Attorney Intel is pleased to announce The Top 50 Attorneys of San Francisco for 2023. San Francisco stands as one of the nation's most prominent legal markets, rivaled only by New York City. It is a thriving destination for lawyers seeking career advancement, characterized by a dynamic business environment with a consistent demand for legal services, driven by a multitude of Fortune 500 companies and startups. While the Golden City accommodates a wide range of legal practice areas, it particularly excels in fields like technology, life sciences, and private equity, shaping a vibrant legal landscape. San Francisco also hosts over 30 international financial institutions, cementing its position as a major player in the business and finance sectors.
Notably, the area's association with innovative companies often gives rise to intricate legal challenges, prompting a need for specialized attorneys. This year's award selection was a challenging task, given the extensive legal talent pool within the area. With over 20,000 lawyers actively practicing in San Francisco County, the region's legal diversity empowered us to identify truly exceptional men and women who have demonstrated excellence across various legal domains, underpinned by their extensive experience and esteemed reputations in their respective sectors.
This year's honorees include Jamal Al-Haj, who holds the position of General Counsel at Density, a technology company. Over the course of his career, Al-Haj has served as a trusted advisor in transactions totaling more than $50 billion and is a frequent speaker at symposiums focusing on topics related to the venture capital community. Jeannine Sano, another award recipient, is a Partner at Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider. With nearly three decades of experience in intellectual property litigation, Sano's achievements have garnered recognition from publications and awards such as IAM Patent 1000, Managing IP, The Recorder, and the Daily Journal, among others.
Lastly, we have Shawn Williams, who is a Founding Partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd. Williams played a lead role in a case that accused Facebook of privacy violations, resulting in a record-breaking $650 million recovery, marking the largest-ever privacy class action.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Attorneys of San Francisco for 2023.
1. James Basile
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
Jim Basile is a Partner in Kirkland's Bay Area office. He has spent twenty-eight years as a trial lawyer, was a founding partner of Kirkland's San Francisco office and head of Kirkland's San Francisco litigation practice for over a decade. Moreover, he is a Partner in charge of Kirkland's Firmwide trial advocacy program and litigation attorney training program (the Kirkland Institute for Trial Advocacy). During his career, Basile has worked for some of the nation's most prominent corporations, including winning a landmark antitrust case on behalf of Facebook; and winning dismissal of collusive cartel bidding claims against the private equity purchasers of Del Monte Foods.
Additionally, Basile has handled two of the most important plaintiff defamation cases of the last thirty years: General Motors v NBC and Chiquita Brands v. Gannett. Basile is admitted to the District of Columbia, California and New York Bars and is a member of the Bars of the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th and D.C. Circuits – as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. Basile has served in many leadership roles for the Firm, including ten years as a member of the Firm's Finance Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (1986) and the Notre Dame Law School (1989) where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review.
2. Adam Lovingood
General Counsel, Xero
Adam Lovingood is the General Counsel of Xero, a global small business platform with 3.5 million subscribers which includes a core accounting solution, payroll, workforce management, expenses and projects. Xero also has an extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other financial institutions – helping small businesses access a range of solutions from within Xero’s open platform, thereby making it easier for them to run their business and manage their finances.
Lovingood first joined the company in 2017 and initially served as Associate General Counsel and Head of Legal for the Americas. Prior companies include IAC Corp, where he was VP & Associate General Counsel for Ask.com in the US and then Head of Legal for operations in Europe, and MTV Networks where he represented their early digital properties. He has more than two decades of experience in tech, including digital media and SaaS. Lovingood earned a JD from the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law and an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Virginia.
Adam Lovingood Insight
“My career has been less of a path and more of a series of round-abouts taking me in varied and wonderful directions. Maybe because the journey has been a bit circuitous, I’ve debated often over the years whether I made the right career choice. But - in large part because of the awesome managers, mentors, and coaches encountered along the way - now I can’t imagine what else could have given me the opportunities, challenges, and satisfaction that I’ve found with in-house legal work. I’ve grown to love the journey and can’t wait to see what lies ahead.”
3. Charlene "Chuck" Shimada
Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Charlene (Chuck) Shimada, a Partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, specializes in securities litigation defense, corporate governance, class actions, and complex commercial litigation. Her practice involves representing corporations, officers, directors, underwriters, and accounting firms in private litigation and government investigations at federal and state levels. Shimada's election to The American Law Institute signifies her exceptional achievements and commitment to advancing legal standards.
Shimada holds significant firsts in the legal profession. She was the inaugural Asian American Pacific Islander woman partner and the first woman of color litigation partner at McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen LLP. Her leadership extended to becoming the Office Managing Partner in San Francisco, a pioneering role for a woman of color in a major U.S. law firm. Additionally, her tenure as Co-Office Managing Partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP's San Francisco Office further underscores her leadership prowess.
Beyond her legal accomplishments, Shimada is actively engaged in professional and civic pursuits. She co-founded Women In Securities (WISe) and contributed significantly to the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) through various roles. Her legal journey commenced as a law clerk for Judge Martin Pence of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.
4. Jillian Cho
Vice President, General Counsel, Benefit Cosmetics
Jillian Cho is the Vice President and General Counsel of Benefit Cosmetics. The company is an indie beauty brand-turned-prestige powerhouse under leading luxury products group Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Benefit Cosmetics was founded in 1976 by twins Jean & Jane Ford in San Francisco, and they have been making their own rules, shaking up the status quo, and serving up inventive beauty solutions with a side of laughter & fun ever since. Today, Benefit Cosmetics maintains a presence in 59 countries – with more than 3,000 BrowBars & 5,000 trained beauty service experts worldwide.
Cho began her career in 2011. Before joining Benefit Cosmetics, she was a Sr. Deal Manager, Cloud Deal Management at Oracle. Earlier in her career, she worked with Taleo as an attorney and contracts manager. Cho graduated from Whittier Law School with a JD and from UCLA with an undergraduate degree in philosophy.
5. Robert Phillips
Partner, Reed Smith
Rob Phillips is a Partner of Reed Smith’s Intellectual Property Group. Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, the firm delivers smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for its clients. The firm’s deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make it the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters. In his current role, Phillips represents leading corporations in patent, trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, and copyright litigation matters in federal courts throughout the country.
