Data Privacy and Digital Transformation Partners Jeewon Serrato, Shruti Bhutani Arora and Associate Christine Mastromonico to Pillsbury from BakerHostetler
Jeewon Serrato will head Pillsbury’s Global Consumer Protection team, co-lead the Retail Industry team, and join the firm’s Global AI Task Force leadership group. Jeewon represents clients in high-stakes regulatory defense matters, complex security incident investigations, new and emerging data monetization strategies and cross-border M&A and tech transactions. She advises in the areas of consumer privacy, cybersecurity, data optimization, data science, compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act and various state consumer protection, unfair competition and deceptive practices acts.
Shruti Bhutani Arora focuses on privacy matters, including issues involving data optimization and transformation, high-stakes investigations and drafting and negotiation of related complex technology contracts. She has collaborated with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies in markets around the world, providing advice in connection with CCPA, GDPR and other privacy compliance regulations. She also advises on AI strategies and works with international clients on trademark and copyright matters.
Jeewon and Shruti are joined by senior associate, Christine Mastromonaco, who counsels clients on privacy compliance and reporting issues, including tech, retail, healthcare and financial services. She is a trusted advisor on the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other U.S. state privacy laws.
Employment Partner Melissa Muro LaMere to Snell & Wilmer from Maslon LLP
Melissa Muro LaMere’s practice focuses on employment counseling and litigation and business disputes involving non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, trade secrets, business contracts and torts, unfair competition and trade practices. Her clients include multinational corporations, small businesses, and individuals. She represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitration, and mediation.
Litigation Partners Rory Miller and Amin Al-Sarraf and Senior Litigation Associate David Rutan to Locke Lord from Glaser Weil
Rory Miller will serve as Co-Head of Private Equity Litigation for Locke Lord’s California offices. Rory’s practice focuses on the needs of private equity firms in connection with their relationships to investors and their own directors, as well as the needs of portfolio companies. He practices general commercial litigation including contract disputes, employment and patent litigation. He has extensive first-chair trial experience before state and federal courts and has argued appeals before the 9th and 10th circuits, and the California Court of Appeal.
Amin Al-Sarraf will serve as Head of Entertainment Industry Group for Locke Lord. Amin regularly represents individuals, talent agencies, partnerships, production companies, talent management companies, distributors and studios in disputes including those arising under the California Talent Agencies Act. His practice includes business, commercial, employment, media/defamation, real estate, securities, and intellectual property litigation and crisis management and internal corporate investigations. He has extensive experience in trials, arbitrations and mediations.
David Rutan focuses on entertainment matters, as well as complex business cases, such as foreign real estate developments and international distribution agreements, shareholder and partnership disputes, fraud, real estate and land use disputes, breach of contract, unfair competition, trade secret disputes, and employment disputes. He is experienced in all phases of litigation, including drafting pleadings, conducting legal research, developing case strategies, drafting and arguing motions, deposition preparation, conducting discovery, drafting meet and confer correspondence, and communicating with and advising clients regarding case developments.
Corporate Partner Bill D’Angelo to Arent Fox from Faegre Drinker
Bill D’Angelo is a corporate partner whose practice focuses on M&A, emerging growth and general corporate matters including opinion work, contracts and licensing agreements. He represents clients in corporate finance, corporate governance, and entertainment and media matters, with an emphasis on technology, digital media, hospitality, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions in Europe and Japan. His practice includes restructurings, joint ventures, recapitalizations, financings, fund formation, the creation of specialized limited liability companies, and private equity transactions.
Labor and Employment Partner Gene Ryu and Associate Penny Chen to K&L Gates from Littler
Gene Ryu has extensive experience representing employers in labor and employment matters, including California Wage & Hour Class Actions and PAGA representative actions, disability-related issues, discrimination and harassment, family and medical leave, and workplace safety, health, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) matters. Gene’s clients include global and national companies, emerging growth companies, start-ups, and entrepreneurs in state, federal, and administrative courts; he also represents US subsidiaries of multinational Korean parent companies and has clients based in Europe and Mexico. Gene is joined by his senior associate Penny Chen.
Commercial Litigation Partner Mitchell Kim to K&L Gates from Fox Rothschild
Mitchell Kim is experienced in business disputes involving contracts, corporate ownership, partnerships, distribution of assets, copyright and trademark and commercial matters. Additionally, he serves as outside general counsel to domestic and international companies from start-ups through Fortune 500 companies. He represents clients in industries including garment manufacturing, real estate investing, banking and finance, and commercial manufacturing.
Labor and Employment Partner Carmen Cole to Squire Patton Boggs from Polsinelli
Carmen Cole represents employers in industries including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, aerospace, restaurant and higher education. She has extensive litigation experience in wage and hour, California Labor Code violations, worker misclassification, wrongful termination, breach of contract and employment-related torts. Additionally, Carmen has significant advice and counseling experience in areas including compliance with wage and hour laws, reductions in force, recruitment and hiring, employee classification, leave laws, terminations and human resources practices.
Life Science Patent Litigation Partner Michael Sitzman to DLA Piper from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Mike Sitzman will serve as US Chair of DLA’s Life Sciences Patent Litigation practice. He is a first-chair trial attorney representing brand-name pharmaceutical companies including Allergan, Alza, Depomed, Genentech, Gilead, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Medicis, Merck Serono, Novo Nordisk and Ultragenyx in biologic and drug patent litigation, including ANDA litigation. Mike also represents an array of biotechnology companies in high-stakes patent litigation involving recombinant DNA, CAR-T technology, antisense technology, protein synthesis and regulation and immunological markers.
Chambers Ranked Environmental Litigation Partner Jeffrey Dintzer and Associate Matt Wickersham to Alston & Bird from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Jeffrey Dintzer specializes in environmental litigation involving oil and gas operations in California, cost recovery, toxic torts, water rights, and land use entitlements. He serves as lead trial counsel in matters concerning groundwater contamination, fracking and CEQA compliance. Jeffrey has been Chambers ranked in California environmental law for the past nine consecutive years . He is joined by his senior associate Matt Wickersham.
Securities Litigation Partner Mike Quinn to Vedder Price from K&L Gates
Mike Quinn focuses on securities litigation and securities enforcement and business and commercial litigation. He represents public companies, individuals, broker-dealers, and investment advisers in matters, including civil litigation and investigations by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state securities regulators or attorneys general. He also has extensive experience handling complex securities litigation, including regulatory or disciplinary proceedings, class action lawsuits, and arbitrations. Mike was formerly a Staff Attorney with the SEC Division of Enforcement where he investigated and litigated securities fraud cases, including matters involving offering frauds, market manipulation, insider trading, and accounting fraud.
