Class Notes Updated August, 2009
Kari Fisher
My husband and I live in Davis and both practice law in Sacramento. I continue to work as an in-house counsel attorney with the Natural Resources and Environmental Division of the California Farm Bureau Federation where I focus on water quality, land use, CEQA, and NEPA environmental review with fellow alum Jack Rice. Being in similar fields in Sacramento, I periodically run into Katy Cotter and Laura Harris, both at Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley. I also see Laura Warner out and about in Davis. In my free time, I can be found outside running and training for races.
Stefan Spich (Photos)
Corrine Bielejeski
I finished my clerkship in the Fall of 2008, and have been working as a debtor-side bankruptcy attorney ever since then. It's a lot busier practicing law than working for the court! I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Botum Chhay '06 and a bunch of other King Hall bankruptcy attorneys at the annual Insolvency Aggies dinner last year. There should be one this fall if any of you are practicing bk law and want to come talk shop. I'm still volunteering with KHOP and putting on skits in the Earl Warren Inn of Court. Oh, and I waste way too much time reading Edahn Small's facebook, myspace, and other posts. When are you going to get your own column Edahn?
Sam Min
Not much excitement in my life. I am still looking for gainful employment (and living with my parents). So those that got hit by the lay offs don't feel too bad. You could be me. That said, if anybody finds themselves in Monterey, give me a call and I'll buy lunch.
Gen Kramer
Victor Maciel ('07) and I got engaged last month at our favorite bar in LA, where a small group of friends, including Laura Urias and Gurdeep Dhaliwal, had gathered for the surprise. I'm still working at a non-profit in East LA doing immigration work, and recently joined King Hall's Immigration Law Clinic Alumni Council. I often receive public interest job postings, and would be happy to share these leads if anyone is in the market.
Julie (Burson) McComb
After months of worrying about being the next associate laid off at my firm, I ended up quitting my job on June 12th to move to Chico, CA. My husband and I bought a dental practice (no career change for me - he works there). I am going to have a baby (boy) around August 6th so I am just hanging out in the meantime, unpacking boxes, swimming at the gym, and trying to figure out what baby product does what. We love Chico. I do not miss my 45 minute commute each way to downtown Sacramento or the police helicopter hovering over our neighborhood every night. If anyone finds themselves visiting or passing through Chico, please look me up! If anyone has any job leads for me (because now is a great time to look for a legal job...in Chico...) or baby name suggestions (we have reached an impasse...), please send them my way.
Joe Castillo
Has it been a year already? Wow, time flies. I completed the California International Marathon in Sacramento in three hours and seven minutes. Boston here I come. I ran into Cabral Bonner the other day at the Academy of Sciences. He has a lovely wife and daughter. I'm still working for the Ninth Circuit.
Andrea Fazel (Photo)
During the brief window of marriage equality in California, my partner Lynnette and I got married on October 26th-18 years to the day after we met. We have also added a second dog to the family, and are still getting used to puppy energy nearly a year later. Lately, things have come full circle for me, and I am getting ready to return to teaching high school. I will be teaching criminal law, constitutional law, yearbook and English at Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep (a charter school in Sacramento). I'm excited to return to teaching, and have been re-energized by the experience of working with young people in my prior job at Ally Action, where I worked on creating safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ students and teachers. If you are interested in working with our law-themed charter school as a guest speaker, mentor, or host of a field trip, let me know!
Chris Stafford
I started a home loan modification company with 3 of my brothers 18 months ago. It is Modification Services, Inc., www.ModificationServices.com, 1-877-WeModify. During this past year, we have saved the homes of almost 700 families. It is very fulfilling work, given that many of these families would be homeless otherwise. On a more personal note, Bernadette and I are going to the Florida Keys tomorrow to celebrate our 6th year wedding anniversary and then we are going to Thailand for 2 weeks in September.
Karen (Marquez) Dong (Photos)
As some of you might remember, I was completing my second trimester of pregnancy during graduation. Tragically, two weeks before the Bar Exam, my daughter Isabella was born early and lost her battle to pre-term complications. The two years following, my husband and I volunteered for March of Dimes ( www.marchofdimes.com) fundraiser drives, I stayed home to ensure the healthy, stress-free pregnancy of my son Ethan Edward Dong, who was born full-term in summer 2007, and I enjoyed being a full-time mom for his first year of life. I took and passed the July 2008 Bar Exam, and have been very busy working as a Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Attorney in one of my firm's Los Angeles County offices since January 2009. In March 2009, my husband and I bought our first home where the three of us love spending our quality time together. I keep in touch with Esmeralda Zendejas, who is a Staff Attorney with CRLA, and send regular photo cards of Ethan to friends Che Salinas in Sacramento, Joe Castillo in San Francisco, and Kyanna Williams in Vacaville. I hope everyone in the Class of 2006 is enjoying their life after King Hall!
