Founder and Partner

Practice included complex civil litigation, professional liability defense, and transactional work on a wide range of matters, as well as general business and employment litigation. Drafted MSAs/MSJs, mediation and settlement briefs, 998 offers to compromise, post-trial motions, discovery, discovery responses, and discovery motions. All writing performed with minimal supervision. Knowledgeable on issues relating to discovery of electronically stored information and how to efficiently manage this process. Met with clients at intake meetings, communicated with clients during matters, and participated in multiple mediations and settlement negotiations. Defended and took depositions. Clients included architects, engineers of all types, attorneys, and employers including municipal/civil employers. Strong writing and oral advocacy skills further honed while at Butz, Dunn & DeSantis. Comfortable working with minimal supervision in a deadline-driven context.

Defended physicians and healthcare entities in medical malpractice cases and Medical Board investigations; authored Court of Appeal Briefs; authored lengthy final decisions for Judicial Review Committees in five complex physician peer-review matters. Took and defended depositions, interviewed witnesses, coordinated with experts in medical malpractice case analysis, and conducted deposition preparation sessions. Created PowerPoint presentations for use at numerous seminars/meetings to increase firm business. Performed legal research/drafted memoranda on a variety of issues. Observed and emulated effective communication strategies of senior partners when dealing with sophisticated clients and counsel. Learned diligence re proper file management and document control; I am very familiar with e-discovery issues and practices. Trained to perform excellent and complete analyses of medical records which was a key to my providing clients with an excellent, proactive, and comprehensive representation from the complaint stage through ultimate resolution of the case, whether at trial or via settlement/dismissal.

Drafted motions, discovery responses, and jury verdict forms for civil litigation. Assisted counsel during trial with arguing motions in limine; document organization at counsel table. Edited video depositions, scanned exhibits and photographs for use at trial using Trial Director 5 software.

Researched wide range of issues (business torts or transactions, fraud, securities, employment law) for litigation attorneys. Drafted discovery, correspondence, and memoranda. Created electronic discovery tutorial for litigation attorneys’ CLE training. Worked 20 hours per week while enrolled in five classes (16 units).

Continual training of company research staff in cytometry theory, experimental design, and data interpretation with the goal of perfecting the safe therapeutic use of adult-derived stem cells to repair lost or damaged tissue. Responsible for documentation and analysis of results in compliance with FDA regulations.

Managed UCSD Biology Department cell sorting facility in the Neurosciences building. Assisted various laboratories in experimental design and execution to maximize efficient use of the facility. Interpreted the data generated by the software; explained the significance of the results to my clients. Responsible for reservations, budgeting, billing, and maintenance. Trained colleagues in proper instrument usage.

Trained new colleagues in cell preparation, experimental design, FACS DiVa use, and data analysis. Oral progress reports presented in semi-monthly lab meetings; occasionally with collaborating labs. Used cell sorting to isolate low numbers of lymphocytes from individual mice for micro-array analysis and quantitative-PCR. Our focus was the mechanisms of B-Cell mediated immunity.

Research focused on maximizing efficacy of flu and pneumonia vaccines for at-risk infants, children and seniors by analyzing the genes that regulate viral immunity in humans. As Safety Officer I was responsible for compliance with CAL-OSHA regulations regarding emergency response, safe radio-isotope use and disposal, MSDS data, and handling of highly infectious human blood and tissue samples. Generated and analyzed wide variety of data (serological, genetic, bacteriological, etc.) used to support our findings as reported in peer-reviewed journals.