Do you have an update you’d like to share? Keep us apprised of changes to contact information or updates to business activities or accomplishments.

May 2025

  • Mohamed Eldessouky, ’12, was a co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $34.7 million verdict against Walmart in an employment law defamation case in San Bernardino Superior Court. He is the founder of Eldessouky Law in Los Angeles.
  • Russell Frink, ’14, and Vance Piggott, ’13, were promoted to shareholders at Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard in Sacramento. The former advises clients in environmental law, and the latter advises public and private sector entities in employment law.
  • Payton Hart, ’24, was sworn in as a prosecutor in the Washoe County District Attorney’s office in Reno, where she will work with the misdemeanor team.
  • Michael Mooney, ’11, has been appointed to serve as a judge on the Orange County Superior Court. He has served as a senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office since 2012.
  • Anthony Pane, ’04, was named chief counsel at the First 5 California Commission. He brings more than 15 years of legal experience in state government to the nonprofit child advocacy organization that promotes and funds early childhood development.
  • Scott Radcliffe, ’11, won a $1.12 million arbitration award in a securities fraud case involving alleged breach of fiduciary duty. He also won a defense verdict in a San Francisco Superior Court claim of negligence trial that involved the collapse of a retaining wall following an extreme rainfall. He is a partner at Alves Radcliffe LLP in Gold River.
  • Matthew Read, ’14, has been appointed chief counsel at the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. From 2021 to 2024, he held multiple roles at the California Strategic Growth Council, including acting executive director and staff counsel.
  • Marshall Silberberg, ’73, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $5 million arbitration award in an insurance bad faith case. A senior partner at the Law Office of Marshall Silberberg in Irvine, he also helped obtain a $7.8 million settlement for an injured cyclist in a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit.
  • Christina Smith, ’19, and Mario Zamora, ’08, won a defense jury verdict in a Kings County Superior Court trial involving alleged gender and disability discrimination. She is a senior associate, and he is the managing partner, at Griswold, LaSalle, Cobb, Dowd & Gin in Hanford.
  • Martin Tejeda, ’00, has been appointed to serve as a judge on the Sacramento County Superior Court. With 20 years’ experience in private practice, the current court commissioner fills the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Dena Coggins,’06, to the federal bench.
  • Tiffany Tello, ’21, has joined Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle & Koelwer LLP, where she is a member of the Sacramento firm’s employment and litigation group.
  • Francesca Torres, ’22, has joined Boutin Jones in Sacramento and will represent clients in a variety of business and civil litigation matters, as she previously did at another local firm.
  • Ty Vanderford, ’87, was co-counsel for a defense team that won a nonsuit bench decision in Los Angeles Superior Court for a school district in a negligent supervision case. He is a partner at Vanderford & Ruiz LLP in South Pasadena.
  • Arash Yahyai, ’12, won a summary judgment in Fresno Superior Court in defense of a church that was charged with negligent supervision in an alleged childhood sexual assault. He is a litigation counsel for GuideOne Insurance in San Diego.

April 2025

  • Dylan Frehner, ’04, was appointed to a judgeship on Nevada’s Seventh Judicial District by Governor Joe Lombardo. He has served as the Lincoln County District Attorney in Pioche since 2018.
  • Ognian Gavrilov, ’08, was co-counsel for a plaintiff team that obtained an $11 million settlement in Riverside County Superior Court in a wrongful death case against a rehabilitation facility. He is a senior partner at Gavrilov & Brooks in Sacramento.
  • Amy Higuera, ’04, has joined Stoel Rives as a partner in its land use and environmental law practice at its San Francisco office. She was previously a partner at Downey Brand.
  • Jeffrey Huron, ’88, has joined Stinson LLP’s West Coast expansion and taken a litigation partner position in its new Los Angeles office in Century City. He handles high-stakes business and real estate disputes, representing clients in a wide range of industries.
  • Bryan Lamb, ’98, won a $7.9 million jury verdict in a San Francisco Superior Court false imprisonment trial involving an impaired man who was dropped off on a dangerous street by a cab driver. He is partner at Lamb & Frischer LLP in San Francisco.
  • Marcie Murtha, ’24, has joined Boutin Jones Inc. as an associate in Sacramento, where she will focus her practice on contract disputes and partnership issues.
  • Lorraine Paskett, ’95, was named the chief operating officer at First Public Hydrogen Authority in Lancaster. She brings to the new public utility more than two decades of executive leadership experience across California’s energy and water sectors.
  • Uzzi Raanan, ’92, has joined Greenberg Glusker LLP as a partner in Los Angeles. A bankruptcy attorney, he worked for Danning, Gill, Israel & Krasnoff for more than 23 years before that firm shuttered earlier this year.
  • Karen Sullivan, ’01, has joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani as a partner in its San Diego office. Her defense of products liability litigation in environmental toxic tort practice encompasses a wide range of cases.
  • Patrick Toole, ’97, and James Keowen,’94, were the leaders of a three-office team that won a defense verdict in a San Joaquin County Superior Court wrongful death trial involving a fatal traffic accident. Toole is a shareholder at Wanger, Jones & Helsley PC in Fresno, and Keowen is a Caltrans deputy attorney.
  • Kara Tredway, ’11, has joined Fox Rothschild as counsel in its Seattle office. She represents clients in all stages of commercial litigation, from inception through trial.