Phillips also counsels clients on all aspects of intellectual property development and protection, including clearance, acquisition, licensing and enforcement. Notably, Phillips has extensive litigation experience, from initial case strategy through discovery, motion practice, mediation and trial. He works for clients in a wide variety of business sectors, including computer technology, digital media, engineering, publishing, hospitality, household goods, apparel, cosmetics, food and beverage, and wine. Phillips graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law with a JD and from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in political science.
Robert Phillips Insight
"When I started practicing law, I had a strong belief in the fundamental fairness of our legal system, a strong belief that the vast majority of clients want to do what is right, and a strong belief that when respectfully and capably provided the facts juries will make the right decision. After 35 years, those beliefs have not changed."
6. Rich Foehr
General Counsel, GE Digital
Rich Foehr has guided legal matters for technology companies for more than 20 years. He is currently General Counsel at GE Digital, where he leads the Legal, Risk Management, Security, and Environmental, Health & Safety teams. He previously served as Chief Legal Officer at Sitecore, where he established a centralized global legal department of legal professionals to support the security, commercial, business, legal, regulatory and compliance needs for the company. At GE Digital, their focus is clear: delivering software that accelerates a new era of energy. Using data, they transform how their customers solve their toughest challenges. By improving the energy ecosystem to be more intelligent and efficient, they’re helping create reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for all.
Prior to joining Sitecore, Foehr served as vice president and assistant general counsel to Autodesk, Inc., an industry-leading design software and services company. While there, he was responsible for international legal issues relating to intellectual property, global compliance, executive compensation, SEC reporting, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, employment, and privacy and data protection. Previously, Foehr was in private practice at the San Francisco offices of Sheppard Mullin and Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, where he supported technology companies with corporate and commercial litigation matters. Foehr holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA and JD from Santa Clara University.
7. Heather Brookfield
Partner, Goodwin Procter
At Goodwin Procter, Heather Brookfield is a Partner in the firm’s Business Law Department and ERISA/Executive Compensation practice. She specializes in all aspects of executive compensation, including the design, implementation, governance and maintenance of equity and incentive compensation plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, employment agreements, tax-qualified retirement plans, and severance programs. Notably, Brookfield has broad experience advising companies, boards and members of management on executive compensation issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, spin-offs and other corporate transactions.
Previously, Brookfield was an assignee in the legal department, global compensation and benefits team at Uber. Before that, she served as counsel at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LL. Earlier in her career, she worked with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison as an attorney. Brookfield earned a JD from New York University School of Law and an undergraduate degree in communications from UC Santa Barbara.
8. Jason Freedman
Partner, Ropes & Gray
Jason Freedman is a Partner at Ropes & Gray, a leading global law firm with offices in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dublin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul. Built on a foundation of more than 150 years of dedication to forging strong client relationships, they represent interests across a broad spectrum of industries in corporate law and litigation matters. In addition, they offer counsel on labor and employment issues, tax and benefits, creditors' rights, and private client services.
Freedman focuses his practice primarily on transactional matters, representing private equity firms and strategic investors in the structuring and negotiation of leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, public and private mergers and acquisitions, PIPE investments, and other direct investments. Additionally, Freedman advises clients on corporate governance, securities law, compliance and other general corporate matters. He regularly works with private equity sponsors such as Altamont Capital, Evergreen Coast Capital, Genstar Capital and TPG, and their portfolio companies. Freedman graduated from Stanford Law School with a JD and from Colby College with an undergraduate degree in economics.
9. Matthew Kahn
Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Matthew Kahn is a Litigation Partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Additionally, he is co-chair of the Law Firm Defense Group and a member of the Securities Litigation and Class Actions Groups. Kahn’s practice focuses on law firm defense, securities and derivative litigation, real estate litigation, and class action defense. Recognized by Law360 as a “Legal Lion,” he has experience at all phases of trial court litigation and arbitration, including several victories at trial.
During his career, Kahn has successfully represented law firms, companies, boards of directors, and individuals throughout the country in high-stakes matters in federal and state courts and arbitrations. His work has involved claims, among others, for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and aiding and abetting tortious conduct; violation of the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act. Kahn earned a JD in law from Stanford Law School and an undergraduate degree in political science from Swarthmore College.
10. Karen Dempsey
Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Karen Dempsey, a Partner in Orrick's San Francisco office, is a member of the Corporate Group. She works with a broad range of public and private companies, venture capital firms and investment banks. Dempsey is involved in a full range of corporate legal projects for high growth technology companies including venture financings, public offerings, public company securities law compliance matters and mergers and acquisitions. She also regularly advises public companies and board of directors on corporate governance issues. Dempsey’s clients include private and public companies in the biotechnology, real estate, finance and Internet related industries.
Notatly, she also represents underwriters in initial public offerings and follow-on offerings and venture capital firms in investment transactions. Before joining Orrick, Dempsey was a shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP; and was chair of their firmwide corporate governance practice group. Dempsey graduated from the University of California, Davis - School of Law with a JD and from UCLA with an undergraduate degree in political science.
11. Brodie Stephens
General Counsel & Secretary, Perkins+Will
Brodie Stephens serves as General Counsel at Perkins+Will, but views the law through an architect’s lens. He swore that he would never follow in his father’s footsteps and become an architect, but his drawing skills proved hard to ignore. Stephens earned an architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and spent nearly seven years in design before embarking on a career in law. Stephens’ background in architecture pushes him to be a better lawyer: He believes in promoting creativity in a way that doesn’t increase liability.
Furthermore, Stephens is the author of one of the most seminal comparisons of architecture and engineering liability policies – and he’s given testimony at the state level on professional licensure and registration matters. Previously, Stephens was a general counsel at EDAW. Before that, he served as Corporate Counsel at Professional Practice Insurance Brokers, Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Whisler-Patri Architects as a designer. Stephens earned a JD from Golden Gate University, School of Law and an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.
