Monthly Alumni Updates
Jan. 6, 2012
Paul Bauer, '99, has been promoted from senior counsel to shareholder at Walter & Wilhelm Law Group in Fresno. An active leader in numerous area community organizations, the employment and labor law specialist was recently recognized as a rising star by Northern California Super Lawyers magazine.
Jan. 5, 2012
Angelique Ashby, '03, was named vice mayor of Sacramento by unanimous vote of her City Council colleagues. The District 1 representative on the board, she will preside over council meetings when the mayor is absent.
Jan. 4, 2012
Matt Young, '05, has been hired as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Alan Laskin in Sacramento where he works in the firm's personal injury division.
Jan. 2, 2012
Lauren Manning, '11, has joined Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff as an associate. The Order of the Coif graduate worked as a law clerk for the Sacramento firm prior to her hiring and was involved in a record medical malpractice jury verdict the firm recently obtained for a paraplegic woman.
Jan. 1, 2012
William Seegmiller, '80, is hosting a new hour-long weekly radio show on KFWB News Talk 980 (Los Angeles) that will focus on advice for everyday legal problems. He is the founder of the West Seegmiller Law Firm, which has offices in five cities including Las Vegas.
Dec. 28, 2011
Mark Garibaldi, '88, has enjoyed more than 10 years of success in the self-help marketing business with his popular CD program, The Garo Method, which is designed to improve and maximize self-esteem, academic performance and athletic ability. He is a former Kern County deputy district attorney.
Dec. 26, 2011
Steve Martini, '74, has had his latest novel, Trader of Secrets, published by Harper Collins. In the book, his protagonist defense attorney is on the trail of dangerous criminals who are trying to steal state-of-the-art weapons technology.
Dec. 24, 2011
Joseph Fletcher, '80, has been elected to serve as Ojai city attorney by that municipality's city council. He served for 14 years as city attorney for Santa Ana before his retirement in 2010.
Dec. 20, 2011
Mat Larsen, '03, has been named a partner at the Kansas City office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, where he is a member of the firm's Torts Division and focuses his practice on environmental litigation.
Dec. 19, 2011
James Rushford, '79, won a defense verdict in Sacramento Superior Court for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company in an accident case in which a severely injured plaintiff claimed a manufacturer's design defect and sought a multi-million award.
Dec. 18, 2011
Jonathan Hobbs, '96, was named city attorney for Lincoln. A shareholder and chair of the board of directors at the Sacramento law firm of Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard, he also serves as city attorney for Rio Vista and interim city attorney for Elk Grove.
Dec. 17, 2011
Matt Maclear, '00, of El Cerrito was appointed assistant general counsel for enforcement at the California Environmental Protection Agency by Governor Jerry Brown. He had been the statewide environmental circuit prosecutor for the California District Attorneys Association since 2006.
Dec. 15, 2011
Dustin Bankston, '11, has opened the Bankston Immigration Law Office in Albany, California.
Dec. 10, 2011
Deborah Bain, '86, commented on the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assaults against Native American women in California in the Dec. issue of the California Bar Journal. She is the director of the Victim Services Unit for the California Attorney General's Office.
Dec. 8, 2011
Richard Mosher, '95, was profiled in the Law Technology News. He is the general counsel of Meru, a publicly-traded Sunnyvale company that manufactures access points, controllers and network management applications that transmit video, voice and data over wi-fi networks. His wife, Mia (Praisner) Mosher, '94, is a family law attorney who practices in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Dec. 7, 2011
Mike McGowan, '76, was elected 2012 president of the California State Association of Counties at the 117-year-old organization's annual conference held in San Francisco. The first mayor of West Sacramento, he has been a member of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors since 1993.
Dec. 5, 2011
Grant House, '76, has joined Rodemich and Sons LLC in Quincy, Illinois, as a realtor-broker specializing in homes, farms and land. An Illinois native, he recently returned home after four years working in Israel and a successful nine-year real estate career in Las Vegas that included helping to make his Century21 office the top-selling office in the world for that franchise for two consecutive years.
