Patrick J. Somers as partner in Los Angeles from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP has announced that Patrick J. Somers has joined as a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Somers has represented publicly traded and privately held companies and individuals in a wide range of litigation and regulatory matters, including securities litigation, complex commercial disputes, regulatory issues, and government investigations.

Michael Thomas Frank as partner in Silicon Valley from Sidley Austin LLP.

Crystal Leiane Miller-O'Brien as corporate counsel in Los Angeles

Paul Karl Lukacs as head of branch

Mindee J Stekkinger as partner in Oxnard

Beach Cowdrey Jenkins, LLP has announced that Mindee Stekkinger has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Oxnard office. Stekkinger’s practice focuses on personal injury, construction defect, real estate, general civil litigation and insurance policy enforcement. At the firm, Stekkinger defends health care and human service providers, including physicians, hospitals, public health agencies, drug treatment centers, and family service agencies, against claims of personal injury, sexual abuse, elder and dependent adult abuse, wrongful death, and negligence.

David William Loy as partner in Oxnard

Beach Cowdrey Jenkins, LLP has announced that David Loy has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Oxnard office. At the firm, Loy’s practice involves areas of personal injury, elder and dependent adult abuse, sexual abuse, and administrative appeals, with a particular focus in litigating wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases.

Darryl Craig Hottinger as partner in Oxnard

Beach Cowdrey Jenkins, LLP has announced that Darryl Hottinger has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Oxnard office. Hottinger heads the firm’s law and motion department, handling critical motions, writs, and appeals.

Michael Thomas Frank as partner in Silicon Valley from Sidley Austin LLP.

Hogan Lovells has announced that Michael T. Frank has joined its corporate practice as a partner in Silicon Valley. Frank’s practice focuses on advising clients on the compensation and benefits aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and spin-offs. He counsels clients on the design and implementation of non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements, including Section 409A rules and on the proxy disclosure of public company compensation information. Frank also helps companies with issues related to their equity-and cash-based incentive programs.

David Jason Gershon as partner in San Francisco from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP has announced that David J. Gershon has joined the firm’s corporate practice group as a partner in San Francisco. Gershon’s practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions in securities and general corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, securities law compliance, SEC reporting, securities offerings and corporate governance. He also represents technology companies, underwriters and private equity funds in these matters.

Wynter Lavier Deagle as partner in San Diego from Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC.

Troutman Sanders LLP has announced that Wynter Deagle has joined the firm’s business litigation practice as a partner in San Diego. Deagle’s practice focuses on all manner of business disputes, including commercial litigation, corporate governance, fiduciary duties, class actions and First Amendment claims. He has counseled directors and officers of both public and private companies on corporate governance issues and fiduciary duties and advises on data breach incident management and response, privacy related litigation and regulatory inquiries related to data security practices.

Justin Scott Nahama as partner in San Diego from Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC.

Troutman Sanders LLP has announced that Justin Nahama has joined the firm’s business litigation practice as a partner in San Diego. Nahama’s practice focuses on business litigation, intellectual property, technology, white collar defense and government investigations and enforcement. He also represents entrepreneurs in all facets of start-up ventures, including litigation-avoidance strategies.

Jonathan David Littrell as managing partner in Beverly Hills

Raines Feldman LLP elected Jonathan Littrell, a partner in the firm’s corporate department, to serve as its new managing partner and CEO. The appointment makes Littrell one of, if not the, youngest managing partners of a mid-sized or large law firm in California, according to the firm. Littrell has extensive transactional experience in a broad range of corporate, private equity, securities and real estate disciplines, and is known for his practical approach to servicing clients’ needs.

Keslie Anne Stewart as head attorney in San Francisco from U.S. Attorney’s Office .

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office has announced Keslie Stewart has joined as head attorney of the public integrity unit. Stewart will oversee all of the office’s investigations involving government ethics, contracting fraud, city employee misconduct and similar cases. Stewart served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for 12 years, where she rose from an assistant U.S. attorney to chief of the Oakland Branch Office. As head of that office, she supervised the intake and investigation of cases referred by more than a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI and IRS.

Esha Bandyopadhyay as partner in Silicon Valley from Turner Boyd LLP.

Winston & Strawn LLP announced that Esha Bandyopadhyay joined the firm’s intellectual property practice as a partner in Silicon Valley. Her practice focuses primarily on complex patent disputes in which she has obtained verdicts of patent invalidity, achieved jury verdicts in the millions, and recovered millions in settlements – in technologies ranging from computer hard-ware to wireless standards to anti-virus and encryption software to medical devices.

Nimalka Ratnavali Wickramasekera as partner in Los Angeles from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Winston & Strawn LLP announced that Nimalka Wickramasekera joined the firm’s intellectual property practice as a partner in Los Angeles. Wickramasekera focuses on patent, trade secret, and commercial litigation in the telecommunication, computer hardware, healthcare, medical device, and biotechnology industries.

Robert William Kadlec as partner in Los Angeles from Sidley Austin LLP.

Duane Morris LLP has announced that Robert W. Kadlec has joined the firm’s corporate practice group as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Kadlec has provided counsel in a broad range of mergers and acquisitions, corporate financing transactions and corporate governance matters. He has experience advising both private equity and corporate clients on a variety of matters related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and securities laws matters including leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, minority investments, joint ventures and public company acquisitions. Kadlec also advises a variety of public and private companies in corporate governance, SEC reporting and other matters.

Michael Harrison Rubin as partner in San Francisco from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Michael Rubin joined Latham & Watlkins LLP’s Litigation and Trial Department as a partner in San Francisco. Michael’s practice focuses on defense of complex privacy and internet class action litigation and regulatory investigations on behalf of emerging and established companies, and providing strategic counsel.

Michael Angelo Vacchio as senior counsel in Los Angeles from Michael Angelo Vacchio PLC.

Michael Vacchio has joined Adli Law Group as senior counsel. Michael specializes in complex business and commercial litigation, and environmental, real estate and construction matters. He brings a background in administrative, civil and criminal environment and work-place exposure matters, as well as internal corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense.

Joshua David Morse as partner in San Francisco from Jones Day.

Joshua Morse has joined DLA Piper’s restructuring group as a partner in San Francisco. Joshua focuses his practice on corporate restructurings and bankruptcy proceedings and represents bondholders, debtors, secured lenders, indenture trustees and creditors' committees. His experience includes out-of-court restructuring negotiations and representing bondholders in complex matters in bankruptcy courts throughout the United States

Steven Gerard Wood as of counsel in Redwood City from Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley.

Steven G. Wood joined Gray Duffy LLP’s real estate practice as of counsel. Wood has experience advising and representing commercial real estate investors, brokers, developers, tenants and landlords in a variety of real estate matters, including purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, commercial broker arrangements, easements and right of way agreements, commercial and residential lender-borrower negotiations and documentation of real property and mixed collateral secured loans.

Jean-Claude Andre as partner in Los Angeles from U.S. Department of Justice.

Sidley Austin LLP announced that Jean-Claude “J.C.” André joined the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice as a partner in Los Angeles. The former assistant U.S. attorney and chief of the Criminal Appeals Section for the Central District of California has briefed and/or argued over 75 appeals for the U.S. attorney’s office. During his time as the chief of the Criminal Appeals Section, Andre supervised more than 350 appeals each year before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to the firm’s news release.