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In November, Gordon & Rees welcomed twenty-six new attorneys to our Alexandria, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Columbus, Des Moines, Irvine, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oakland, Oklahoma City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane, and St. Louis offices. They join us as members of the Business Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Drug & Medical Device, Employment Law, Environmental/Toxic Tort, Health Care, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Product & General Liability, Professional Liability Defense, and Real Estate Practice Groups.

Brittney joins the Spokane office as a member of the Commercial Litigation and Employment Law practice groups. She has a breadth of experience in defending class action lawsuits pertaining to wage and hour violations under both state and federal law. She also has extensive experience responding to employment administrative charges. She is also experienced in providing practical advice to employers regarding non-litigation employment matters, including drafting and revising employee handbooks, policies, and employment contracts. Brittney earned her J.D. from Seattle University and her B.A. from the University of Lethbridge.

Ani joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Her practice primarily focuses on complex wage and hour disputes in state and federal venues, including class actions and PAGA representative actions. Her work also includes litigation of wrongful termination, retaliation, employment discrimination and harassment claims. Prior to joining the firm, Ani defended clients in matters involving catastrophic injury, premises liability, contract dispute, and business litigation. Ani earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.

Stephanie joins the Alexandria office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. She has experience defending clients in a variety of matters, including labor and employment claims, negligence and personal injury claims and contract disputes. She has also represented law firms and attorneys in defense of claims of legal malpractice. Stephanie handles disputes at all stages, including pre-litigation, discovery, dispositive motions, mediation and trial. She has successfully obtained dismissals, summary judgments and favorable settlements for her clients. Stephanie earned her J.D. from Syracuse University and her B.A. from Lehigh University.

Erin joins the Chicago office as a member of the Business Transactions practice group. She has experience advising small and mid-sized business owners on a variety of corporate matters from entity formation and corporate governance to merger and acquisition transactions. Prior to joining the firm, Erin was an associate at a Chicago-based boutique law firm specializing in commercial litigation and real estate transactions. Erin earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and her B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Stacey joins the Austin office as a member of the Product & General Liability practice group. She has extensive experience litigating civil matters throughout the State of Texas in both State and Federal Courts. Her civil practice experience includes trucking and transportation litigation, premise liability and product liability litigation, first party insurance disputes, and 3rd party auto and rideshare insurance defense. She has tried multiple cases to verdict, and retains extensive deposition and mediation experience. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced at several law firms in the Houston and Austin areas and gained valuable experience navigating the diverse district and county court systems throughout the State of Texas. Stacey earned her J.D. from South Texas College of Law and her B.S. from the University of Houston.

Michael joins the Des Moines office as a member of the Drug & Medical Device and Product & General Liability practice groups. He focuses his practice on the defense of major medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers in product liability matters. He has served as national, regional, and workup coordinating counsel for several Fortune 500 companies providing cost-efficient, effective representation that maximizes the value of their legal spending. In addition, Michael proactively assists his clients with resolving litigation before a trial becomes necessary. He has briefed and argued various motions in state and federal courts nationwide, leading to dismissals of cases before trial. Michael earned his J.D. from Drake University Law School and his B.A. from Central College.

Melanie joins the San Francisco office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Melanie earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Southern California.

Fareshteh joins the Oklahoma City office as a member of the Employment Law, Professional Liability Defense, Insurance, and Product & General Liability practice groups. She previously practiced at a defense firm in Oklahoma City focusing on defending health care providers and entities and automobile insurance companies. She has successfully litigated motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss on behalf of health care defendants. She has also published articles on employment law issues and COVID-19-related laws affecting nursing home litigation. Fareshteh earned her J.D. from The University of Tulsa College of Law and her B.S. from Oklahoma City University.

Eric joins the Atlanta office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort and Product & General Liability practice groups. He defends a wide variety of complex claims involving asbestos, talc, silica, benzene, premises liability, and personal injuries. As national and local counsel to several corporate clients, he develops cutting-edge litigation strategies for jurisdictions throughout the United States. He has an extensive knowledge of medical, engineering, and industrial hygiene issues that he uses to cross-examine and defend expert witnesses. He spends a considerable amount of time working with expert witnesses and is often called on to develop cross-examination strategies for the firm’s clients. He also manages and develops expert witnesses for clients across the country. Eric earned his J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Haley joins the Little Rock office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Product & General Liability practice groups. She has over a decade of successful experience defending medical malpractice and nursing home defense actions. She has successfully litigated multiple multi-million dollar cases. She is well-versed in Arkansas law regarding expert locality and specialty requirements in medical malpractice cases and uses this knowledge to take and defend expert depositions. In addition, she is experienced in reviewing and analyzing medical records at the early stage of litigation to apprise clients of the risk evaluation of those cases. She also maintains an active motions practice in these matters, securing substantive wins for clients before ever reaching the courthouse. Haley earned her J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Central Arkansas.