Dec. 4, 2011
Dario Mutabdzija, '08, LL.M. '09, has been named president of Sunnyvale-based Blueseed Co., which has floated a plan to anchor a large vessel off the California coast to house foreign entrepreneurs who would commute back-and-forth to Silicon Valley with visitor visas.
Dec. 3, 2011
Seaton Tsai, '10, has joined the Law Offices of Rene Korper in Valencia where his practice focuses on plaintiffs work, particularly consumer protection litigation.
Dec. 2, 2011
Preston Morgan, '09, Elizabeth Leet Jackson, '10, and Justin Delacruz, '11, have joined Downey Brand as associates in Sacramento. Delacruz and Morgan will work in the firm's litigation practice group while Jackson will work in the corporate practice group.
Dec. 1, 2011
Anthony Leones, '96, was named the managing shareholder, effective Jan. 1, 2012, of one of California's most prominent real estate law firms, Miller Starr Regalia. The previous managing shareholder of the Walnut Creek firm served in that role for 27 years.
Nov. 28, 2011
Fred Wapner, '75, the son of TV judge Joe Wapner of People's Court fame, was profiled in the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He is a long-time judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Nov. 24, 2011
Chad Bunch, '04, was voted into the partnership at Palmieri, Tyler, Wiener, Wilhelm & Waldron, LLP in Irvine, where he practices estate and business succession planning for high net worth individuals.
Nov. 19, 2011
Terry Cassidy, '81, will take over as managing shareholder Nancy Sheehan, '83, and Carl Calnero, '84, will serve as co-managing shareholders of Porter Scott, effective Jan. 2, 2012. Tony Warburg, '77, is stepping down as managing partner after 15 years at the helm of the well-known Sacramento civil litigation defense firm.
Nov. 18, 2011
Sharon Stevenson, '83, was appointed to serve as general counsel for the California Health Benefits Exchange Board. Previously, she was the chief administrative law judge and deputy director of the California Department of Health Care Services.
Nov. 17, 2011
Patricia Curtin, '87, has joined Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean as a partner and will lead the Oakland firm's land use practice. An environmental law specialist and recognized "Northern California Super Lawyer" for the last five years, she previously chaired the land use practice group at Morgan Miller.
Nov. 17, 2011
David Eichman, '95, wrote a whodunit novel, BULL, which has been published by Xlibris. The former theater actor, who began his legal career as a deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County, is a civil rights and appellate attorney in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Nov. 17, 2011
Jeffery Kuhn, '79, was profiled in the Sanger Herald. A partner with the Fresno firm of Lozano Smith and former county counsel for Madera County, he is the city attorney for Sanger.
Nov. 16, 2011
Mark Narveson, '11, has joined Patterson Sheridan LLP, an intellectual property firm, as an associate in Palo Alto.
Nov. 15, 2011
Jeff Witthun, '93, has joined the Clark County District Attorney's Office as the assistant director of its Family Support Division in Las Vegas. Previously, he was the lead attorney at Kenosha County Child Support Agency and the president of the child support organization Woodford County Special Education Association in Wisconsin.
Nov. 15, 2011
Tony Carlos, '09, has announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress in California's redrawn 3rd Congressional District. The Marysville-Yuba City native is a Sutter County deputy district attorney.
Nov. 14, 2011
Joseph Speaker, '11, has joined Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck as an associate in its Roseville office.
Nov. 13, 2011
Julie Shepard, '94, has been named a partner in the Los Angeles office of Jenner & Block, a national firm with 470 attorneys. She focuses on broad-based commercial, entertainment and IP litigation. Her practice includes defending clients in class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and business torts.
Nov. 12, 2011
Jim Fallman, '74, was sworn in as the Municipal Court judge for the City of Gold Beach, Oregon. He was a long-time senior deputy district attorney in Del Norte County in northern California.
