Press Releases

Bloomberg Law "Jewish-Owned Art Sold in Nazi Era at Center of SCOTUS Case (2)" By: Kimberly Robinson "There’s a real tension for the justices in this case, said M.C. Sungaila, who filed a similar case last year that the justices refused to consider. “We can all agree that this was bad and something should be done about it, but should it be done here?” said Sungaila, a shareholder with Buchalter ...

The Recorder "California Justice Leondra Kruger Sees Spotlight Amid Biden Transition" By: Cheryl Miller "Almost six years ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown found himself defending his nomination of Leondra Kruger to the California Supreme Court. Critics wanted to know why Brown didn’t pick a practicing California attorney or judge. Why go with a U.S ...

Buchalter attorneys represented Transamerica in the $650 million sale of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid Center, the largest U.S. real estate deal since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sale includes the entire Transamerica Pyramid block, and was the first time this entire block traded since the Pyramid was built in 1972 ...

LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 20, 2020 - – Buchalter is pleased to announce the promotions of Northern California based Benjamin H. Heuer, and Scottsdale based Shaleen D. Brewer and Renee M. Shprecher to Shareholder. “We are excited to share the news of these well-deserved promotions - Ben, Shaleen, and Renee represent Buchalter exceptionally well,” said Adam J. Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer ...

November 10, 2020 – Buchalter is pleased to welcome Kirsten Day newest Shareholder and member of its Real Estate practice group in Portland. Day brings over 20 years of experience to her national practice in leasing, acquisition/disposition, development and financing of regional shopping centers and other retail properties, Class A office buildings and industrial properties. “We are thrilled to welcome Kirsten to the Firm,” said Adam Bass, Buchalter President and Chief Executive Officer ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce that Shareholders Tracy A. Warren and Laura L. Nichols have both been been selected as 2020 “Leaders in Law” Finalists by the San Diego Business Journal. Tracy Warren is member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group in the Firm’s San Diego office. Ms. Warren represents both national and international clients in employment matters involving single plaintiff and class action defense ...

October 26, 2020 By: Neil Haggerty Banks, PPP recipients caught in bind between two SBA rescue programs   Michael Flynn commented on whether Congress might consider including the amounts of SBA Emergency Disaster Injury Loan grants in the SBA Payroll Protection Plan loan amounts eligible for loan forgiveness. “Congress may have interest as a policy matter to do something similar to PPP forgiveness with the grant portion of EIDL ...

Buchalter is proud to announce it has been nationally ranked in 11 practice areas and regionally ranked in 46 practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” recognition is based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and a review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce the establishment of the Kaufman Appellate Fellowship Program, named in honor of California Supreme Court Justice Marcus Kaufman, who founded the appellate practice at Buchalter upon his retirement from the bench thirty years ago. The Fellowship provides recent law school graduates with appellate advocacy experience early in their careers and is intended to serve as a launching pad into a judicial clerkship or an appellate career. The U.S ...

LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 22, 2020. Buchalter is pleased to announce the formation of a new industry group exclusively focused on the exponentially-growing and ever-evolving agribusiness industry.  Over the past several decades, Buchalter’s agribusiness practice has expanded to the representation of some of the largest and most innovative players in the industry, now utilizing thirty lawyers across multiple practice groups ...

Los Angeles, October 14, 2020 – Buchalter is pleased to announce the recent addition of five new attorneys. C. Dennis Loomis joined as a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group in Los Angeles. Stacey Ravetta joined in Seattle as a member of the Intellectual Property and Corporate Practice Groups. Sandy Isaac joined San Diego as a member of the Estate Planning practice. Michelle K. Meek is a member of the Labor and Employment Practice Group in San Diego and Matthew T ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce Shareholders, M.C. Sungaila and Damaris Medina were named Top Women in Business in Orange County nominees by the Orange County Business Journal. Ms. Sungaila is Chair of the Firm’s Appellate practice group and a highly regarded appellate attorney who has briefed and argued appeals raising cutting-edge and fundamental business issues for over two decades. Ms ...

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Beginning as an effort to educate the public about issues related to disabilities and employment, Congress declared the first week of each October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week in 1945. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month, changing the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month ...

New California Law Aims to Protect Financial Entities Serving the Legal Cannabis Industry September 30, 2020 By Katherine Proctor "Richard Ormond, a shareholder at Buchalter Law Firm in Los Angeles whose practice areas include cannabis and banking, said in an email that the bill's impact on the industry "will be nominal at this time without clearer guidelines and regulations from the federal government ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce the welcome additions of Joseph K. Fletcher III and Laura Lamb Nichols to its Tax & Estate Planning and Corporate Law Practice Groups. Based in Buchalter’s Los Angeles office, Fletcher has over 25 years of tax law experience. His international practice includes matters involving the taxation of mergers and acquisitions, resolution of tax controversies, and international taxation. He is also a member of the Firm’s Corporate Practice Group ...

Buchalter represented Burgess Cellars, a revered 27-acre vineyard planted with vines in the 1880s, in its sale to Lawrence Family Vineyards. Burgess Cellars was originally purchased by Tom Burgess and Linda Burgess in 1972, one of the first of two dozen wineries in the Napa Valley. For the last twenty years, Burgess Cellars was helmed by the second generation of the family as Steven and Jim Burgess continued their father's tradition of producing age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon ...

Following a nine-day, first ever Zoom arbitration trial on a contractual fraud case relating to the sale of a business, Buchalter Shareholder Gabriel Green obtained a victorious Arbitrator’s Award in favor of Buchalter client Marc Haberman and his company, United Partners Limited, LLC.  After having purchased a tax resolution business for $2.5 million, Mr ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce Philip Nulud was awarded the Best Under 40 Award by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association ...

These Law Firms Have The Most Diverse Equity Partnerships Law360 August 31, 2020 Buchalter has been ranked by Law360 as having one of the highest percentage of minority equity partners for law firms with 251-600 attorneys. Overall, Law360 recognized 40 law firms who are "outpacing their peers as the legal industry works towards increasing minority representation in their top ranks ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce that Shareholders Damaris L. Medina and Andrew H. Selesnick were both named Finalists of the Los Angeles Business Journal's Health Care Leadership Awards ...

The firm is pleased to announce that 38 lawyers have been included in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas ...

Buchalter is pleased to announce 11 of our attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers as 2021 "Ones to Watch." This award recognizes attorneys who are earlier in their careers for "outstanding professional excellence in private practice." Buchalter would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2021 Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" list: Paul A. Alarcón - Appellate Practice Brandon M. Carr - Commercial Litigation Anna Crivelli - Corporate Law Aaron Elster - Real Estate Law Kathryn B ...

Buchalter congratulates our Shareholders on this recognition as the 2021 "Lawyer of the Year." Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. James K. Dyer, Jr. - Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) Michael (Sam) J. Sandmire - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants Mary-Christine "M.C." Sungaila - Appellate Practice Gary A ...

California Elder Abuse Damages Capped Despite Covid Concerns (1) August 17, 2020 By Maeve Allsup "Harry W.R. Chamberlain II of Buchalter APC told Bloomberg Law the majority concluded the statute is an ancillary remedy that goes along with common law remedies, not a “go-to cause of action ...

A Lost Summer for Law Students? Not For Aspiring Appellate Lawyers in NC and the OC July 14, 2020 By: Ross Todd "Across the country in California, the North Carolina program caught the attention of Haynes and Boone appellate co-chair Mary-Christine “M.C.” Sungaila, a member of the Orange County Bar Association Board of Directors and a member of its COVID-19 task force, which has been organizing two free webinars per week for members since mid-March ...