The Women, Diversity & Change Summit: Los Angeles

Caroline Donelan is a trusted adviser and strategic partner to both domestic and foreign clients, providing advice and defense counsel in all areas of employment law compliance and litigation, including wage and hour class and representative (“PAGA”) actions, wrongful termination/retaliation, discrimination, harassment, trade secret disputes, data protection, and alleged fiduciary breaches.

Caroline’s proactive risk management practice includes drafting key workplace policies and agreements, providing practical implementation guidance, conducting workplace trainings, managing internal audits and investigations, and providing day to-day counseling on the wide variety of employment issues her clients face.

Caroline also provides transactional support and advice on stock and asset purchase agreements, including buy- and sell-side due diligence and executive agreements.

Jigna Patel manages Smart Circle’s legal, distributor compliance and human resources teams in her role with Smart Circle. Jigna also works closely with other members of the executive team in negotiating and facilitating new business transactions, strategic alliances and client campaigns. Prior to joining Smart Circle, Jigna served as corporate counsel for World Premier Investments, and as general counsel for Ria Financial Services. Jigna earned her Bachelor of Arts at the University of California in Irvine, and is a graduate of Loyola Law School where she was Editor-in-Chief of the International & Comparative Law Review, and a Dean’s Scholar with a full academic scholarship.

Liz Bui, J.D., Ph.D. is a Vice President & Intellectual Property Counsel at ViaCyte, Inc. a leader in the emerging field of regenerative medicine headquartered in San Diego, California. ViaCyte's clinical candidate products are based on the differentiation of stem cells into pancreatic beta cell precursors, with the goal to free patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes from long-term insulin dependence.  Liz oversees all matters related to intellectual property and is instrumental in the execution of corporate partnerships, licensing contracts, and other key business alliances. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. Bui was with the law firm of DLA Piper in the Global Life Science Sector. Liz is also an Adjunct Faculty at University San Diego School of Law, teaching in the Entrepreneurship Clinic and the supervising attorney for the USD Patent Clinic. Liz holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles and was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Liz’ passion is bringing biotech and life science opportunities and resources to local high schools and institutions, and in particular, to those neighbors in need.  Liz is a Board member on various non-profit Boards in the greater San Diego area. Liz received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law and her B.S. from Tulane University.

Emily Murray, chair of the firm’s Land Use Practice Group, embraces the client-side perspective—timelines, budgets, and business objectives. She represents private and public sector clients in legal and business matters related to land use and environmental law.

From the timely securing of permits, approvals, and entitlements in land use transactions to helping clients buy, sell, or lease environmentally contaminated sites, resolve enforcement actions, or litigate environmental disputes, Emily has the ability to distill complicated concepts into practical business strategies and solutions that her clients can understand and that she can apply to achieve favorable outcomes.

Maria C. Rodriguez advises US and international corporations with regard to employment law compliance and mergers and acquisitions; and defends employment cases and class action litigation. She is a trusted advisor to clients helping them avoid or resolve disputes and protect resources through proactive and strategic planning. She is experienced working with clients in the sports, media and entertainment, technology, food and restaurant, airline, transportation and distribution, health care and fashion industries.

She advises on and defends against class, collective, representative and individual claims arising under state and federal employment laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), and the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Her litigation experience includes wage-and-hour, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, breach of employment contract, unlawful business practices, non-solicitation, trade secrets and other employment-related cases. She has successfully litigated dismissals by way of, early motions to dismiss, summary judgment and leveraging cases early to produce nuisance value resolutions. At trial, she has produced wins in multiple-plaintiff wage-and-hour, retaliation, discrimination, and wrongful termination cases and achieved a defense verdict in a high-profile, eight-week jury trial involving UNRUH civil rights claims brought by 26 plaintiffs against eight defendants.

Maria has extensive knowledge in the complexities involved in doing business in California, across the United States, and abroad, and her fluency in Spanish supports her work with Spanish and Latin America based clients. She defends employers in proceedings before governmental agencies, such as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the California Labor Commissioner, the US Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and city and state government agencies that enforce employment.

Esther Cho is a shareholder with Keesal, Young & Logan in its Long Beach office.  Esther’s practice focuses on securities, employment, and mortgage banking litigation, and she has defended financial services firms, with particular emphasis on securities broker-dealers, in judicial and arbitration proceedings involving claims for suitability, churning, fraud, negligence, violation of federal and state securities laws, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, wrongful termination, and harassment.  She has handled hundreds of cases filed in state and federal court and before securities arbitration forums such as the FINRA, NASD, NYSE, PCX, JAMS, and AAA.  In addition, she has represented institutions and individuals in connection with regulatory enforcement investigations.

Esther’s practice also includes the defense of mortgage banking claims, particularly claims involving individual lending transactions.  Esther acts as counsel with respect to a wide variety of matters including both origination and servicing of loans.  Esther’s mortgage banking experience includes defending claims of wrongful foreclosure and fraud, claims involving promised or failed loan modifications, unfair business practices, RESPA, TILA, and FDCPA claims, lien priority disputes, and misapplication of payment allegations.

As part of her employment practice, Esther defends employers in judicial, arbitration, and administrative proceedings. In representing employers, Esther has defended cases involving claims of wrongful termination, constructive discharge, defamation, retaliation, breach of contract, discrimination, harassment, failure to pay wages, violations of unfair competition laws, and violations of the California Labor Code.

Esther handles appellate briefing and has argued before the California Courts of Appeal.  Esther’s unreported appellate cases include Cole v. Chase, 2015 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 7353 (Cal. 2d App. Oct. 13, 2015), and Pearlman v. Prudential Sec., 2004 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1376 (Cal. 2d App. Feb. 13, 2004).

