News

02.13.2013

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated thirteen of its attorneys to partner.  The thirteen new partners are Brian D. Anderson (San Francisco), Nathaniel Bruno (Washington, D.C.), Michael Chan (Los Angeles), Paul S. Cowie (Palo Alto), David S. Gallacher (Washington, D.C.), Michael C. Gibson (Washington, D.C.), David E. Hengstler (Orange County), Meredith A. Jones-McKeown (San Francisco), Daniel C. Kloke (Palo Alto), Michael R. Leake (San Diego), Michael D. Orlando (Del Mar), Jason R. Schendel (Palo Alto) and Babak G. Yousefzadeh (San Francisco). 

Brian Anderson is a member of the Intellectual Property practice group and is based in the San Francisco office.  Anderson enjoys a broad intellectual property and commercial transactions, corporate, advertising and data privacy and protection practice.  He helps technology and media companies at all stages of their growth in the commercialization of their intellectual property assets, including licensing and other technology transactions.  Anderson has additional expertise in the intellectual property aspects of M&A and other corporate matters.  He also represents many of the largest retailers and consumer product manufacturers in the country on advertising, social media, cause marketing and e-mail and mobile marketing; sweepstakes and contests; Internet and e-commerce; gift cards, prepaid access and mobile payments; IT and business process outsourcing; and all forms of commercial transactions.  Anderson also focuses his practice on compliance with the various laws and standards that regulate the collection, use, sharing and protection of data, as well as data-related transactions.  He received both his J.D. and his undergraduate degree, with honors, from University of California, Davis in 2002 and 1999 respectively.

Nate Bruno is a member of the Intellectual Property practice group and is based in the Washington, D.C. office.  Bruno is an IP litigator who represents innovative clients in the proactive protection of their inventions, creative content, brands, and strategic business advantages. He also serves on the firm's pro bono committee, leading numerous compassionate pro bono efforts.  Bruno's core litigation practice focuses on all intellectual property disciplines.  He zealously prosecutes and defends patent, trademark, and copyright infringement matters, and trade secret misappropriation matters.  Bruno also has broad experience in a variety of business litigation disciplines (including real estate, construction, white collar defense, and commercial) that contribute to his skill as a counselor and negotiator.  He has extensive experience in all aspects of litigation, serving technology, entertainment and media, fashion, retail, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, construction, financial institution, and other business and commercial clients.  Bruno additionally has expertise in counseling and representing religious organizations with respect to issues pertaining to their unique services and needs.  He received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from University of California, Hastings in 2003 and his undergraduate degree, high distinction, from University of California, Berkeley in 2000. 

Michael Chan is a member of the Tax, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group in the Los Angeles office.  Chan counsels employers with respect to the design, administration and legal compliance of qualified retirement plans, including defined benefit plans, employee stock ownership plans, tax-sheltered annuities and defined contribution plans.  He also has extensive experience in assisting employers with the maintenance and administration of welfare benefit arrangements.  A significant portion of Chan's practice involves advising clients with respect to the employee benefits and ERISA-related issues that arise in the context of mergers and acquisition transactions.  He advises clients with respect to equity and non-equity based incentive compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation, change in control, and severance arrangements, including the Internal Revenue Code rules governing the taxation of such arrangements.  Chan received his LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 2003, his J.D. from University of Oregon School of Law in 2002 and his undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles in 1997. 

Paul Cowie is a member of the Labor and Employment practice group and is based in the Palo Alto office.  Cowie represents employers in the full range of employment matters, with his focus on litigation and class actions.  He specializes in litigation avoidance counseling and has successfully reduced clients’ litigation docket to zero many times.  Cowie's experience includes litigating and advising on matters involving all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; wrongful termination; wage and hour disputes and compliance; independent contractor status; reductions in force; workplace investigations; discipline; grievance; whistleblower claims; workplace violence; and Labor Code violations.  He practices in both state and federal court, and represents employers in all forums.  Before practicing in the U.S., Cowie practiced in the UK, representing and advising employers at all stages of employment litigation, including as lead counsel in UK Employment Tribunals.  Here in the U.S. Cowie has represented clients in employment discrimination and wrongful termination jury trials, drafted hundreds of employment contracts and settlement agreements, and negotiated warranties and indemnities in corporate transactions.  Cowie received his J.D., LLB honors, from University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK in 2001.

David Gallacher is a member of the Government Contracts, International Trade and Investigations practice group in the Washington, D.C. office.  Gallacher's professional experience involves a wide variety of litigation, administrative, and counseling issues related to federal procurement laws.  His experience is extensive and includes complex litigation in federal court under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, claims disputes before the Boards of Contract Appeals and bid protest actions. Gallacher regularly counsels both domestic and foreign companies on issues relating to compliance with government regulations including, among other things, subcontract administration, country of origin requirements under the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts, export controls, commercial item exceptions, merger and acquisition due diligence, cost accounting, suspension and debarment, and small business requirements.  He also regularly conducts compliance reviews and internal investigations to assist companies ensure that they are in full compliance with the law.  He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from American University in 2001 and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from University of Utah in 1997.

Michael Gibson is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in the Washington, D.C. office.  Gibson has experience in real property purchase and sale, leasing, licensing and financing transactions.  He has represented a private equity fund that invests in properties through sale-leaseback transactions throughout the United States.  Gibson has represented tenants and landlords in commercial leasing of shopping centers and commercial and industrial office buildings.  He has represented borrowers and lenders in construction, term and revolving loans and lines of credit secured by real estate and other assets.  Gibson received his J.D., magna cum laude, from American University in 2003 and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Boston College in 1999.

