Contact Information: CONTACT: GUY HALGREN (619) 338-6605 RALPH RICHARDSON (213) 617-5542
Sheppard Mullin Elects Eleven Attorneys to Partnership
| Source: Sheppard Mullin
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - February 11, 2009) - Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is
pleased to announce that the firm has elevated eleven of its attorneys to
partner. The eleven new partners are Elizabeth S. Balfour (San Diego/Del
Mar), Daniel L. Brown (New York), Geoffrey D. DeBoskey (Los Angeles), David
E. Heisey (San Diego/Del Mar), Ronda D. Jamgotchian (Century City), Whitney
Jones Roy (Los Angeles), Ori Katz (San Francisco), Seth (Byoung Soo) Kim
(New York), Kyle J. Mathews (Los Angeles), Deborah M. Shelton (Washington,
D.C.) and Beni Surpin (San Diego/Del Mar).
"We are proud to expand the Sheppard Mullin partnership with these eleven
outstanding attorneys. Our newest partners have distinguished themselves
through their achievements, enthusiasm and dedication to clients," said Guy
N. Halgren, chairman of the firm.
Elizabeth Balfour, in the firm's Business Trial practice group in the San
Diego/Del Mar office, handles complex commercial and securities litigation.
Balfour is experienced in all aspects of litigation, arbitration, and
mediation, representing technology and life sciences companies in cases
involving contract disputes, unfair competition, breach of fiduciary duty,
theft of trade secrets, and products liability. She handles class action
and creditor's rights cases for financial institutions and funds, and has
appeared in state and federal courts, NASD arbitrations, and Securities and
Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings. Balfour's practice also
involves advising clients on internal investigations, document retention,
and electronic discovery. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard
Law School in 1999 and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Yale
University in 1996.
Dan Brown, a member of the firm's Antitrust practice group, is based in the
firm's New York office. Brown regularly handles high stakes, complex,
commercial disputes on behalf of his clients on a wide variety of subject
matters, including breach of contract, fraud, fiduciary duties, securities,
hotel owner and manager disputes, intellectual property, discrimination,
and class actions. His experience includes litigation and alternative
dispute resolution in many forums, including federal, state, and bankruptcy
courts in New York, where he has successfully argued cases before the
Appellate Division, First Department, and Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
While in law school, Brown interned in the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York for former United States Attorney
General, the Honorable Michael B. Mukasey. He received his law degree from
Fordham University School of Law in 1998 and his undergraduate degree
from the University of Michigan in 1993.
Geoff DeBoskey, in the firm's Labor and Employment practice group in the
Los Angeles office, specializes in class action defense litigation and he
has specifically defended employers against charges of wage and hour
violations; race, age and sex discrimination; federal consent decree
compliance allegations; retaliatory discharge in violation of public
policy; family and medical leave violations, and sexual harassment.
DeBoskey also provides counseling and advice to clients and has specific
experience under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act,
California's wage and hour laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fair
Credit Reporting Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the
California and federal WARN acts. He clerked for the Honorable Kim McLane
Wardlaw of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and
received his J.D., order of the coif, from the University of Southern
California in 2000 as well as his undergraduate degrees, with honors,
from the University of California at Davis in 1997.
David Heisey is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property practice group
and based in the San Diego/Del Mar office. Heisey's practice is devoted to
the representation of life sciences and high technology clients with
extensive experience in patent portfolio development and patent
infringement litigation. He also has significant experience in opinion and
counseling, due diligence, licensing, and trademark matters. Heisey is a
registered patent attorney with experience in prosecution of patents in a
variety of technologies, recently representing clients that include Open
Energy Corporation, Quantum Corporation, Mitek Systems, Inc., Nextec
Applications, Inc., MasterCard International, CODAN US Corporation,
Transonic Combustion, Clean Energy Fuels Corporation and SynergEyes, Inc.
Heisey received his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 1998
and his undergraduate degree from University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign in 1993.
Ronda Jamgotchian, in the firm's Labor and Employment practice group in the
Century City office, has defended employers against a variety of
employment-based charges, including allegations of harassment, retaliation,
and discrimination based on age, race, sex, national origin, and
disability, as well as claims for wage and hour violations, breach of
contract, denial of medical leave, and wrongful termination. Jamgotchian
has appeared in both state and federal court, and before administrative
agencies including the California Department of Fair Employment and
Housing, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Division of
Labor Standards Enforcement, and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.
She received her J.D., order of the coif, magna cum laude, from University
of California Hastings, College of the Law in 1998 and her undergraduate
degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1994.