March 2025

  • Michelle Albright, ’07, has rejoined Downey Brand as counsel in the firm’s family law group. The veteran attorney most recently spent seven years working as an attorney supervisor for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
  • Rachel Balchum, ’13, was promoted to partner at Burke, Williams & Sorensen LLP in San Francisco, where she is a member of the labor and employment law and litigation practice group.
  • Stephanie Cahn, ’97, was named the acting deputy general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. She has spent her entire career in NLRB Region 21 in downtown Los Angeles since starting as a field attorney at the agency in 1997.
  • Clayton Graham, ’09, has joined Goldberg Segalla in its retail and hospitality group in Los Angeles. His practice focus includes advising and defending national developers, shopping centers, and hotels on construction matters.
  • Robert Green, ’84, obtained an $8 million settlement as co-counsel for the plaintiffs in a U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, data breach case. He is a partner at Green & Noblin PC in Tiburon.
  • Kaitlyn Saberlin, ’10, has been named the leader of Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle & Koewler’s corporate practice group. She is a partner at the Sacramento firm.
  • Lee Sheldon, ’09, was promoted to shareholder at Littler Mendelson in San Francisco. A civil litigation attorney, he defends employers in a wide range of labor and employment disputes, including wrongful termination.
  • Trey Van Dyke ’23, has joined Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard as an associate in Sacramento where his caseload includes resolving construction defect and interstate shipping disputes.
  • Juliana West ’19, has joined Purcell Stowell PC’s family law firm in Folsom. She has represented hundreds of clients on child custody, child and spousal support, and divorce division of assets.

February 2025

  • Derek Cole, ’99, was selected to serve as the interim city attorney for Antioch. A municipal law specialist, he is the founding partner of Cole Huber LLP and the manager of its Roseville office.
  • Dana Crom, ’90, was appointed Inyo County District Attorney by that county’s board of supervisors. A former deputy county counsel and contract public defender, she has been a prosecutor for the past decade.
  • Farima Feizi, ’22, has joined Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard in Sacramento. She specializes in employer representation on employment law issues including wage and hour actions.
  • Monica Folsom, ’03, has been named managing partner at Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle & Koewler in Sacramento, where she advises business clients, including non-profits, on employment law issues.
  • Randall Harr, ’82, was appointed to serve as a judge in the Moduc County Superior Court. A partner at Maire & Deedon since 2022, he operated the Law Office of Randall Harr from 2011 to 2022.
  • Albert Herson, ’84, has joined Meyers Nave in an of counsel capacity following the merger of The Sohagi Law Group with the larger Los Angeles firm. He is widely recognized as one of the leading environmental and land use law lawyers in the state.
  • Zachary Jayousi, ’24, Nicole Kuklo, ’24, Madeline Mezger, ’23, and Andrew Pereira, ’24, joined Matheny Sears Linkert & Jaime LLP as associates in Sacramento.
  • Andrew Kelly, ’11, was appointed the Kannapolis City Attorney in North Carolina. He has served as a senior assistant attorney in nearby Charlotte for many years.
  • Mike Madokoro, ’89, was appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. A partner at Bowman & Brooke LLP since 1999, he has been the managing partner or co-managing partner there for almost two decades.
  • Mark McCannon, ’96, has been appointed to a judgeship on the San Mateo County Superior Court. He moved over from the Alameda County Superior Court bench, where he had been a judge since 2013.
  • Erin Price ’17, has been elected partner at Fisher Phillips LLP in Sacramento, where she represents private and public employers in various aspects of labor and employment law.
  • Shaun Spillane, ’08, has been appointed chief deputy inspector general at the California Office of the Inspector General, where he has served as chief counsel since 2023.
  • Ryan Thomason, ’18, has rejoined Mitchell Chadwick LLP as senior counsel in Roseville, where his practice includes a focus on environmental land use entitlements.
  • Jennifer Willis, ’01, has joined Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld in an of counsel capacity in Sacramento, where she represents clients on complex construction litigation matters.

January 2025

  • Jan Aune, ’04, won a $1.5 million plaintiff jury verdict in a Contra Costa Superior Court wrongful termination, whistle-blower trial. He is the owner of the Law Office of Jan T. Aune in Burbank.
  • Kristen Cerf, ’06, was named to the Protect Access to Health Care Act Stakeholder Advisory Committee by Governor Gavin Newsom. She is the president and CEO of the Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan.
  • Krista Dunzweiler, ’03, has been appointed chief deputy general counsel at the California Department of Corrections’ Office of Legal Affairs. She has served in another leadership position in that agency since 2019.
  • Mariam El-Menshawi, ’11, has been appointed chief of the Office of Victims and Survivor Rights and Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. A state hearing officer, she is a McGeorge adjunct professor who has held several posts in the past decade at the law school’s Victim Resource Center.
  • Melissa Hurtado, ’22, has joined Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard as an associate in Sacramento, where her duties include providing litigation support in healthcare law disputes.
  • Bryan Lamb, ’98, was co-counsel for plaintiffs who obtained a $15 million settlement in a Napa Superior Court wrongful-death case involving a traffic accident. He is co-founder of Lamb & Frischer LLP in San Francisco and Monterey.
  • Chris Maloney, ’16, has been promoted to partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker in San Francisco, where his practice focuses on the defense of claims related to general liability, automobile accidents, and personal injury.
  • Charles Trainor, ’77, has opened Trainor Law in Sacramento. Last year, the veteran real estate attorney completed the merger of his former firm, Trainor Fairbrook, with the Sacramento office of the national Buchalter firm.
  • Monika Troike, ’15, won a defense summary judgment for her client in a San Francisco Superior Court premises liability personal injury case. She is a partner at Jones Dyer APC in Sacramento.

