News

02.15.2017

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated fifteen of its attorneys to partner.  The new partners are Frank A. Bacelli (Washington, D.C.), Dylan I. Ballard (San Francisco), Paul Berkowitz (Century City), Rachelle A. Costa (San Diego (Del Mar)), David D’Amour (Orange County), Anna T. Dorros (San Diego), Lisa M. Harris (Century City and New York), Jeff Kern (New York), Nam H. Kim (San Diego (Del Mar)), Jennifer Lee (Los Angeles), Marisa B. Miller (San Diego (Del Mar)), Lynsey Mitchel (Century City), Alex Y. Nie (Palo Alto), James F. Ritter (Washington, D.C.) and Karin Dougan Vogel (San Diego).

Frank Bacelli is a member of the Corporate practice group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Bacelli focuses his practice on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital matters. His practice involves a full range of corporate transactions, including leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, mergers and acquisitions, venture and growth equity financings, and joint ventures. Bacelli has extensive experience as lead counsel representing portfolio companies of sponsor funds in add-on acquisitions, dispositions, corporate governance, and day-to-day legal and commercial matters.   Bacelli received a J.D., magna cum laude, from Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in 1999 and a B.A., cum laude, from University at Buffalo in 1995.

Dylan Ballard is a member of the Antitrust and Competition practice group in the firm's San Francisco office.  Ballard specializes in complex business litigation and white collar criminal matters, with an emphasis on antitrust and unfair competition issues. He has significant experience defending U.S. and multinational businesses in all phases of class action litigation, as well as in civil and criminal proceedings involving federal, state, and foreign enforcement agencies.  Ballard received a J.D. from University of California, Hastings in 2007 and a B.A., with highest honors, from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2003.

Paul Berkowitz is a member of the Labor & Employment practice group in the firm's Century City office.  Berkowitz's practice involves representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment litigation in defense of wage and hour class actions and single-plaintiff harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination cases. He has won summary judgment and successfully defeated class certification in state and federal court. In addition to his litigation practice, Berkowitz provides clients with practical advice on a wide range of day-to-day employment law issues, including establishing effective human-resource policies and complying with federal and state laws, such as those relating to wage and hour issues, family/medical leave laws, and the discipline and termination processes.  Berkowitz received a J.D., Order of the Coif, from University of California, Los Angeles in 2007 and a B.A., cum laude, from University of Arizona in 2004.

Rachelle Costa is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office.  Costa represents residential and commercial real estate developers in connection with the creation of master planned communities, condominium, planned developments, custom lot subdivisions, high-rise developments, and commercial centers.  She has expertise in processing residential subdivisions with the California Bureau of Real Estate and creating sales, marketing and governance documents for use by residential developers on a national basis.  Costa’s practice also encompasses general real estate transactions including land use, entitlement, and purchase and sale.  Costa received a J.D. from University of California, Davis in 2001 and a B.A. in 1997.

David D'Amour is a member of the Finance and Bankruptcy practice group in the firm's Orange County office.  D'Amour represents clients in a broad range of financing transactions, including secured and unsecured credit facilities, real property secured transactions and asset-based facilities.  He is also an active member of Sheppard Mullin's hospitality team, and has experience negotiating hotel management agreements, SNDAs, license agreements and related commercial agreements.  D’Amour received a J.D., with high honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology in 2007 and a B.S., cum laude, from Boston University School of Management in 2004.

Anna Dorros is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in the firm's San Diego office.  Dorros has worked extensively with residential and commercial developers in connection with the developing and processing of residential, mixed-use, commercial and master planned developments. She has specialized expertise in California Bureau of Real Estate regulatory compliance matters.  Dorros received a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles in 2002 and a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1997.

Lisa Harris is a member of the Labor and Employment practice group in the firm's Century City and New York offices.  Harris counsels and represents management in both employment and traditional labor matters.  She regularly counsels management in all aspects of employment law, including employee hiring and discipline procedures, restrictive covenants, worker classification issues, leaves of absence, wage and hour compliance, and employee severance and termination procedures. She represents employers in single and multi-plaintiff harassment and discrimination claims.  Harris also assists employers in resisting unwelcome labor union organizing drives.  Harris received a J.D. from St. John's University in 2007 and a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley in 2003.

