News

02.09.2006

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated eleven of its attorneys to partner. The eleven new partners are Andre Barlow, Mark Berube, Jeffrey Dinkin, Derek Havel, Sascha Henry, Stacey James, Donna Jones, Stephen LaSala, Rafael Muilenburg, Mark Watkins and Steven Winick.

"We are proud to welcome these outstanding attorneys into the partnership," said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm. "This is our biggest class ever and reflects the strength of the candidates and the success of the firm."

Andre Barlow is in the firm's Antitrust and Trade Regulation Practice Group in the Washington, D.C. office. Barlow has extensive experience in antitrust enforcement matters before the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and state enforcement agencies, as well as in complex commercial litigation involving the federal and state antitrust laws and other commercial matters. He is experienced in merger, grand jury, and other government investigations. Barlow was formerly a trial attorney with the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University in 1997, his master's degree from George Mason University in 1995 and his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from West Virginia University in 1993.

Mark Berube in the White Collar and Civil Fraud Defense Practice Group and based in the firm's New York office, practices in the areas of white collar, antitrust, bankruptcy, securities regulation, employment and complex commercial litigation. Berube's experience includes representing defendants in white collar criminal matters and both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of business disputes involving claims of fraud, breach of contract, interference with contract, defamation and unfair practices. He has experience in all phases of civil and criminal litigation, including trial experience, at both the state and federal level. Berube received his law degree, cum laude, from New York University in 1997 and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 1993.

Jeffrey Dinkin is in the Labor and Employment Practice Group and based in Santa Barbara. Dinkin's experience spans both private and public sector labor relations, including more than twenty years of negotiating collective bargaining agreements. He has represented employers from start-up companies developing personnel policies and employee handbooks, to established companies expanding into California. Dinkin has handled contractual and disciplinary matters in administrative proceedings before arbitrators and governmental agencies, and has litigated labor, employment, and discrimination cases in state and federal courts at both trial and appellate levels. He received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings in 1983 and his undergraduate degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1974.

Derek Havel in the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group in the Los Angeles office, has significant experience in all phases of employment litigation, including numerous summary judgment motions and several jury trials. Havel has been involved in labor and employment disputes under state and federal law, including discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, and other classifications. Over the past several years, he has specialized in the defense of wage and hour class actions, including claims for overtime pay, meal and rest period violations, and vacation pay. Havel also has experience in traditional labor law. He received his J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles in 1997 and his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1994.

Sascha Henry is a member of the firm's Business Trial Practice Group and based in the firm's Los Angeles office. Specializing in complex business litigation, Henry has experience representing businesses in a variety of disputes, including class actions. Most recently, she has focused on defending businesses against claims of unfair competition law violations under Section 17200 of the Business and Professions Code. Henry also has significant experience defending clients against claims of fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, and malicious prosecution. Her experience includes state and federal litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Henry received her law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1997 and her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1994.

Stacey James is in the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group in the San Diego office. James has practiced exclusively in the field of labor and employment law, with an emphasis on advising management on wage and hour matters, employee discipline and termination, employment policies and procedures, employee benefits, and fair employment practices. She also represents employers in employment related litigation and before state and federal administrative agencies. James previously worked as a human resource professional and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by the Human Resource Certification Institute of the Society for Human Resource Management. She received her J.D. from University of San Diego in 1996 and a B.S. in Human Resources Management from San Diego University in 1991.

Donna Jones in the Real Estate, Land Use, and Environmental Practice Group and based in the firm's San Diego office, practices in land use as an attorney and registered lobbyist, focusing on compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, permitting requirements and other entitlement-related matters. Jones has entitled master planned communities; urban infill, multi-family and mixed use developments; shopping centers; municipal solid waste landfill expansions; and power plants. She also has negotiated master and individual affordable housing agreements, school mitigation agreements, park agreements, road improvement, water, sewer and other infrastructure and related agreements. Jones received her law degree, with high honors, from the University of Texas in 1990 and received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1981.

Stephen LaSala is in the Corporate Practice Group and based in the firm's Del Mar Heights office. LaSala has a corporate transactional and general business advisory practice, with emphasis in private financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, securities law compliance, corporate governance and matters relating to the formation and structure of business entities. LaSala represents companies ranging from newly-formed emerging growth companies to well established publicly traded companies and private equity firms. LaSala has represented clients engaged in a variety of industries including telecommunications, software, life sciences, health care, manufacturing, media and financial services. He received his J.D. from Fordham University in 1997 and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Boston College in 1994.

Rafael Muilenburg is in the firm's Real Estate, Land Use, and Environmental Practice Group and based in the firm's Del Mar Heights office. Muilenburg's primary practice involves advising and representing residential, industrial and commercial developers through all phases of the land use regulatory process, as well as transactional and finance work associated with real estate development. His land use and environmental experience includes preparation of CEQA documentation, permitting and environmental compliance, redevelopment, real estate due diligence, negotiating and drafting development agreements, processing land use entitlements, and negotiations with governmental agencies. Muilenburg is fluent in Spanish and has particular experience advising developers involved in the Hispanic market and cross-border transactions. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1997 and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Dartmouth University in 1993.

Mark Watkins is a member of the firm's Corporate Practice Group in the Orange County office. Watkins' principal areas of practice are mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, real estate, licensing and distribution, and general business counseling. Ranging from privately held, middle market businesses to multi-national publicly traded corporations, his clients cover a variety of industries, including real estate investment and development, construction, energy, transportation, manufacturing, retail trade, publishing and biotech. His clients include the largest independent retail nursery company in the Western U.S., the oldest continually producing portland cement company in the Western U.S., the oldest bulk handling and transportation company in California and the leading temporary power supplier in Southern California. He received his law degree from University of Southern California in 1997 and his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in 1994.

Steven Winick is a member of the firm's Business Trial Practice Group and based in the firm's San Francisco office. Winick's principal areas of practice are commercial litigation and appellate law, including banking litigation, professional malpractice, securities litigation, contract disputes, unfair competition, and trade secrets litigation. He is member of the Bar Association of San Francisco (Litigation Section) and the San Francisco Bank Attorneys Association. Winick is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Bay Make-A-Wish Foundation. He received his J.D. from Northwestern University in 1992 and his undergraduate degree, with distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1986.

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 480 attorneys in nine offices located throughout California and in New York and Washington, D.C. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Sheppard Mullin provides legal expertise and counsel to U.S. and international clients in a wide range of practice areas, including Antitrust, Corporate; Entertainment, Media and Communications; Finance and Bankruptcy; Government Contracts; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Real Estate/Land Use; Tax/Employee Benefits/Trusts & Estates; and White Collar Defense. The firm was founded in 1927.