December 2024

  • Ognian Gavrilov, ’08, received the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Nancy Sheehan Distinguished Attorney of the Year Award for his professional and community outreach. He is a founding partner at Gavrilov & Brooks in Sacramento.
  • Mark Krausse, ’95, was reappointed to the Public Employment Relations Board by Governor Newsom. He served as the director of state agency relations for PG&E for 17 years.
  • June Lee, ’07, was promoted to partner at ArentFox Schiff in San Francisco, where she will advise clients on corporate law and commercial transactions with a focus on the automotive industry.
  • Robert Packer, ’76, was co-counsel for a victorious defense team in a Los Angeles Superior Court medical malpractice trial in which plaintiffs sought more than $50 million in damages. He is a senior partner at Packer, O’Leary & Corson in Glendale.
  • Ava Sutton,’24, and Morgan Graber,’24, have joined Downey Brand as associates in Sacramento. Each served an externship with a federal judge during their time in law school.
  • Martin Taylor, ’90, has joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP as a partner in its Irvine office. Most recently, at Greenberg Traurig, he brings over 30 years of experience representing financial institutions and other parties in various transactions.
  • Amber Poston, ’06, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Superior Court of Orange County. She has served as a public defender in Yolo County and Orange County since 2007.

November 2024

  • David Bass, ’13, was reelected to the Rocklin City Council. He is a prosecutor with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office who specializes in white-collar crime.
  • Linda Deos, ’95, was elected to a seat on the Davis City Council. A Sacramento-based bankruptcy attorney and the owner of Deos Law PC, she has served on the Davis Planning Commission and the Davis Utilities Commission.
  • Thomas Hiltachk, ’87, and Katherine Jenkins, ’18, were part of a defense team that won a bench decision in a Fresno Superior Court case involving campaign contribution fund transfers that went against a county ordinance. The former is the managing partner, and the latter an associate at Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk LLP in Sacramento.
  • Melissa Keyzer, ’07, was elected to the Buckeye Union School District board in El Dorado Hills. She is a co-founder and director of the Buckeye Education Foundation, which supports extra-curricular programs in the arts and other fields in the district.
  • Jennifer Lucchesi, ’06, was appointed as the director of the California Department of Conservation. She has served as the executive officer of the California Lands Commission since 2012.
  • Renee Nash, ’92, was reelected to the Eureka Union School District board of trustees in Granite Bay. She is a former corporate counsel at a major newspaper chain and a long-time adjunct professor at McGeorge.
  • Dan Scully, ’80, was recognized with the ABOTA Michigan Chapter’s Presidential Award for extraordinary contributions to the organization. It was the third major award for the renowned defense attorney who is a partner in the Detroit office of Clark Hill PLC, a large American law firm.
  • Stephanie Story, ’98, was appointed to a Los Angeles Superior Court judgeship by Governor Newsom. She is the owner and president of Story Law PC, a firm specializing in family law in West Covina.

October 2024

  • Nathan Barankin, ’06, has joined Governor Gavin Newsom’s staff as a senior adviser. A former deputy state attorney general and chief of staff to Kamala Harris, he has most recently worked as a political consultant and strategist.
  • Jared Hague, ’07, was co-counsel for plaintiffs who received a $2.4 million settlement in an Alameda Superior Court employment law wage-and-hours case involving meal and rest periods. He is a founding partner of Sutton Hague LC in Fresno.
  • Jennifer Eason, ’92, and Kyle Tambornini, ’92, of Eason & Tambornini, along with Jason Marcus, ’08, of Marcus & Pulley LLP, Bart Mehlhop, ’86, of Mehlhop & Vogt, and James M. Smolich, ’85 of Smolich and Smolich were named to the Forbes Advisor 2024 Best Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Sacramento list.
  • Morrison England, ’83, received the 2024 Wiley Manuel Bar Association Lifetime Achievement for his service on the state and federal bench. After six years as a Sacramento County Superior Court judge, England was nominated and confirmed to an appointment on U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. His more than two-decade service there includes four years as chief judge.
  • Chris Nevis, ’92, and Dana Fox, ’85, led a defense team that won a jury verdict in a San Francisco Superior Court personal injury trial in which the plaintiff sought $36 million in damages. Both are partners at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP, the former in San Francisco and the latter in Los Angeles.

September 2024

  • Thomas Johnson, ’85, was named to the Forbes Advisor’s 2024 list of Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Sacramento. A former assistant U.S. Attorney, he specializes in federal criminal defense and has represented high-profile figures in cases ranging from money laundering to murder.
  • Mark Potter, ’93, was the lead counsel for plaintiffs who secured a $2.23 million settlement in Los Angeles Superior Court in a class action wage-and-hours suit. He is a partner at Potter Handy LLP, which has offices in Texas and California.
  • Trevor Quirk, ’03, was the lead attorney for plaintiffs who won an $83 million verdict in San Bernardino Superior Court in a highway accident case that began more than four years ago. He is the founder of the Quirk Law Firm in Ventura.
  • Todd Ratshin, ’06, has been appointed deputy secretary for enforcement at the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. He previously served as chief board counsel at the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
  • Alec Stone, ’04, has joined the Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP insurance group as senior counsel in Los Angeles. He previously served as assistant chief counsel of the California Department of Insurance.
  • Noah Schwinghamer, ’08, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $1.8 million verdict in a San Joaquin County Superior Court employment law retaliation trial. He operates Schwinghamer Law, which has offices in Sacramento and Stockton.
  • Charles Wilmer, ’89, was named to the Forbes Advisor’s 2024 list of Best Workers’ Comp Lawyers in Mesa, Arizona. He is a partner at Cruz & Associates Injury Attorneys.