Emily (Haworth) Wecker
Since last summer, I've gotten married, moved, gotten pregnant and lost a job, all of which have proven to be good things. I guess it's been a busy year. Our first baby, a girl, is due in just a couple of weeks! I plan to take care of the baby as long as I can while my husband Kyle works and finishes school. No concrete plans after that. Hopefully the job market improves by the time I need to go back to work!
Edahn Small (Photo)
I was working with my father doing litigation but I wore out from all the dishonesty and cruelty I saw. I still do a little research and writing here and there, but have for the most part divorced myself from litigation. I found a paid gig with a website where I offer psychological and relationship advice to people. I've really come to love it there and am thinking of ways of leveraging that experience into something bigger and better that will make me filthy rich (without doing any more work...ever). I'm going to be taking my GREs in Fall and applying to some Ethology and Psychology programs for next Fall, as well as some PsyD programs. I signed up for a karate(/ninja?) class about an hour ago and got really interested in wonderful world of competitive rose hybridizing. A couple failed relationships and a few more life-changing epiphanies later, I'm still my awkward-but-enthusiastic self. I'm on Facebook if you want to keep in touch and have your profile disgraced by yours truly. Beware.
Debbie Sun
I've been at the family law firm of Kolodny & Anteau in Beverly Hills for the past year. Prior to this job, I clerked for the family law judges in downtown LA. I just bought a home in Century City and am hoping to get a dog soon, once I find the perfect rescue mutt.
Jeff Finucane (Photos)
I was promoted to Captain and I've been stationed at Fort Hood, Texas now for 6 months. I work as a U.S. Army prosecutor. I've prosecuted all sorts of cases - drugs, child porn, various kinds of larcenies and assaults, and just got assigned to my first forcible rape case. It's a pretty incredible job. Before that, I finished 6 months of Army training - 3 months at the Judge Advocate General's School in Charlottesville, Virginia and then 4 months in Ft. Benning, Georgia. I spent the last month jumping out of planes, which was pretty scary. I got qualified up with the M4 assault rifle and a 9mm handgun (barely), finished day and night land navigation courses, military combatives, marching, cadence...the works. I take great pride in leading PT (morning exercise) like one of the enlisted guys. The picutre I found that I really like is me and four friends after airborne school. I've never been so cold in my life.
Michelle Lee
As for making a living, I'm still down in San Jose at Hopkins & Carley. On a more personal note, I'm getting married in a few weeks down in LA.
James Yee (Photos)
I recently changed firms to be closer to family and friends. I used to work in San Bernardino and now work in Claremont doing insurance defense work. It took a long time to find a new job, so I feel everyone's pain. I probably had 10 interviews just to receive one job offer. Out of frustration, I snatched it up. Since school, I've just been working a lot. It's amazing how much more there is to learn about practicing law that they don't teach you in law school. When I do take vacations, it's either to the local snow or deep sea fishing. With the housing prices where they are, the low mortgage rates, and Obama giving away $8,000 to first time buyers, I'm looking to buy a small house. The student loan debt, however, is severely impacting the affordability. That's my life in a nutshell. I've been back to Davis a few times because a lot of my friends got married, had babies, etc. I miss everyone.
Jannah Manansala
I've been enjoying life at the same labor law firm in Alameda, working with Kerianne Steele '07. My boyfriend Damien Morrison 07 and I just got our first home in Maxwell Park!
Laura Warner (Photos)
I am still with Johnson & Johnson, but moved into a new role with Corporate in January, 2009. As an Employee Relations Manager I focus on employment law, working closely with Legal in New Jersey and various operating companies in California. I spend my time investigating harassment and discrimination claims, responding to government agencies, analyzing pending labor legislation, and training management on employment law. I am the only one in my group on the west coast and absolutely love the new position. The Warner family is still in West Davis (I'm a lifer here at this point). Dylan is working for UC Davis Athletics now so we enjoy the local sports events - Go Ags! Finley turned four in May and already exhibits the influence of King Hall during our nightly debates about bedtime. He's won a few times! As a follow-up to my last update, I finally joined the modern world and have an ipod, but the jukebox is still a mainstay in our home. Here are two recent pictures of Finn doing his favorite things, swimming and Star Wars - may the force be with you. I know. . . I can't believe he's this big either!
