Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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Sheppard Mullin Elevates Two to Partner in Los Angeles
SNR Denton Adds Corporate Partner, Holland & Knight to Move Offices
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP yesterday announced the elevation of Los Angeles labor attorney Jason W. Kearnaghan and Century City entertainment law practitioner Robb J. Klein to partner.
A total of seven associates, including one in Shanghai, one in New York and three in Washington D.C., joined the partnership firmwide.
Kearnaghan’s practice focuses on the defense of complex wage and hour class action litigation, and he represents employers with respect claims of wrongful discharge, discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and hostile work environment, a spokesperson for the firm said.
The attorney has also represented employers in union grievance proceedings and hearings before the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and the National Labor Relations Board.
He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1995 and the University of San Diego School of Law in 1999 before being admitted to practice in 2000.
Klein primarily works in film and television financing, production and distribution, merchandising, and the licensing of rights and new media, the spokesperson said. He devotes much of his practice to the representation of producers, rights owners, banks, entrepreneurs, tax funds and hedge funds, in secured lending and complex multi-party financing arrangements, as well as in structuring international co-productions.
After graduating from England’s Manchester University in 1989 and Chester College of Law in 1990, Klein practiced law in the United Kingdom, becoming a partner with a large European firm, based in London, before relocating to the United States to join Sheppard Mullin. He was admitted to practice in California in 2008.
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SNR Denton has promoted 16 lawyers to partnership, including Los Angeles- based corporate lawyer Don L. Weaver. Weaver focuses his practice on finance, including secured lending, securitizations, leasing and project finance transactions.
He was Order of the Coif at USC Law School, graduating in 1977. His undergraduate degree is from UC Santa Barbara.
The other new partners are located in Phoenix; Dallas; New York; Chicago; Kansas City; Washington, D.C.; and St. Louis.
The firm was recently formed through a merger of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Denton Wilde Sapte LLP.
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Holland & Knight yesterday announced that its downtown Los Angeles office is planning to relocate from its current location on Fifth Street in the former Library Tower building to the nearby Mellon Bank Center on Hope Street.
A spokesperson for the firm said the move is expected to take place in April, and the new 41,500-square foot space at 400 South Hope Street is in the process of being renovated to accommodate the Los Angeles office’s 80 lawyers and staff, and to meet future needs.
Managing partner Steven Sonberg said:
“L.A. is an important market for us and with our reputation for providing quality service and value to our clients we expect to grow here.”
He explained the new office space “will enable us to expand our work for clients and attract top lateral talent.”
Los Angeles executive partner Jerry Levine praised the new location as a “beautiful space” providing “first-class” layout options for the office. He said this move “not only demonstrates our firm’s commitment to the L.A. community and our clients, but will allow for growth in our office and on the West Coast.”
The firm is also expanding and renovating space for its San Francisco financial district offices, and is remodeling its Portland, Ore. offices.
Copyright 2011, Metropolitan News Company