12. Jeffrey Browning
Partner, McGuireWoods
At McGuireWoods, Jeff Browning is a Partner in the firm’s Debt Finance Department, where he represents banks and other financial institutions in documenting and structuring complex secured and unsecured commercial lending transactions. This includes: bilateral, club and syndicated lending transactions; and transactions involving complex intercreditor issues. Browning also helps lenders with workouts, restructurings, public mortgage securitizations and Rule 144A lease securitizations.
Before attending law school, Browning was a vice president at a large national bank, where he worked primarily in the residential mortgage group, acting as business development manager for its mortgage servicing division, mortgage trader for its secondary marketing division and financial consultant. Browning graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law with a JD, from San Diego State University with an MBA, and from the University of Colorado Boulder with an undergraduate degree.
13. Wei Chen
General Counsel, Infoblox
Wei Chen is the General Counsel at Infoblox, the leader in next generation DNS management and security. More than 12,000 customers, including over 70% of the Fortune 500, rely on Infoblox to scale, simplify and secure their hybrid networks to meet the modern challenges of a cloud-first world. Chen brings over 20 years of legal experience scaling operations, strengthening compliance, building strong teams and championing innovations. She joined Infoblox from Salesforce, where she previously served as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Strategic Transactions.
Over her 12-year tenure with Salesforce, Chen built the company’s legal function in M&A, venture investment, real estate and other strategic transactions. Prior to Salesforce, she served as Assistant General Counsel at Sun Microsystems, Inc. and was a corporate associate at Cooley LLP and Skadden. Chen graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law with a JD, from the University of Delaware with an MA in sociology, from Jilin University with an LLM, and from Fudan University with an undergraduate degree in law.
14. Scott Booth
VP, Deputy General Counsel, ServiceTitan
Scott Booth serves as the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Corporate, Securities, and M&A at ServiceTitan, a software platform built to power the trades that was #5 on the 2023 Forbes’ Cloud 100 list. ServiceTitan’s purpose-built trades management software is transforming one of the largest and least technologically advanced industries in the world. Booth joined ServiceTitan from Stripe, where he led capital markets, M&A, and corporate governance during a phase of rapid growth and international expansion.
Before Stripe, Booth was the Assistant General Counsel for Securities and M&A at LendingClub, the first peer-to-peer lender to register its offerings as securities with the SEC. He began his career at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan (now Eversheds Sutherland) as a tax associate and later as a corporate associate. Booth grew up in Bermuda and moved to the U.S. to attend the University of Georgia, later earning his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and LL.M. in tax from New York University Law School. In addition to law, he’s an avid volunteer search and rescue pilot, flight instructor, and cyclist.
Scott Booth Insight
"Early in my career, I naively thought I'd be pigeonholed as a tax lawyer, but thanks to great mentors and encouragement along the way, I learned it's never too late to reinvent, pivot, or shape your career."
15. Chardaie Charlemagne
Partner, Baker & Hostetler
Chardaie Charlemagne is a Partner at Baker & Hostetler, a law firm that was founded in 1916 by Newton D. Baker, Joseph C. Hostetler and Thomas L. Sidlo. Today, they have more than 1,000 attorneys contributing to the success of their clients. The values they share are the same ideals on which their firm was founded: love and respect for the law, respect for each other, and the courage to make hard decisions on the basis of what they know to be right. Charlemagne leads her commercial litigation practice with a solid work ethic and a clear understanding of client’s goals.
Furthermore, she is experienced with litigating securities fraud claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Charlemagne represents corporate defendants in high-stakes, complex litigation disputes, and provides counseling involving shareholder suits. Previously, she was a judicial law clerk at the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First Circuit. Before that, she served as a judicial law clerk at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Charlemagne earned a JD in law from Fordham University School of Law and an undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University.
16. Jasmine Anderson
Partner, Fox Rothschild
Jasmine Anderson is a Partner at Fox Rothschild, an AmLaw 100 full-service law firm built to serve businesses of all sizes as well as individuals. Over the past 100 years, they have grown to 1000 lawyers with offices coast to coast. Their lawyers provide a full range of legal services to public and private companies – from family-run businesses to multinational corporations – centered around several core areas: corporate, employee benefits, entertainment, financial restructuring and bankruptcy, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, real estate and taxation and wealth planning.
Anderson, notably, is an experienced labor and employment attorney. She defends businesses in all aspects of employment law matters and serves as the regional practice lead for the firm’s Labor & Employment Department in the San Francisco office. Prior to joining Fox Rothschild, Anderson was partner and co-chair of the Diversity Education Initiative at a national employment law firm. Before that, she worked as a labor and employment associate at national, regional and boutique law firms. She also previously worked as in-house employment counsel for a technology company. Anderson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law with a JD and from Florida State University with an undergraduate degree.
17. Daniel Laguardia
Partner, Shearman & Sterling
Daniel Laguardia is a Partner in Shearman & Sterling’s Litigation practice and Head of the Bay Area Offices. During his career, he has represented individuals, corporations, and various financial institutions including: banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity funds, in securities litigation, internal investigations, regulatory matters and complex commercial litigation. Laguardia has extensive litigation experience across a broad spectrum of substantive areas such as securities and complex financial products, financial markets, mergers & acquisitions disputes, shareholder actions, distressed debt and bankruptcy issues, and commercial contracts.
Laguardia was a law clerk to Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, from 1999 to 2000. Before that, he served as a law clerk to Judge David G. Trager, U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y., from 1998 to 1999. Frequently, Laguardia speaks on matters of practice and ethics, has been repeatedly recognized by Benchmark Litigation, and is the former chair of the Committee on Securities Litigation of the New York City Bar. He is also a past hiring partner for the Firm and co-chair of the Firm’s associate development committee. Laguardia graduated from the New York University School of Law with a JD and from the University of Chicago with an undergraduate degree in public policy.
Daniel Laguardia Insight
“I am extremely proud of the advocacy and counseling our firm provides clients in their most fraught and high-stakes situations. The opportunity to engage and assist in such matters, whether relating to securities and shareholder litigation, transactions, commercial disputes, governance , or crisis management, is challenging and rewarding, and our clients always benefit from our experience, service, deep bench and global footprint.”