Nov. 12, 2011
Randy Thomas, '77, was the subject of a lengthy profile story in the Lodi News-Sentinel. A criminal defender who has handled several major cases, the Woodbridge lawyer is well-known as a big-game hunter who has toured the world and been involved in conservation efforts to save exotic animals in Africa.
Nov. 11, 2011
Stephanie Quinn, '01, has been selected to the Northern California Rising Stars section of Super Lawyers magazine. She is a partner at Murphy Campbell Guthrie & Alliston, PLC, in Sacramento.
Nov. 11, 2011
Jerry Spolter, '74, was named to the Top 40 Neutrals list in the Los Angeles Daily Journal. The former managing partner of Spolter, McDonald & Mannion in San Francisco is one of JAMS most recognized mediators.
Nov. 10, 2011
Julie Shepard, '94, has joined Jenner & Block as a partner in its Los Angeles office. An IP media and entertainment law specialist, she was previously a partner at Hogan Lovelis LLP.
Nov. 10, 2011
Sebastian Nielsen, LL.M. '10, has joined Danders & More in Copenhagen, Denmark, as an attorney in its dispute resolution team. He is also a new member of the State Bar of New York.
Nov. 10, 2011
Mark Hausholder, '00, has been recognized by Cambridge's Who's Who as a VIP of the Year for his work in criminal defense. The managing partner of Okabe & Hausholder in Redondo Beach, he has represented several high-profile clients in Southern California and appeared on CNN, NBC and CBS as a commentator on other trials.
Nov. 9, 2011
Hubert Johnson Sr., '07, and Richard Kwun, '05, have joined the Law Offices of Bowman and Associates APC in Folsom. Johnson has worked as a city prosecutor in Idaho and as a tax attorney in California. Kwun, an experienced bankruptcy attorney, previously served as a managing attorney for a large national corporation.
Nov. 8, 2011
William Benz, '79, was re-elected to a six-year term as district magistrate in Northampton Township, Pennsylvania. That state's magisterial district courts are responsible for adjudicating all traffic and non-traffic citations as well as processing criminal and private criminal complaints inclusive of arraignments and preliminary hearings.
Nov. 7, 2011
Andrew Tauriainen, '01, has taken a legal counsel position with the state Water Resources Control Board's Office of Enforcement. Previously, he was in private practice with Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard.
Nov. 6, 2011
Kathleen Drakulich, '83, was the subject of a feature story in the Reno Gazette Journal. A partner at McDonald Carano Wilson LLP, she was recently appointed by Governor Brian Sandoval to the state's new Economic Development Board.
Nov. 5, 2011
Timothy McAdam, '83, is completing his 24th year as the Town Justice for Shawangunk, New York. He will continue his general private practice in the neighboring Ulster County town of Walden.
Nov. 3, 2011
Brian Qualls, '04, has joined the Principal Financial Services Group in Modesto as a financial services representative. He previously was in private practice.
Nov. 2, 2011
Richard Sutherland, '05, has joined the mortgage litigation team at Smith Dollar in Santa Rosa as an attorney. Previously with Nossaman LLP, he handles mortgage banking, loss mitigation and financial services cases.
Nov. 1, 2011
Edward Randolph, '03, has joined the California Public Utilities Commission as its Energy Division director. Previously, he spent eight years as chief consultant to the California State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
Nov. 1, 2011
Matthew Scott, '11, released his debut album, Soul, as a singer/pianist. The Elk Grove attorney, who has opened The Law Office of Matthew D. Scott, performs a collection of 10 classic African-American spirituals that were arranged by a well-known composer.
OBITUARIES
Nov. 24, 2011
Loren Smith, '61, died at the age of 84 in Sacramento after a long illness. His legal career included managing the California School Employees Association, founding the lobbying firm of California Advocates, and serving as the dean of Lincoln Law School from 1995 to 1999.
Nov. 20, 2011
Michael A. White, '74, died of complications from cancer at the age of 71. A former Sacramento County deputy district attorney, he spent several years as a charter boat captain in the Caribbean before operating his own family law practice in Sacramento until his retirement in 2004.