Whitney Jones Roy is a member of the Business Trial practice group and
based in the firm's Los Angeles office. Roy specializes in business
litigation, with experience that includes representing clients in a variety
of business disputes and against claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary
duties, breach of contract, unfair business practices, negligence, nuisance
and trespass. She has also developed a specialty in litigation relating to
Proposition 65, CERCLA, and products liability, and has also been involved
in insurance litigation, environmental litigation, and defending class
action lawsuits. Roy's cases have related to a broad spectrum of
industries including financial institutions, insurance, securities trading,
real estate, oil, and pharmaceuticals. She received her law degree from
University of Southern California in 2000 and her undergraduate degrees,
cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1997.
Ori Katz, in the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in the San
Francisco office, specializes in business bankruptcies and creditors'
rights. Katz has represented debtors, individual creditors, creditors'
committees, parties purchasing assets out of bankruptcy and parties
involved in bankruptcy litigation, as well as chapter 11 debtors in a wide
range of industries, including real estate, retail, construction, biotech,
telecommunications and internet businesses. He has also represented
lenders in connection with loan workouts, restructurings and foreclosures.
Katz externed to the Honorable Lynne Riddle, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the
Central District of California and to the Honorable William C. Hillman,
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Boston, Massachusetts. He
received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston University in 2000 and his
undergraduate degree from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1996.
Seth Kim is a member of the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group
and based in New York. Kim specializes in commercial law, bankruptcy, bank
regulatory matters and bank acquisition transactions: including commercial
lending transactions, asset-based finance, commercial paper, asset
securitization, swaps, options and OTC derivatives, total return swaps and
other structured derivative programs, and matters concerning Federal, New
York and California banking laws. He has represented U.S. and non-U.S.
financial institutions before the major Federal bank regulatory agencies,
the New York State Banking Department, and the California Department of
Financial Institutions. He received his law degree, order of the coif,
from George Washington University in 1998, graduate degree from University
of Texas, Austin in 1994 and his undergraduate degree from Seoul National
University in 1989.
Kyle Mathews, in the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in the
Los Angeles office, specializes in the area of workouts, restructuring and
commercial lending, mainly representing financial institutions. Mathews'
practice includes: problem loan workouts, restructurings, foreclosures and
bankruptcies; sales and liquidations of assets; single lender and
syndicated senior secured financing, acquisition and working capital loans.
He chairs the Programs Sub-Committee, Trust Indentures and Indenture
Trustees Committee, Section on Business Law, American Bar Association and
is a member of the Syndications and Lender Relations Sub-Committee,
Commercial Financial Services Committee, Section on Business Law, American
Bar Association. Mathews received his J.D. in 2001 and undergraduate
degree in 1998 from University of Southern California.
Deborah Shelton is a member of the firm's Business Trial practice group,
Food and Drug Law group and based in the Washington, D.C. office. Shelton
concentrates her practice in the area of FDA and DEA law, with a particular
emphasis on drugs, biological products, and medical devices. She counsels
manufacturers and distributors of drugs, biological products and medical
devices on issues related to all phases of product development and
approval, from the investigational stage to regulatory compliance and
post-marketing. Shelton also provides counseling on the DEA regulation of
controlled substances and precursor chemicals. She devotes a significant
portion of her practice to advising pharmaceutical companies on market
exclusivities, such as new chemical entity, orphan drug, and pediatric
exclusivities. She received her law degree, with honors, in 1998 and her
undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in 1994 from University of Maryland.
Beni Surpin, in the firm's Intellectual Property practice group in the San
Diego/Del Mar office, specializes in counseling companies in the telecom,
medical devices, life sciences and high-tech industries on legal and
business issues relating to intellectual property, technology and
commercial transactions. Surpin assists private and public companies in
protecting, exploiting and transferring their intellectual property
portfolios in a way that allows them to optimize their technology and other
assets. His specific expertise in intellectual property transactions
include licenses, collaborations, research, development, clinical,
services, outsourcing, manufacturing, supply and distribution agreements,
technology acquisitions and the formation of joint ventures and other types
of strategic partnerships. Surpin received his LL.M., honors, from
Cambridge University (Jesus College) in 1997 and his law degree, honors,
from Oxford University (St. Edmund Hall) in 1995.
About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 560
attorneys in 11 offices located throughout California and in New York,
Washington, D.C. and Shanghai. The firm's California offices are located
in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara, Century City,
Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Founded in 1927 on the
principle that the firm would succeed only if its attorneys delivered
prompt, high quality and cost-effective legal services, Sheppard Mullin
provides legal counsel to U.S. and international clients. Companies turn
to Sheppard Mullin to handle a full range of corporate and technology
matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the
U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100
companies. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.