Brooke Bryant
Since July 2007, I have been working at a small family law firm in Roseville, California. I work with one other attorney, whose name is also Brooke, and we are about the same age so we get along very well. We specialize in family, and I have recently taught myself how to do bankruptcies. My next step will be to get into estate planning. On a personal note, I have a long term boyfriend, with whom I bought a house last year. We now live in Orangevale, which is between Sacramento and Folsom, and we love the area. We are working on raising our 4 1/2 year old daughter (his from a previous marriage), two dogs and two cats. Our plan over the next two years is to get married, start our own family law practice, and work on adding one more to our family, so we have a lot to do.
William Tunick
Following graduation I worked at Olson, Hagel & Fishburn in Sacramento were I concentrated on public law litigation related to election and education law. The summer of 2008 was a busy, as I got married, moved, and started a new job. First in May, Dori Bailey, a medical student at UC Davis, and I were married. About the same time Dori was matched with a Psychiatry Residency program in San Mateo, so in September we moved to the Bay Area. Fortunately, I was able to find a position with the Sutton Law Firm in San Francisco where I continue to focus on election, lobbying, and campaign finance law.
Che Salinas
I'm currently staff counsel to Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (Calif State Senate) and still live in Sac. I am also getting ready to start some pro bono work with an immigration attorney in town.
Jen Field (Photos)
At this time last year, I had the daunting task of finding a great apartment in San Francisco to began my life of co-habitation with Chris. Well, I succeeded! It has been over a year since we signed our lease and we couldn't be happier. We live in Russian Hill and are blessed to come home every night to a beautiful view of the Golden Gate bridge from our living room window (that is, if the fog doesn't have something to say about it). We are even more blessed to have Jeff and Jocelyn Pietsch living right next door! They moved into our duplex last fall and, while our busy schedules haven't allowed for as many neighborly get-togethers as we'd like, it is wonderful having one of my best friends as my next door neighbor. I spent a lovely girls' reunion weekend in March with Jocelyn, Laura Warner, Ella Gower, Katy Cotter, Rachel Zellner, Sarra Ziari, and Kristen Lucey (Tony Jones' wife and honorary member of King Hall Class of '06). Laura was gracious enough to host us at her family's place in Dillon Beach. We all try to get together at least once a year and it always flies by much to quickly. Highlights of the weekend included an 80's dance party, lots of wine (trigger of said 80's dance party), and massive amounts of fondue. On the career front, I have made a big move which I am thrilled and terrified about at the same time. I gave my notice to Morgan Lewis last week and am in the process of planning a four month sabbatical with Chris who is competing in his first Iron Man at the end of August. Chris had been hoping to take a leave of absence to train for his race. When his project didn't allow for that, we decided that it would be a wonderful opportunity to take some time off after his race. It was just the push that I needed to quit and find a job that I actually care about. Once we return from his race in Canada, we will spend September seeing family and taking some local trips, such as Yosemite. In early October, we will leave for a 6-week trip through South America, starting at Machu Picchu and ending in Buenos Aires. We will be visiting the beach towns of Chile, Patagonia, the wine country of Mendoza, and the lake district of Bariloche. We will return before Thanksgiving and spend the holiday with family. We're hoping to also squeeze in a few weeks in Sydney before Christmas. While I am nervous about the state of the economy, I am excited about taking this time with Chris and having a fresh start. My job search will focus mostly on general counsel roles, as I am eager to try something outside of litigation. So if anyone loves their job or has friends who love their companies, I would be grateful for any guidance. (It would be even better if they were hiring!).
Matt Carr (Photo)
As with many people, my past year has been unpredictable. Last August, I concluded my clerkship in Honolulu. Oddly, Obama lived in the house in front of mine for a week and I had to go through three secret-service checkpoints to walk the easement to the beach. Crazy. As the economy crumbled, I took a trip to Alaska, where I bought a car and drove with a friend from Anchorage 900 miles north (!) through ANWR to the Arctic Ocean, where we took a quick "swim." We camped through Alaska, the Yukon and BC en route to San Diego, where we attended Stefan and Stephanie's beach-side wedding. My friend and I camped around the rural SW, Obama won, I mercifully passed the Hawai'i bar exam, and I drove to visit friends in the South, upper Midwest and Pacific NW, putting 24,000 largely awe-inspiring miles on my car through it all. My job search has been only partially fruitful in this economy, given my mere one year of clerkship experience, but I have reason to be hopeful. I am currently discovering why so many people adore the Bay Area, my new home. Picture is of me and the Spiches, who came and visited me in Hawai'i in June. Be in touch. Best to all in this lean economy.