Sept. 15, 2011
David Alves, '69, died at the age of 70 in Rescue. After graduation from law school, he joined the Office of Legislative Counsel. He served as an attorney to the California Legislature for 31 years, rising to the level of principal deputy legislative counsel.
Aug. 8, 2011
Saundra R. Wolk, '83, died at the age of 56 in Sacramento. A native of Rochester, Minnesota, she practiced law until 2002 with Hannan & Wolk in downtown Sacramento.
Aug. 8, 2011
Andrew Puccinelli, ’78, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 58 in Reno. A former president of the State Bar of Nevada, Puccinelli served as a judge of the 4th District Court in Elko for nine years. Governor Brian Sandoval ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the Capitol in Carson City.
July 27, 2011
Jack Martin, ’52, died at the age of 84 in Roseville. A World War II veteran, he attended law school while working as an IRS agent. He opened a Sacramento law office in 1955 and operated a general practice for 35 years highlighted by oral argument before the California Supreme Court and judge pro tem service.
June 29, 2011
Terry Smith, ’70, died, at the age of 76 in Sacramento after an extended illness. A top-flight amateur boxer and alternate on the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, he went on to a 25-year career with the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office. He was also a well-known boxing referee who officiated at several world title bouts.
May 15, 2011
Michael Ward, '76, died at the age of 62. A long-time resident of Placerville, he was a founding partner of Cuneo, Black, Ward & Missler in Sacramento, which became one of the largest workers' comp law firms in Northern California. Active in the Placerville community for many years, he was on the board of directors of Marshall Hospital from 2004 to 2011.
May 1, 2011
Kelley Farrell, ’84, died at the age of 53 in Sacramento. She began her legal career at Hanna Brophy, practiced workers’ comp law on her own for many years, and was most recently staff counsel at the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
May 13, 2011
Oren Marsh, '84, died at the age of 52 in Porter Ranch. He was a personal injury lawyer in Glendale and later a medical malpractice attorney in Northridge.
April 17, 2011
Wardon Moul, ’74, died at the age of 84 in Carmichael. A World War II veteran, he served as legal counsel to several Sacramento County agencies for more than 35 years until his retirement.
April 8, 2011
Kristin A. (Sargent) Smith, ’93, died at the age of 42 in Sacramento. She began her legal career in private practiced in Bakersfield, later working for a company in Sacramento before joining the California State Department of Managed Care. Most recently, she was legal counsel at the State Treasurer’s Office.
March 3, 2011
Jonathan Carter, ’82, died at the age of 57 in Eugene, Oregon. He worked for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office as a deputy attorney general for the Department of Child and Family Services for 10 years before going into private practice. Illness forced his retirement to Elkton, Oregon.
Feb. 12, 2011
Manuel E. Lopes, ’69, died of pneumonia at age 84 in Citrus Heights. A World War II veteran and former Sacramento City Police sergeant, he practiced law for many years as a Sacramento County deputy counsel.
Jan. 13, 2011
Betty Muegge, ’75, died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 76 in Roseville. A family law and estate planning attorney for 35 years, she was active in the Placer SPCA and once wrote a book, Who’ll Get The Pets, combining her legal expertise with a love of animals.
Jan. 10, 2011
Bryce Caughey, '84, died at the age of 52 in Salem, Oregon. He practiced environmental law with the California Department of Toxic Substances and as a private practitioner in Oregon.
Jan. 10, 2011
Thomas Russell, ’77, died in a plane crash in Guatemala at the age of 62. He was a retired circuit judge of the Illinois 7th Judicial Court in Jerseyville, Illinois. A Stanford graduate who was raised in California, Russell earned a Diploma in Comparative Law from McGeorge's fall program in Salzburg in addition to his J.D. degree. He served on the bench in southwestern Illinois for more than 25 years before retiring, in part to serve volunteer organizations in Guatemala where he maintained a second home.