August 2024

  • Jason Holley, ’14, was cited on the Forbes Advisor 2024 Sacramento’s Best Criminal Defense Lawyers list. A former county and public defender who served at a UN international criminal tribune in The Hague, he has defended everything from DUIs to homicides.
  • Kathryn Hulse, ’18, Carolee Kilduff, ’82, and John S. Smith, ’90, backboned a defense team that won a bench dismissal of a failure-to-provide-reasonable-accommodations employment law claim in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. They are partners and attorneys at the Sacramento firm of Angelo, Kilday & Kilduff LLP.
  • Kelly Knight, ’88, has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties in Santa Barbara. Previously with a different brokerage, she practiced law for 15 years at one of the area’s leading firms before transitioning to the real estate industry.
  • John Mason, ’93, was a member of a team that won a defense verdict in San Diego Superior Court in a mortuary negligence claim involving a mix-up of corpses with similar names. He is a founding partner of Gurnee Mason Rushford Bonotto & Forestiere in Roseville.
  • David Nakamura, ’97, has been promoted to vice president and trust officer at First Hawaiian Bank in Honolulu. The president of the Hawaii Estate Planning Council, he boasts two decades of trust experience expertise.
  • John Ranucci, ’96, and his co-counsel won a defense verdict in a San Bernardino Superior Court in a fatal rollover accident trial involving a product liability claim. He is a partner at Ford Walker Haggerty & Behar in Long Beach.
  • Monica Safapour, ’09, was named to the board of trustees for the Casa del Herrero, a national historic landmark in Montecito. She is the regional president/senior managing director at the Northern Trust Corporation in Santa Barbara.
  • John C. Taylor, ’77, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $13 million verdict in a Los Angeles Superior Court sexual abuse school incident trial. He is a senior partner at Taylor & Ring LLP in Manhattan Beach.
  • Kelly Williams Dodd, ’14, has been reappointed to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, where she has served since 2018. A Napa attorney, she is a former deputy secretary of legal affairs for the Governor’s Office.

July 2024

  • Matthew Carlson, ’23, Jorge Casanova, ’23, and Michael Della Maggiore, ’22, have joined Porter Scott in Sacramento as new associates.
  • My Tien Doan, ’18, is the new president of the Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento. An attorney with the City of Roseville, she has served four years on the ABAS board.
  • Alan Donato, ’09, is on the Forbes Advisor’s 2024 list of Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Sacramento. A principal at the Donato Law Group, his experience in marijuana-related cases enabled him to play a significant role in state cannabis law reform.
  • Ryan Donoghue, ’21, has joined Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP in Sacramento as an associate who will focus on business disputes, complex litigants, and employment law.
  • Heather Cline Hoganson, ’97, received the Saint Thomas More Society of Sacramento’s Integrity Award for her community service and professional work. She is a senior counsel with the California Department of Health Care Access and Information.
  • Andrew Graham, ’13, was named to the Forbes Advisor list of Best Divorce Lawyers in Oakland. A senior associate at San Francisco-based Schoenberg Family Law, his background in criminal defense helps him mediate highly contentious divorces.
  • Nolan Jones, ’15, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who obtained a $9 million settlement in San Francisco Superior Court in a dangerous condition of public property case involving a serious bicycle accident. He is an associate at Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood & Campora in Sacramento.
  • Andrew McClelland, ’08, has joined Hoge Fenton’s real estate and land use practice group in an of-counsel capacity in Pleasanton. Previously, he was a partner at Lunski & Stimpert LLP.
  • Summer Stephan, ’86, was elected president of the National District Attorneys Association for its 2024-25 term. She has served as the San Diego County District Attorney since 2018.
  • Vida Thomas, ’93, was named to the Daily Journal Top Women Lawyers 2024 list. She is the managing partner of Oppenheimer Investigations Group LLP. The Sacramento-based firm specializes in workplace investigations and training.
  • Thomas Weathers, ’93, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. A solo practitioner in San Rafael in 2015 with a specialty in IGRA procedures, he previously was a partner at two Bay Area firms.

June 2024

  • Brian Andritch, ’98, was cited in the Forbes Advisor’s Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Fresno. A former deputy district attorney, he is a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Brian C. Andritch.
  • Mariela Anguiano, ’21, Colin Nystrom, ’21, and Corey Watkins, ’23, have joined Porter Scott in Sacramento as new associates.
  • Doug deVries, ’76, and Raul Ramirez, ’70, were cited in the Daily Journal’s list of leading alternative dispute resolution specialists in California. DeVries, a longtime Sacramento litigator, has been a full-time mediator since 2011. Ramirez, a former federal judge for the Eastern District of California, is a well-known settlement facilitator in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
  • Sarah Kerber, MSL ’2018, has been appointed the California Government Operations Agency’s assistant secretary for business transformation and strategic development. She previously served as a senior manager at the Sacramento Regional Transit District.
  • Mark Krausse, ’95, has been appointed to the California Public Employment Relations Board. He has served as the director of state agency relations for Pacific Gas & Electric since 2007.
  • Tre Lovell, ’92, was named to the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Intellectual Property Lawyers of 2024. A principal at The Lovell Firm APLC in Los Angeles, his focus on endorsements and copyright has brought him into cases involving high-profile celebrities, including Justin Bieber and Kevin O’Leary. Stephanie Meaglia, ’23, has joined Krogh & Decker as an associate in Sacramento, where she has clerked since 2022.
  • Randall Miller, ’84, was named to the Daily Journal’s Top 30 Professional Responsibility Lawyers in California. A legal malpractice specialist and principal at Miller Law Associates in Los Angeles, he represents attorneys facing State Bar charges and was involved in the John Eastman election interference case.
  • Andres Perez, ’96, was a member of a plaintiff team that obtained a $2.25 million settlement for the state in Alameda County Superior Court against an elder care facility operator for elder abuse. He is a deputy district attorney in Marin County.
  • Julie Ann Shepard, ’94, was named to the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Intellectual Property Lawyers list. A partner at Jenner & Block LLP in Los Angeles, her recent victories include winning judgments of $51.6 million for a group of major film studios and $52.5 million for a jilted film investor.
  • Kristopher Young, ’01, has been appointed to a judgeship on the San Diego County Superior Court. He has served as a supervising deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, since 2010.