Esther regularly represents and consults with clients on a wide variety of general business and litigation matters, including most recently a sizable mechanic’s lien case in a bankruptcy action.  Esther was recognized by Law & Politics Magazine as one of the Southern California legal community’s “Rising Stars” from 2006 to 2010.  Esther currently serves on Keesal, Young & Logan’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

 Sarah Levitt is a Corporate Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at AECOM, a multinational provider of design, engineering, construction, and consulting services.  From headquarters in Los Angeles, Sarah handles high-risk litigation matters across all industries served by AECOM worldwide, including government contracts, energy, water, transportation, and construction services.  Sarah also specializes in directing internal investigations, dealing with state and federal investigatory agencies, and advising on ethics and compliance matters.

Prior to joining AECOM, Sarah served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California for seven years.  During her time as a federal prosecutor, Sarah was first-chair trial counsel representing the United States against organizations and individuals charged with federal crimes.  Sarah supervised federal agents during the investigations phase, conducted grand jury proceedings, managed all pre-trial discovery and litigation, conducted bench and jury trials in federal court, and handled appeals before the Ninth Circuit.  

Sarah received her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1999 and her law degree from Harvard Law School in 2004.  After law school, Sarah joined O’Melveny & Myers as a litigation associate in Los Angeles.

Sarah is currently on the Judicial Appointments Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, responsible for screening judicial applicants and making fitness recommendations to the California Governor’s office.

Corporate attorney specializing in securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, SEC filings, corporate governance matters, review and approval of promotional materials for drug and device products and general contract matters. More than 20 years of experience practicing at reputable law firms and in-house at large public and private companies.

Dana is Deputy General Counsel with Acrisure and also concurrently serves as Active Captive Management's Chief Compliance Officer. ACM is an Acrisure Agency Partner. ACM specializes in the formation and management of captive insurers. Dana has over 20 years of experience in commercial and captive insurance, insurance regulatory compliance, and risk management. 

Prior to joining ACM, Dana was a trial attorney and coverage counsel for commercial insurance companies. She has trial experience in insurance coverage and bad faith cases, including cases involving underlying claims for environmental liabilities, toxic torts and other long tail risks, construction defect, and product liability. Dana has extensive experience with complex claims involving GL, excess/umbrella, E&O and D&O and cyber coverage. Dana has also provided contract drafting services and risk management counsel to corporate clients, including counsel relative to design generally of insurance programs, information risk management, and regulatory compliance. 

Dana was a contributing author to Chapter 38, “Understanding Errors and Omissions Insurance,” New Appleman Insurance Law Practice Guide, Volume 3 (2007). She is a member of the California and Minnesota State Bars, PLUS, CICA, and RIMS. ACM is also a diamond member of SIIA. Dana is a member of the ABA’s Tort and Insurance Practice Group and the Business Law Section and is the Chair of the Regulatory sub-Committee of the ABA's Captive Committee. She also serves on CICA's Small Captive Task Force.

Dana was selected for inclusion in the 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars®. She was also named as a 2011 Top Attorney by Pasadena Magazine. In 2014, Dana was named to the Power 50 list by Captive Review and in 2015 and 2016, she was named as a Top 20 “Pioneer” - a short list of recognized persons serving the small captive industry.

Sanjesh Sharma is Senior IP Counsel at Johnson & Johnson Vision, where she manages all aspects of intellectual property for the company’s Refractive Surgery and Laser Cataract Surgery product lines, including managing domestic and international patent portfolios, litigation support, opposition practice, product clearances, due diligence for asset acquisitions and licensing, as well as copyright and trademark compliance.  Before moving in-house, she worked at various national and global law firms, focusing mainly on patent and trademark litigation, licensing, due diligence, and counseling involving a wide range of technologies, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer electronics.

Sanjesh received her undergraduate degree in Microbiology from University of California, San Diego, and her law degree from Loyola Law School.  She currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Patent Interest Group for the IP Section of the California State Bar.  She regularly speaks on patents and in-house practice, and has been named Rising Star in Intellectual Property by Super Lawyers.

Erica Van Loon is an experienced trial attorney who focuses her practice on complex copyright, trademark, patent, rights of publicity, trade secrets, invasion of privacy, defamation, business interference and other media and entertainment claims. She represents clients across a broad range of industries including entertainment and media, software and hardware, apparel and footwear, toys and video games, consumer electronics, beauty and personal care, food and beverage, and various other industries.

Named to Super Lawyers’ “Top 50 Women in Southern California” nearly each year since 2007, Sheryl Leichenger serves on the firm’s Executive Committee and as the managing partner of the firm's construction defect coverage team in California. She also serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative. She focuses her practice on representing insurers in complex coverage disputes and coverage litigation. 

Sheryl’s training as a CPA coupled with more than 25 years of experience in insurance provides her a unique ability to keenly evaluate complex coverage issues and drive effective and strategic resolution strategies for her clients of which include both local insurance companies and multi-national corporations. 

Having acted as lead counsel in major litigation throughout California and in other states, Sheryl has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts. Additionally, she has been involved with numerous appeals as lead appellate counsel. 

Lisa C. McCurdy is a shareholder in the firm's Litigation Practice. She practices commercial civil litigation, with a particular focus on retail, consumer products & services, and real estate and financing litigation (including commercial lease litigation). She also has deep experience in trust and estate litigation, particularly trusts and estates with significant real estate and business holdings. She has wide-ranging experience in both federal and state court, as well as in administrative proceedings and regulatory investigations.

Lisa’s approach to litigation focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business and interests. She applies that understanding through all stages of representation, including pre-litigation counseling and negotiations, developing case strategy, preparing witnesses for trial, examining witnesses and arguing key motions, through writ proceedings and direct appeals and, where appropriate, obtaining resolutions through arbitration and mediation.

