Rajiv Vrudhula '02 has recently joined Axiom, a new model professional services firm focused on the high-end legal market, at the firm’s New York office.

Prior to joining Axiom, Vrudhula was a corporate associate with Baker & Hostetler where he represented lenders in secured loan transactions, manufacturing companies in stock and asset acquisitions, and real estate funds in joint ventures.

Axiom is a new model firm that empowers its attorneys and clients by changing the way they work together. Alums of the nation’s best law firms and corporate law departments, Axiom Attorneys work in a uniquely integrated way with large companies. In Axiom, they’ve found variety, close client relationships, an element of self-determination, and the chance to be a legal pioneer.
(6/26/08)

Lauren Sudar ’02 of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP Named One of the 2008 California Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”

Southern California Rising Stars, published annually in the July issue of Los Angeles Magazine and the Southern California Super Lawyer – Rising Stars Edition, recognizes young and promising attorneys throughout Southern California for their work in specific practices. Rising Stars are up-and-coming Southern California attorneys who are 40 or younger or have been in practice for less than ten years. Only 2.5 percent of Southern California attorneys were bestowed this honor.
(6/19/08)

Jonathan Stern ’02 of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP Named One of the 2008 California Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”

Southern California Rising Stars, published annually in the July issue of Los Angeles Magazine and the Southern California Super Lawyer – Rising Stars Edition, recognizes young and promising attorneys throughout Southern California for their work in specific practices. Rising Stars are up-and-coming Southern California attorneys who are 40 or younger or have been in practice for less than ten years. Only 2.5 percent of Southern California attorneys were bestowed this honor.
(6/19/08)

Brooke Eisenhart ’03 of Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George LLP Named One of the 2008 California Super Lawyers “Rising Stars"

Southern California Rising Stars, published annually in the July issue of Los Angeles Magazine and the Southern California Super Lawyer – Rising Stars Edition, recognizes young and promising attorneys throughout Southern California for their work in specific practices. Rising Stars are up-and-coming Southern California attorneys who are 40 or younger or have been in practice for less than ten years. Only 2.5 percent of Southern California attorneys were bestowed this honor.
(6/19/08)

Amy Guzman '02 writes: Since graduating I got married, had two children, left practicing in a law firm, and am currently working at a small private finance company.
(05/07/08)

Paolo Cioppa '05 writes: After a great experience with the Skadden M&A team in New York, I have accepted an offer at Davis Polk. I will be spending the first few months in the New York office of Davis, and as of September I will relocate to the Madrid office for two years. I would really like to see any fellow alumni in Spain.
(04/28/08)

Heather Elliott '00 writes: This summer, I am leaving my position at Catholic University to teach at the University of Alabama, so that I can be with my fiance, a philosophy professor there.
(04/18/08)

Gabriella Raymond reports: Our baby boy, Ivan, was born December 29, 2007. He started at 8lb 7oz, and is growing fast -- I'll be a full-time mom for five more months, and looking to reconnect with friends in Berkeley, before returning to work as a Deputy County Counsel for Alameda County.
(01/23/08)

Steven Gonzales '91 shares his news: I have just been elected to another four-year term as a King County Superior Court Judge in Seattle.
(6/18/08)

Michael Kwun '98 writes: I've had a busy year. My wife Sigrid and I got married in May 2007, and our son Anders was born in April 2008. And now, in June 2008, I've left my job at Google as Managing Counsel, Litigation to join the Electronic Frontier Foundation as a Senior Intellectual Property Staff Attorney.

Chandra Lekha Sriram ’94 has recently published Peace as Governance: Power-Sharing, Armed Groups and Contemporary Peace Negotiations. This book critically analyzes one key set of negotiation incentives used in peace agreements: inclusion of armed groups in structures of power. She writes: “Though I loosely term these incentives as ‘power-sharing’, they are much broader than traditional power-sharing, and rely on explicit institutionalization of the state and the use of state institutions. These negotiation incentives can involve inclusion of previously excluded or outlawed groups as legitimate political parties, sharing of resources with such groups, inclusion of former combatants in reformed military or police forces, and offers of partial or complete autonomy. The book, drawing upon studies in Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Colombia, demonstrates the limitations and even dangers of using such strategies.” For more information, you can visit the publisher’s Web site: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=274909.
Chandra Sriram holds the Chair in Human Rights and is the director of the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict at the University of East London, School of Law.
(06/03/08)