David Hengstler is a member of the Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in the Orange County office.  Hengstler specializes in real estate, secured and unsecured lending transactions, complex workouts, and enforcement of creditor's rights and remedies.  Hengstler’s clients include national banks, local and regional banks, life insurance companies, and other institutional lenders.  His commercial lending practice includes structuring, negotiating and documenting senior and mezzanine debt financing, ground lease financing, joint venture equity transactions, bond financing, and participating or contingent interest financing.  Additionally, Hengstler has extensive experience in advising clients on problem loans, complex restructuring issues, and the exercise of creditor's rights and remedies, including real property and UCC foreclosures, and deeds in lieu of foreclosure.  His corporate law experience includes corporate, limited liability company and partnership formation and governance, share purchase agreements, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and real estate purchase and sale transactions.  Hengstler received his J.D. from University of Southern California in 2004 and his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of California, Irvine in 2000.

Meredith Jones-McKeown is a member of the Business Trial practice group and is based in the San Francisco office.  Jones-McKeown specializes in construction, environmental, government contracts and real estate litigation and transactions.  She is an experienced trial attorney and has also negotiated and structured numerous contracts for complex construction projects.  Jones-McKeown litigates complex commercial matters, with particular emphasis on litigation arising out of private and public construction projects, real estate disputes, Proposition 65 and environmental clean-up actions.  She has successfully tried cases in state and federal court as well as private arbitration.  Jones-McKeown also drafts and negotiates complex construction contracts, including EPC contracts, design-build contracts, professional/consultant contracts, and modified AIA documents.  She received her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Columbia College, Columbia University in 2000.  In 2011 and 2012, Ms. Jones-McKeown was named a "Rising Star" by Northern California Super Lawyers, and she has also been recognized by Legal 500 and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.

Daniel Kloke is a member of the Intellectual Property practice group in the Palo Alto office.  Kloke specializes in intellectual property law with an emphasis on patent prosecution, strategic patent counseling, patent litigation, drafting and negotiating intellectual property licensing agreements, and counseling on open source as well as standards-setting issues.  He has also prepared numerous appeals and noninfringement opinions as well as participated in reexamination proceedings and patent litigation related to Lemelson v. Via Technologies.  In addition to his patent practice, Kloke has extensive experience as a litigating attorney in complex commercial litigation matters.  Over his career, he has worked closely with clients to create market power and promote valuation through implementation of sound legal strategies to leverage intellectual property assets and investments. In addition to intellectual property portfolio development, Kloke has assisted businesses and counsel to analyze patents and other intellectual property to prepare for and support offensive as well as defensive litigation.  He received his J.D. from University of Pittsburgh in 1998, his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2004, his B.B.A. in Business Administration in 1991 and his B.S. in Political Science in 1991 from Texas A&M University. 

Mike Leake is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in the San Diego office.  Leake has a broad based real estate transactional practice with experience in real property purchase and sale, leasing and financing.  He represents real estate investment funds, REITs and developers in the acquisition, leasing, financing and disposition of real estate assets and residential real estate developers in purchase and sale transactions and post-acquisition site development and cost sharing agreements.  In addition, Leake represents a variety of commercial and industrial building owners and tenants in the structuring, documentation and negotiation of office, retail and industrial use leases and related occupancy and build-out agreements in suburban office park developments and downtown commercial district buildings.  He also represents lending institutions and borrowers in real estate secured financings for purchase of real property and construction of improvements on real property.  Leake received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1999 and his undergraduate degree from Montana State University, Billings in 1995. 

Michael Orlando is a member of the Corporate and Intellectual Property practice groups in the Del Mar office.  Orlando advises clients on corporate law, venture capital financing, mergers & acquisitions, intellectual property licensing and other commercial transactions.  His corporate practice involves entity structuring for start-up companies, joint ventures, and investment funds, including limited liability companies; assisting both companies and investors in venture capital financings and private equity investments; and representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, including cross-border and international transactions.  Orlando’s corporate practice spans multiple industries, including software, hardware, telecommunications, multimedia, consumer products, sports equipment, apparel, pharmaceuticals and real estate.  He has extensive experience assisting companies with their intellectual property and commercial transactions.  Orlando helps clients develop, acquire, protect and commercialize their proprietary technology.  He received his J.D. and M.B.A. from University of San Diego in 2002 and 2003 respectively, and his undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego in 1998. 

Jason Schendel is a member of the Corporate practice group in the Palo Alto office.  Schendel's practice focuses on advising public and private companies in mergers & acquisitions, securities offerings, corporate governance, SEC reporting, and general corporate matters.  He also has extensive experience working with private equity funds in connection with fund formation, general fund operating matters, and buy-side M&A.  Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Schendel had been general counsel of Entelos, Inc., a privately held life sciences company.  He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2002 and his undergraduate degree from University of Minnesota in 1996. 

Babak Yousefzadeh is a member of the firm's Labor and Employment practice group in the San Francisco office.  Yousefzadeh represents employers in a full range of employment law matters, with a focus on litigation and class actions.  He also specializes in litigation avoidance counseling.  Yousefzadeh’s experience includes advising and litigation on matters involving all forms of discrimination, harassment, retaliation issues; breach of contract disputes; wrongful termination claims; wage and hour issues; independent contractor status; workplace investigations; discipline; grievance; workplace violence; Labor Code violations; and other statutory and contractual obligations. He is experienced with single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action proceedings, and practices in both state and federal bodies, in all applicable forums.  He is also experienced with defending employers at administrative hearings before the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, and has defended repeated claims against employers successfully, obtaining complete defense rulings. He also has successfully defended employee terminations at arbitration on behalf of unionized employers.  Yousefzadeh received his J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law in 2004, his LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 2010, and his undergraduate degree from University of California, Davis in 2000.