Lisa also practices in the area of animal protection law, regularly volunteering her time and litigating cases on behalf of both animal protection groups and individual clients, and working on improving legislation and education in an effort to improve the treatment of animals. As a result of this work, she was appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles in March 2012 to serve as a Commissioner for the Animal Services Department of the City of Los Angeles, and served in that capacity and as Board president until February 2014. She is currently a board member and past Board President of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Originally from Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Patricia Sorensen obtained her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. Her first corporate position was with a large computer leasing company in Chicago, where she developed the standard computer leasing template for the Computer Dealers Leasing Association, as well as reviewed and advised on HR matters, attaining the position of Assistant VP and Senior Corporate Counsel. She eventually moved to California where she took a position as General Counsel and VP of HR, for a small start up software company, that grew to over 300 employees. Upon the sale of that company, Patricia worked as a contract attorney for the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker for a year, where she assisted partners with mergers and acquisitions, software license agreements and other business agreements. She was recruited to work for yet another small software company, Starbase Corporation, named a Deloitte Fast 50 in 2000, as their in-house counsel to handle all legal matters, including software licensing and due diligence for several acquisitions and financings, as well as the sale of the company to Borland Software Corporation, where she stayed on to create a fast response contract negotiation team and eventually manage the legal function for its APAC region. Patricia joined Experian Services Corp at the beginning of 2011, where she is currently Senior Contract Counsel in their Global Procurement department. In 2018, the Orange County Register named Experian the #1 Top Work Place in Orange County by the Orange County Register and Experian launched their initiative to advance a culture that not only respects differences, but actively celebrates them.

Ursula Guzman is the Associate General Counsel at CoreLogic. She is an experienced senior employment lawyer and litigation attorney with over a decade of experience providing advice and counsel to businesses in all areas of labor and employment law. Ursula places an emphasis on minimizing risk, cost and avoiding litigation with an eye toward achieving business goals. She has significant experience advising and supporting human resources professionals and business operations leaders as well as identifying and leading strategic projects. Additionally, she has experience leading litigation defense, managing outside litigation counsel in multiple states, including budgeting, cost-containment, and litigation strategy.  Ursula also has experience navigating and defending government investigations and audits related to employment practices and providing legal compliance training.

Krista Cabrera is partner and a litigation attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP where she focuses her practice on employment litigation, counseling and training. As part of her litigation practice, Ms. Cabrera represents employers in discrimination, trade secret, wrongful termination, harassment, class action wage and hour matters, and other types of employment-related matters. She is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice.

Ms. Cabrera's counseling practice focuses on drafting agreements, litigation avoidance and the review and preparation of various employment related policies and procedures. She also trains managers and HR professionals regarding harassment, discrimination and retaliation avoidance.

Sayaka works together with employers and management on all aspects of labor and employment law and litigation in state and federal courts.  A significant portion of her practice focuses on complex wage and hour class, collective and PAGA actions.  Her practice also encompasses various other types of employment litigation, including discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition. 

Throughout her career, she has advised and counseled employers on personnel policies and procedures, employee handbooks, employee discipline matters, and wage and hour compliance.  She has conducted and prepared workplace investigation reports and wage and hour compliance audits.  Sayaka has represented employers in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, oil & gas, health care, higher education, construction, manufacturing, technology & entrepreneurial ventures, transportation, and hospitality.

Crystal focuses her practice on class action defense, with an emphasis on consumer fraud, data privacy, marketing, accessibility, technology and compliance issues. Crystal has extensive experience successfully defending against class action claims brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II, III and state accessibility law compliance and public accommodations, Unfair Competition Laws, False Advertising Laws, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Hobby Protection Act and Auto-Renewal Law in both state and federal courts.

She has defended corporate clients against class actions at all stages of litigation, including through class certification, preliminary, and final approval of settlements. She has a track record for early and efficient dispute resolution and saving costs associated with discovery through early informal negotiations, mediation and class action settlements. Crystal is also a member of the firm's Sports & Entertainment Practice.

Prior to joining Mintz, Crystal worked as an associate at a global firm, and clerked for the Honorable Frederick J. Martone in the US District Court for the District of Arizona. Before pursuing her legal education, Crystal was a junior consultant at the World Bank, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute fellow, and Editor in Chief at Human Rights Law Review and staff editor of A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual.

Geraldine McGrath is an experienced corporate attorney and skilled negotiator who understands business needs, can drive revenues, and has successfully established and managed the legal function for private and public technology companies. She is currently Counsel at IBM.  She is considered a trusted business and corporate advisor to senior management and the board of directors.

Ms. McGrath’s expertise includes: domestic and international technology licensing in traditional, SaaS, and SaaP licensing environments, public offerings, private equity placements, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance including SEC/NASDAQ/SOX compliance, outsourcing and domestic and international employment law, international subsidiary establishment and management.

Dedicated to education and professional diversity, Ms. McGrath devotes time to San Francisco Law School at Alliant International University as an adjunct professor and served as a Director to MentorNet prior to its merger with Great Minds in Stem. She is a former president of the Board of Directors of the Community School for Creative Education, a Waldorf-inspired charter school serving the diverse needs of the students of Oakland, California. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Great Minds in Stem, whose mission is to inspire and motivate underserved students to pursue careers in STEM.

Stephanie Franco is currently the Associate General Counsel of FideliTrade Incorporated and Delaware Depository in Seal Beach, CA. During her undergraduate years, Stephanie attended UC Davis and obtained her B.A. in Political Science, Philosophy, and Theater. Stephanie attended law school at California Western School of Law in San Diego.  During her law school career, she was an active member of the Student Bar Association, Sports and Entertainment Law Society, Moot Court Honors Board, and Phi Alpha Delta. Upon passing the CA Bar in 2015, Stephanie started her career practicing civil litigation in a boutique firm in Los Angeles. Stephanie then went in-house and joined the Sports 1 Marketing team in 2016 as their first General Counsel. Stephanie continued her career in-house when she joined the FideliTrade and Delaware Depository Team in 2019 in her current role. Stephanie is an active member in both the sports and precious metals communities. Stephanie is a current Board Member of the Hispanic Bar Association and serves as an adjunct professor at Western State College of Law teaching Sports Law.

Katerina Krumwiede is the Senior Transactional and Privacy Attorney at the Office of the General Counsel at Creative Artists Agency. She has demonstrated a history of working in the entertainment industry with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, finance, tax, corporate governance and general corporate matters as well as privacy, cybersecurity and technology related matters. Katerina’s practice has included a wide range of matters, including cross-border and domestic acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, private equity transactions, cybersecurity breach investigations and GDPR/CCPA compliance among other things. Additionally, she acquired her law degree from The University of Southern California.