Marla Pleyte
I still live in Santa Cruz with my husband, Ryan Oprea. I have opened a Santa Cruz office in addition to my Hollister office. I find my practice increasingly focusing on family law and am developing a good client base. My husband, who is a professor of economics at UCSC, has published in several top economics journals over the past year and his research is going well. We just got back from a two week trip to Washington DC and Italy and then hosted a three day family reunion at our home. We all, including our dog, are now exhausted.
Nick Bourke (Photo)
After spending too many hours on airplanes last year, I moved to Washington, DC. I manage a project at The Pew Charitable Trusts that is focused on consumer financial services reform, and there has been a lot of interest in the subject lately. In May, Congress passed groundbreaking credit card legislation that will make credit cards safer primarily by strengthening consumers' contractual rights. After a lot of research, and intense lobbying and negotiating with legislative staff, we celebrated the achievement by attending the signing ceremony at the White House. My wife, Lylie, and I have enjoyed getting to know Washington - it's a fascinating place. The photo is of me with Senator Chris Dodd, who championed the Credit CARD Act in the Senate, is attached. (5/22/09 at the White House Rose Garden)
Melyssa Minamoto (Photo)
I was a litigator at Heller Ehrman LLP in Menlo Park for two years (with fellow King Hall alums Hans Riegels and Saxon Peters), doing mostly commercial and civil rights litigation. The firm imploded in October 2008 and was I was laid off while vacationing with my partner, Tom, in Hawaii (the best place to find out you've been laid off). With the support of my friends, family, and Tom, I chose not to go to another law firm. Instead, I chose to pursue my interest in styling, which will be no surprise to those who knew me. I started working at Nordstrom in Palo Alto in November 2008 and was asked to join the personal styling department in April of this year. I really enjoy being a personal stylist, working reasonable hours, dressing people and redoing their wardrobes, and I have many male and female clients, including my former law firm colleagues. I never knew job satisfaction and quality of life like this before and it feels great to exercise my visual creativity and interact with clients everyday. I live in Menlo Park with Tom and we have two cats, Harry and Kuzu. The photo is of Gen, Laura, Desiree, Gurdeep, Rosita, and me at Des' wedding last year.
Yoni Cohen
After three years at Bingham McCutchen in Los Angeles, I am taking a sabbatical. In October I am moving to Israel to attend a Masters program in Counter-Terrorism. I will be living in Tel Aviv and will be happy to host guests. I can be reached by email at ycohen13@hotmail.com.
Crystal Gaudette (Photo)
I am still working at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, practicing Securities and Commercial Litigation. Last year, I was elected to the Board of Directors for the Palo Alto Area Bar Association, so I have been busy organizing MCLE events and other programs for that. When not working, Grant and I have been busy doing a lot of running, playing city-league soccer, remodeling our house, playing with our two dogs - Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley - and preparing/eating delicious food! We live just a mile down the road from Jishnu Menon and his wife, Purnima, and we spend much time with them and their two doggies! Check out the new blog that Purnima and I started - www.dessertsanddogs.blogspot.com!
Samantha (Grant) Riegels (Photos)
We're still in Palo Alto. Hans is at Cooley, I'm at home. Hans is doing a lot of working, I'm doing a lot of swimming. Our son Bryce is 14 months old and he is a big fan of personal electronics. Oddly enough he gets as much enjoyment out of my travel alarm clock as he does the iPhone.
Javier Barraza
After law school I worked in Auburn at Legal Services of Northern California. Lived in Roseville with
Renee Reyna (who is doing criminal defense in Auburn, CA) for about a year. Now I'm back in Southern California after swearing I would never come back.
But love and family convinced me to make the move. I'm working at Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, and am very happy I'm here. I represent children who have been removed from their parents' custody. I don't work for the department of children's services, I don't work for the parents, I work for the kids. Many of my clients all still looking for an adoptive home, please consider adopting, even adopting a teen, some of my older kids are fabulous and need a supportive home at least until they reach 18! Or consider being a foster parent!
Graham Beckett
I quit the big law firm. Now, I no longer have to uncomfortably respond to partners berating me with, "I wish I knew how to quit you." It's funny because all you have to do is...quit. And, I feel surprising less awkward these days. Peculiar. Anyway, I'm working a super flexible job with a legal non-profit located in one of the less favorable parts of downtown LA. We're in gang territory! But don't worry; I've learned all the hand signs. Get this, there's even a hand sign for, "Motions in Limine are poppycock!" That one goes over great with the MS13 boys. Needless to say, at the non-profit we don't do discovery and we tend to overlook deadlines. "Wait whaaaaaa??!!!!" you ask. "You can't overlook deadlines!!! We'll get sanctioned!!!" Or maybe you're less expressive than that. It's easy, though. We just don't do it. "No thanks. Not for me." We treat discovery like 7-Up, never have never will. But, once we are in court, we tongue tie landlords and win cases for pretty much all of our clients. It's fun for everyone!
