling from 1999 to 2003 and at Bronson, Bronson and McKinnon from 1992 to 1999. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ronald E. Albers.
Randi Stoner, formerly Randall Stoner, is transgender and has begun transitioning from male to female at her job as a judicial staff counsel at the San Bernardino Superior Court.
Brian Whitten is a captain with the Los Angeles Police Department and heads the department’s legal affairs division. Brian and classmate Apalla Chopra have been married for 23 years. Apalla is a partner at O’Melveny & Myers.
1991
Laura Brenner of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. received Benchmark Litigation 2018’s highest honor—being named a “highly recommended” law firm. Laura is a shareholder in Reinhart’s litigation practice and chair of the firm’s product distribution and franchise team, a cross-disciplinary group comprising both corporate and litigation attorneys. Representing a wide range of clients on a national and international level, Laura offers clients practical solutions to complex problems. In addition to her litigation work, she acts as outside general counsel to many companies by helping them develop pre-emptive strategies to avoid risk in competitive environments.
Pamela Fulmer was named among the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law. Honorees were featured on The Recorder website last fall and toasted at a reception in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2017. Pamela is the founding partner at Fulmer Ware.
Kendra Tanacea, an employment attorney in San Francisco, published her first collection of poetry, A Filament Burns in Blue Degrees (Lost Horse Press), in March 2017.
1990
Patrick Meyers was appointed chief of staff for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Patrick is a former owner of Smashburger and Quiznos.
Alex Tse, a longtime federal prosecutor who once worked in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, has been named acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. Alex officially assumed the post after Brian Stretch, who had been in the job for nearly two years, stepped down to join a private firm, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Alex had been serving as first assistant U.S. attorney—the district’s second-in-command—since 2016, after heading the office’s civil division for about three years. From 1994 to 2006, he worked in the office as a federal prosecutor. Between those periods, he served a six-year stint as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco.
1989
Barbara Dickinson, of Oakland, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Alameda County Superior Court. Barbara has served as an assistant public defender at the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office since 2013, where she was a deputy public defender from 1989 to 2013. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Larry J. Goodman.
McGregor Scott was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of California. He will serve as the chief federal lawyer and will lead a staff of 90 lawyers responsible for prosecuting federal crimes and representing the federal government in civil litigation in the Eastern District, which is based in Sacramento.
1988 (reunion year)
David Barksdale joined Loeb & Loeb’s real estate department as a partner in the Los Angeles office.
Timothy Freudenberger, a partner at Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger, was named to the Best Lawyers in America 2018 Awards list. This is the fifth consecutive year that he has been named to the list. 1987 Patrick Hicks was recently named in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide.
Silvio Reggiardo, a firm partner at Downey Brand, has been elected president of the Sacramento County Bar Association (SCBA). Silvio was sworn in at the SCBA Annual Meeting on Dec. 4, 2017, when he transitioned from his current position as first vice president. He has served on the SCBA board for three years.
Michael Hunter Schwartz was appointed the 10th dean of University of Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. Michael was also named the Ninth Most Influential Person in Legal Education by the National Jurist and published second editions of three books: Contracts: A Context and Practice Casebook, Teaching Law by Design, and Teaching Law by Design for Adjuncts.
Vernon Winters was recognized by the National Law Journal as an IP Trailblazer, one of seven California lawyers so recognized, and by the Daily Journal as one of the Top IP Lawyers in California. He writes that he is more impressed by the achievements of his son, who is serving his country in the Marines and is, among other things, a combat marksmanship coach.
1986
Lucy Morris, a partner with Hudson Cook in Washington, D.C., has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers (ACCFSL). Membership in the ACCFSL is limited to attorneys who have achieved pre-eminence and made repeated and substantial contributions to the promotion of learning and scholarship in the field of consumer financial services law.
1985
Teresa Caffese has been appointed to a judgeship in the San Francisco County Superior Court. Teresa has been a sole practitioner since 2011. She served in several positions at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office from 1987 to 2011, including chief attorney, chief of investigations, and assistant deputy public defender, and was a sole practitioner from 2001 to 2003. Teresa was an associate at Laughlin Falbo Levy and Moresi from 1986 to 1987. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James P. Collins.