May 2024

  • Beth Appelsmith, ’86, and Camille Hemmer, ’83, two veteran family law attorneys, were named to the Forbes Advisor list of Best Divorce Lawyers in Sacramento. The former has carved out a niche as a lawyer who focuses entirely on collaborative divorce and mediation, and the latter is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers who was recently honored for her pro bono work.
  • Dena Coggins, ’07, was confirmed to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, by the U.S. Senate. The Sacramento County Superior Court judge will take her seat on the federal bench in September when Chief Judge Kimberly Mueller takes senior status.
  • Erin Hallissy, ’95, was named co-managing partner of her new firm, Schonbuch Hallissy LLP, in Brentwood. A former partner with Daniels Fine et al., she is a veteran civil defense trial attorney who has handled a wide variety of major personal injury cases.
  • Doreen Spears Hartwell, ’00, was honored as a “Nevada Trailblazer” by the State Bar of Nevada. A partner at Hartwell Thalacker Ltd. in Las Vegas, she has won numerous awards over her 23-year career for civic leadership and pro bono service, including the Clark County Law Foundation Liberty Bell Award.
  • David Hayek, ’89, has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson as a partner in Los Angeles from Gordon Rees. He represents domestic insurers, syndicates, and consortiums in the London and European insurance markets.
  • Amy Holliday, ’97, has been appointed to serve as a judge of the Sacramento County Superior Court. The governor’s appointment allows her to immediately assume the position she was otherwise elected to begin in January 2025.
  • David Piper, ’95, has joined Stradley Ronon as a partner in Long Beach from Keesal, Young & Logan. He brings more than three decades of experience in advising individuals and global companies in commercial disputes.
  • Marshall Silberberg, ’73, was named to the Forbes Advisor Best Car Accident Lawyers in Irvine. He has represented clients and their families in personal injury and medical malpractice cases for the past 50 years with notable success.
  • John C. Taylor, ’77, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $35 million verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court and another plaintiff who won a $35 million verdict in Santa Barbara Superior Court in two different school sexual abuse cases. He is a partner at Taylor & Ring in Manhattan Beach.
  • Curtis Vandermolen, ’20, has joined Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard as an associate in Sacramento, where he brings a decade of experience in public policy work to his focus on federal Indian law.

April 2024

  • Gina Anderson, ’04, was named the interim police chief of the City of Pleasanton. She previously served as the police chief of the City of Newark for the past four years.
  • Michael Bowman, ’88, was honored as Judge of the Year at the Sacramento County Bar Association’s 2024 Bench Bar Reception. Appointed to the bench in 2013, he recently completed two years of service as presiding judge of the Sacramento Superior Court.
  • Mark Dawson, ’93, and his defense team won a Santa Clara County Superior Court verdict in a case involving alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is a principal at the Dawson Law Offices in Pleasant Hill.
  • Stacey Grassini, ’91, Adam Kook, ’12, and Andres Perez, ’96, were among a 10-member group of deputy district attorneys who obtained a $1.5 million settlement for the state in an environmental law strict liability case that was heard in Stockton. The three prosecutors represented San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Fresno, and Marin counties, respectively.
  • Robert Green, ’84, won a $5.5 million settlement in a Los Angeles Superior Court breach-of-contracts, declaratory relief case that spanned a decade. He is a partner at Green & Noblin PC in Tiburon. Scott Hyman, ’90, has joined Womble Bond Dickinson in Irvine as a partner. Most recently, a partner at Severson & Werson, he brings three decades of experience representing banks and other financial institutions.
  • Nicole Hisatomi, ’22, was appointed deputy secretary of legislation at the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. She previously served as a deputy legislative commissioner at the state Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
  • Tatum Kennedy, ’20, was installed as president of The Barristers Club of Sacramento, a professional organization for young attorneys in the capital area. She is an associate at Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle & Koewler.
  • Jacqueline Roberts, ’13, has been appointed by the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors as the new county Counsel. She has worked in that office for six years, most recently as interim county counsel. Curtis Vandermolen, ’20, has joined Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard as an associate in Sacramento, where he brings a decade of experience in public policy work to his focus on federal Indian law.
  • Robert Vaage, ’82, was cited among the Forbes Advisor Best Personal Injury Lawyers in San Diego. The founder of Vaage Law, he has four decades of experience in major wrongful death, medical malpractice, and medical fraud cases.