I hope to be out of the legal world in about a year or so, once my acting career takes off. "To infinity and beyond!" I say with a finger pointed toward the cosmos and an Incredible Hulk bed sheet tied around my neck. That phrase is a Beckett original, scout's honor. Don't worry, you can expect more of those gems once I hit the big screen. You must be askin', "is he SEARIUUUS??" Or maybe your English is better than that. But, I am serious. I'm transitioning to a new career in which I get paid to utter lines in different ways with either more or less emotion. Oh, I'll also get to wear really trendy clothes that make me look cool. We'll assume that's possible. It's going to be fantastic. So if you're interested in investing in a future household name, I'm taking donations.
Corinne Bielejeski
I'm still clerking for a bankruptcy judge in Oakland. The job is great, even if the courts have gotten much busier over the past year. I'm living in Antioch now, which is much easier than commuting from Woodland. My life is still pretty boring, but last summer I did get to go up to Chico for Kari Fisher's wedding and up to Davis a few times to help out with the King Hall Outreach Program. I ran into Joe Castillo, Dave Parnell, and Cory Hart at the SF Alumni/Admitted Students Reception at Orrick. Dave is doing asbestos defense and Joe is working as a staff attorney for the 9th Circuit.
Nick Bourke
I returned to the Bay Area after graduating. From my home in Alameda, I commute by ferry boat each day to San Francisco, where I manage a non-profit program. Our mission is to work with industry, government and consumer advocacy groups to help make consumer-friendly financial products widely available. This project presents a good opportunity for me to draw on both my business background and legal skills. And, it's nice to deal with law firm partners from a client's perspective.
Julie (Burson) McComb
Two months after I took the Bar I got married in Visalia, CA. I decided the best preparation for planning a wedding is to take the Bar exam -- the stress of planning a wedding paled in comparison and I modeled my wedding to-do list on my Contracts outline I made for the Bar. I was very touched that several King Hall friends made the pilgrimage to lovely Visalia for the occasion. I live in Elk Grove with my husband, Steve. I work at Nossaman, Guthner, Knox, & Elliott in Sacramento. Despite my predictions, I really like my job. The other attorneys and staff at my office are awesome. I practice healthcare law and am beginning to do a little employment law. I'm still an obsessive baker and bring in baked goods to my office on a weekly basis. I have voluntarily assumed the role of cruise director at my office, starting the NCAA tournament pool, hosting baby showers, wedding showers, etc., and basically finding any other excuse to have some occasional fun among all the work. Steve and I like to bike, hike, rollerblade, and do other outdoor activities when not working.
Matt Carr
Joe Castillo
After graduation I moved to southern Texas to clerk for a district court judge. The experience was great. On weekends I traveled throughout the state. I discovered that Texas has its own wine country. I also attended a rattle snake roundup, and even ate fried rattle snake. It tastes like chicken. Last June I ran the San Diego marathon, and am now training to qualify (keep your fingers crossed) for Boston. I currently work as a staff attorney for the Ninth Circuit. I live in San Francisco.
Sarah Cox
I'm currently living and practicing family law in San Jose, California with Sagaria Law. I've been here almost a year. I ran the 2008 Big Sur Marathon on April 27, 2008, and I set a personal record. I'm undecided if I'll do another one.
Alica Del Valle
Living in S.F. Practiced IP law for a year with the boutique IP firm, Owen, Wickersham & Erickson then accepted a clerkship with the California Supreme Court. I will be here until September and then plan on returning to IP, though I am still in the midst of determining where I will go. Though I loved my old firm, I am considering other options. Otherwise, loving living in the city.
Have run two marathons this past year (Maui and Napa) and plan on continuing to race - possibly venture into triathlons. Just got back from an amazing cycling trip through Italy with my boyfriend, Jonathan Shambroom. As for the Davis gang, I probably see
Rebecca Chavez the most, but a group of us (
Amy Lee,
Dan La Count,
Chad Greeson ('07),
Rebecca Chavez,
Kaity Parish, and me - sometimes others) have made it a point to get together every 1-2 months to catch up over dinner. I also make it a point to keep in touch with
Kevin Carney.