Framroze Virjee will serve as president of California State University, Fullerton until June 2019. The school system will conduct a national search for the next permanent president beginning in fall 2018 with an announcement about that appointment planned for spring 2019, a statement said. Fram succeeds Mildred Garcia, who is leaving to head Washington, D.C.–based American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Fram has been executive vice chancellor, general counsel, and secretary to the CSU board of trustees since January 2014. Before that he was a partner in private practice for about 30 years at O’Melveny & Myers. He has taught as an adjunct at Chapman University Law School, now the Dale E. Fowler School of Law, and Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management.
1984
Nestor Barrero will soon complete one year back in private practice after spending most of his career as in-house corporate counsel. He is currently senior counsel with Atlanta-based Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete and continues to advise employers in media, entertainment, retail, hospitality, and technology on all aspects of labor and employment law.
Jackson Chin is senior counsel with Latino Justice in New York City. The legal team has recently been recognized via Public Justice’s 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. The team secured a groundbreaking settlement requiring the Census Bureau to overhaul its hiring practices. The settlement ensures that members of the class receive notification of job openings for the 2020 census and includes a $5 million program that helps those with criminal records maximize their employment prospects.
1983 (reunion year)
Michael Vacchio joined ADLI Law Group as senior counsel specializing in complex business and commercial litigation, as well as environmental, real estate, and construction matters. He brings a background in administrative, civil, and criminal environment and workplace exposure matters, as well as internal corporate investigations and whitecollar criminal defense.
The Honorable Theodore (Ted) Zayner is now in his ninth year on the Santa Clara County bench. Ted was recently named supervising judge of the Civil Division. He is active in the California Judges Association and Ingram Inn of Court and is on the California Judges Foundation board. He is also active riding his bike, winning triathlon relays at Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz with two of his judicial colleagues, as Team Men in Black.
1982
Lawrence Gumbiner is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having joined the Department of State in 1988. He currently serves as chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
1981
Mary J. Greenwood has been appointed presiding justice of the 6th District Court of Appeal, where she has served as an associate justice since 2017. Gov. Jerry Brown announced Mary’s appointment on Feb. 27, 2018. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice Conrad L. Rushing.
Lynne Hermle
of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe was named among the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law Editors by The Recorder. Honorees were featured on The Recorder website last fall and toasted at a reception in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2017.
1980
Ada (Goldberg) Brown has been promoted to senior vice president of U.S. business affairs for Sony Pictures Television.
Bruce Simon of Simon & Warshaw has been named the 2018 Antitrust Lawyer of the Year by the executive committee of the Antitrust, UCL & Privacy Section of the California Lawyers Association. Bruce is one of the leading antitrust lawyers not just in California, but nationwide. He has been appointed lead counsel for plaintiffs in many antitrust cases with national and global impact and has secured billions of dollars in settlements for businesses and consumers.
Stephen Taylor is retiring from the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office after over 36 years as a deputy district attorney specializing in white-collar crime and sexually violent predator prosecutions.
Col. Thomas Umberg is a founding attorney at Umberg Zipser. The firm was recently named one of the Daily Journal’s Top Litigation Boutiques. Tom has been selected as chair of the Veterans Treatment Court Committee for the Justice For Vets project. Tom’s service as a retired Army colonel, veteran of Afghanistan, and Bronze Star recipient prior to becoming a lawyer makes him a perfect candidate to lead this important project. He was also named to Best Lawyers 2018 in the practice area of commercial litigation for Orange County.
1979
Kristin Adrian was recently elected to the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She has served as the general counsel and chief compliance officer of American Realty Advisors, an investment manager of more than $8 billion in institutional quality commercial real estate portfolios, for the past 11 years.
Maureen Corcoran has been elected to the board of directors of Pacific Vision Foundation in San Francisco. Maureen’s career has focused on providing legal services to the health care industry. She has been a partner at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton and previously led the health care practice at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Maureen wrote: “Although the intricacies of delivery seem to grow with every passing day, I am excited with the plan that PVF and its partners have created to make a real difference in eye care in the Bay Area.”
Karen Foster Ellerbeck published a book of poetry in 2015 and is working on a second book.
1978 (reunion year)
Barbara Banke received Wine Spectator’s 2017 Distinguished Service Award. Barbara is chairman and proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, where she oversees Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Siduri, and other brands produced across four continents.
Jennifer Keller was named to the 2018 Benchmark Litigation list of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America. She was also named to the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in California, and her firm Keller/Anderle was selected for Top Boutiques. Jennifer practices commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense in Irvine.
Howard Lind has been selected to the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Howard was first selected to the list in the 2016 edition. He is a partner with Oakland-based law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean.
