Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Friday, January 8, 2010

 

Page 3

 

Michelman & Robinson and Quinn Emanual Elevate Partners in Los Angeles Offices

 

By STEVEN M. ELLIS, Staff Writer

 

Michelman & Robinson said yesterday that the head of its Los Angeles office has become the firm’s managing partner, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges announced that two attorneys in its Los Angeles office have been elected partner.

Dana A. Kravetz took over daily operations from Michelman & Robinson co-founder Sanford L. Michelman Jan. 1, the firm said, while Quinn Emanuel said that Anthony Alden and John Pierce have been elevated to partner.

Kravetz has acted as administrative partner and managing partner of the firm’s flagship Los Angeles office for five years, and chairs the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Department. A graduate of UC San Diego and Southwestern University School of Law, he joined the State Bar in 1995.

Michelman helped found the firm and headed operations since its inception. During his tenure, the firm grew from a regional, Encino-based firm to a national firm with 13 legal departments. The firm also has offices in Sacramento, San FranciscoNew York and New Jersey.

He will remain chair of the firm’s executive committee, the firm said, and will focus and assist in developing long term strategy for future growth and enhancing current practice areas.

Alden is a graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and Columbia Law School, and a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia. He practiced for several years in the taxation department of an Australian firm before joining Quinn Emanuel.

Admitted to the State Bar of California in 2004, his practice focuses on complex commercial and intellectual property litigation and arbitration, including patent infringement, contract, trade secret misappropriation and class actions.

Pierce represents companies and individuals in complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. His practice includes breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, entertainment industry disputes and structured finance litigation.

A graduate of the U.S. Army’s Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., he served on active duty from 1994 to 1997 as an M1A1 Abrams tank platoon leader in the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

Pierce obtained a B.B.A. in finance and business economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he was part of the school’s R.O.T.C. program, and attended Harvard Law School before joining the State Bar in 2007.

Quinn Emmanuel has over 400 attorneys in its offices, which are also located in New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London and Tokyo.

In other news, Hawkins, Parnell & Thackston on Wednesday announced the addition of a number of California attorneys, including three in its Los Angeles office.

The firm said Jacob Zuniga joined its office in its Business Litigation Group, and Mark Hilliard and Kelly Hagemann joined the office in the firm’s Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation Group. It also said attorneys Jason Irvin of Dallas and Alex Barfield of Atlanta will be “an active part” of the firm’s Los Angeles litigation team.

Zuniga was admitted to the State Bar in 2003 after attending college and law school at Pepperdine University. His practice focuses on labor and employment issues, and commercial litigation matters. He also defends clients in product liability and personal injury litigation.

Hilliard is a graduate of St. Louis University and the University of Dayton School of Law who joined the State Bar in 2007. He represents companies in all phases of product liability, mass tort, and complex commercial litigation.

Hagemann attended UC San Diego and Pepperdine University School of Law before admission to the State Bar in 2005. Her practice concentrates on the defense of toxic tort, environmental and product liability litigation.

Irvin graduated from college and law school at the University of Texas, and joined the California State Bar last year. Also licensed in Texas and New Mexico, he represents business clients in product liability, toxic tort and business litigation, and is a member of the Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation Group.

Barfield graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before attending business and law school at the University of Georgia. Licensed to practice in Georgia, he passed the July 2009 California bar exam and the firm said he is scheduled to be sworn in to the State Bar of California in March.

He is part of Hawkins Parnell’s Labor & Employment Litigation Group and represents management exclusively in all areas of labor and employment litigation and counseling.

Hawkins Parnell has over 101 litigation and trial attorneys in its offices, which are also located in Atlanta, Dallas and Charleston, W.Va.

 

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