Reunion 2009 Photos
Submitted by KATHRYN PROBASCO
Hello and thanks to everyone who wrote in with updates. Lots of new directions in people's lives this year, starting with New Jobs.
RICHARD HOSEY has left Big Firm life: "I am General Counsel for a small publicly-traded tech firm in San Diego, eDigital. I also manage the IT infrastructure. It is a good fit for my interests and talents. I don't miss billable hours or law firm politics one bit! It is great working for a small company with only a bunch of engineers around. I like the law but didn't always like its people. On a personal note, I was married in 2002 and divorced in 2006. Apparently I wasn't the only one who didn't always get along with lawyers!"
MIKE GELLER has also found greener (?) pastures: "The short story on the new job is that I got out of representing injured workers in workers' comp cases because Arnold took the money out of injured workers' pockets and gave it to his insurer buddies. This new job is hard to explain even to other workers' comp practitioners--basically I represent the State in administering some of the obscure funds it handles in WC matters. So no thanks Arnold for sucking my previous practice dry but thanks for the new gig."
STEVE FISCHER, on the other hand, has super-sized: "I'm adjusting to the move last month from a 9-attorney firm to the new L.A. office of 190+ attorney Best Best & Krieger. Same clients, lots more procedures. My latest fun project: local regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries. At home, our second story addition passed final inspection in May after a year of agonizingly slow construction. Gloria and I are still trying to wrap things up with our borderline-incompetent contractor. And people demonize lawyers... Now all we need to do is the landscaping, hardscaping, window treatments, buy lots of furniture, and re-plaster the pool. We should be done by the time Felice ships off to college. We took Felice to Sea World, which, we discovered, is the perfect place for a three-year-old to run around for a day. She now has her first "must carry around all the time toy": the plastic Shamu her kids meal was served in. I'll have to stock up on a few replacement Shamus when we go back in November."
Some folks have shifted to the other side of the bench: RALPH VENTURINO "started here at OAH the same day as JOHN THAWLEY (December 1, 2005). So far, it is a 2-year limited term position. I am in General Jurisdiction - everything but Special Ed. Although I do Special Ed mediations if needed. It has been very interesting. I think all else is pretty much the same - except my hairline."
We also have a few folks who've turned faculty. KELTIE JONES "left UC Davis in April to become the Dean of Student Services at American River College. I'm loving the community college atmosphere - wonderful staff and committed, intelligent students who really understand what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to go to college. I'm commuting again, but now that the girls are older, they get themselves everywhere by bike anyway. Diana is a junior, is a co-captain of the debate team, and is working at the Davis Enterprise. She even has her own column on the Monarchs. JoJo is in 8th grade and is enjoying becoming a teenager. Joy is going back to school, doing some coursework to prepare for a masters program. I'm still on the school board - it's been an interesting year being president while we had three new members. As you can tell, life is never boring around here."
RUSSELL (FONG) LOVING "taught oral argument, legal writing and trial advocacy to international law students through the UC Davis International Law Program and University Extension last summer. I also have been appointed to a full-time, tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Sacramento. As of September, I am teaching classes in laws of crime; arrest, search and seizure; and structure and function of the American courts."
ALLISON HAYWARD has also gone tenure track: "I am in my first year teaching at George Mason University School of Law in beautiful Arlington, VA. (Terrible traffic but great ethnic restaurants! Such a deal!) I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor, and am teaching Professional Responsibility this fall and Civil Procedure this spring. Steve is still at AEI, and Winston has just started second grade. Her little brother Norman is in preschool."
Besides new jobs, there is another crop of new babies. KIMBERLY LEE is "taking a break from the practice of law to focus on motherhood. Timothy, Jr. is 6, Maya is 4, and our newest addition, Elias, is 12 months. They keep my husband, Tim, and myself very busy! In addition, I am finally working on my lifelong creative dream of writing a novel."