18. Justin Albstein
Deputy General Counsel, Doma
Justin Albstein is the Deputy General Counsel of Doma, a real estate technology company that is disrupting a century-old industry by building an instant and frictionless home closing experience for buyers and sellers. Doma uses proprietary machine intelligence technology and deep human expertise to create a vastly more simple and affordable experience for everyone involved in a residential real estate transaction, including current and prospective homeowners, mortgage lenders, title agents, and real estate professionals.
Albstein first joined the company in 2017. Previously, he was a senior manager of compliance and legal counsel at LendingClub. Before that, he served as a senior director of legal and compliance at Vouch Financial, Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Goodwin Procter LLP as an associate. Albstein earned a JD from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree from Yale University.
19. Paul Riehle
Partner, Faegre Drinker
Paul Riehle is a Partner of Faegre Drinker, a law firm designed for clients. They opened their doors on February 1, 2020, uniting Faegre Baker Daniels and Drinker Biddle & Reath, two firms known for exceptional legal and consulting capabilities and a commitment to service excellence. With 1,200 experienced attorneys and consulting professionals licensed in nearly every state in the U.S., and with strategic offices in London and Shanghai. Notably, Riehle is an accomplished antitrust, class action defense, and complex commercial litigator and trial lawyer. He has tried cases to verdict in federal court in California and Arizona, as well as in California Superior Court for every county in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Additionally, Riehle is a past chair of the California State Bar Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section. He also served from 2018 to 2022 as the Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section Representative on the Board of the California Lawyers Association. Currently, he still serves as an advisor to the Section. Moreover, Riehle is an experienced antitrust litigator on matters involving federal and state laws, including allegations of price-fixing, bid-rigging, monopolization and attempted monopolization. He graduated from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco with a JD and from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate degree.
Paul Riehle Insight
“Given the number of excellent lawyers in San Francisco, it is quite an honor. I would be remiss if I did also did not thank my colleagues at Faegre Drinker, my co-counsel in significant litigation, and my family for their support.”
20. Devang Shah
General Counsel, Pivot Bio
Devang Shah joined Pivot Bio in March 2023, as General Counsel. Founded in 2011, Pivot Bio is a sustainable agriculture company delivering farmers patented crop nutrition technologies that harness the power of nature to reliably and productively grow the food the world needs in the face of increasing volatility. In his current role, Shah leverages his experience achieving successful public offerings for two previous companies and oversees all legal affairs.
His leadership is instrumental in navigating the issues facing high-growth businesses and providing stewardship to high performing, multinational teams. Shah began his career as an attorney at Skadden Arps, working in both Palo Alto and NYC. He holds a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in civil engineering from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
21. Babak Kusha
Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Babak Kusha is a Partner of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton’s Intellectual Property practice and serves as co-chair of the multidiscipline Retail & Consumer Group. Previously, he has served as a co-chair of the firm’s Mechanical & Medical Device Patent Team. Kusha focuses his practice on patent prosecution and counseling, with special emphasis in the electromechanical, mechanical, biomedical, related software technologies, food and beverage, and consumer goods areas. As an accomplished patent attorney and expert in design rights, Kusha helps clients evaluate IP risks, implement carefully-calculated IP plans and acquisitions, and strategize the use of IP to achieve business-related goals.
Prior to his work in the legal field, Kusha worked for 12 years as an engineer. He held his first engineering position at ABB Impell Corporation, where he specialized in nuclear and fossil fuel power. He then worked with Fluid Dynamics International, initially working with computational fluid dynamics and later opening and managing Fluent's Western Region office. His clients included many of the world's leading automotive, aerospace, defense, electronic and power utility corporations. Kusha graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with a JD and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering and mechanical engineering.
22. Amy Guzman
VP, General Counsel, SOCi
Amy Guzman serves as the Vice President and General Counsel at SOCi, a marketing platform catering to multi-location brands. In this role, she leads the legal efforts for the company, managing a workforce of over 600 employees and contractors across 35 countries. Guzman acts as a trusted advisor to SOCi's founding team, collaborating with various departments—such as Product, Security, Privacy, Finance, Engineering, and Sales—to establish and implement legal practices.
Her professional background includes pivotal roles at companies like eightfold.ai and Lyft Business, where she directed legal efforts in negotiating substantial global SaaS agreements and overseeing commercial legal responsibilities, respectively. Before SOCi, she gained experience at Axiom, Education Finance Partners, Hanson Bridgett, and Baker & McKenzie. Guzman holds a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law, an MBA from Boston University, and an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of San Francisco.
Amy Guzman Insight
"My legal career has taken a non-traditional path and path to my current in-house role is heavily attributed to the relationships I have built over the years. What's been most rewarding in my current role is the learning that comes with building legal and privacy from scratch in a hyper growth environment. I can't remember a more exciting time for attorneys and the practice of law navigating issues around AI and Generative AI, expanding privacy and security obligations, while partnering with the business to mitigate business while continuing to grow the business."
23. Patrick Lonergan
Vice President of Legal & Compliance, CircleCI
Patrick Lonergan is currently Vice President of Legal & Compliance at CircleCI, where he is a true generalist, handling a range of issues including product counseling, privacy, commercial contracting, intellectual property, and compliance. Prior to joining CircleCI, he held in-house roles at Zendesk and TiVo with a focus on intellectual property and litigation. Before heading in-house, Lonergan worked at several large, international firms where his practice focused on intellectual property litigation. In 2006, Lonergan received his JD from the University of Houston Law Center. He also holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
24. Jesal Prabaker
General Counsel, Marigold
Jesal Prabaker is General Counsel of Marigold, specializing in SaaS, technology, and privacy law. Marigold is a global martech leader focused on delivering relationship marketing solutions that are helping over 40,000 brands and organizations worldwide to find their customers, get to know them, and ultimately turn them into superfans. The company offers industry-tailored martech, email and loyalty solutions — Marigold Grow, Marigold Engage, and Marigold Loyalty — that support the entire customer lifecycle.
Prior to joining Marigold in 2016, Prabaker worked as Corporate Counsel at Clearslide and In-House Counsel at AurionPro Solutions. Prabaker holds a J.D. from Indiana University, Maurer School of Law–Bloomington and earned her bachelor’s at UCLA.
