CLASS NOTES

1960 to 1969

John Liebman '61 retired 5 years ago and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico but recently relocated to Marin County with his partner, Bonnie Kohl. He would welcome hearing from his old classmates.

Walter Howald '65 was named the 2021 Newport Beach Citizen of the Year.

Bob Weeks '67 and his wife Nancy were featured in the “Bruin Spotlight” in the UCLA Alumni Connection newsletter and spoke about their time at UCLA, their lives together, and their support for UCLA and alumni scholarships over the years.

Allan Morton '68 retired from family law litigation practice and has established a family law mediation practice in Santa Barbara.

1970 to 1979

Steven Yslas '72 received the Ohtli Award presented by the Government of Mexico at the 2021 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention.

Arnold Gross '73 was selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for 2022 in plaintiff personal injury, a selection he has received every year since 2008. Gross was selected as a Best Lawyer for 2022 as well.

Joe Hilberman '73 announced yet another potential Bruin! His daughter Charlotte gave birth to daughter Ruby in August. He continues his mediation and arbitration practice and is enjoying his now four grandchildren!

Kenneth Gibbs '74 successfully mediated a dispute between Kiewit Corp. and the Metropolitan Transit Authority using a seldom-used mediation technique often referred to as a "mini trial".

Lynn Miller '74 joined autonomous trucking company Plus as General Counsel.

Andrew Guilford '75 was honored by the Orange County Bar Association one year after his retirement as a federal judge.

Juan Ulloa '75 was featured in an article in the Calexico Chronicle about devising ways to get more people of color into law and onto the bench.

Marc Steinberg '75 recently published a new book entitled Rethinking Securities Law.

Norman Tarle '76 joined Judicate West, one of California's leading providers of dispute resolution services.

Rickey Ivie '77 was appointed to the Commission on Judicial Performance by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Vincent O'Neill '77 recently retired after a 43-year career, including 28 years on the Ventura County Superior Court.

1980 to 1989

James Ash '81 retired from Husch Blackwell LLP, where he had served in several leadership roles. In retirement, Jim and his wife Pam of 44 years are enjoying their granddaughter, and he continues to serve as an appointee of President Obama to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development.

David A. Thompson '83 announced his offi cial retirement from the California Court of Appeals in October. He will be taking a position with JAMS, a private provider of alternative dispute resolution services.

Leslie Gilbert-Lurie '84 released an audiobook version of her highlyacclaimed Holocaust memoir Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir.

Daniel A. Olivas '84, the award-winning author of nine books of fi ction, nonfi ction, and poetry, shared that Playwrights' Arena announced the cast of his play, Waiting. This is a shorter, pandemic version of his full-length play, Waiting for Godinez.

Val Ackerman '85 was elected to the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Lolita Buckner Inniss '86 was named Dean of University of Colorado Law School. She will become Colorado Law's fi rst African American dean and second female to lead the school.

James M. Burns '86 joined Dykema Gossett PLLC's Business Litigation practice group as a member in the fi rm's Washington, D.C. offi ce.

George Brown '88 was appointed executive director of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice at Stanford Law School.

Jeff Galvin '88 was selected to join the Executive Committee of the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court.

Mark Miller '88 was appointed Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Strategic Planning at Encompass Health.

Arthur Rieman '88 established The Law Firm for Non-Profi ts as a solo practice in August 1996 and this year marks the 25th anniversary for the now seven-person fi rm.

Mary D. Rodriguez '88 received the Latina Commission Mari Carmen Aponte Award at the 2021 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention.

Thomas R. Sestanovich '88 joined Freeman Freeman & Smiley as partner in its real estate practice.

Ronald Kaye '89 was appointed to serve on the L.A. County Superior Court. Kaye was previously a partner at Kaye, McLane, Bednarski, & Litt LLP.

1990 to 1999

Anthony Barron '90 was named head of the Litigation Department at Nixon Peabody.