After practicing law for a number of years, Christine Kurek ’96 has recently launched a business venture of her own out of L.A., sleep & loungewear label Buxom Inc. (Christine was also on her class reunion committee a few years back.) After law school, Christine clerked for Chief Judge Jerry Buchmeyer, N.D. TX (in Dallas), then worked at Covington & Burling in D.C. for a few years before returning to CA. Here she worked for Yahoo! Inc. at their corporate offices in Sunnyvale as their first, in-house employment attorney. Influenced by the entrepreneurial environment at Yahoo!, Christine left in Jan. '06 to move back to LA (to be closer to the garment district) to start Buxom Inc. A stint working in the lingerie department at a Nordstrom’s while still in law school would incidentally work out to Christine’s advantage, as she was able to gain knowledge about customer needs, wants, and fit that is now put to use in Buxom Inc.’s collections. Christine moved back to Los Angeles to pursue the idea of Buxom Inc. further. Combining her lingerie retail sales experience with fashion design classes in the San Francisco Bay area, Christine officially launched Buxom Inc. Offering beautiful designs that both flatter and fit full-busted women, Buxom Inc. debuts with its Fall 2008 Collection of sleep, loungewear and crossover pieces. Currently targeting thin to average-sized women with cup sizes C-DD, Christine has plans moving forward to launch a plus-size division as well. Christine has already received ample interest from buyers as well as press, and is soon to be featured in trade magazines Body & Contours as well as consumer magazine InStyle. Currently she is selling online at www.buxominc.com however expects to be in stores by August for the Fall season.
(05/01/08)

Mae O'Malley '98 sends this update: Raising 3 young boys while also nurturing my 4th and largest baby--Paragon Legal, which I founded in 2006. Paragon provides highly experienced attorneys to leading bay area companies such as Google, Cisco and Autodesk on a project basis, with an expertise in technology transactions. We're honored to have been featured in a number of major publications including most recently the American Bar Association Journal for our innovative business model in leveraging the talents of seasoned lawyer moms (and dads!) seeking a challenging yet flexible practice. We're proud to have a number of Boalt graduates working on our team. www.paragonlegal.com
(05/01/08)

Kelly McCown '93 reports: I recently was elected to the board of directors of Bank of San Francisco, a regional bank in downtown San Francisco that focuses on serving privately owned Bay Area-based companies as well as nonprofit organizations and schools, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
(04/28/08)

Donna Schuele '99 reports: I joined the faculty in the Department of Criminology, Law & Society at the University of California, Irvine, in July 2007.
(04/20/08)

Fatima Evans writes: I'm pleased to report that I've made Partner at my firm, Oakland-based Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley. I practice in the Estates and Trusts group where I focus on conservatorships, probate, trust administration and estate planning matters. I also have significant experience with special needs trusts and in advising fiduciaries. I joined the firm in 1996 as an Associate and have enjoyed my time here immensely.
(01/30/08)

Farella Braun + Martel LLP recently welcomed Edward L. Quevedo (’84) to its Environmental Law Department as special counsel. Quevedo has 23 years of experience advising clients on domestic and international sustainability planning and program development, and strategic environmental, health and safety compliance and performance counseling, both in a legal and business consulting capacity. Most recently, he was a senior consultant with WSP Environment & Energy.

“Ed’s experience in sustainable development, clean technology and strategic environmental management in a broad range of industry sectors adds depth to the full array of environmental law services we offer to clients,” said Chris Locke, chair of the firm’s Environmental Law Department. “Ed has a strong record of skill, business acumen, leadership and client service in these areas of environmental law, and we enthusiastically welcome him to our practice.”

Quevedo has litigated environmental law cases and advised clients on environmental regulatory matters since 1990. He has handled environmental law matters domestically and internationally, including litigating before the California Supreme Court, the International Board of Arbitrators in The Hague and the European Court of Justice on several matters. His clients have included major colleges and universities and firms in the high technology, wine, agricultural, food and beverage, life sciences, biotech, automotive and manufacturing industries, as well as public agencies. He is a frequent instructor on sustainable business practices at a number of colleges and universities, and lectures widely on these topics before diverse industry trade associations.
(05/21/08)

Zee Claiborne '82, full-time mediator and arbitrator since 1998, is moving her practice to JAMS, effective April 18, 2008. She will be based in the San Francisco JAMS office and will continue to travel as needed to handle domestic and international disputes. She specializes in the resolution of complex business, intellectual property, real estate, and construction matters. For more information, visit www.jamsadr.com.
(05/01/08)

Damon M. Connolly '88 was elected to the San Rafael City Council in November. For many years he served as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, and was a leader in the State's efforts to recover billions of dollars for California ratepayers from the Energy Crisis of 2000-01. In 2007, Damon became a partner with the San Francisco firm of Girard Gibbs, LLP. More recently, he established his own private practice with offices in San Rafael and San Francisco, and also serves as of counsel to the firm of Keegin, Harrison, Schoppert, Smith and Karner, LLP.
(03/17/08)