25. Keval Patel
General Counsel, Zipline
Keval Patel is the General Counsel of Zipline, a company that was founded to create the first logistics system that serves all humans equally. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy, Zipline designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest automated delivery system. Zipline serves tens of millions of people around the world and is making good on the promise of building an equitable and more resilient global supply chain. Patel first joined the company in 2019 as legal counsel.
Previously, Patel was a technology transactions associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP. Before that, he served as a legal clerk and child advocate at The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights. Earlier in his career, he worked with Assemblymember Jim Frazier as a caseworker and office assistant. Patel earned a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and an undergraduate degree in political science and government from the University of California, Davis.
26. Sophia Castillo
Partner, Keller and Heckman
Sophie Castillo, Partner at international law firm Keller and Heckman LLP, represents clients in the food and beverage, cosmetics and personal care, dietary supplement, apparel, and general consumer product industries. Notably, Castillo guides these clients, including domestic and international importers, distributors, national brands, private labels, institutional suppliers, family-owned food processing businesses, and retail grocers, on compliance, litigation, and risk avoidance surrounding California’s Proposition 65, as well as other state and national laws related to emerging contaminants and PFAS.
In her Prop. 65 practice, Castillo helps clients create compliant warning and labeling statements, conducts audits – and, if the need arises, litigates and defends clients in Proposition 65 cases. This includes assisting with bounty-hunter claims. In her regulatory practice, Castillo counsels clients on compliance with PFAS regulations that apply across numerous industries and California state regulations relating to cosmetics registration in California.
27. Kiki Haar
General Counsel, Sumo Logic
Kiki Haar is the General Counsel of Sumo Logic, a company that empowers the people who power modern, digital business. Through its SaaS analytics platform, Sumo Logic enables customers to deliver reliable and secure cloud-native applications. The Sumo Logic Continuous Intelligence Platform™ helps practitioners and developers ensure application reliability, secure and protect against modern security threats, and gain insights into their cloud infrastructures.
An industry veteran, Haar has 23 years of experience. Before joining Sumo Logic, she was an SVP, general counsel and chief privacy officer at Informatica. Earlier in her career, she worked with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati as an associate. Haar graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a JD and from the University of Chicago with an undergraduate degree in economics.
28. Brian Brown
General Counsel, DataRobot
Brian Brown serves as General Counsel at DataRobot. The leader in Value-Driven AI, DataRobot offers a unique and collaborative approach to generative and predictive AI that combines an open platform, deep expertise and broad use-case experience to improve how organizations run, grow and optimize their business. The DataRobot AI Platform is the only complete AI lifecycle platform that interoperates with an organization’s existing investments in data, applications and business processes, and can be deployed on any cloud environment. Global organizations, including 40% of the Fortune 50, rely on DataRobot to drive greater impact and value from AI.
In his current role, Brown is responsible for managing global legal affairs for the company, including corporate governance and compliance, global transactions, product counseling, and IP matters. Prior to DataRobot, Brown served at DoorDash, where he was Associate General Counsel and Head of Corporate Legal. He also worked for Ellie Mae, where he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to his roles at technology companies, Brown was a corporate attorney at several international law firms. Brown graduated from Boston College Law School with a JD and from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo with an undergraduate degree in political science.
29. Meredith Dearborn
Partner, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Meredith Dearborn, a Partner at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison since 2020, is a legal professional with a decade of experience. Specializing in intellectual property, contract, antitrust, and California state law, she has led trials securing favorable outcomes for major tech firms in Northern California. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a premier firm of about 1,000 lawyers with diverse backgrounds, personalities, ideas and interests who provide innovative and effective solutions to their clients’ most complex legal and business challenges. The firm represents many of the world’s largest and most important public and private corporations, asset managers and financial institutions, and clients in need of pro bono assistance.
Beyond her legal work, Dearborn is a leader in the Bay Area legal community. In 2022, she was appointed as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference for a three-year term. Actively engaged in community service, Dearborn serves on the Board of Directors of The Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Advisory Board of the East Bay Community Law Center. A former Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School, Dearborn holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and an undergraduate degree in literature from Yale University. She is a sought-after speaker, regularly sharing insights on intellectual property and trial practice issues with legal, educational, and trade groups.
30. Jeannine Sano
Partner, Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider
Jeannine Sano is a Partner of Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider, a law firm that was established in the late 1990s by lawyers from premier Wall Street firms with a common vision: provide the highest level of service and strategic acumen in antitrust, intellectual property and high-stakes litigation. Since then, Axinn’s lawyers have served as lead or co-lead counsel on nearly half a trillion dollars in transactions and, in the last 10 years alone, have handled more than 250 litigations. Sano, who has nearly 30 years of intellectual property litigation experience, is frequently sought out as lead trial counsel for jury and bench trials in patent and trade secret cases across the country.
Sano’s trial successes have been recognized by IAM Patent 1000, Managing IP, The Recorder, Daily Journal, and Benchmark Litigation, among other publications and awards. She is on the Early Neutral Evaluation panel in the Northern District of California and previously served as Chair of the Patent Litigation and ITC Practice Committees of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property. Sano also volunteers as faculty for NITA’s trial advocacy programs for practicing attorneys and was a guest instructor for Notre Dame Law School's trial advocacy program and a judge for the mock trial and patent law programs at Stanford Law School. Sano graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of Law with a JD and from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in Human Biology.
Jeannine Sano Insight
“Exceptionally-skilled litigator Jeannine Yoo Sano engages with her clients in the most proactive way to build long-last relationships. She knows how to lead a trial team to success and does sterling work across technology sectors.” - IAM Patent 1000 (2023)
31. Jamal Al-Haj
General Counsel, Density
Jamal Al-Haj is General Counsel at Density, a technology company based in San Francisco, CA that helps companies understand how people use their spaces. Companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500s to high growth innovators, use Density to unlock a better experience for their employees and higher ROI on every square foot. Density insights inform how companies use space in every way, from smart facility management and intelligent energy consumption to designing optimal spaces, buildings and campuses. With more than $215 million in venture backing from heavyweights such Kleiner Perkins, Upfront Ventures and Founders Fund, the company is at the forefront of the ‘smart building’ revolution.