Stefan Eisenhut
I'm currently living in Zurich (Switzerland). I used to work at Cravath, Swain & Moore for one year. Right now I'm working at Homberger in Zurich. Since law school I got dark circles around the eyes.
Todd Feinberg
I'm currently living in San Francisco and working at the San Mateo County DA's Office.
Veronica Fernandez
I'm currently living in: Modesto, CA. I'm working at: Allen, Proietti & Fagalde, LLP in Merced, CA. Since law school I: bought a house (unfortunately I bought when the market was high! Who knew!); I got a new car; I've changed my hair color over 6 times; I've changed my hair cut over 8 times; gained 10 pounds then lost 5; had several fun rendezvous with Amy Lee; celebrated my 11 year anniversary with my boyfriend/fiancé; have been called vitriolic by opposing counsel; have been mistaken for an intern every time I enter a new court room!!!; have not been on vacation; have been wondering what everyone else has been up to.
Jennifer Field
Living in San Francisco. Still working as a Litigation associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Even went to UC Davis to recruit for the firm during OCI this year. No one was as good as the people in our class. :) Currently looking at apartments to move into with boyfriend Chris. Got our eyes set on a place in Russian Hill, complete with washer/dryer and views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Miss the amenities of Davis terribly. Turning 30 at the end of the month and planning big celebration in Las Vegas with Jocelyn Blumenthal, Sarra Ziari, Rachel Zellner and Katy Cotter, among other girlfriends. Looking forward to a sailing trip with boyfriend and friends in the British Virgin Islands this summer.
Kari Fisher
I got married August 2007 to Ralph Lee, a 4 th year evening law student at McGeorge. We live in Davis where I coach women's running classes and have recently completed three half marathons. After working at Somach, Simmons and Dunn for a year and a half, I recently took an in-house counsel position with the Natural Resources and Environmental Division of the California Farm Bureau Federation where I focus on water rights, land use, CEQA, and NEPA environmental review with fellow alum Jack Rice. Being in similar fields in Sacramento, I periodically run into Katy Cotter and Laura Harris, both at Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley.
Huey Geng
I am currently working at the LA County Public Defender's Office. I love my job!!!
Casey Hatton
I'm living in Oakland. Working as a litigation associate at Hinshaw & Culbertson in San Francisco. I work on legal malpractice defense and insurance coverage disputes. On October 17, 2006 I had my son, Khethani Tombs--the sweetest, funniest, most beautiful guy ever. Brandy Christensen lives upstairs from me and lets us play with her dog.
Emily Haworth
Emily Haworth (soon to be Wecker) is currently living in Santa Rosa, CA where she works in civil litigation at Babin & Seeger, LLP. Since law school, Emily has gotten engaged and will be married in July.
Lara Hoekstra
I live in Sacramento with my husband, Eamonn, and my daughter, Aoife. Aoife turns 3 in May and is keeping us on our toes and laughing. I am an English teacher (9th & 10th grades) at Luther Burbank High School in South Sacramento. I am loving being back in the classroom and hanging out with my family.
Jonathan Kaplan
Suzanne Stevens and I got married in February in La Jolla. We are both here in the Bay. She's working at Coughlin Stoia in SF and I'm here at Latham in Menlo Park. All is good.
Ben Klafter
Following a couple months of post-bar travel, I am now an associate at Baker & McKenzie in my hometown of San Francisco. My practice so far has been focused on international M&A and securities. I still hang with/stay in touch with Danny Barak, Shelly McGill and, to a lesser degree, Stefan Spich (who works at Baker & McKenzie's San Diego office) and LA people Yoni Cohen and Sherwin Aryeh. Classmates are invited to "holler at me" whenever they are in the Bay Area: 415-215-8675.
Dan LaCount
I'm currently living in: San Ramon, same as in law school. I'm working at: Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP in SF. Since law school I got: involved with another bout with my mid-life crisis but I'm trying to not let it get the better of me until after I've put a dent in my student loans.
Amy Lee
I'm currently living in Pleasant Hill. I'm working at Donnelly Nelson Depolo & Murray, a civil litigation firm in Walnut Creek. I am now on the Board of the Barristers section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and many "generations" of King Hall grads come out to our events so anyone living in the area should feel free to join us for mini "reunions."
Michelle Lee
I'm currently living in San Jose. I'm working at Hopkins & Carley. Since law school I'm now roommates with Leena Kamat.
Jannah Manansala
Much of my current life is surrounded by King Hall: I'm with the same firm (Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld), but I transferred from the Sacramento office to the east bay. I now happily work in the same office as Kerianne Steele '07 in the areas of labor, employment and real estate. I live in Oakland with my boyfriend since law school, Damien Morrison '07.