Lisa Halko '90 was reappointed Chief Counsel of the Department of Conservation, a role she's held since 2017.

Nicole Healy '91 was appointed to be a judge in the San Mateo County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newson. Marlene Nowlin '91 was promoted to partner at Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP.

Dan Robbins '91 was elected to a twoyear term as President of the Uniform Law Commission, a leading nation law group.

Rafael A. Sivilla-Jones '91 was appointed as a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Matt Fawcett '92 was awarded Legal Momentum's "Man of Distinction" honor at their 16th Annual Women of Achievement Awards.

Lisa Hone '92 joined the National Economic Council team to steer the Biden administration's broadband expansion eff orts.

Patrick Marette '92 joined Miller Starr Regalia as senior counsel.

Tony Rodriguez '92 was promoted to Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Litigation at Kaiser Permanente after partnerships at Morrison & Foerster and Donahue Fitzgerald.

James Farrell '93 joined Gibson Dunn as partner.

Jeff rey Freedman '93 was appointed Chief Administrative Offi cer at Creative Artist Agency.

Judy Posner '93 became a partner in the appellate boutique of Benedon & Serlin, LLP.

Liane Randolph '93 has been appointed as Chair of the California Air Resources Board.

Kevin Davis '94 was named to the advisory board of the Cornell Center for Real Estate and Finance. Darren Green '94 was promoted to Professor of Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and Practice at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Brad Small '94 joined Fox Rothschild as partner.

Teri Vasquez '94 was appointed to the 17th Judicial District Court by Governor Jared Polis of Colorado.

Hernán D. Vera '94 was nominated to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Michael Chang '95 was appointed a member of the Advisory Board at the University of California, Irvine Customer Experience Continuing Education Program.

Lesley Freeman '95 was named the Hollywood Reporter's 2021 Raising the Bar honoree.

Alexander Hoehn-Saric '95 was nominated by President Biden to be the Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Alexander Tamin '95 was named Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Angels.

David Warner '95 was named Principal Counsel by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Alexander Lee '96 has been awarded the 2021 Dana Latham Memorial Award by the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Taxation Section for his outstanding contribution to the community and to the legal profession.

Janai Nelson '96 was named the next president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Andres Almanzan '97 was re-elected to serve as Chief Executive Offi cer of Mounce, Green, Myers, Safi , Paxson, & Galatzan, P.C.

Heather Anderson '97 joined ESPN as Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. Prior to joining ESPN, she served as vice president and assistant chief counsel at The Walt Disney Company.

Sarah Gill '97 was named ombudsman of FINRA.

Dan Limerick '97 has been appointed to Chief Operating Offi cer of William Morris Endeavor.

Tracy Rane '97 joined Ballard Spahr's Los Angeles offi ce and is a member of the fi rm's Litigation Department and Media and Entertainment Law Group.

David Frockt '98 was elected to his third term in the Washington State Senate, representing parts of Seattle and surrounding suburbs.

Sandra Fujiyama '98 was named executive director of the Pacifi c Asian Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Shidler College of Business.

Jamie Jeff erson '98 joined Barg Coffi n Lewis & Trapp as partner.

Richard Johnson '98 joined Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP's California offi ce, where he will represent international and domestic insurers in complex coverage and litigation matters.

Peter Nguyen '99 was appointed to the position of Associate Director - Systemwide Labor Relations at the University of California, Offi ce of the President. Daniel Wu '99 joined O'Melveny & Myer's technology practice in Century City as partner.

2000 to 2009

Michael Weil '00 joined Morgan, Lewis & Bockius as partner in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offi ces.

Peter Ballance '01 joined the Los Angeles offi ce of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP as a partner in the national Real Estate Group.

Rasha Gerges Shields '01 was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Ur Jaddou '01, was confi rmed by the U.S. Senate to head the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) making her the fi rst woman and fi rst person of Arab and Mexican descent to lead the agency.