Prior to joining Density, Al-Haj was a partner and head of the west coast corporate practice at Maynard Nexsen, a preeminent corporate law firm with more than 550 attorneys across 23 offices across the country. Throughout his career, Al-Haj has served as trusted advisor on more than $50 billion of transactions and is a frequent symposium speaker on matters pertaining to the venture capital community.
Jamal Al-Haj Insight
“It’s been exciting to put my deep transaction experience to work in a completely new and
entrepreneurial environment here at Density. We’re pushing the boundaries of how we measure and improve our footprint on the world.”
32. Russell Miller
Partner, Jackson Walker
Russell Miller is a Partner of Jackson Walker. Founded more than 130 years ago, Jackson Walker helps businesses of all sizes navigate the increasingly complex legal landscape. With more than 450 attorneys across seven Texas-based offices, the Firm represents Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations, major financial institutions, insurance companies, and a wide range of public companies and private businesses around the globe. The Firm is ranked nationally in 25 practice areas in the U.S. With more than 35 years of experience, Miller has represented practically every type of entity permitted to borrow funds on a tax-exempt basis – from state and local governmental entities and non-profit organizations to for-profit developers of low-income housing and small manufacturers.
Miller’s focus on the federal income tax law related to public finance includes nonprofit finance, healthcare finance, working capital financings, exempt facility financings, and pooled financings. He has extensive experience with all federal income tax aspects of municipal finance transactions, including refundings and arbitrage and rebate matters. Miller has assisted numerous public finance clients involved in Internal Revenue Service audits, and he has provided assistance to organizations in seeking or retaining non-profit or governmental tax-exempt status. Miller graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with an JD, from New York University with an LLM and from the University of Southern California with an undergraduate degree.
33. Stephen Robinson
General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer, Extreme Reach
As General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Stephen Robinson leads the Legal, Contracts, and Privacy teams at Extreme Reach, while also serving as Data Protection Officer. Extreme Reach is the global leader in creative logistics. Its end-to-end technology platform moves creative at the speed of media, simplifying the activation and optimization of omnichannel campaigns for brands and agencies with unparalleled control, visibility, and insights. In addition, the Company offers a scaled and flexible platform to provide payroll management solutions for its clients and the broader entertainment ecosystem.
Robinson’s tenure at ER began in 2014 with the acquisition of BrandAds, where he spent three years as General Counsel and was part of the founding team. His focus includes leading corporate strategic and tactical legal initiatives, managing the legal and contract function, litigation management, commercial real estate transactions, M&A matters, and employment legal issues. Robinson’s 20+ years of legal experience includes roles at Reed Smith and Oracle. He earned his JD at Stanford Law School, where he was both a Board Member and Editor of the Stanford Technology Law Review.
34. Michael Dell
Partner, Shartsis Friese
Michael Dell is a Partner of Shartsis Friese, with extensive experience in corporate, commercial and intellectual property transactions. Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Shartsis Friese LLP has over 65 lawyers. The firm has extensive trial and business litigation experience, including securities enforcement defense, and a complex transactional practice focused on investment advisers, hedge funds, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities, family wealth planning, tax, venture capital, intellectual property and real estate. Notably, Dell has considerable experience advising business clients on the structuring, negotiation and documentation of complex transactions.
In his current role, Dell serves as counsel to companies in a number of sectors regarding general contractual, corporate governance and securities disclosure matters. He also counsels, drafts and negotiates transactions and agreements involving a broad array of technologies. Dell joined the Firm’s Corporate Department in 2013. Prior to joining the Firm, he practiced as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Dell graduated from the University of Southern California Law School with a JD and from Princeton University with an undergraduate degree in Economics.
Michael Dell Insight
“I am delighted to receive this award and have enjoyed practicing in San Francisco since 2008 with a general corporate transactional practice (with a focus on M&A).”
35. Deborah Holmgren
General Counsel, SquareTrade
Deborah Holmgren is the General Counsel of SquareTrade, the fastest growing partner in the global device protection market and they work with many of the world’s largest operators, retailers and manufacturers. In her current role, Holmgren leads SquareTrade’s legal and compliance teams, which support all aspects of SquareTrade’s domestic and international business. She plays a leading role in SquareTrade’s commercial, operational and legal strategy and execution.
Additionally, Holmgren is responsible for overseeing all commercial contracts, definition and structure of product offerings, corporate infrastructure (including corporate governance, entity organization, corporate insurance, and licensing), litigation, and compliance (including product, employment, IP, privacy and marketing compliance). Prior to SquareTrade, Holmgren was the Vice President, Legal Counsel, at The Gymboree Corporation. Prior to Gymboree, she was the Assistant General Counsel at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Holmgren earned her JD from Hastings College of Law in 1998 and received her BA in political science from the University of California at Los Angeles.
36. Heather Kirkpatrick
Partner, DeHay & Elliston
Heather Kirkpatrick, a Partner at DeHay & Elliston, manages the California offices and serves as National Coordinating Counsel, overseeing litigation throughout the country. In this capacity, she oversees and directs all aspects of the client’s defense including discovery strategy, preparation and defense of corporate representative witnesses, motion practice, trial preparation, management of defense spend, and settlement negotiations. Her firm, DeHay & Elliston, L.L.P., practices in all phases of litigation with eight offices. Notably, Kirkpatrick has represented both Plaintiffs and Defendants in Personal Injury Litigation since 2011. She has focused on defense work, defending a wide range of clients including: manufacturers, supply chain stores, premises owners, public transportation companies, public entities, and large utility companies.
Kirkpatrick has also represented a religious organization against five-decade old claims of negligence stemming from allegations of sexual assault at the local level. Kirkpatrick earned her JD from The University of San Francisco School of Law. While at USF Law, she was on the board of The Women’s Law Association and was an active member of the Trial Advocacy Team. Kirkpatrick studied International Law at Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland during the summer of 2008. She also obtained a Certificate in Business and Corporate Law from USF Law. Kirkpatrick graduated from University of California, Davis in 2007 with a B.A. in both English and Political Science.
Heather Kirkpatrick Insight
“One of the most fulfilling parts about being an attorney is that your practice grows and evolves with you. You can shape and mold your career for each phase of your life if you stay curious.”