Sharon Wong is an Assistant Director of Patents with Intel Corporation, where she oversees the international portfolio as well as wireless technology area.  Prior to joining Intel, Sharon was in private practice at Irell and Manella LLP and Robbins, Berliner and Carson LLP, where she handled patent prosecution, litigation, licensing and other transactional matters.  Before transitioning to law, Sharon was a satellite design engineer at TRW Space and Communications.  She received her BS Electrical Engineering from UCLA and JD from Loyola Law School.  

Tracey Lesetar-Smith was named General Counsel and Senior Vice President of NASCAR in September of 2019.  In that role, she oversees all legal and public affairs operations for the company, including its three national competition series and international operations.  Prior to NASCAR, Lesetar-Smith was General Counsel and Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Bellator MMA, a Viacom property. She played an integral role in Bellator’s emergence as one of the world’s fastest-growing sports organizations, broadcast in 145 countries throughout the world, including on Paramount Network and DAZN in the United States.  She served as the primary business and legal affairs executive for Bellator MMA, Bellator Kickboxing, and other Viacom combat sports programming and events, including oversight over all fighter and talent contracts, in-show sponsorships, production, venues, negotiations, litigation, immigration, intellectual property/licensing, digital and social media content, regulatory/boxing commission matters, and global distribution. Lesetar-Smith was the first and only woman to ever serve as General Counsel for an MMA promoter in the history of the sport. She is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School and received her B.A. from Duke University.

Nancy focuses her practice on labor and employment law counseling and litigation with an emphasis on problem prevention.

Nancy defends all types of businesses against employee claims and lawsuits involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage-and-hour violations. She defends both single plaintiff and class or collective action matters. Her clients include prominent southern California hotels, restaurants, retailers, as well as manufacturing, technology and all types of service providing companies.

With the goal of helping clients prevent employment issues, she provides pre-litigation counseling and advice to clients nationwide on employment-related issues including harassment, discrimination, ADA/disability compliance (including leaves of absences, reasonable accommodations, and the interactive process), wage-and-hour issues (including exempt classification analysis, overtime/meal break compliance, and pay audits), reduction-in-force planning and WARN Act compliance. She also conducts training presentations on sexual harassment prevention, employee relations, management training (and how to keep managers out of trouble), new legal developments and other timely employment issues. Additionally, Nancy drafts and reviews client policies, agreements and handbooks to ensure legal compliance, and conducts preventive audits and investigations into alleged workplace misconduct and pay practices.

Nancy also proudly serves as Co-Chair for the firm’s Women’s Initiative.

Claire Hall has significant experience representing financial institutions, hedge funds, private equity firms, dealers and end users in relation to a variety of derivatives and structured finance transactions.

She also advises on CLO structures, bond issuances, securitizations, private placements and structured products such as credit linked note programs, single-name and portfolio credit default swaps, asset swaps and total return swaps.

In addition, Claire has experience with motion picture-related matters with respect to film finance transactions.

Allison Buchner is a litigation and intellectual property partner whose practice includes false advertising, unfair competition, trademark, copyright, trade secrets and patent matters before federal and state courts nationwide. She has represented clients in litigation and provided advice regarding intellectual property and advertising best practices to companies in a variety of industries, including computer hardware and software, media and television, food manufacturers and distributors, personal care and consumer goods, medical devices, apparel manufacturers, and ecommerce. She has also advised internet-based businesses on myriad issues, including terms of use, contributor agreements and licensing and other intellectual property issues, and data privacy and security. Allison has also worked with the firm’s commercial litigation group, representing multiple clients in false advertising and unfair business practices cases, including consumer class actions.

Allison also served as the General Counsel for Dollar Shave Club for nearly three years, where she was responsible for managing the company’s legal, regulatory and compliance functions. During that time, she helped lead the company through its acquisition by Unilever. She brings her experience as a General Counsel to her law firm practice, offering pragmatic, strategic, and business-minded approaches to legal issues and finding creative solutions to balance the need for compliance and risk management against her clients’ business goals.

In 2016, Allison was included in the Los Angeles Business Journal as a “Rising Star” in the in-house counsel category and she was nominated again in 2018 as a “Leader in the Law” amongst in-house lawyers. In 2018, she was appointed by the Mayor as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles’s Innovation and Performance Commission. Finally, Allison serves on the Boards of Directors for two non-profit organizations: the Disability Rights Legal Center and WishForward.

Susan Ehring is currently Vice President, Business Affairs, Scripted Television at Endeavor Content.  As an undergrad, she interned with Witt-Thomas Films and later worked for FUEL TV, an action sports channel, part of Fox Cable Networks. After graduating law school, she has worked at WME, Turner Networks, and Lionsgate. She is a Los Angeles native, and enjoys cheering on her LA sports teams!

Teresa H. Michaud is a Partner in Baker McKenzie's Los Angeles office. She advises on all aspects of dispute resolution, primarily complex business disputes, class actions, intellectual property and international arbitration. She practices in both the Consumer Goods & Retail and Technology, Media & Telecom Global Industry Groups. She is admitted to practice in California, Texas and New York, and is qualified in England and Wales. Teresa is also one of the founding members of Baker McKenzie's Los Angeles office that opened in 2018. 

Erica Fisher is the Senior Corporate Counsel at Pacific Dental Services. She is also a seasoned, practical and business-oriented in-house legal counsel with broad experience advising companies in the healthcare, energy, consumer product, FinTech, and technology industries. Her areas of expertise include commercial contracts, technology agreements, litigation management, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, Erica acquired her law degree from The University of Southern California Law School.

As a senior managing director in the Los Angeles office of Guidepost Solutions, Asha Muldro directs an array of investigative, compliance, and monitoring matters for corporations and individuals. Ms. Muldro also conducts proactive investigations to acquire evidence of corporate and individual wrongdoing, including the use of covert techniques and provides law enforcement referral services. In addition, as a deputy general counsel, Ms. Muldro assists with legal matters for the firm’s worldwide offices.