Eric May
I am currently living in Los Angeles doing general litigation at Arnold & Porter. I have been doing a lot of traveling lately. Since graduation, I've been lucky enough to be able to fit some amazing trips into my schedule: Japan, Germany (twice), Australia, and even Davis a few times. This summer, a few of us have planned a big trip to Alaska to visit fellow King Hall grads Jack McKenna and Callie Patton (both of '07). Hopefully I will be able to sleep with the sun out all night long.
Shelly McGill
I'm currently living in Sacramento. I've been with the District Attorney's Office since graduation. I started in the law and motion unit, completed a stint in misdemeanors where I did 13 jury trials, and am currently assigned to Juvenile Hall. I went on a trip to Scotland, Ireland and England right after taking the bar, spent a week and half in Australia for a friend's wedding, and most recently visited Guatemala. I keep in touch with Crisanne Hazen (who's living and working in San Jose), Ben Klafter (who landed an impressive position with a civil firm in SF), and Edahn Small (via weekend trips to LA.)
Jason Moy
After passing the bar I joined the United States Army Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corp and am currently stationed in South Korea. Right now I am running the installation tax center and am getting pretty good at federal income tax. I also handle family law, consumer law and most other civil law or military administrative matters that pertain to Soldiers. My next assignment will take me to Fort Campbell Kentucky, home of the 101st Airborne Division where I will be a criminal defense attorney.
Kari (Nieblas) Vozenilek
Hello to everyone that I haven't seen since the bar! I hope you are well. After the bar, I started working
with a small civil/environmental firm in downtown San Diego. While I was San Diego I occasionally got to
see some old King Hall classmates who worked/lived nearby– I went to lunch with
Rachel Zellner and
Stephanie Tyson, went to the movies with
Suzanne Stevens, and ran into
Jonathon Kaplan jogging in
Balboa Park. I went back to Sac for an environmental conference and got to have dinner with
Katie Cotter. I also got to see
Kristen Erickson (and made a quick trip across the border) when she came to S.D. for a work conference. I ran into
Sara Cox while running (with
Allison Marrazzo, Katherine Robb, and Suzanne Stevens) a half-marathon in Santa Barbara. I spent one year in San Diego and loved every minute.
Sadly, I moved from San Diego and now live in Orange County. However, the move came with some incentives – I got married, we moved to Balboa Island (it's beautiful and in the middle of Newport Harbor) and I got a job in the land use/enviro department of a mid-size Irvine firm. I haven't run into any King
Hall people in the OC (I just missed Kaity's and Zo's trip here), but did get to see some friends in L.A. at
the beginning of March –
Allison Marrazzo convinced me to run the L.A. Marathon (but not with her because she's far faster) and gathered a group for moral support –
Katherine Robb, Sara Duncan, John Ly and
Alex Schwartzman. If anyone is planning to visit Orange County, I would love to hear from you (
knieblas@yahoo.com). Take care, Kari
Wynter O-Blanquet
I'm currently living in Manhattan, specifically Hell's Kitchen. Of course! I love my neighborhood and don't miss California for a minute. I'm working at Lincoln Berger LLP, a boutique corporate law firm in NYC. Not where I ever imagined myself to be, but it's worked out quite well. Since law school I moved across the country with my boyfriend, bought two dogs, and taken pastry making as a serious hobby. Who knows...perhaps culinary school is next...
David Parnall
I'm still living in Oakland with my daughter and wife, and I'm working in SF at Pond North, which is a smallish firm that specializes in asbestos defense. I'm shocked to report that I'm actually pretty happy doing this law thing, probably because outside of times of sheer craziness - which are fortunately few - I get by almost on 9 to 5:30. That's not to mention the fact that I'm getting a good opportunity to develop my litigation skills. The salary doesn't even wholly suck.
Steve Platt
I am still working at Parker, Milliken, Clark, O'Hara & Samuelian in Downtown LA. Living in the Hancock Park area with my girlfriend, Alicia Gossoo ('05). Got a new cat named Cleo. Visited Davis twice since graduating, and yes, I miss it. Not that the pristine LA Basin doesn't have its positives, but the bike trails pale in comparison.
Marla Pleyte
I got married to Ryan Oprea, a professor of economics at UCSC, in August 2006. We are currently living in Santa Cruz - we bought a house with redwood trees and a creek in our backyard but are still staggering
distance to downtown/Pacific Avenue. We also have Fluff-Fluff, the male neighborhood bully orange tabby, and Rubin, a ridiculous dachshund mutt.