37. Lynn Hollenbeck
Partner, Freeman Mathis & Gary
Lynn Hollenbeck is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s San Rafael, California office. Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP is a leading litigation firm with attorneys servicing clients in 33 offices in 19 states. Notably, Hollenbeck’s practice focuses on employment litigation as well as advice and counsel. She has the advantage of experience from both the plaintiff and the defense viewpoint spanning over twenty-five years of practice. Hollenbeck’s area of practice in the employment area includes: sexual harassment and employment discrimination on the basis of gender, age, pregnancy and other disabilities as well as issues including retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, solicitation and non-competition issues. On the defense side, she has counseled on issues such as the prevention and resolution of employee complaints and termination issues.
Hollenbeck also advises regarding best practices, policies and procedures, employment handbooks and internal investigations. She also has extensive experience in complex litigation, premises liability and fraudulent transfer. Hollenbeck’s practice has included matters in the federal and state courts in California and New York and also administrative agencies such as the Labor Commission. She received her certification in workplace investigation from the Association of Workplace Investigators and writes and edits for that organization. She received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the International Law Journal and an assistant teacher of Legal Writing.
38. Steve Cvitanovic
General Counsel, Build Group
Steve Cvitanovic is the General Counsel of Build Group, a general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder focused on providing the highest level of service. Over 80% of their work is for repeat clients. Since 2007, they have grown to over 400 employees across the state of California and have been named one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies the past three years in a row. On a daily basis, Cvitanovic works on contracts, real estate issues, employment issues, claims handling, insurance, licensing, corporate compliance and/or formation, project financial matters. He also works with project teams to ensure projects are delivered as promised.
Cvitanovic is a recognized leader in construction law with more than 25 years of experience. Prior to joining Build Group, Cvitanovic was a partner at Haight, Brown & Bonesteel, where he handled hundreds of construction law and real estate matters, and spent years cultivating relationships. Frequently, Cvitanovic shares his expertise and insights with others by speaking at conferences, seminars and webinars. He also served as leader of Haight’s Construction Law Practice Group. Cvitanovic graduated from Golden Gate University, School of Law with a JD and from the University of Arizona with an undergraduate degree in history and education.
39. Philip Mao
Deputy General Counsel, Neuralink
Philip Mao is the Deputy General Counsel of Neuralink, a team of exceptionally talented people. They are creating the future of brain-machine interfaces: building devices now that will help people with paralysis and inventing new technologies that will expand their abilities, their community, and their world. Their goal is to build a system with at least two orders of magnitude more communication channels (electrodes) than current clinically-approved devices.
Mao has 9 years of experience. He began his career in 2014. Before joining Neuralink, Mao was a Senior Counsel at Pony.ai. Earlier in his career, he worked with Cooley LLP as an associate. Mao graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law with a JD and from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree.
40. Shawn Williams
Partner, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Shawn Williams, a Founding Partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, is the Managing Partner for the firm's San Francisco office and a member of its Management Committee. Williams specializes in complex commercial litigation focusing on securities litigation; and has served as lead counsel in a range of actions resulting in more than a billion dollars in recoveries. For example, Williams was among lead counsel in a case that charged Facebook with violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, resulting in a $650 million recovery for injured Facebook users, the largest ever privacy class action.
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world’s leading complex litigation firms, representing plaintiffs in securities fraud, shareholder derivative, antitrust, corporate takeover, and consumer fraud and privacy cases. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the world’s largest plaintiffs’ firms, and the Firm’s attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities, antitrust, and consumer class action recoveries in history. Before joining the Firm in 2000, Williams served for 5 years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he tried over 20 cases to New York City juries. Williams graduated from the University of Illinois with a JD and from The State University of New York at Albany with an undergraduate degree.
41. Marcus Dong
Partner, Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck
Marcus Dong is a Partner of Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, a leading national law firm serving a broad range of industries in more than 20 practice areas. Notably, Dong concentrates his practice in employment practices defense litigation, wage and hour litigation, professional liability defense, general liability defense, and complex commercial litigation. He advises clients in a variety of business industries, including several private employers and non-profit organizations, and defends them both pre-litigation and through all phases of litigation, including mediation, binding arbitration, and trial.
Dong litigates a range of employment cases – from discrimination, retaliation, harassment, to failure to accommodate – under federal and California state law. He has obtained summary judgment victories on behalf of employers in disability discrimination matters in both state and federal courts. He also regularly represents private employers and non-profit organizations in wage and hour matters, as well as in class action claims and representative actions under the California Labor Code’s Private Attorneys General Act. Dong graduated from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles with a JD and from the University of California, Irvine with an undergraduate degree in political science.
42. James McPhail
General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Managing Director, Bronco Wine Company
James McPhail began his professional career 32 years ago. Today, he is the General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Managing Director of Bronco Wine Company. Founded in 1973 by Fred T., Joseph S. and John Franzia, Bronco Wine Company is a family-owned winery committed to growing, producing and selling the finest quality wines of the highest value to their customers. Bronco Wine Company’s diverse family of brands is sold in over 90 countries worldwide in addition to being distributed throughout the United States. The company is currently the fifth largest winery – and the largest vineyard owner – in the United States.
McPhail first got his start in 1991 as an associate in the labor and employment department at Graham & James. From there, he went on to GTE Corporation, before eventually rising to senior corporate counsel at The Wine Group, his most recent position prior to joining Bronco Wine Company. McPhail graduated from Stanford Law School with a JD and from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in political science.
43. Winston Liaw
Partner, Farella Braun + Martel
Winston Liaw is a Partner of Farella Braun + Martel, a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business and real estate transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. In his current role, Liaw represents high technology companies in patent infringement litigation and other intellectual property matters. His clients have included cloud services, semiconductor, multimedia, telecommunications, and web technology companies, among others. Previously, Liaw has advised and represented clients in nearly all aspects of patent litigation and mediation.
Liaw brings a passion for technology to his legal practice. Prior to his legal career, he earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer science and served five years at Microsoft Corporation as a software development engineer and program manager. Liaw graduated from the University of Chicago Law School with a JD and from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and computer science.