Richard Waxman has been selected to the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Richard was first selected to the list in the 2016 edition. He is the firm wide managing partner of Oakland-based law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean. 1977 John Cotter ran a halfmarathon in Alameda for his 66th birthday.
Daniel McVeigh of Downey Brand was recognized at the 2017 Night to Honor Service for his pro bono contributions. Daniel was recognized for his service on the Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program Panel. 1976 Worth Dikeman has been a deputy district attorney in Contra Costa, Humboldt, and El Dorado counties. In 2016, he was presented the George Williamson career achievement award by the California District Attorneys Association at its annual awards banquet. He retired on June 12, 2017.
The Honorable Scott Kays retired from the Solano County Superior Court effective June 12, 2017. He was appointed in 1997. During his time on the bench, Scott served as presiding judge, assistant presiding judge, and supervising judge of the civil, family, and appellate divisions. In 2006, he was elected president of the California Judges Association and served on the Judicial Council of California.
1975
Deborah S. Ballati will join the JAMS Resolution Center as an arbitrator, mediator, and special master in a variety of disputes including business/commercial, construction, engineering, government public agency, and insurance. She joins JAMS after a distinguished career as an attorney for over 40 years dealing in civil and commercial matters and developing an expertise in construction and insurance coverage disputes.
1974
Joseph Marshall has been listed in San Diego Magazine’s 2017 Top Lawyers in San Diego in the category of business transactions law. Joseph is a member of Sullivan Hill’s executive committee and has extensive experience in all phases of real estate, corporate, partnership, and business transactions, and in tax planning, tax controversy resolution, and estate planning.
William Tan was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association for his contributions to the profession and his continuing efforts to improve access to legal services in the Asian American communities. Bill was also awarded the Marquis Who’s Who Publications Board’s Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2017).
1973 (reunion year)
Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, published the third edition of his book Cross Examination: Science and Techniques (Pozner and Dodd, Lexis Law Publishing), proving that graduating barely summa cum laude is no bar to success. Larry continues to practice criminal defense and complex commercial litigation in Denver and lectures throughout the U.S. and Canada.
1972
Joseph Lisoni and his wife, Gail, handled the third largest tire recall in U.S. history in 2004 against Bridgestone/Firestone for defective Steeltex truck tires. The recall campaign resulted in the recall of 490,000 tires, 36 states removing them from ambulance units, and the end of the tire line after the production of 30 million tires.
Joel Mark relocated to Palm Desert, California. He spent 45 years as a business litigator in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including a number of years at Baker & McKenzie. He also served on the State Bar Committee of Professional Responsibility and Conduct and currently is the longest-serving member of the State Bar Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration (including four years as the State Bar presiding arbitrator). He continues to accept assignments as an expert witness in attorneys’ fees, attorney ethics, and attorney malpractice (litigation) matters.
The Honorable Joel Pressman, a retired San Diego County Superior Court judge, joined Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, in August 2017. “Judge Pressman earned a strong reputation and a notable track record in the San Diego community during his time on the bench. His practical approach and straightforward demeanor, as well as a genuine understanding of the dynamics involved in dispute resolution, will be assets to Judicate West and our clients throughout Southern California,” said Mark Kaufman, executive vice president, Judicate West.
1970
Johnie Posey has been elected a member of the board of directors of the Pacific Vision Foundation (PVF) in San Francisco. He is the president of the Lions Eye Foundation board and represents the long-term partnership of the Lions with both PVF and California Pacific Medical Center. “Our members are justly proud of the new Lions Eye Clinic at The Eye Institute,” he said, “and together we’re making people see better.” The Lions provided the new equipment for the eye clinic. Johnie, who is now retired, was a former prosecutor before opening his own law firm in San Rafael.
Harold Small was honored with the Culinarian of the Year Award for 2017 by the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival. Harold was also re-elected for a second three-year term as the Bailli Délégué U.S. National President of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the oldest and largest food and wine society in the world. He also still practices law.
Charles Storke has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2018 in the area of employee benefits (ERISA) law. Charles is a director at Trucker Huss in San Francisco.
1968 (reunion year)
Jay-Allen Eisen of Downey Brand received the 2017 Anne K. Meline Award at the Mediator Reception on Feb. 22, 2018.
Anne K. Meline was the first mediation coordinator for the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District’s mediation program. The program launched in 2006 as a method to resolve civil appeals expediently and reduce costs.
1967
Robert Jason, along with his wife, Sherry, received the prestigious Caring Award from the Caring Institute.
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