LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Josh Schimmels
The Los Angeles Business Journal was proud to host our third annual Top 100 Lawyers event on the evening of Thursday, April 18th. This exciting event shone the spotlight on the region’s outstanding legal community by recognizing Los Angeles’ top 100 lawyers for their legal achievements, community involvement and impacts on the profession. In addition, we also presented several specialty awards to those who continue to excel in profession in unique and impactful ways.
Considering the fact that the Los Angeles region has long been known for its status as a hub for legal though leaders and record-setting attorneys, being a standout in that field is particularly impressive.
The 100 lawyers listed throughout this section have demonstrated exceptional legal skill and achievements across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership and contributions to the Los Angeles community at large.
On the surface, some of the particular abilities and traits that help to make a lawyer stand out include responsiveness, analytical skills, good research skills, speaking skills and listening skills. Beyond that there are many strategic intangibles that take quality attorneys to the next level. Each of the professionals listed in these pages are experts and thought leaders in their respective areas of specialty and each have had a hand in helping the legal system function and thrive here in Southern California.
In the following pages we share biographical information on these legal stand outs and shed some additional light on some of the specialty award winners from the night who represent premier examples of business law practitioners among us today.
Many thanks to the sponsors who made this event possible, including our Platinum Sponsor, Irvine Company, and Gold Sponsors: Alston & Bird; Baker McKenzie; Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Clark Hill PLC; Glaser Weill; Greenberg Traurig LLP; Lagerlof LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; Meyer Olson Lowy Meyers; Milbank; Munck Wilson Mandala; Nixon Peabody; Polsinelli LLP; Robins Kaplan LLP andShook, Hardy & Bacon.
We hope you enjoy this special section, which contains some unique insights on what exactly it means to be a leading attorney in today’s business climate.
TOP 100 LAWYERS PROFILES
Angela Agrusa – DLA Piper
Joe Akrotirianakis – King & Spalding
Alexis Alonzo – Holland & Knight
Jean-Claude (J.C.) André – Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Andrew Afelberg – Greenberg Glusker LLP
James Acadian – Dykema
Elena Baca – Paul Hastings LLP
Ryan Baker – Waymaker LLP
Ryan Barncastle – Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Rod Berman – Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
Deborah Birndorf-Zeiler – Norton Rose Fulbright
David Bobrosky – Lewitt Hackman
Brad Brian – Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Melanie Chaney – Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Michael Cohen – Blank Rome LLP
Theresa Conduah – Alston & Bird
Jon Daryanani – Perkins Coie LLP
Joshua Driskell – Lagerlof, LLP
Lorraine Echavarría – WilmerHale
Kevin Ehrhart – Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Sierra Elizabeth – Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Matthew Ertman – Allen Matkins
Miles Feldman – Raines Feldman Littrell LLP
Amber Finch – Reed Smith LLP
Adam Fox – Squire Patton Boggs LLP
Terrence Franklin – Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise LLP
Bobby Ghajar – Cooley
Patricia Glaser – Glaser Weil
Jamie Gonzalez – Lagerlof, LLP
Valerie Goo – Crowell & Moring LLP
Samantha Grant – Reed Smith LLP
Joshua Hamilton – Latham & Watkins LLP
Gary Hecker – Munck Wilson Mandala
Stephen Henning – Wood Smith Henning & Berman, LLP
Robert Hertzberg – Robert Hertzberg Attorney Law
Bradford Hughes – Clark Hill PLC
Chad Hummel – Sidley Austin LLP
Lawrence Iser – Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP
Jonathan Kagan – Irell & Manella LLP
Christianne Kerns – Hahn & Hahn LLP
Moe Keshavarzi – Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
Arash Khalili – Loeb & Loeb
Helen B. Kim – Norton Rose Fulbright
Andrew Kirsch – Sklar Kirsh
Eric Klein – Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
Kimberly Klinsport – Foley Lardner LLP
Dana Kravetz – Michelman & Robinson, LLP
David Lash – O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Bryan LeRoy – Nixon Peabody LLP
Adam Levin – Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Dana Lowy – Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers
David Martinez – Robins Kaplan LLP
Hemal Master – Frandzel
Lisa McCurdy – Greenberg Traurig
Arthel McDaneil III – Polsinelli
Larry McFarland – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Richard Mendelson – Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Debra Meppen – Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Sanford Michelman – Michelman & Robinson, LLP
Dan Miller – Miller Barondess, LLP
Robert “Bob” Millman – Littler Mendelson P.C.
Sandra Montgomery – Proskauer Rose LLP
Peter Morrison – Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
Ann Marie Mortimer – Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Tania Moyron – Dentons
Michele Mulrooney – Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Kristen Nesbit – Fisher Phillips
Frances O”Meara – Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman
Purvi G. Patel – Morrison Foerster
Bronwyn Pollock – Mayer Brown
Christine Reilly – Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Michael Rosenblum – Thompson Coburn LLP
Mathew Rosengart – Greenberg Traurig
Tana Ryan – Latham & Watkins
Kelli Sager – David Wright Tremaine LLP
Michael Sandonato – Venable LLP
Christian Scali – Scali Rasmussen
Artin Shaverdian – Nossaman
Mark Shinderman – Milbank LLP
Katherine Smith – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Rose Sorensen – Snell & Wilmer
Katy Spillers – Locke Lord LLP
Julia Strickland – Steptoe LLP
Bryan Sullivan – Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP
Paul W. Sweeney, Jr. – K&L Gates LLP
Matthew Thompson – Sidley Austin LLP
R. Brian Timmons – Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Diane Ung – Foley & Lardner LLP
Alicia Vaz – Cox, Castle & Nicholson
Joan Velazquez – Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP
Anne Wang – Frost Brown Todd
Peter Weil – Glaser Weil
Perrie Weiner – Baker McKenzie
Steven Weisburd – Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Michael Weiss – Ackermann LLP
Jeremy Weitz – Buchalter, PC
Nimalka Wickramasekera – Winston & Strawn LLP
Bart H. Williams – Proskauer Rose LLP
Daniel Woods – Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP
Stephanie Yonekura – Hogan Lovells US LLP
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SPECIALTY AWARD RECIPIENTS
ATTORNEY TO WATCH
Joshua Driskell – Managing Partner
CHAMPION OF DIVERSITY
Alicia Vaz – Partner and Chief DEI Officer
CHAMPION OF MENTORSHIP
Steven Weisburd – Managing Shareholder of the Los Angeles Office
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Paul W. Sweeney, Jr. – Partner
LEGAL EXCELLENCE
Gary Hecker – Co-managing Partner
LEGAL EXCELLENCE
INSIDE THE SUPPLEMENT:
THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS
PLATINUM
GOLD