Jeff Kern is a member of the Government Contracts, Investigations, and International Trade practice group in the firm's New York office.  Kern's practice encompasses securities and insurance regulation, compliance, and litigation as well as internal investigations and white collar defense.  He represents broker-dealers and associated individuals who are the focus of SEC, FINRA and other regulatory investigations and provides guidance in the FINRA membership application and business expansion process. Before joining Sheppard Mullin, Kern served as Senior Regional Counsel in FINRA's Department of Enforcement and Senior Trial Counsel in the New York Stock Exchange Enforcement Division.  Kern received a J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1987 and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Boston College in 1984.

Nam Kim is a member in the Intellectual Property practice group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office.  Kim's practice focuses on patent litigation, patent preparation and prosecution, ex parte reexamination, AIA post-grant review proceedings, and IP counseling. He is involved in patent litigation matters to defend clients' IP rights against infringers and defend clients against alleged infringements. He also has extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications and provides strategic IP counseling. Mr. Kim also represents clients in reexamination and inter partes review proceedings. Kim received a J.D., cum laude, from University of Illinois College of Law in 2007, a M.S. in Physics from Cornell University in 1990 and a B.S., with honors, in Physics from Stanford University in 1985.

Jennifer Lee is a member of the Corporate practice group in the firm's Los Angeles office.  Lee enjoys a global practice representing public and private companies, particularly in the United States and Korea.  Lee’s practice covers a variety of industries, including entertainment and media, technology, manufacturing and financial services.  She has represented companies in a variety of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, public and private equity and debt offerings, venture capital investments, strategic alliances and other general corporate matters. In addition, Lee has advised entrepreneurs and start-up ventures in connection with formation and general corporate matters. She has also counseled public and private companies in all aspects of corporate governance.  Lee received from University of California, Los Angeles a J.D. in 2007 and a B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in 2004.

Marisa Miller is a member of the Business Trial practice group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office.  Miller specializes in complex business litigation with a focus on energy, environmental and construction matters. She has experience handling matters in all stages of litigation, from pre-lawsuit strategy and advice to post-trial motions and appeals. Her practice also includes international and domestic arbitration, as well as regulatory matters.  Miller’s practice often involves high stakes business disputes and complex damages claims.  Miller received a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 2006 and a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania in 2002.

Lynsey Mitchel is a member of the Corporate practice group in the firm's Century City office.  Mitchel represents hospitals, managed care organizations, medical groups, pharmacies, home health providers, medical device retailers and other healthcare entities and providers.  She has deep expertise in HMO regulatory matters and has assisted numerous clients to obtain HMO licensure as healthcare service plans under California’s Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act.  Mitchel has represented approximately half of all currently licensed restricted Knox-Keene HMO license holders in California in their licensure process. Mitchel received a J.D., cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 2004, a M.P.H., from University of California, Los Angeles in 2001 and a B.A., magna cum laude, Texas Tech University in 1999.

Alex Nie is a member of the Intellectual Property practice group in the firm's Palo Alto office.  Nie’s practice focuses on global intellectual property (IP) protection strategy and technology transfer issues, including patent procurement and enforcement, IP valuation and monetization, licensing, and technology transfer.  His multidisciplinary technical background enables him to advise a broad spectrum of technology companies on patent issues.  Nie received a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law in 2008, a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2001, a M.S. from Rutgers University in 2001, a M.S. from University of Science and Technology of China in 1996 and a B.S. from Wuhan University in 1993.

Jim Ritter is a member of the Corporate practice group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office.  Ritter has extensive experience in negotiating a wide variety of financing arrangements, including senior secured loans (both asset-based and cash flow loans) and mezzanine and other subordinated debt, secured high yield securities, acquisition financings, working capital financings, equipment leasing and other vendor finance transactions, letters of credit, derivatives contracts, and venture capital and other equity investments.  Ritter received a J.D., Order of the Coif, from University of Virginia School of Law in 1986 and a B.A., cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1981.

Karin Dougan Vogel is the firm’s Appellate practice leader and a member of the Business Trial practice group in the firm's San Diego office.  Vogel is a Certified Specialist in Appellate Law. She has extensive experience in appeals and writs on matters involving a broad range of complex business litigation, including business related torts and contract actions, land use disputes, partnership disputes, labor law matters, bankruptcy matters, financial institutions related actions, environmental issues, arbitration issues, class action issues, federal statutory and constitutional issues, and other complex commercial disputes. Vogel practices both in state and federal appellate courts, in all aspects of the appellate process.  Vogel received a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1986 and a B.A., Union College, highest honors,  in 1981.