Alumni Profile

Penny Westfall ’84 began her career as a nurse and retired as Sutter Health’s Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Bay and Valley Areas. As well as her King Hall law degree, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science. Penny started at Sutter as their Associate General Counsel in 1992. She served three terms on the King Hall Alumni Association Board of Directors and now lives in San Diego.

How did you go from studying nursing science to King Hall?

Iris Yang ’82 was a municipal law attorney at Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Sacramento office until retiring in 2021. She joined the firm in 2010, after beginning her career at McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 1982. From 1994 to 2019, she was the City Attorney for Paso Robles. She co-authored the book Redevelopment in California and authored the California chapter of Lobbying, PACs and Campaign Finance—50 State Handbook from 1995 to 2010.

What was it that attracted you to municipal law and what did you find rewarding about it?

Since 1991, Robert Brennan ’87 has protected consumers and personal injury victims at his own thriving general practice firm, The Law Offices of Robert F. Brennan in Los Angeles. His trial winning percentage is among the best in California, including several multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. In one five-year stretch, from 2004 to 2009, he did not lose a single trial. He has been a “Southern California Super Lawyer” for eighteen consecutive years. Robert’s uncle was U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J.

Lynn Miyamoto ’86 has a law practice focused on immigration in Sherman Oaks, California. She is a member of the UC Davis School of Law Alumni Association board of directors and serves on the Development Committee. She also serves on several other nonprofit boards, including as chairperson of the board of Keiro, which serves older adults in the Japanese American/Japanese community, and as vice chair of UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee), which advances human rights through grassroots collaborations. She and her husband Kevin Kroeker ’86 live in La Crescenta, California.

“In everything I do, I try to take space and time to reflect on how it affects community members, especially our most vulnerable community members,” says Austin Quinn-Davidson '07. The UC Davis School of Law 2022 Rising Star Alumna Award winner was the first woman and the first openly gay person to serve as mayor of Anchorage, Alaska. She continues to serve on the Anchorage Assembly.

Michael J. Holmes ’98 is the Office Operating Partner for Allen Matkins’ San Diego office, where he focuses on commercial real estate transactions. Previously, he litigated commercial real estate disputes. Mike frequently authors articles and lectures on commercial leasing, accessibility laws and regulations, construction law, and commercial center management. He also volunteers for science olympiad and mock trial programs at local schools.

When did you become interested in real estate law and why do you enjoy it?

Laura Urias ’06 has her own immigration practice in East Los Angeles. Previously, she was a Staff Attorney at the United Farm Workers Foundation, where she helped immigrants petition for visas and access public benefits. She then became a Staff Attorney at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, where she primarily practiced family law, representing low-income survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has been certified as a Domestic Violence Advocate by the State of California.

Rodrigo Guevara ’09 will receive the 2020 King Hall Rising Star Alumnus Award at the Celebrating King Hall event on March 12. In 2015, Rodrigo founded Abogato, an organization that educated clients about their employment rights. He quickly realized that what his clients really needed were lawyers. A year later, Abogato became Abogato LLP, a law firm that specializes in representing low-wage workers in underserved communities.

Margaret Z. Johns ’76 will receive the 2020 King Hall Distinguished Alumna Award at the Celebrating King Hall event on March 12. Margaret taught at King Hall from 1980 to 2018, directing the Legal Writing program from 1984 to 2001. While at King Hall, she co-authored four books and published several law review articles. In 1993, Margaret founded the King Hall Civil Rights Clinic.

UC Davis Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer Christine Lovely ’96 oversees the central HR teams on both the Davis and Health campuses. Previously, she was University Counsel and Vice President for Human Resources at California State University, Sacramento. She has also served as Associate General Counsel for the Sacramento County Office of Education and as a legal advisor to the California Public Employment Relations Board.