I started my own law practice, which is currently based primarily in San Benito County (where I grew up
and have a good base of clients) but am slowly building up clients in Santa Cruz. My practice is
about 80% family law and 20% litigation relating to real property, contracts, etc.
Renee Reyna
I'm currently living in Davis. I'm working at the Law Offices of Mark A. Berg—a private criminal defense law firm. Since law school I got a new car…and a few more suits for work.
Samantha (Grant) Riegels
Samantha (Grant) Riegels & Hans Riegels update!:
Adam Rosenthal
Wife gave birth to a healthy boy, Ari Joshua, in January. I'm practicing business litigation and employment law at Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP, a mid-sized San Diego firm. Enjoying fatherhood, the law, home ownership, and all things San Diego.
Madelene (Santiago) Cohen
I'm currently living in Los Angeles. I'm working in-house in downtown LA. Since law school I got married and am wishing for a puppy. But who has the time?
Edahn Small
After graduating law school, Edahn moved back to Los Angeles and got a job working at Metropolitan State Hospital as a Patients' Rights Advocate but soon found he wasn’t happy. He then got a job at Barnes & Noble and tutored math part time while reading about Buddhism and rethinking the course of his life. He's still doing that, but now working in his father's (daddy's!) law firm doing small-business litigation. Edahn has found himself bored once again and is contemplating returning to grad school to pursue his longtime mistress, psychology. He's volunteering part of his time at USC doing neuropsych research, while the rest of his time is allotted to absorbing bombastic speech, entertaining his new girlfriend of 3 months (as of 5/2/08), and writing emails to inform others of his whereabouts.
Mihaella Smith
Bernadette Stafford
William Steinberg
I've been working for Shearman & Sterling in Hong Kong in capital markets since Sept. '06. While I was studying for the bar they asked me to start out here instead of New York. I haven't run into anyone else from King Hall out here, but I've been in touch with some classmates through email.
Sean Strauss
I'm currently living in San Francisco, working at Shearman & Sterling.
Christy Thornton
Hello from Fresno! I'm working at Lang, Richert, & Patch - a firm where almost 25% of the attorneys are King Hall grads! I practice estate planning and business litigation. Thanks to Sam and Hans Riegels for having me as a bridesmaid in their fabulous Seattle wedding, where Jeff Finucane and I tore up the dance floor! Congrats to Janine Esquivel who made the fabulous decision to move to Fresno this summer - Fresno is the place to be!
Stephanie Tyson
I'm currently living in San Diego. I'm working at a general civil litigation law firm. Since law school I got engaged to Stefan Spich and we're planning the wedding for October.
Desiree Valesco
I am working at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and I split my time between the Eviction Defense Center and the Self-Help Center at Los Angeles Superior Court in Torrance, CA. I continue to work as a musician and am a member of El Mariachi Los Dorados. I recently started playing the accordion. I am engaged and will marry Miguel Zavala on August 30, 2008. He is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Urban Education at UCLA. I love to have breakfast with my girlfriends from law school - Gurdeep, Laura, Gen, Rosita and Anna and I keep in touch with Janine and Delia.
Fermin Villegas
I'm currently living in Los Angeles (Cerritos, to be exact). I'm working at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo. Since law school I got fatter.
Cyn Wang
Since graduation, I've been working at Meyers Nave and practicing public law. I serve under contract as Assistant City Attorney for South San Francisco and staff attorney for the Town of Los Altos Hills. Eva and I bought our first home -- a condo in San Francisco's Mission District. We also registered as domestic partners, though we hope the Supreme Court rules in our favor on the same-sex marriage case and we can more officially tie the knot. Gen Kramer and Laura Uriaswere roomies in our condo for the first year after law school, but now both have moved onto the LA area. We keep in touch with Jishnu Menon and his wife Purnima and see them quite often.
Laura Warner
Zhanping Wu
I've been working at the Menlo Park office of Perkins Coie, LLP, as a corporate attorney, since graduation. I'm doing typical Silicon Valley type of corporate practice and have the chance to work for some cool guys, like Shawn "Napster" Fanning.
Irene Yang
Going okay, having fun in the city (when I’m not working. wait, when is that?).
Juanita Martinez
I am currently living in Sacramento and working in a lobbying firm representing multiple clients. I primarily work on climate change and energy related issues but also represent clients in areas of cosmetic surgery, museums, state budget funding. Work like everyone else is kicking my butt but fundraisers and golf tournaments do take a toll on a person. Since graduation I have started but never completed golf lessons, took belly dancing lesson, tried to develop a pellet for wine but am failing, broke four bones and chopped my hair off.