March 2024

  • Paul Bacigalupo, ’87, has joined ADR Services panel of neutrals. A former president of the California Judges Association, he served as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court for 22 years before his recent retirement.
  • Sue Bajwa, ’92, has been named vice president at NorthBay Health, a Solano County medical/hospital organization. Previously, she worked for more than 20 years in private practice and was a partner in a civil litigation firm in the East Bay.
  • Shay Billington, ’15, has been promoted to senior counsel at CDF Labor Law’s Sacramento office, where she defends companies against wage-and-hour class actions and single-plaintiff claims involving employment-related torts.
  • Kevin Cheng, ’07, has been appointed to the Dental Board of California. He is the director of construction at the City of Hope, a major national cancer research center headquartered in Duarte.
  • Paul Clark, ’96, has been named the executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau. A cattle rancher, he is a partner at Clark, Cali & Negranti in Paso Robles.
  • Dena Coggins,’07, has been nominated by President Biden to fill a future vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. A former administrative law judge, she has served as judge of the Sacramento County Superior Court for three years.
  • Peter Devencenzi,’09, won a judgeship in San Joaquin County, garnering more than 50 percent of the vote in a two-way race. After beginning his career as a civil attorney, he switched to the criminal side and has served more than a decade as a prosecutor in the county district attorney’s office.
  • Amy Holliday,’97, was elected to the Sacramento County bench, picking up the majority of votes in a race against two fellow alums. She is an assistant chief deputy at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
  • Lawrence Marks, ’90, was co-counsel for a plaintiff who won a $61.8 million verdict in a Los Angeles County Superior Court wrongful-death auto accident case. He is a senior attorney at Mardirossian Akaragian LLP in Los Angeles.
  • Sean McGah, ’09, was promoted to partner at Manning Gross + Massenburg LLP in Irvine. He dedicates his practice to multi-party complex litigation, with a primary focus on asbestos and talc litigation.
  • Cole McKnight,’07, was unopposed in a race for an open seat on the Kern County Superior Court judgeship. He is a veteran prosecutor in the Kern County District Attorney’s office.
  • Winston Moody, ’14, was listed among Forbes Advisor ‘s Top 10 Personal Injury Lawyers in Oakland. He is a partner with Gwilliam Ivary Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer APC.
  • Christine Suk Hi Dehr, ’04, has been appointed as a commissioner of the Placer County Superior Court, where she has served as a senior legal research attorney for the past 12 years.
  • April Van Dyke,’10, ousted an incumbent judge in a Humboldt County contest. She has worked for more than 13 years as a public defender in several state counties.
  • Connor Worden, ’16, has been hired as the City of Goleta’s new community resource deputy. He had a three-year stint with the Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Office after beginning his legal career in the U.S. Marines JAG Corps.

February 2024

  • Julie Capell, ’03, was elected partner in charge of the Los Angeles and Culver City offices of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. She specializes in defending employers in all facets of employment litigation.
  • Dana Caudill, ’93, was appointed to a judgeship on the Ventura County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom. A longtime defense lawyer, she has been a trial attorney, supervising attorney, and managing attorney with the Los Angeles office of Farmers Insurance.
  • Gregory Fayard, ’00, was on a defense team that won a summary judgment in Solano County Superior Court in a product liability case involving a serious golf cart accident. He is a partner at Cardinale Fayard APLC in Sacramento.
  • Daniel Glass, ’88, was installed as president of the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association. He is a principal at the Law Office of Daniel S. Glass in Sacramento.
  • Robyn Hosmer, ’90, has joined Nationwide Insurance’s trial division as managing trial attorney for its Sacramento staff counsel office, bringing her extensive expertise in litigating complex matters on behalf of individual and corporate defendants.
  • Betty Julian, ’02, received the Stanislaus County Commission for Women’s 2024 Outstanding Woman Award. A state-certified family law specialist and the co-chair of McCormick Barstow LLP’s Modesto office, she was honored for her extensive volunteer community service.
  • John P. Kelley, ’93, won a defense verdict as co-counsel in a Shasta County Superior Court personal injury trial in which the plaintiff sought $6.7 million in damages. He is a partner at Morgan & Kelley in Redding.
  • Kelley Mahoney, ’11, was promoted to partner at Manning Gross + Massenburg LLP in San Francisco, where she concentrates her practice on general, product, toxic tort, and premises liability.
  • Gael G. Mueller, ’85, is serving as adjunct professor at San Luis Obispo College of the Law, which is affiliated with the Monterey College of Law group. She brings 30 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney to the legal education classroom.
  • Gary Nelson, ’86, was cited in the Forbes Advisor Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Stockton category. A principal at the Law Office of Gary Nelson in Modesto, his 36 years of legal experience includes a specialty in workers’ compensation representation.
  • Alissa Pleau-Fuller, ’08, was a member of a defense team that received a summary judgment in a U.S. District Court, Southern District of California case involving an alleged breach of contract. She is senior counsel at Buchalter APC in Sacramento.
  • Tom Richard, ’92, was appointed to the board of directors of the Goodnation Foundation, a major philanthropic organization headquartered in New York. A senior counsel at RTGR Law LLP in Oakland, he is also the managing director of Dignity Fund.
  • Douglas Ropel, ’14, has been promoted to shareholder at Littler Mendelson PC in Sacramento, where he advises and represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment matters.
  • Jamie Taylor, ’17, has been named DEI director at the California State Senate. He brings 28 years of experience in political, legislative, and community affairs to the post, most recently serving as director of the Senate Fellows program.