Ms. Muldro brings 20 years of legal, investigatory, government and finance experience combined with personalized service and unwavering dedication to every client matter.  Ms. Muldro is currently leading the compliance and ethics program assessment for the federal monitorship of General Motors. She is also providing investigative services for clients including the USAA and the  NCAA.

Previously, Ms. Muldro was a partner at an elite litigation boutique, Willenken Wilson Loh & Delgado LLP where she led white collar investigations, defense matters, and complex civil litigation cases. Her clients included Microsoft, GoPro, KeyBank, Staples, Southern California Gas & Electric and individuals under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ms. Muldro returned to private practice after serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California for seven years. As a federal prosecutor in the criminal division, she directed federal law enforcement agencies in more than 100 criminal investigations, presented numerous cases to the grand jury, served as lead trial counsel on multiple bench and jury trials, and briefed and argued several appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Muldro also assisted in the exchange of information with foreign countries through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. She prosecuted cases involving bank fraud, government fraud, public corruption, money laundering, violent and organized crime, cyber security, domestic security, and immigration crimes.

Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Ms. Muldro spent five years practicing law at Latham & Watkins LLP in its White Collar Defense and Investigations group. As the lead associate on a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters and internal investigations, she represented Fortune 500 companies in litigation and corporate officers and directors against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Muldro worked for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. where she focused on Ways and Means Committee issues and in the Wall Street headquarters of J.P. Morgan Chase where she participated in the JP Morgan Core and Sales, Trading and Research Division training programs. She also clerked for U.S. District Judge Robert P. Patterson, Jr. in the Southern District of New York. Ms. Muldro is a graduate of Columbia Law School and earned her B.A. at Yale University.

Cynthia Hernandez is an Executive Director of Business affairs and legal counsel at Disney Television Animation. Prior to that, She was a senior counsel of business and legal affairs at DreamWorks Animation. Cynthia earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Julie Ann Shepard litigates in trial and appellate courts nationwide.  She has defended her clients’ rights in trade secrets, copyright, trademark, patent, piracy, antitrust, unfair competition, fraud and related business tort cases.  Ms. Shepard has arbitrated and counseled clients regarding entertainment-related disputes, including profit participation.  She has handled numerous shareholder class actions.  Ms. Shepard is leading the charge on ground-breaking technology and intellectual property matters in the rapidly evolving area of content distribution.  Her practice includes a focus on developing strategies involving new technologies, advance media, internet law, privacy and content licensing.

In April 2016, Ms. Shepard was part of the trial team that secured a $940 million jury verdict and permanent injunction in a significant trade secret case, one of the largest trade secret verdicts in US history.  Ms. Shepard and the team received a 2017 California Lawyer "Attorney of the Year" award for the results they achieved.  The Recorder has recognized Ms. Shepard for three consecutive years starting in 2016 in its “Women Leaders in Tech Law” lists for her work in the technology sector.  She was one of just 26 litigators recognized in Variety's 2015 "Legal Impact Report," a listing of the top lawyers in the entertainment industry, and one of the “Top 50 Entertainment Lawyers” in California, as recognized by the Daily Journal in 2015. The Daily Journal also named her one of California's "Top Women Lawyers" in 2017.  Ms. Shepard is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department and a member of the nationally recognized Content, Media and Entertainment Practice and Privacy and Information Governance Practice.  She also serves on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Associate Review Committee.

Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Shepard served as staff attorney for the Honorable Roland J. Faricy in St. Paul, Minnesota and as a judicial extern to the Superior Court of the County of Sacramento, California.  She has acted as a certified special assistant deputy attorney for the City of Los Angeles through the Los Angeles County Bar Trial Advocacy Project.  Immediately prior to joining Jenner & Block, Ms. Shepard was a partner at a large international law firm.

Michelle Pickett is an experienced transactional attorney and a trusted advisor to corporations, partnerships and nonprofits. Michelle counsels her clients on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and corporate, business and tax law.    

Ranging from individual investors to start-up and established companies, Michelle’s clients operate in various industries, including water, beverage, agriculture, technology, gaming and entertainment. She combines her business, accounting and legal acumen to structure and implement strategies that maximize her clients’ business objectives, and provides guidance as her clients address operational and governance matters.

In the water sector, Michelle adds her corporate knowledge and transactional experience to the firm’s representation of mutual water companies, public-private partnerships and developers as they navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of water use and management.

Michelle also works closely with for-profit gaming companies and tribal entities on transactional matters. Her experience focuses on negotiating consulting, pre-development, development and management agreements, and ongoing operational and contractual matters.

Actively engaged in providing legal services to the philanthropic sector, Michelle counsels a wide spectrum of nonprofits including large international organizations, as well as high net worth individuals and celebrities in structuring, forming and operating public charities and private foundations. She leverages her business experience to provide these organizations with best practices for continued governance and operational efficiency.

Sharon Lee currently serves as Vice President and Senior Counsel at VideoAmp, Inc. an AdTech company in Los Angeles, CA. She specializes in commercial transactions, privacy, and technology. Previously, Sharon served as Senior Vice President and Counsel for a financial services firm in Santa Monica, CA in the private markets, investment consulting, technology and analytics space, and was formerly a corporate and restructuring attorney in New York. Sharon has also led diversity initiatives at her current and prior places of work, and is part of the Employee Advisory Group at VideoAmp, focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. Sharon received her B.A. in English Literature from SUNY Binghamton and her J.D. from St. John's University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New York and is a registered in-house counsel in California. 