ROB OLSON announces that "Our second child and first son was born July 25: Alexander James. He's big and showing no sign of growing into anything less than a linebacker. Cassidy, at three is a practical tyrant, is very sweet with the baby and even signs to him to calm him. Not that he needs much calming: he's a very mellow kid, very little crying, and he sleeps pretty well at night so far. Even so, with two kids to care for our lives have become much more hectic and the clutter much more pervasive and persistent.
Rob Olson with daughter Cassidy and son Alex
Cassidy likes playing with PAUL HUNDLEY and JOCELYN JULIAN'S incredibly smart daughter Rio. We correspond with ANNA (STOLLEY) PERSKY, too, and keep up on her new boys. We actually exchanged boy clothes with her; she thoughtfully sent hers to us and Alex outgrew them in about 3 weeks." Rob, like Steve Fischer, has embarked on a renovation odyssey: "To make things more interesting, a month before Alex was born we moved into a rental house while we remodel our house. We're adding a second story and replacing much of the original first floor. Less than a week after he was born, 2/3 of our house was completely demolished (a feat accomplished in only three days, much to my shock) and our back yard covered in debris. It is an odd experience, seeing our kitchen – which we spent no small sum remodeling only two years ago – boarded up and literally hanging over a hole while the workers dig trenches for a new foundation. Even the portion of the house we're keeping looks like tornado effluent, the floors and walls torn apart to accommodate the changes. Ironically, we decided to remodel to make more room for our family, yet for the year the project will take, our newly expanded family is living in a house even smaller than the one we own. (We were thrilled to find a house to rent right here in La Cañada, only three blocks from our own house, close enough to visit the jobsite every day, yet not close enough to endure the dust and noise and hassle of construction. In an excellent example of instant karma, the day after we moved into our rental house the house next door to it was torn down in a remodel similar to our own. Dust, noise, and hassle just like what we're doing to our own neighbors.)"
KELLY BALAMUTH has been living more quietly than Rob: "I'm raising Grady (7), Piper (4) and Truitt (2) with the help of a Davis undergrad alum (Matt) who stays home with them so I can run Balamuth Harrington, LLP. We are in Orinda and specialize in plaintiff's personal injury and medical negligence cases. We live in Moraga in a 1970s ranch style house on a cul de sac. We don't have a picket fence, but we do have a slip and slide. Life is good."
JOHN THAWLEY is another proud new dad: "Liz and I are enjoying being parents. Zeke (John Ezekiel Thawley -- JET) will be 6 months old this month, and he is doing great! He smiles a lot, has a wonderful giggle/laugh, really wants to sit up and to crawl, is enjoying some fruits and veggies, and makes all sorts of noises on his journey to learning how to talk. At the 4-month checkup he was about 17 pounds (75th percentile) and 26 inches long (85%), and he has been growing since then, so it looks like he will grow to be a pretty big guy." John has been an ALJ with the Special Education Division of the Office of Admin Hearings since December 2005. "I've also been certified as a mediator, and have been enjoying doing that quite a bit lately (as in, I just earned my second free trip on Southwest Airlines . . .). It has been an incredible learning curve, and I am really enjoying it. Great colleagues, interesting cases, etc." And because the new job and new baby aren't keeping him busy enough, he's "still in the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel, working in the disaster preparedness arena and waiting to see if I am selected for the Army War College."
EVE PEEK FICHTNER writes that she and husband Brian "Brian and I had a healthy baby girl on April 6, 2006. Our daughter is named Kathryn after her paternal great grandmother. We call her ‘Kate' or ‘Katie.' We're experiencing "joyful chaos" with a house full of three kids, a cat and a Department of Justice drug sniffing dog! While on maternity leave, I had a wonderful visit with LAURA SMITH in San Diego, and I visited with JULIE RANEY during our local 4th of July block party. I'm still happily employed with Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo practicing education law part time. It seems my practice is focusing on investigations and trainings."
LARISSA SETO reports that she and her son Logan got to visit with "EVE, her baby Katie and sons Nathan and Nick, and DANAE AITCHISON and her son Malcolm. We had a chance to catch-up, swap working mom advice, and talk about how to save for our retirement, children's college, while paying for day care on part-time salaries. I have also been in touch with CAMIL SKIPPER by phone, and exchanged correspondence with SCOTT & JUDY BARRELL."
