Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Page 11
WHO’S DOING WHAT
Richardson &Harman Adds Real Estate Litigator
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Pasadena-based Richardson & Harman has announced the addition of a new partner, trial lawyer Matt D. Ober, a former partner at Swedelson & Gottlieb.
Ober is a specialist in residential and commercial real estate litigation, with an emphasis in representation of common interest developments, as well as experience in construction defect litigation.
“As representation of community associations and construction defect litigation have always been a major part of our firm’s legal services, we are confident that our firm and its clients will benefit greatly from Matt’s extensive background and expertise in these areas,” Richardson & Harman managing partner Steven G. Harman said.
Ober, an author and public speaker, pursues a number of professional and personal interests outside of his practice. He is the 2004 president of the Greater Inland Empire chapter of the Community Associations Institute, as well as a parks and recreation commissioner in his native Whittier.
Ober is a graduate of the Southwestern School of Law.
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Alicia B. Bartley, a 2003 graduate of USC Law School, has joined the Encino environmental law firm Gaines & Stacey as an associate, the firm said.
Bartley, who previously worked in the legal department at the Hertz Investment Group and with the Century City firm Cox, Castle & Nicholson, will focus on real estate and land use law and related litigation.
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Transactional lawyer Marc L. Benezra, one of the “Super Lawyers” recently cited by Los Angeles magazine in its list of the area’s top attorneys, has joined the Beverly Hills firm Weissman, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman, Grodin & Evall as a partner.
Benezra will represent clients in a variety of commercial matters, with an emphasis on real estate and business acquisitions, dispositions and disputes.
Benezra, who earned his law degree from Hastings College of the Law, comes to Weissmann Wolff from Stephan, Oringher, Richman & Theodora. He is a member of the executive committee of the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation.
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Corporate and securities attorney Jeryl A. Bowers has joined Kirkpatrick & Lockhart’s Los Angeles office as a partner, the firm announced. Bowers previously served as vice president, secretary and general counsel to MediaLive International Holdings, Inc.
Bowers, a 1993 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, left the Los Angeles firm of Latham & Watkins in 1999 to become general counsel of the Internet retail venture PetsMart.com. In 2000, he helped engineer the company’s buyout, in the process enabling all of the company’s employees to receive value for their stock options.
“I was just amazed at the kinds of things he would handle day in and day out,” Gary Marcotte, former chief financial officer at PetsMart, told Corporate Board Member magazine in 2002 for a story about the “Best Corporate Attorneys Under 40.”
“But what I liked most about him was his businessperson’s approach; he knows how to balance legal theory with what actually works. He clearly has a full seat at the management table. He’s not just the legal guy.”
Bowers’ appointments include board membership with the American Corporate Counsel Association and associate board membership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
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Appointments & Elevations
Los Angeles real estate firm Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman Machtinger and Kinsella has named veteran attorney Henry D. Finkelstein chair of the firm’s 30-attorney real estate department.
“We are very excited to have Henry lead our department,” Dennis Ellman, a member of Greenberg Glusker’s management committee, said in a statement. “He has enormous energy and a clear vision for the continued growth of our real estate practice.”
Finkelstein has handled a wide variety of real estate matters, including development, financing and joint ventures, leasing and sales. He has demonstrated a particular interest in community redevelopment projects and in the development and repositioning of shopping centers.
A graduate of Washington University Law School in St. Louis, Finkelstein is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute.
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Hill Farrer & Burrill has elevated attorney Sean McLoughlin to partner status, the firm has announced.
McLoughlin is a member of the firm’s labor and employment group, defending business owners and management in a wide variety of claims.
“Sean has developed a reputation for excellence in representing clients in state and federal courts, and for his contributions in the firm’s appellate practice,” Hill Farrer managing partner Arthur Cook said in a statement.
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Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton has elevated Brette Simon to partner, the firm said.
Simon, who serves investors and companies as an advisor in debt and equity venture capital financings, joins corporate practice group in Sheppard Mullin’s Los Angeles office. She specializes in public and private mergers, tender offers, consent solicitations and securities offerings and has published more than 20 articles on various corporate law issues.
According to the firm, Simon is a 1994 graduate of UCLA Law School, where she ranked first in her class, was editor of the UCLA Law Review and now serves on the school’s alumni board of directors.
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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has promoted five of its Los Angeles-based attorneys to partner status.
L. Rachel Lerman Helyar, a member of the firm’s appellate practice, is a 1992 graduate of Boalt Hall. According to the firm’s statement, she has presented numerous oral arguments before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the California Courts of Appeal.
USC Law School graduate Jason Karlov also holds an Master’s degree in communication management from USC. He is a member of Akin Gump’s entertainment and media practice.
Shahzad A. Malik, a member of the firm’s tax practice group, graduated from the University of Ottawa law school in 1994 and earned an LLM in taxation from the New York University School of Law in 1997. His practice focuses on transactional tax matters.
New York University School of Law graduate David P. Simonds is a member of Akin Gump’s financial restructuring practice group, representing clients in Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings.
Brian Van Vleck focuses on wrongful termination, sexual harassment, public policy violations, discrimination, fraud and NLRA compliance matters for the firm’s labor and employment practice. He is a 1991 graduate of Hastings College of the Law.
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Honors & Awards
Long Beach City Prosecutor Tom Reeves was honored Jan. 30 as “Lawyer of the Year” by the Long Beach Bar Association at the organization’s installation dinner aboard the Queen Mary.
“I am very honored to receive this award—it inspires me to do more,” Reeves commented in a statement. “I believe the City Prosecutor’s Office has some of the finest talent around and each of them helped me win this award.”
Reeves, who has served as city prosecutor since 1998 and was re-elected to a second term in 2002, previously served as principal deputy city attorney in the Long Beach City Attorney’s Office.
In addition to his regular duties, Reeves presently serves as the president of the County Prosecutors Association for Los Angeles County. He is also a colonel in the California Air National Guard and has served three tours of active duty in the past 30 years, including Operation Enduring Freedom last year.
Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company