Kim Richardson is an accomplished lead counsel and certified data privacy and security professional.  She has extensive experience counseling businesses on data privacy and security law and compliance, as well as advertising and marketing, intellectual property and licensing, commercial agreements, and e-commerce and consumer products.  Ms. Richardson currently serves as Assistant General Counsel, Privacy, Advertising and Marketing for Mattel, Inc.   She also serves as an adjunct Professor of Cybersecurity and Regulatory Compliance at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.  Prior to joining Mattel, Ms. Richardson was the Sr. Director Worldwide Privacy Counsel for Herbalife.   She also served as Vice-President of Legal Affairs for Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk Hollywood theme park and entertainment center.  Ms. Richardson held several positions at the Walt Disney Company, including acting as the Assistant General Counsel for Disney’s Data Privacy Group, Executive Counsel for Disney Consumer Products, and Counsel for Walt Disney Feature Animation.  Ms. Richardson began her legal practice as a litigation associate with Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp, LLP specializing in intellectual property.  Ms. Richardson received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.  She received her B.A. in Communications with a Specialization in Business Administration from UCLA.  Ms. Richardson is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

Kathleen M. Marcus is co-chair of Stradling's Enforcement Defense & Investigations practice group. She also leads the firm's Compliance & Corporate Governance practice group.

Kathleen's practice focuses on government and regulatory enforcement defense, internal investigations, and compliance counseling. As a former enforcement officer with the SEC, she is experienced in representing and advising clients who become the target of government investigations.

Julie R. F. Gerchik is a partner in the Litigation Department at Glaser Weil. Ms. Gerchik litigates all types of complex commercial matters including financial institution matters, securities litigation and regulatory matters, real estate and developer disputes, technology and IP matters, and entertainment matters. She has considerable experience in all aspects of motion practice, discovery, mediation and both trial and arbitration work in both federal and state court.

Ms. Gerchik represents major domestic and international financial institutions, private equity firms, hedge funds, financial advisory firms, and currently or has represented JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Societe Generale, the Carlyle Group and the Yucaipa Companies. 

She also has successfully defended accounting firms in civil litigation, including  Ernst  & Young  LLP,  Deloitte & Touche  LLP and KPMG LLP.  Ms. Gerchik has represented numerous other clients not mentioned here. 

Additionally, Ms. Gerchik has experience in litigating matters involving skilled nursing affiliates, the affordable housing industry, trade associations, the music industry, video game companies, the entertainment industry, and property developers and property management companies.

Over the course of Ms. Gerchik’s career she has been involved in a wide range of pro bono matters, including supervising the Holocaust reparations project, drafting the Bill of Rights for a newly created government, leading the representation of a group of low-income individuals in a slumlord action and guardianship cases.

Prior to joining Glaser Weil, Ms. Gerchik practiced with Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles for more than  decade. Ms. Gerchik is also a dual citizen of both the United States and Great Britain, and is admitted to both the California and New York bars.

Ms. Gerchik is a member of the Board of Governors of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, a member of the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section of Los Angeles County Bar Association, is past Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Bet Tzedek New Leadership Council and a current member, and previously was appointed to the Los Angeles County Bar Access to Justice Committee. Additionally, Ms. Gerchik is a member of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. 

Nicole Reyes is the Vice President of Business Affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment. She is responsible for structuring, negotiating and managing deals for all facets of scripted and unscripted television development, production and acquisitions. Prior to that, she was a Business Affairs Executive of NBCUniversal. Nicole earned her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and B.A. in Public Policy and Sociology.

Alison Beanum is a skilled trial attorney who routinely goes toe-to-toe against the most prominent sexual abuse and harassment lawyers in California. She leads teams of associates through all phases of litigation, applying persistent and creative strategies to achieve the best possible results for her clients, whether in the courtroom or at the negotiation table. In these highly sensitive cases, Alison prides herself on being a fighter, grounded in professionalism and civility.

Beyond her work as a litigator, Alison provides counseling services to her clients, including the development of policies and training programs regarding the identification and prevention of childhood sexual abuse, the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, and compliance with sexual harassment laws. She also advises her public entity clients on compliance with various state regulations, including the Tort Claims Act, Brown Act, Public Records Act, and Child Abuse Neglect and Reporting Act.

Over the years, Alison has also developed a specialty in disability access law, focusing on the defense of claims brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local regulations. In this practice area, she defends “drive-by” accessibility lawsuits, works with Certified Access Specialists, architects and contractors to help identify and correct accessibility violations. She assists her clients in implementing policies to ensure compliance with the quickly-developing laws in this field.

Alison was selected as a Southern California "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers, 2008-2017. She also received the Award for Excellence in Preparation for Trial Practice of the Law from the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

Lacey advises her clients on a wide range of litigation matters involving technology, cyber threats, copyrights, trademarks, contracts, film and television production, and insurance coverage disputes. Lacey is committed to improving diversity in the legal profession and all other industries. She currently co-chairs Ropers Majeski’s Diversity Committee and mentors young aspiring attorneys from diverse backgrounds. She regularly provides pro-bono legal services to worthy causes championing diversity and has served on the boards of non-profit organizations, such as Be More Heroic. Lacey has also been a member of and supported such empowering and inclusive organizations as Women In Film, the Los Angeles LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, and the NGLCC National Legal Industry Council.

Stephanie Yonekura brings a unique perspective to any internal investigation. Having served as the Acting U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, Stephanie knows the hot-button issues that are considered in every stage of any government investigation.

As the Acting U.S. Attorney of the largest office outside of Washington, D.C., Stephanie was an active participant in the larger Department of Justice community, serving on nationwide committees on white collar fraud, cybercrime, and intellectual property. Stephanie interacted with corporations when they were under investigation as well as when they were victims of crimes.

Stephanie worked with the FBI, SEC, IRS, CFTC, and various inspectors general as a prosecutor for more than 14 years, on issues including financial institution fraud, government fraud, securities fraud, and cybercrime. She developed a strong reputation with the court, defense counsel, and investigating agencies for digging into the facts and collaborating with law enforcement agencies and victims. She was also known for her ability to streamline investigations and make fair and equitable charging and sentencing decisions. In the courtroom, Stephanie exudes confidence, knowledge, and integrity.

In private practice, Stephanie uses her extensive experience in the trenches, in the courtroom, and as the chief law enforcement officer in Los Angeles to help clients understand the key issues and investigate matters strategically and surgically.