ANNE-MARIE WAGGONER wraps up the new baby announcements: "My husband, Ryan Gilmore, and I welcomed a new baby daughter, Jennifer, in January. Our other daughter, Katie, is 5-1/2 years old now, and she just started kindergarten this year. We still live in Pleasanton, California and love it there. Among the many pluses is the fact that Katie's elementary school is just 2 blocks from our house! I am still working at Ruby & Schofield in San Jose; it's been over 10 years now. I'm continuing to work on a variety of civil cases and still enjoy it very much. (I'd have to, since I've been here so long!)"
BARBARA LYONS reports that she is "still at Cotchett, Pitre, Simon & McCarthy; still doing ‘white hat' law --- right now, securities fraud, qui tam, and antitrust (predominantly natural gas price fixing), along with a couple of environmental contamination cases. Serving on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County with LYNNE ESSELSTEIN; see DAVEED SCHWARTZ now and then at ABTL meetings. Little Clarissa graduated from Berkeley in May. We both miss Davis and get back when we can."
JIM TWU is "still living in Mountain View, CA doing contract legal work in asbestos litigation. Other than travelling all over the country, life is uneventful but happy. I see or talk to DAN BAN, HOWARD HOU ('92), KEN CHAN ('95) and TIMOTHY WALTON ('96) on a regular basis. On the 23rd, I'll be going to HEE KIM'SM ('96) wedding." PAUL WEXLER writes in from the far east: "I live in Weston, Florida. I am still married to Jenine, we have three children: Jake (10), Max (6), Taylor (girl, 4), and we have another little girl on way in early December. I am the owner of The Debt School, where we do the marketing and enrollment for debt consolidation all over the country. Fall is here and Tim and I spend every free moment debating on who is better - the Raiders or the Chargers - so in that regard nothing has changed."
From even farther east, PHILIP TANAKA reports, "We are living in Tokyo. I'm working at a Japanese firm, Nagashima, Ohno & Tsunematsu, doing a little technology and M&A. My wife Brandia is studying Japanese and our son Noa is going to school here. We've been in Japan almost four years and learn something new everyday (like how to order in a restaurant). If anyone is interested in working in Japan, let me know. The market is growing and it's kind of fun. By the way, there's a Japanese lawyer on my floor who went to Davis for his LL.M and has strong memories of a certain contracts professor."
ALLISON AREIAS has also been trotting the globe: "I am halfway through my current Foreign Service assignment to Secretary Rice's staff. The Secretary is very gracious and easy to work for, and I've been witness to some historic moments. I've also almost fallen out of a helicopter, caused an international incident over a giant carnival headdress and a jet engine, and suffocated myself wearing an abaya. Other than the fact that I'm a menace to world peace, it's been a lot of fun. KATHY PAPALIA (started 1L with us, then transferred to Boalt) is coming in with her husband for her first trip to DC."
ERIKA COLLINS is another international traveler: "I am doing great here in New York. I made partner last year and chair the International Employment practice group for the firm globally. I travel a lot (last year visited Paris, Brussels, Florence, Milan, Rome, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Croatia) but I love it and have a great time with all my colleagues around the world. I got a really cool French Bulldog named Lucy and she will be two in December. Otherwise, just loving New York and have seen ADDIE HILGARD on my visits to San Francisco. I just finished a gut renovation on my loft here -- that was an experience! I miss the Bay Area in the summer (it is HOT here) but love the holidays here! All is good."
As for me, our sojourn in New Mexico ended this fall when the Air Force assigned my husband to Vandenberg Air Force Base, an hour north of Santa Barbara on California's central coast, where we will spend the next two years. These days, I am at home unpacking endless moving boxes and spending time with our new son Griffin, who was born on Christmas Day 2005 and will perhaps someday join the Olson and Thawley boys on the offensive line. Proud big brother Sterling (6) is in the first grade and turning into a Dungeons and Dragons guru when he is not showing off how he can ride his bike sans training wheels. I hope that everyone has a blessed 2007! Talk to you next year!