44. Nat Cordellos
Partner, Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi
Nat Cordellos, a Partner of Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi, serves in the firm’s San Francisco office. He joined LFLM in 2010. The firm, which was established in 1985, is one of the largest law firms in California specializing in Workers’ Compensation Defense. In his current role, Cordellos represents insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insured employers in all areas of state workers’ compensation defense including asbestos litigation.
Cordellos is a graduate of the University of California, Davis. He also earned his law degree at the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He specializes in public entity and school district defense, and he heads the asbestos practice group in San Francisco. He is also active with the firm’s educational endeavors. Furthermore, Cordellos has contributed to LFLM’s Newsletter as an author and editor – and is a contributing author and editor to LFLM’s Guidebook for Educational Entities.
45. David Melaugh
General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Element Biosciences
David Melaugh is the General Counsel of Corporate Secretary in Element Biosciences, a multi-disciplinary life science company focused on developing disruptive DNA sequencing technology for research markets. Through innovating every fundamental element of a sequencing system, Element empowers customers with affordable, high-quality data and an improved user experience, which in turn will accelerate scientific discoveries and broaden the use of genomic research.
Melaugh has more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer representing companies on the cutting edge of technological innovation. Before joining Element as General Counsel, he was a Senior Director in Apple’s legal department, heading up its worldwide intellectual property litigation group for 11 years. Before Apple, he was a partner at Morrison Foerster, representing a diverse array of high-tech clients. Melaugh has a BA in Government from Dartmouth College and a JD from Harvard Law School.
46. Alexis Harrington
Partner, Hawkins Delafield & Wood
Alexis Harrington is a Partner of Hawkins Delafield & Wood, a nationally recognized leader in public finance. Founded in 1854, the firm now has 90 lawyers in ten offices across the country. Hawkins offers government agencies, non-profit organizations and financial institutions exceptional legal service and sophisticated counsel in finance and infrastructure transactions. State and local governments regularly turn to Hawkins on the strength of their specialty practice and record of innovation and accomplishment, to structure new financing programs, resolve complex tax and securities disclosure questions, and advise on infrastructure procurement, project finance and public private partnership matters.
Through her public finance practice, Harrington helps hospitals, national and regional health systems, governmental entities, multi-family housing developers and continuing care retirement communities secure tax-exempt and/or taxable financing to build new projects or improve their existing facilities. Many of her engagements are as bond counsel or underwriters’ counsel on large, publicly-offered financings. She maintains a transactional practice representing governmental issuers, non-profit organizations and banking institutions on a wide variety of financing activities. Harrington graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a JD and from the University of Southern California with an undergraduate degree.
47. Menaka Fernando
Partner, Outten & Golden
Menaka Fernando is a Partner of Outten & Golden. With offices in New York, San Francisco and Washington DC, Outten & Golden represents employees and other individuals. As advocates for workplace fairness, the firm’s attorneys advise and represent clients in matters involving former employers, current employers, and potential future employers and partnerships. O&G also represents groups of employees collectively, including executive teams in transition. The firm’s international practice reaches across borders to represent and protect multinational employees, executives, and partners.
Fernando joined O&G in 2015 as associate. Previously, she was an associate attorney at The Dolan Law Firm. Before that, she worked as an associate at Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris Hoffman & Harrison LLP, having previously served for the firm as a legal assistant and law clerk. Fernando earned a JD from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco and an undergraduate degree in English from UCLA.
48. Derek Johnson
Partner, Walsworth
Derek Johnson is a Partner at Walsworth. Since its 1989 founding, the law firm has grown to over 65 attorneys. Johnson is an experienced litigation and trial attorney representing clients in high stakes and sophisticated product liability, toxic tort, wrongful death, personal injury and premises liability cases in state and federal court. He focuses his practice in toxic tort and product liability litigation with a specialization in asbestos litigation. He currently helps to run the regional counsel team defending California and Western United States asbestos matters for a Fortune 100 company with responsibility for thousands of cases filed in state and federal court.
Previously, Johnson served as second chair for a number of recent trials resulting in successful outcomes for his clients, including defense verdicts. He has also served as trial counsel in numerous cases that were resolved during the motion in limine phase; and jury selection phase. He has deposed scores of plaintiffs, percipient witnesses, and expert witnesses, and he works on all aspects of the litigation, from the pleading stage through trial. His defense work includes: serving as counsel in various state and federal coordinated proceedings, including multidistrict litigations (MDL). Johnson graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law with a JD and from the University of California, Los Angeles with an undergraduate degree.
49. Jed Ritchey
General Counsel, Together Labs
Jed Ritchey is the General Counsel of Together Labs, a company that sees the metaverse as a metasociety. Their platforms have integrated rewards, levels, and incentives that unlock the positivity, social experiences and sharing that people need for authentic connection and fun. Notably, their thriving virtual economy is powered by blockchain technologies, which include a safe and easy-to-use cryptocurrency, NFTs that allow their creators to create unique collectables and allow all users to buy and re-sell those NFTs.
An industry veteran, Ritchey has 27 years of experience. Before joining Together Labs, he was a general counsel at Kountable. Before that, he served as a general counsel and secretary at Unity. Earlier in his career, he worked with Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel as an attorney. Ritchey graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with a JD and from the University of California, Davis with an undergraduate degree in political science and government.
50. Jeremiah Gordon
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, CapitalG
Jeremiah Gordon is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of CapitalG, Alphabet's independent growth fund. They invest capital to help remarkable entrepreneurs and leading transformational companies accelerate the growth of their businesses. Gordon joined Google in 2011 and has been the General Counsel/Chief Compliance Officer of CapitalG since its creation. In this role, Gordon manages legal and regulatory affairs for CapitalG and is involved in all aspects of CapitalG, including fund formation, deal execution, portfolio management and international investments.
Before CapitalG, Gordon was a senior counsel at Google, where he worked with Google’s corporate development team on acquisitions, investments and special projects. Prior to Google, he worked at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he represented leading technology companies, entrepreneurs and investors in significant transactions and business challenges. Early in his career, Gordon was a corporate associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Gordon holds an AB in Economics from Princeton University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
