Contact Information: CONTACT: Guy Halgren (619) 338-6605 Ralph Richardson (213) 617-5542
Sheppard Mullin Elects Ten Attorneys to Partnership
| Source: Sheppard Mullin
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - February 10, 2010) - Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is
pleased to announce that the firm has elevated ten of its attorneys to
partner. The ten new partners are Malani J. Cademartori (New York), Alfred
Fraijo Jr. (Los Angeles/Downtown), S. Keith Garner (San Francisco), Bethany
Hengsbach (Los Angeles/Downtown), Brent E. Horstman (Los Angeles/Downtown),
Charbel Lahoud (Los Angeles/Downtown), Matthew S. McConnell (San Diego/Del
Mar), Miriam Montesinos (San Francisco), Shannon Z. Petersen (San
Diego/Downtown) and Scott R. Sveslosky (Los Angeles/Downtown).
"We are proud to welcome this accomplished group of attorneys to the
partnership, all of whom bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. Our
newest partners have distinguished themselves through their achievements,
as well as their commitment to maintaining the firm's entrepreneurial
spirit and its dedication to clients," said Guy N. Halgren, chairman of the
firm.
Malani Cademartori, in the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in
the New York office, regularly counsels both international and domestic
clients in the areas of corporate reorganization, restructuring and
liquidation in both domestic and cross-border insolvencies, creditors'
rights, distressed asset acquisitions, insolvency-related securitizations,
matters related to contract, lease and license issues in the insolvency and
bankruptcy context, and out-of-court restructuring and bankruptcy planning.
Cademartori has represented a wide array of entities in various industries
in these areas, including debtors, major creditors, institutional lenders,
bondholder committees, and investors in and purchasers of distressed
assets. She received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in
1999 and her undergraduate degree from New York University in 1994.
Alfred Fraijo Jr. is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use, Natural
Resources and Environmental practice group and based in the firm's Los
Angeles/Downtown office. Fraijo has significant experience in negotiating
and securing land use entitlements for complex housing and mixed use
development projects throughout California, including advising clients with
innovative, urban renewal projects in the inner-city and other sectors with
emerging markets. He advises public and private sector clients on state
and federal land use and environmental laws, including the Subdivision Map
Act, California Community Redevelopment Law, California Environmental
Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered
Species Act, CERCLA, RCRA, California Superfund Law and the Polanco
Redevelopment Act. Fraijo also advises clients on all aspects of land use
and redevelopment law in connection with the development of wind and solar
energy projects. He received his law degree from Loyola Law School in 2002
and his undergraduate degrees, with honors, from Harvard University in
1999.
Keith Garner, a member of the firm's Real Estate, Land Use, Natural
Resources and Environmental practice group, is based in the firm's San
Francisco office. Garner's practice focuses on state and federal
environmental laws, land use planning and entitlement procedures, and
natural resources permitting issues for large residential, commercial and
mixed use communities and energy generation and transmission projects,
including wind and solar facilities. He provides legal and strategic
planning advice to clients at every stage of the complex development
process, including due diligence for land acquisition, project planning and
permitting, regulatory compliance, and land use litigation. Garner
received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt
Hall School of Law in 2001, his masters degree, with distinction, in Urban
Planning from Harvard University in 1997 and his undergraduate degree, with
honors, from Stanford University in 1993.
Bethany Hengsbach, in the firm's Government Contracts and Regulated
Industries practice group in the Los Angeles/Downtown office, specializes
in commercial litigation and government contracts, with an emphasis on the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, contractual disputes, and class actions.
Hengsbach has represented businesses and individuals in litigation,
arbitrations and investigations related to government contracts,
international corporate compliance, trade secret misappropriation, products
liability, professional liability, business torts, real estate, and
intellectual property. She received her J.D. from DePaul University in
1997 and her undergraduate degree, with honors, from the University of
Illinois in 1994.
Brent Horstman is a member of the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice
group and based in the Los Angeles/Downtown office. Horstman specializes
in commercial law, with a primary focus on complex financial transactions,
representing both lenders and borrowers in syndicated and single lender
credit facilities, including both cash flow and asset-based financings. He
has recently worked on a number of transactions involving hotel and gaming
entities, in addition to a number of cross-border transactions. He
received his law degree from Columbia University in 2001 and his
undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1998.
Charbel Lahoud, in the firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in the
Los Angeles/Downtown office, specializes in commercial law and focuses his
practice on the structuring, documentation and negotiation of financial
transactions. Lahoud's experience includes representing agents, lenders,
participants and borrowers in personal and real property secured syndicated
loan transactions and asset-based loan transactions. He received his J.D.,
order of the coif, from University of Southern California in 2001 and his
undergraduate degree, cum laude, from University of California, Los Angeles
in 1997.
Matt McConnell is a member of the Labor and Employment practice group and
based in the firm's San Diego/Del Mar office. McConnell specializes in
labor and employment matters on behalf of management and has significant
trial experience in which he has achieved multiple defense verdicts. He
has defended employers in wrongful termination and employment
discrimination litigation, including sexual harassment, race, age, national
origin, gender and disability discrimination. McConnell has considerable
experience representing employers on a variety of issues including
representative and class action wage and hour matters, traditional labor
matters, unfair competition claims, breach of contract, fraud and
prevailing wages. He received his law degree from Duke University in 2000
and his undergraduate degrees from the University of California, San Diego
in 1992.
Miriam Montesinos, in the firm's Real Estate, Land Use, Natural Resources
and Environmental practice group in the San Francisco office, specializes
in land use, environmental and climate change matters, including obtaining
development entitlements, compliance with the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), and administrative proceedings and litigation.
Montesinos has worked on a wide variety of land use projects throughout
California, including retail developments/shopping centers, office and
industrial parks, residential, mixed use developments, and long-range
strategic plans for developers. As part of her practice related to CEQA
compliance, she has advised on the legal adequacy of numerous EIRs for
projects throughout California. Montesinos received her J.D. from the
University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1999 and
her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1995.
Shannon Petersen, a member of the firm's Business Trial practice group and
based in the San Diego/Downtown office, practices general business
litigation. Petersen specializes in financial institution, insurance, and
healthcare litigation. He has substantial lead counsel trial experience,
and is familiar with all aspects of litigation, arbitration, and mediation.
He has successfully represented business clients in claims, including
class action claims, involving breach of contract, unfair business
practices and unfair competition, false advertising, fraud, breach of
fiduciary duty, negligence, bad faith, unjust enrichment, misappropriation
of trade secrets, Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Truth in Lending Act and
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act violations, quiet title, infliction
of emotional distress, and other causes of action. Petersen received his
J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 2000, Ph.D. from
University of Wisconsin in 2000, and M.A. and B.A., with high honors, from
University of Montana in 1995 and 1993 respectively. He is a veteran of
the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Russian linguist.
Scott Sveslosky, in the firm's Business Trial practice group in the Los
Angeles/Downtown office, has been responsible for numerous aspects of
business, antitrust, professional liability, banking, products liability,
trade secret, toxic tort and insurance litigation matters. Sveslosky has
tried to verdict business matters involving breach of contract, fraud, and
unfair competition. His experience includes representing clients in a
variety of business disputes and claims of breach of fiduciary duties,
breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference with business relations,
violation of the federal RICO statute, misappropriation of trade secrets,
bad faith and related causes of action. Sveslosky received his J.D. and
his B.S. from the University of Southern California in 2001 and 1998
respectively.
About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with 550 attorneys in 11
offices located in the United States and Asia. Since 1927, companies have
turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle 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. For more
information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.