Alphonsie Nelson '01 was named Managing Partner of the Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.'s Atlanta offi ce.

Johanna Schiavoni '02 joined the specialty appellate boutique fi rm California Appellate Law Group LLP, launching the fi rm's San Diego offi ce.

Lisa Laff er '03 was promoted to Principal and will join Regent Properties' executive team.

Songhai Miguda-Armstead '03 has been selected to lead a "Care First, Jails Last" initiative to implement a broad set of alternatives to incarceration. Phuong Phillips '03 was named one of Legal Momentum's 2021 honorees at their 16th Annual Women of Achievement Awards.

Abigail Zelenski '03 was appointed the 2021 President the Philippine American Bar Association, the largest local association of Filipino American lawyers in the United States.

Arti Bhimani '04 joined Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in their Los Angeles offi ce as Senior Counsel.

Phillip E. Carter '04 was appointed as Senior Director for Legal at Salesforce and is responsible for the legal team supporting the company's public sector sales in the U.S. and Canada.

Cheryl M. Lott '04 began her term as a voting alumni Regent on the University of California Board of Regents.

J. Carlos Orellana '04 became the District Counsel of the Santa Clara Valley Water District and advises the elected Board of Directors and staff .

Julie Goldstein '05 was appointed President-Elect of the Bucks County Bar Association for a one-year term.

Renée Delphin-Rodriguez '06 joined DLA Piper as a partner in the fi rm's Corporate practice based in San Francisco.

Michael Rivera '06 joined Crosbie Gliner Schiff man Southard & Swanson as partner.

Matt Bonovich '07 was promoted to partner at Sheppard Mullin. He is a member of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Project Finance team and the Real Estate, Land Use, and Environmental Practice Group and is based in the Chicago Offi ce.

Patrick Hammon '07 joined McManis Faulkner as a partner.

Matthew W. Harris '07 pursued a career in education after graduating from UCLA Law and is now Superintendent of Petaluma City Schools in Petaluma, California.

Andrea Hwang '07, a partner at Ropes & Gray in New York, was profi led by Bloomberg Law in an article entitled “They've Got Next: Banking & Finance Fresh Face Andrea Hwang.”

Adrianne Marshack '07 joined Goodwin's Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice as partner in the fi rm's Santa Monica offi ce.

Katrina Mulligan '07 joined the BidenHarris Administration as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Confl ict.

Priscila Ocen '07 was appointed to the Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Rishi Puri '07 was named a Shareholder at Lane Powell, where his practice focuses on labor and employment issues. Ethan Goldman '08 was elected partner at Davis Polk, where he is a member of the fi rm's Tax practice in New York.

Sean McKissick '08 joined the trust and litigation practice as of counsel in the Sacramento offi ce of Downey Brand.

Edwin Sadik '08 joined Kemp Klein in Troy, Michigan, as a shareholder.

Sara Urch '08 was named Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice where she works in the Natural Resources Section of the General Counsel Division focusing on the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup project.

Aaron Friberg '09 was promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins.

Tanya Greene '09, a partner at McGuireWoods LLP, was profi led by L.A. Biz as one of this year's Women of Infl uence honorees.

2010 to 2019

Elina Avakian '10, Senior Counsel for Snap Inc., was named the winner of the inaugural 2021 LA Times In-House Counsel Leadership Award in the MidSized Public Company category.

Jenna Glassock '10 joined Lido Advisors LLC to expand the fi rm's wealth planning services.

Sharlene Lee '10 was elected shareholder at Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner PC.

Ira Steinberg '10 was promoted to partner at the law fi rm of Greenberg Glusker LLP, where he practices complex commercial and business litigation in the technology, real estate, entertainment, and media fi elds.

Jeremy Avila '11 was appointed as Chief Counsel of the California Department of Aging.

Katherine Bissett '11 was named partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson.

Alan Butler '11 was named Executive Director of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Drew Harbur '11 joined Allen Matkins as partner.

