On the Move

A weekly report of lawyer moves and law firm changes. Keep abreast of where movers and shakers are going and what they're doing.

2012-12-14 11:45:28 AM

SAN FRANCISCO

Bankruptcy litigation firm Macdonald Fernandez has added Matthew Olson as an associate. Olson previously served as law clerk to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Sargis of the Eastern District of California. He received his J.D. from Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 2009.

Margot Knight Mendelson and Benjamin Bien-Kahn have joined Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld as associates.

Mendelson, who previously served as an Arthur Liman Public Interest fellow at the University of Arizona Rogers College of Law Immigration Clinic, and was at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., focuses on constitutional and civil rights law, employment law and deportation defense/immigration law. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2009.

Bien-Kahn, formerly with the Law Offices of Geri Lynn Green, focuses on constitutional and civil rights law and employment law. He is a 2009 graduate of UCLA School of Law.

Hanson Bridgett has added Payam Saljoughian and Gilbert Tsai as associates and Tyrone Thomas as a law clerk.

Saljoughian, most recently at Pohls & Associates, focuses on transactional and litigation matters for the firm's health care clients. He earned his J.D. from UC-Hastings law school in 2011.

Formerly with Arnold & Porter, Tsai represents employers in employment-related litigation matters, including single and multiplaintiff discrimination claims, harassment claims, wrongful termination claims, union-related issues and wage-and-hour disputes. He graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 2006.

Thomas, who was previously with DLA Piper, focuses on drafting and negotiating contract and conveyancing documents for purchase and sale transactions; drafting and negotiating lease agreements and ancillary documents; and performing title, survey and due diligence reviews in connection with a variety of corporate and government real estate matters. He is a 2010 graduate of University of Illinois College of Law.

NORTH BAY

Mark Chavez has been named chair of the board of directors of the Public Citizen Foundation. Chavez, who has served on the board since 2009, is a partner at Chavez & Gertler in Mill Valley and represents plaintiffs in consumer class actions and other complex civil litigation matters. He graduated from Stanford Law School in 1979.

SILICON VALLEY

Dorsey & Whitney has added Scott Smith as a partner in its intellectual property and life sciences practice groups. Smith, who previously served as managing partner of Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear's Silicon Valley office, is based in Palo Alto. He is a 1994 graduate of Ohio State University's Michael E. Moritz College of Law.

Dharmesh Pandya has joined DLA Piper's tax practice as a partner in the East Palo Alto office. Most recently a managing director with the international corporate services practice at KPMG, Pandya advises companies based in the U.S. and Asia and has experience in transfer pricing, mergers and acquisitions, international tax structuring and other related areas. He earned his LL.M. in taxation from Harvard Law School in 2007.

James McManis has been named a fellow of the Academy of Court-Appointed Masters. He will be inducted at ACAM's annual meeting Jan. 25 to 26 in West Palm Beach, Fla. McManis, a founding partner of McManis Faulkner in San Jose, represents Silicon Valley companies in commercial, trade secret and intellectual property matters. He graduated from UC-Berkeley School of Law in 1967.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Douglas DeGrave was elected the 2013 president of the California American Board of Trial Advocates Chapter. DeGrave, founding partner of Poliquin & DeGrave in Laguna Hills, is a 1981 graduate of Loyola Law School.

Dykema has added J. Alexandra Rhim as a senior counsel in its Los Angeles office. Formerly with Buchalter Nemer, Rhim concentrates her practice on bankruptcy matters, loan workouts and creditors' rights. She graduated from Loyola Law School in 1995.

Ariel Weindling has joined Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp as of counsel in the firm's Los Angeles office. Weindling, who was previously with Littler Mendelson, is a member of the firm's corporate and business transactions practice. He received his LL.M. from Boston University School of Law in 2001.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo has added Marty Lorenzo to the firm's San Diego office as a partner. Previously with DLA Piper, Lorenzo is a member of the corporate and securities section. He is a 1996 graduate of University of San Diego School of Law.

NEW PARTNERS

Venable has elected six attorneys to the partnership, including Brett Garner of Los Angeles. Garner focuses on complex technology and intellectual property transactions, including technology licensing, technology maintenance and services, technology development and marketing and distribution. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2001.

Please send news about partners or associates, appointments or awards by email to recorder-editor@alm.com, fax to 415-490-9997 or mail to On the Move, The Recorder, 1035 Market St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94103.