January 2024

  • Sarah Aghassi, ’99, was named San Diego County’s interim chief administrative officer. She has worked for 18 years in several key roles for California’s second-largest county.
  • Lori Costanzo, ’88, made the Forbes Advisor top 10 list of Best Personal Injury Lawyers in San Jose. Her Costanzo Law Firm provides a wide variety of legal services, including mediation.
  • Becky Diel, '14, was installed as the president of the San Joaquin County Bar Association. She is a partner at McKinley, Conger, Jolley & Galarneau LLP in Stockton.
  • Barry Fadem, ’79, co-authored a book, “Revolution Road Trip,” about a fateful journey by four friends to Eastern Europe in 1990 as the Iron Curtain fell. A Lafayette attorney, he is an expert consultant on state initiatives and referendums, and campaign and election law.
  • Sonia Fernandes, ’04, led a plaintiff team that obtained a $50 million settlement to conclude an investigation of a major corporation’s behavioral health care services. She is the deputy director and chief counsel for the California Department of Managed Health Care’s Office of Enforcement.
  • Christian Herrmann, ’02, has joined Nelson Mullins as a partner in Greenville, South Carolina, where his practice includes advising companies on managing corporate immigration programs. He was previously with Ogletree Deakins.
  • Amy O’Neill, ’13, was promoted to partner at the Sacramento office of King & Spaulding LLP, where she focuses her practice on representing healthcare clients in complex litigation and arbitration.
  • Jacklin Rad, ’03, has joined Fisher Phillips as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Her previous experience includes working for a national labor and employment firm and serving as a senior deputy with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office.
  • Aaron Ralph, ’04, was promoted to partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, where he helps government contractors and grant recipients with compliance obligations and concerns.
  • Brian Schall, ’11, was a member of a plaintiff team that obtained an $11 million settlement in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, in a securities fraud case. He is a principal at The Schall Law Firm in Los Angeles.
  • Daniel Zerga, ’23, has joined Parker & Covert LLP as an associate in its Sacramento office, where he will work in the firm’s large education law group that represents school districts, community colleges, and other clients.