Darcy Meals '11 was appointed to a two-year term on the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee.

Anne-Sophie Skrebers '11 was promoted to Head of Intellectual Property at the European Broadcasting Union.

Daniel Belzer '12 was promoted to partner at Sheppard Mullin where he is a member of the fi rm's corporate practice group and is based in the Century City offi ce.

Alisha Burgin '12 joined the board of Bet Tzedek.

Cara Dessert '12 was appointed to the Healthy California for All Commission by the Senate Rules Committee.

Joshua Escovedo '12 was elected a shareholder at Weintraub Tobin.

Kendall Johnson '12 was elected partner of Latham & Watkins in Century City, Los Angeles where she is a member of the fi rm's Corporate Department.

Elizabeth Levin '12 was promoted to partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP where she is part of their real estate group.

Karen Lorang '12 was named partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson.

Joshua McDaniel '12 was appointed to lead Harvard Law School's Religious Freedom Clinic.

Chris Myers '12 was elected to a partnership at Holland & Hart.

Luis A. Patiño '12 was promoted to Vice President at ViacomCBS.

Abigail Stecker Romero '12 joined Arrow Electronics, Inc. as corporate counsel in Denver, specializing in employment matters.

Brandon Golob '13 was named the 2020-2021 Professor of the Year for the University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology.

Tanya Franklin '13 was elected to become Board Member for the Los Angeles Unifi ed School District 7.

Nicole M. Howell '13 was promoted to counsel in the corporate group of Skadden's Los Angeles offi ce.

Sarah E. Moses '13 joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, as counsel in their Entertainment Group. Zachary Thompson '13 was promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins.

David Kramer '14 was promoted to partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP.

Ines Gillich '15 fi nished her post-PhD qualifi cation at the University of Cologne in Germany.

Peter A. Griffi n '15 was awarded the California Minority Counsel Program's Marci Rubin Emerging Diversity Leader Award, which is given to those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Jessica Krouner '15 joined Wasser, Cooperman & Mandles as an associate.

Delaram Peykar '15 joined Fox Rothschild LLP in its Los Angeles offi ce as an associate in the Taxation & Wealth Planning Department.

Iricel Payano '16 has joined law fi rm Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney as an associate in New York.

Geneva E. Thompson '16 has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Tribal Aff airs at the California Natural Resources Agency.

Michael Zorkin '16 left Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP to launch his own litigation practice focusing on health care and business disputes.

Brian Fink '17 wrote a legal guidebook for farm businesses on complying with federal food-safety and labeling laws, which has been published by the National Farmers Union under a grant from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Addison H. DiSesa '18 joined Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise LLP as an associate focusing on high net worth trust, probate and conservatorship litigation.

Kathleen Foley '18 has joined Goldstein & Russell, P.C., as an associate. Goldstein & Russell is an appellate litigation boutique with a focus on practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rebecca Ney Robinson '18 joined Eden Health as corporate counsel.

Kelsey E. Clayton '19 joined Sullivan Hill as an associate litigation attorney in the San Diego offi ce and is a member of the fi rm's Commercial and Business Litigation, Construction Law, and Insurance Coverage practice groups.

Mathew A. Leonard '19 joined Carlton Fields as an associate in the Los Angeles offi ce. He is a member of the fi rm's Business Litigation Practice.

2020 to 2021

Harjot Dhillon '20 has been appointed Deputy District Attorney of Santa Clara County.

Nicole Englanoff Herzberg '20 joined Youngman Reitshtein as an associate.

Ajwang Rading '20 has joined the race for a congressional seat to represent Silicon Valley (CA-18).

Jeremy Weese '20 received an honorable mention award in the Beverly Hills Bar Association's 2021 “Rule of Law” writing competition for his UCLA Law Review article “The (Un)Holy Shield: Rethinking the Ministerial Exception”.