In January 2008, Jas. Adams ('76) was appointed Attorney-in-Charge of the Natural Resources Section of the Oregon Attorney General's office. In that general counsel role, he oversees all legal advice provided to Oregon's natural resource and environmental agencies on forestry, water resources, fish and wildlife, state lands, and environmental quality matters. Current issues of particular note include wave energy proposals, the siting of LNG facilities in Oregon, and the Portland Harbor Superfund clean-up.
(04/12/08)

Steven Herrick Named Partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC

January 11, 2007 – Albany, NY – Tully Rinckey PLLC is pleased to announce that Steven L. Herrick, Esq. has been named partner at the firm. Herrick is the first partner added to the firm since its founding in 2004.

Herrick first joined Tully Rinckey in 2006. He has since led the development of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice, which provides representation to clients in all types of business-related disputes. His addition enabled the firm to offer a full range of litigation services, including trials and appeals in all New York state and federal courts.

After graduating with honors from Tufts University, Herrick received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law. He entered private practice with Farrell, Fritz, P.C., a leading Long Island law firm, where he rose to the level of partner and was co-head of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Department, where he served as lead attorney in many complex matters, conducting numerous trials and frequently arguing cases in the appellate courts. In 1991, Herrick formed his own firm, where he continued his successful litigation practice first on Long Island, and then in the Albany area, until joining Tully Rinckey.

Over the years, he has represented a wide variety of sophisticated and high profile clients, including banks, insurance companies, regional and local shopping centers, commercial real estate developers, oil companies, technology firms, and a National Hockey League team.

In addition to being a member in good standing of the Bar of the State of New York, authorized to practice in all state courts, Herrick is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a member of the Albany County Bar Association and its Commercial/Appellate Practice Committee. He is a past member of the Judicial Hearing Officer Screening Committee for the Tenth Judicial District. He has also lectured on New York civil practice at both professional associations and law schools and is a former adjunct professor of New York practice at Touro Law School.

Tully Rinckey PLLC is one of the fastest growing full-service law firms in the Capital Region and is dedicated to providing quality legal representation and customer service to individuals, families and businesses throughout New York’s Capital and Hudson Valley Regions. The team of attorneys, paralegals, and professionals helps clients in a wide range of practice areas. The firm maintains a website, www.tullylegal.com, with additional information about its attorneys, achievements, and news stories involving the firm’s work.
(1/11/08)

Prior to swearing in 29 lawyers to practice before the Federal District Court for the District of Maryland, the honorable William Connelly shared with the audience that 35 years passed between Wayne J. King's completion of law school and passing the Maryland Bar Exam. In the interim, Judge Connelly advised everyone Wayne J. King served abroad as a Senior Foreign Service Officer.
(1/09/08)

Ann Z. Cook, class of 1969, retired July 1 as an administrative law judge in Washington, DC, after 30 years of federal service. She practiced law in Marin County for five years before moving to Washington with her husband and their two sons. In 1978, she joined the enforcement division of the Commodity Futures Trading Administration. She became an ALJ with the Social Security Administration in 1984, then served successively with the Department of Transportation, Office of Occupational Health & Safety Review Commission, and the Office of Financial Institution Adjudication, hearing cases from FDIC, Federal Reserve Board, Comptroller of the Currency, and other banking agencies. In retirement, she plans to spend more time with her children (Nicholas is a manager at New York Times Digital, Benjamin is financing solar projects at SunPower Corp.) and her grandchildren and to travel extensively with her husband of 41 years.
(6/25/08)

Ronald Hecker reports: Recently taught three classes at the UCLA Extension Paralegal Program: Complaints and Answers, Demurrers and Motions and Legal Research.
(02/15/08)

Dave Fuller '56 shares this update: After 40 years working as a trial lawyer and managing a general practice firm in Chico, I retired to spend more time with my family and friends. JoAnne and I have been able to travel extensively visiting many other countries, and are lucky enough to both be in good health twelve years later. We still live in Chico, but spend three months at our summer home on Lake Almanor and a month on Maui in January each year. In between we visit our three children and seven grandchildren in Colorado and Oregon.

Watching Cal football remains one of our favorite activities , and we attend most home games as well as many away from Berkeley. We were fortunate to have all of our children receive their degrees through the U.C. system, with our two daughters both graduating from Berkeley. Acting as the Butte County representatives for the Cal Alumni Association also keeps us in close touch with the University. Contacts from any members of the Class of 1956 would be welcome at drfchico@juno.com.
Dave Fuller -Class of 1956
(05/07/08)