Conor joins the Chicago office as a member of the Employment Law and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Prior to joining the firm, he represented insurance carriers and employers in federal civil suits brought under the Defense Base Act. Conor managed all stages of the litigation process including written discovery, depositions, evaluating/negotiating settlement, mediations, and trial. In addition, while working as a law clerk, he gained valuable experience defending employers in discrimination claims brought under Title VII. Conor earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Shiao-wen joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Shiao-wen earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Max joins the Chicago office as a member of the Insurnace practice group. His practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and cyber security matters. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate attorney at a Columbus-based law firm specializing in workers’ compensation matters. Max earned his J.D. from Penn State Law and his B.A. from Miami University.

Osmaan joins the Oakland office as a member of the Product & General Liability practice group. Osmaan earned his LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and his LL.B from the University of London.

Ryan joins the Irvine office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. Recognized globally as one of the preeminent Prop 65 attorneys in the country, Ryan's practice is focused on a range of matters related to environmental regulatory compliance, litigation defense, and overall strategic consulting. He has represented various companies in litigation involving environmental and toxic torts matters, product liability, pollution control measures, premises liability, and asbestos-related injury. His legal counsel and consulting work includes defense of enforcement actions under California’s Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (known as “Prop 65”) as well as regulatory compliance and requirements under CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and state law counterparts. Ryan earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fred joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort and Product & General Liability practice groups. He focuses on defending corporate clients in toxic tort, environmental, and product liability litigation. He also has experience representing clients and insurance carriers in construction law and general tort liability. Fred earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.

Robert joins the Columbus office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He defends businesses, insurance carriers, and individuals against personal injury, property damage, and wrongful death claims. In addition, he has significant trial experience in a wide array of civil litigation. Robert also devotes a significant part of his practice to representing municipalities and political subdivisions and defending Section 1983 civil rights actions. Before joining the firm, he was a Partner at Gallagher Sharp. Before that, Senior Staff Counsel for Travelers Insurance and was a former Assistant Law Director for the City of Cleveland. Robert earned his J.D. from Syracuse University School of Law and his B.A. from Kent State University.

Stephen joins the Seattle office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Stephen earned his J.D. from University of Idaho College of Law and his B.A. from Walla Walla University.

Matthew joins the San Diego office as a member of the Intellectual Property practice group. He works on a variety of intellectual property litigation matters, including patent, trademark, and copyright cases. He is also an Assistant Editor for the ABA’s Landslide Magazine, which is a magazine dedicated to the sharing of intellectual property knowledge and experience acquired on the frontlines of practice, business, and the arts and sciences. Prior to joining the firm, Matthew clerked for the Honorable Bernard G. Skomal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and the Honorable Scott H. Yun in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Matthew earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Hannah joins the Minneapolis office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. She has experience representing a variety of clients from individuals facing personal lawsuits to large corporations. She has experience handling a diverse range of subject areas from family law to workers’ compensation. Hannah has assisted her client’s matters from initiation of litigation through the appeals process. Hannah earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and her B.A. from Concordia College.

Elena joins the Seattle office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Elena earned her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and her B.A. from Point Loma Nazarene University.

Denise joins the Chicago office as a member of the Insurance practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Denise served as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney in the Criminal Appeal and Child Support Enforcement Divisions, where she filed several felony appeals. She also served as a law clerk for the Middle East team at the Commercial Law Development Program at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she conducted comparative analysis of public procurement laws in Arabian Gulf countries and reviewed Saudi and Bahraini bankruptcy judicial opinions. Denise earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A. from American University.

Jordan joins the Nashville office as a member of the Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, and Business Transactions practice groups. Jordan earned his J.D. from Belmont University College of Law and his B.A. from Samford University.

Jeremy joins the Alexandria office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Jeremy served as a judicial law clerk to Chief Judge E. Gregory Wells of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. He has a background in government investigations, having interned with the Office of Congressional Ethics, the U.S. Department of Justice, Public Integrity Section, and the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor. He also completed an externship during law school with the Hon. Paul W. Grimm of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Jeremy earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and his B.A. from Skidmore College.

Roland joins the St. Louis office as a member of the Insurance practice group. Since becoming a licensed attorney, he has practiced in various civil and criminal capacities including: family law; state prosecution; and mass/toxic tort litigation. Before joining the firm, Roland served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division. He has experience handling cases at all stages of litigation in both state and federal court. Roland earned his J.D. from Howard University School of Law and his B.A. from Jackson State University.

Hela joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Insurance and Health Care practice groups. Her practice involves the litigation of group and individual life, health, and disability claims, employee benefit disputes brought under ERISA, and litigation of health care claims and disputes between health plans and health care providers. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced in the area of Probate Administration, Trust Litigation, and Conservatorships. Hela earned her LL.B. from Bar Ilan University.