Melissa Pastrana is Associate General Counsel in Amgen Inc.’s Corporate Litigation Group.   In her role, Melissa manages and advises on complex commercial disputes, from the counseling to resolution phase, both in traditional litigation and ADR.  Melissa has particular experience with proceedings involving cross-border issues and has worked on matters where evidence, witnesses or partners were located in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions.  Melissa also manages and advises on investigations involving both domestic and international issues (ABAC, FCPA, privacy, antitrust) and works closely with cross-functional teams (compliance, regulatory, commercial, development) to advise on and minimize risk.  Prior to joining Amgen in 2011, Melissa was an attorney at Mayer Brown (first an associate in Mayer Brown’s Chicago and Los Angeles offices and, ultimately, a partner in the Los Angeles office).  Melissa also served as a judicial law clerk to Senior Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy on the Virginia Supreme Court.  Melissa has a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and an AB from Harvard College. 

Monica Shilling is a transactional partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has a broad corporate and securities law practice that focuses on advising asset managers, private equity funds, and their portfolio companies on the full lifecycle of transactions.  She also represents public companies, financial advisors, investment banks and issuers. She is experienced with mergers and acquisitions, capital markets offerings, leveraged buyouts, general corporate law and corporate governance, securities laws, and NYSE/Nasdaq compliance.

She also advises companies on the establishment of business development companies (BDCs) and other private and public equity vehicles. Monica is among a relatively limited number of attorneys in the country who actively represent BDCs.

Brenda leads the business development initiatives of Horvitz & Levy, the nation's largest appellate law firm. She also spearheads the firm's diversity and inclusion program and serves as the firm's administrative management liaison with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization consisting of general counsel of major corporations and managing partners of leading law firms, all dedicated to promoting diversity in the legal profession.

Brenda began her career at Vinson & Elkins where she sold ad valorem tax collection services to real estate developers and residential water boards. She leveraged her knowledge of law firms to build a business development infrastructure for Deloitte’s litigation support services group and went on to lead Ernst & Young’s largest sales support team during the demise of Arthur Andersen, resulting in a 67% win rate for regional audit work in relation to the other three global accounting firms. 

Brenda’s background includes designing and implementing client teams, key account retention programs, and consultative cross-selling strategies covering a multitude of industries, particularly financial services, healthcare, hospitality, technology, life sciences, and oil and gas. She is a recognized strategic war room leader, significantly increasing engagement wins by positioning firm credentials to meet known and unknown needs of the potential client. 

Brenda currently serves on the Legal Marketing Association’s Los Angeles Steering Committee and is a long-time volunteer for the Screen Actors Guild’s BookPals program.

Lisa has been specializing in civil appellate practice at Horvitz & Levy for more decades than she cares to recount.  Practice areas in which she has developed considerable expertise include defense against toxic tort and product liability claims; punitive damages claims; consumer claims against manufacturers, banks and other institutions; as well as professional liability (legal and medical malpractice), disqualification and ethics matters.

Among the first attorneys to attain certification as a California State Bar Appellate Specialists, Lisa is a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers; an executive committee member of the Los Angeles County Bar Appellate Courts Section; a veteran board member of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel; and Editor of that organization’s Verdict magazine.

Lisa has represented clients in hundreds of appeals and writ proceedings.  She has argued before the California Supreme Court and intermediate appellate courts throughout the state. She has also handled matters in other jurisdictions, including Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Hawaii.  But mostly, she whiles away the time in Burbank—researching and writing appellate briefs, assisting trial teams in preserving issues in cases that present high risks in monetary exposure or in the development of institutionally significant jurisprudence, and watching puffs of smoke from Hogwarts Castle, which she can see from her office window.

With over 20 years of experience in commercial litigation, Ann Marie has successfully resolved the most difficult cases facing her clients. She has an established track record in class action consumer claims litigation, focusing on data security, false advertising and unfair competition class actions. Her cross-disciplinary practice encompasses complex commercial transactions, litigation of distribution agreements, and toxic tort/environmental claims. In connection with counseling clients to manage downstream litigation risk, Ann Marie has conducted internal investigations and provided related counseling to the law departments of technology companies, financial institutions and consumer product manufacturers focused on compliance, best practices and enhanced integration with the stakeholder business units.

Ann Marie is the managing partner of the Los Angeles office and co-head of the firm’s commercial litigation practice. Ann Marie’s practice is cross-disciplinary and includes significant business and class action consumer claims litigation experience in relation to data breach, consumer related labeling claims, as well as environmental, CERCLA and toxic tort multi-party litigation. In a highly-publicized and currently ongoing matter, Ann Marie currently serves as the lead attorney defending an internet service provider in more than 40 related consumer class action lawsuits across several districts in state and federal court regarding a significant data breach. The breach has been deemed the largest data breach in history.

In connection with her litigation practice, Ann Marie routinely counsels clients on matters involving internal investigations and monitoring compliance of corporate legal departments, limiting litigation risk by auditing compliance to ensure a robust and transparent program. As part of her aggregate claims practice, Ann Marie has successfully decertified a nationwide products class action, and defeated class certification in multiple products, toxic tort, unfair competition and unfair trade practice cases. Ann Marie has tried toxic tort, commercial and products cases in state and federal courts throughout California. Ann Marie is admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern Districts of California.

Emily co-chairs the firm’s labor and employment group and has a national practice focusing on complex employment and wage and hour litigation.

Emily is an accomplished trial lawyer who defends employers in complex employment litigation, including California and FLSA wage and hour class and collective actions, California representative PAGA actions, employment discrimination class actions, and complex whistleblower matters. Her clients include major retailers, financial services and life sciences companies, manufacturers and transportation providers. In addition to her litigation practice, Emily regularly counsels clients on employment-related matters, including harassment and discrimination investigations, “me too” issues, fair-pay compliance, employment contracts and noncompetition agreements, and reductions-in-force.  Emily helps employers develop forward-thinking compliance practices that reduce wage and hour disputes and help mitigate other employment-related risks while keeping her client’s business goals firmly in mind.