In Memoriam

  • David Hadly, ’76, died after a brief illness at the age of 81 on April 21, 2025, in Kalispell, Montana. A highly decorated Vietnam veteran, he worked for 20 years for the California State Lands Commission before retiring and moving to Montana in the late ’90s.
  • Lucinda Pocan, ’76, died after a long illness at the age of 77 on May 16, 2025, in Sacramento. A well-known community volunteer, her law practice included workers’ comp, personal injury and medical malpractice cases.
  • Kenneth Kimble, ’70, died at the age of 88 on March 3, 2025, in Hilo, Hawaii. A world traveler who spent many of his retirement years in Mexico, his longtime Roseville practice included a specialty in accounting law.
  • David Ross, ’73, died at the age of 77 on March 6, 2025, in Temecula. He owned the Law Office of David K. Ross in Stockton and practiced law for 47 years in San Joaquin County until his retirement in 2020.
  • Gayle Lau, ’74, died at the age of 79 on March 3, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His legal career included serving as a U.S. attorney assistant bankruptcy trustee for the Department of Justice. A JAG officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, he also served on the McGeorge Alumni Association Board of Directors and was the representative of its Hawaii Chapter in the early 2000s.
  • Aaron Epstein, ’68, died at the age of 93 on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. An award-winning investigative journalist early in his career, he later covered the Supreme Court for two decades for numerous major national newspapers. He lunched regularly with his law professor from the 1960s, Justice Anthony Kennedy.
  • Marcella Wilson, ’90, died of cancer at the age of 64 on March 18, 2025, in Duarte. She practiced workers’ comp law with Bollington & Scott, then was a corporate lawyer for several major insurance companies, finishing her career with Farmers Insurance.
  • Thomas Byrne, ’76, died at the age of 78 on March 24, 2025, in Santa Rosa. A former U.S. Air Force pilot, he built a respected legal career that included work as an attorney for Honeywell Avionics and later as a partner in private practice in Sonoma County.
  • Ellen Seaborne, ’85, died at the age of 80 on April 2, 2025, in Phoenix. A former elementary school teacher in California, she took her law degree to Arizona and practiced family law with Ellen M. Seaborne & Associates for 30 years in Flagstaff and Goodyear.
  • Royle Melton, ’81, died at the age of 70 on February 26, 2025, in Reno, Nevada. After working for two U.S. senators, he served as a Nevada Legislative Council Bureau attorney, a Churchill County prosecutor, a Nevada Judicial Council staffer, and a private attorney.
  • Roberta Ranstrom, ’72, died at the age of 91 on February 18, 2025, in Davis. A registered nurse, she used her law degree to practice poverty law, retiring as executive director and board member of the Legal Services of Northern California in 1999.
  • Robert Lindsay, ’74, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 75 on July 16, 2024, in Reno, Nevada. He was a criminal defense sole practitioner whose specialties included defending marijuana law cases.
  • John Haluck, ’79, died at the age of 73 on January 18, 2025, in Roseville. A defense litigator, he held partner positions in prominent Sacramento firms, including The Diepenbrock Law Firm and Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck, while also forging a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force.
  • Thomas Anton, ’73, died at the age of 80 on December 26, 2024, in Bakersfield. A well-known Kern County attorney, he was involved in a follow-up suit to the Erin Brockovich case and founded a local nonprofit that helped American servicemen around the world.
  • Patrick McGrath, ’93, died at the age of 62 on October 18, 2024, in Laguna Beach. The youngest person ever elected to the Modesto City Council at the age of 23, he went on to become the managing partner of Cashman McGrath Law and later a successful real estate investor.
  • Annalisa Chung, ’97, died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 52 on November 2, 2024, in San Jose. She was the co-founder and first chief executive officer of the city’s Dependency Advocacy Center, which served thousands of families impacted by the child welfare system.
  • Patrick Bupara, ’76, died at the age of 82 on November 15, 2023, in Sacramento. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney for more than 20 years in the San Francisco office of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, who later acted as a state administrative law judge.
  • Richard Allaye-Chan, ’94, died at the age of 57 on December 18, 2024, in an automobile accident in Sutter County. In 1998, the former prosecutor founded the Law Offices of Richard Allaye Chan in Sacramento and built a thriving criminal defense practice.
  • James W. Chin, ’78, died at the age of 81 on August 4, 2024, in Sacramento. He practiced law for two decades, was a property manager, and was also known as a general contractor who taught electrical, plumbing, cement work, and auto mechanics classes.
  • H. Vincent Jacobs, ’71, died at the age of 81 on October 20, 2024, in Davis. He was a founding partner of Hiroshima, Jacobs, Roth & Lewis, a prominent Sacramento firm where he spent more than 30 years of his 46-year legal career before turning to mediation as a private judge.
  • Edward EJ Gladding,’03, died at the age of 48 on September 24, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. He enjoyed an illustrious career in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, serving all over the country and internationally, including a stint representing the military’s most sensitive cases as a special victims counsel.
  • Frank Urias, ’68, died at the age of 88 on August 25, 2024, in Oxnard. The son of migrant farmworkers, he was a passionate workers’ comp attorney who became a founding member of the Mexican American Bar Association of Ventura County.
  • Robert Collins, ’72, died at the age of 76 on September 6, 2024, in Sacramento. A prominent real estate attorney, he worked for several firms, including Panattoni Development and Albert & Coss LLP, while serving leadership roles with the West Sacramento Rotary and the Golden West Track Meet.
  • Duffy Buchanan, ’81, died at the age of 74 on September 25, 2024, in Thousand Oaks. A noted specialist in the defense of aviation accident cases, he was the owner of Buchanan & Associates and later finished his career as of counsel to Michealis, Montanari & Johnson in Westlake Village.
  • Alice Thomas, ’10, died at the age of 94 on August 23, 2024, in Sacramento. After a successful career in the building industry, she was accepted to law school in her 70’s, helped hundreds of senior citizens in the Elder Law Clinic, and at 79 became the oldest student to graduate from McGeorge.
  • Ellen Corbett, ’85, died at the age of 69 on August 9, 2024, in Hayward. One of McGeorge’s most distinguished alumni public figures, she served four years as the mayor of San Leandro, 14 years in the California State Assembly and Senate, and eight years with the East Bay Regional Park District board of directors.
  • David Richards, ’04, died at the age of 46 on April 21, 2024, in Jackson. An Amador Creek attorney, he was an avid private plane pilot who worked for United Airlines for more than a decade as an international flight attendant.
  • Jane Walton. ’77, died at the age of 79 on June 27, 2024, in Santa Cruz. After a brief stint as a prosecuting attorney, she served overseas in the Peace Corps then returned to work as a civil trial investigator, teacher, and test developer for a publishing company.
  • Drew Johnson,’67, died at the age of 84 on June 20, 2024, in Sacramento. A former newspaperman, he established his own law firm and also practiced construction defect law with Nageley, Meredith & Miller, retiring in 2012.
  • Edward Horn, ’78, died after a long illness at the age of 70 on May 11, 2024, in Reno. After starting his legal career working in the Washoe County District Attorney’s Appellate Division, he opened his own solo law firm in Reno and specialized in personal injury law for 35 years.
  • Phillip Urie,’81, died at the age of 74 on March 28, 2024, in Stockton. A judge of the San Joaquin Superior Court for 15 years, he began his career serving 23 years as a prosecutor in the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office.
  • Sharyn Van Tassell Matin, ’73, died at the age of 77 on April 24, 2024, in Lafayette, Louisiana. She established her own law firm in Roseville and went on to practice personal injury law for 45 years before retiring because of illness and moving out of state.
  • Ben Scheible, ’82, died at the age of 71 on May 1, 2024, in Reno. He practiced real estate law for 13 years in California and Nevada, then found his true calling in education as a professor at Truckee Community College and other schools.
  • J. Douglas Buchanan, ’75, died at the age of 82 on April 7, 2024, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He practiced law for 42 years in Bishop while also serving as a deacon and later a priest in Episcopal parishes in the eastern Sierra Nevada before retiring to Virginia.
  • Lillian ‘Dit’ Jenks, ’67, died at the age of 103 on March 16, 2024, in Sacramento. A former president of the Women Lawyers of Sacramento, she was a private practitioner specializing in personal injury litigation for almost 40 years until her retirement in 2005.
  • Richard Gary, ’69, died at the age of 87 on January 20, 2024, in Carmichael. He practiced law in Sacramento for 47 years, including a stint as a partner with Gary, Till & Burlingham.
  • Michael Campos, ’75, died at the age of 84 on February 13, 2024, in Sacramento. A former executive director of the State Water Board, he began a 27-year career in private practice as an environmental and water law attorney, including service with Graham & James.
  • Roy Peters, ’78, died after an eight-month battle with cancer at the age of 80 on February 3, 2024, in Palo Cedro. A radio personality, community activist, and solo practitioner in Redding for 45 years, he specialized in estate planning, elder law, and probate.

Faculty In Memoriam

  • Charles Kelso, who taught Constitutional Law to thousands of future attorneys in a 40-year career at McGeorge, died at the age of 95 on January 31, 2024, in Sacramento. A former Supreme Court clerk, he was the youngest law professor in the country at age 22 when he began teaching at Indiana University. His recruitment to Sacramento was one of the shrewdest moves ever made by the late Dean Gordon Schaber. McGeorge not only landed a talented professor, but his wife Jane also served as the Dean of Students at the law school from 1982 to 2001. Their son, Clark, carries on the family tradition at McGeorge, where he has been a faculty member for almost 40 years.