Emily serves as co-chair of the firm’s diversity & inclusion committee, and is a member of the firm’s national associates committee. She also is a regular speaker on labor and employment, and class action issues and is a contributing author to the firm’s Employment & Labor Perspectives blog. Emily is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Courts for the Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, and the Superior, Appellate and Supreme Courts of California and Georgia.

During her many years specializing in appeals at GMSR, Cindy Tobisman has briefed and argued virtually every type of civil case.  The only constants are her deep knowledge of appellate practice, her rigorous research, her careful record review, her creativity and her top-notch writing skills.

Cindy’s excellence as an appellate attorney has been repeatedly recognized—she has been named a “Rising Star” in Appeals by Super Lawyers five times and has been regularly included on the Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers‘ list of top appellate attorneys.  She received the President’s Award from the Beverly Hills Bar Association for her work on amicus briefs in the California Supreme Court on appellate issues of public interest.

Cindy graduated Phi Beta Kappa from U.C. Berkeley in 1992, and was also named the top graduate in her department (Rhetoric). She subsequently attended U.C. Berkeley School of Law (J.D., 1998), serving on the prestigious Moot Court Board, focused on appellate advocacy. She has sat on the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and has chaired the Association’s Amicus Briefs Committee. 

In addition to practicing law, Cindy is a traditionally-published novelist.

Laurie Hepler is a leading San Francisco appellate lawyer, who collaborates with clients to address all aspects of the appellate process objectively and strategically.  For over two decades, Laurie has helped trial counsel, corporate counsel, insurers and individuals keep their wins, reverse their losses, and develop the law.  Successful first- and second-chair trial experience back up her appellate expertise.

Clients retain Laurie as their appellate lawyer in state and federal courts throughout California and the U.S.  Her clients’ appellate matters span a wide range of subjects, including product liability, insurance coverage, contract disputes, personal jurisdiction, employment, and unfair competition.  But the subject counts less than the forum: appellate courts know Laurie, and she knows them.

Laurie has been honored with two prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (“CLAY”) Awards, for two California Supreme Court wins.  She is a member of the highly selective California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Yesenia M. Gallegos focuses her labor and employment practice on a wide range of matters, including restrictive covenants, wage and hour law, discrimination and harassment claims, executive employment agreements, leaves of absence, employee terminations and reductions in force. Yesenia represents employers in employment litigation—including class actions—pending in both state and federal court. She also represents employers in actions against former employees in trade-secret and embezzlement actions that require immediate restraining orders, injunctions and/or liens.

Yesenia advises an array of domestic and international companies, from small business owners to Fortune 500 companies. Yesenia assists employers in establishing work rules and registering such with local labor regulatory agencies in Latin American countries. She also conducts and oversees workplace harassment and discrimination investigations and conducts wage and hour audits. Yesenia provides organizations with English and/or Spanish training on the following: sexual harassment prevention; employment law for managers and supervisors; compliance with California wage and hour law; and the interplay between disability law, reasonable accommodations and leaves of absence.

Yesenia is a frequent author and speaker on labor and employment topics, including those pertaining to the defense of wage and hour class actions and California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions. She also often speaks on diversity topics in the legal profession.

Farah Bhatti is a Shareholder and the Chair of the Internet, E-Commerce, and Social Media Practice Group. She focuses her practice on all aspects of trademark prosecution, including advising, counseling, and securing trademark protection for clients, with an emphasis on the worldwide selection and enforcement of trademarks. She also works closely with clients in formulating their domestic and international trademark protection and registration strategies. Ms. Bhatti expertly navigates the complexities of issues within the areas of registration and enforcement, drawing on experience in private practice as well as her previous position as a trademark examining attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While there, she examined more than 2,000 trademark applications and represented the USPTO before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). She also has extensive experience in the enforcement of Internet and domain names, through the implementation of strategies ranging from cease and desist letters, Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) complaints, individual website complaint procedures and even trademark litigation under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). Ms. Bhatti has been successful in obtaining substantial statutory damages and attorneys’ fees on behalf of clients under the ACPA.

Ms. Bhatti frequently speaks on the topic of trademark protection at seminars, including those geared toward the fashion industry. She previously served as a member for the INTA Internet Committee.

Damaris Medina is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s Los Angeles office. She is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Life Sciences Practice and a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Health Care Practice Groups.

Ms. Medina represents hospital systems and a diverse array of other health care clients in high stakes litigation in federal and state court, as well as in arbitration.  Ms. Medina has successfully litigated numerous large exposure reimbursement cases against major health plans and recovered millions of dollars on behalf of health care providers. She also advises hospital systems and other health care providers on managed care contracting, revenue cycle strategies, and risk and compliance issues. Ms. Medina routinely defends providers against both private and government payor audits, as well as in False Claims Act cases brought by Federal and State agencies including the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Laurie A. Baddon focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling. She defends employers in all stages of employment litigation including in class action and single plaintiff wage and hour lawsuits and in harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, misclassification, and breach of contract claims. She advocates for clients in federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including proceedings before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Robin ‘R. D.’ Kardon earned her B.A. from New York University magna cum laude, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her J.D. from The American University, Washington College of Law, where she was a regional moot court champion. A ten-year career as a commercial litigator in Washington D.C., Maryland and Illinois followed.

Robin then embarked on a 12-year career as a corporate and airline pilot, flying all types of aircraft from single-engine Cessnas to the Boeing 737 all over the world. Robin has an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with three Captain qualifications (type-ratings) and is also a Commercial/Instrument rated helicopter pilot.

In January 2019, Robin released her debut novel, Flygirl, which focuses on the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated profession, and the many ways budding careers can be influenced by harassment, discrimination and isolation. She is also the founder and principal of Robin Kardon Consulting, a concierge legal search practice headquartered in San Diego, California.

Robin volunteers extensively in the animal rescue community in San Diego, where she lives with her beloved rescue pets.