About Our Attorneys About Our Attorneys Koletsky Mancini Feldman & Morrow & Attorneys
Integrity Our respect for the law and the relationships we build with clients and the legal community are of paramount importance to us and it shows in our work and our results. Ingenuity We recognize that in today s fi nancial and business climate, creative solutions are the benchmark of excellence and we make the grade. Knowledge We understand that knowing the facts and law better than our opponents is how we win and winning is everything. Experience Our lawyers are fi ghting for our clients in the courtroom, in the boardroom and at the negotiating table every day yes, every day. Commitment We follow an unwavering course to serve our clients needs in the best and most cost-effective manner possible and we deliver. Not just words, but a part of what we do every day.
3460 Wilshire Boulevard Eighth Floor Los Angeles, California 90010 voice: 213 427 2350 fax: 213 427 2366 1999 Harrison Street Suite 1620 Oakland, California 94612 voice: 510 272 4460 fax: 510 272 4464 www.kmfm.com
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KMFM ATTORNEYS KMFM takes special pride in the quality of its attorneys who have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences both inside and outside of the law. It is these individuals who will drive the development of Koletsky, Mancini, Feldman & Morrow in the next century. SENIOR Partners Marc S. Feldman Marc S. Feldman was born on June 11, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Florida in 1980. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern School of Law in 1983. Mr. Feldman was admitted to the State Bar of California and United States District Court in 1983. Prior to joining Koletsky, Mancini, Feldman & Morrow, Mr. Feldman was a partner in the law fi rm of Patterson, Ritner, Lockwood, Zanghi & Gartner of Los Angeles, California. Over the past 23 years, Mr. Feldman has focused his practice in the area of general/catastrophic injury litigation, product liability and construction defect. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, Construction Industry Forum Committee and the American Bar Association, Litigation and Tort Trial and Insurance Practice sections. He is also member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. He has tried over 25 jury trials and 42 bench trials and mediated close to 1,000 matters. Mr. Feldman can be reached at msf@kmfm.com. Roy A. Koletsky Roy A. Koletsky was born on March 1, 1957, in New York, New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Occidental College in 1979. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern School of Law in 1982, where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Koletsky was admitted to the State Bar and the Federal Courts in California in 1982. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. Mr. Koletsky has tried more than 20 jury trials and 15 bench trials and has been involved in more than 500 mediations. Mr. Koletsky focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect litigation and real estate law. He can be reached at rak@kmfm.com. Stephen C. Mancini Stephen C. Mancini was born on March 21, 1957, in Washington, D.C. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from Occidental College in 1980. He attended Pepperdine University School of Law and the University of LaVerne School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1984, and was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Mancini was admitted to the State Bar of California and the United States District Court in 1985. Mr. Mancini is also a member of the State Bar of Washington D.C. and of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Mancini served as a Judge Pro Tempore in the Los Angeles Municipal Court from 1988 to 1990. He has served as an adjunct professor of Tort Law, Advanced Civil Procedure, Trial Advocacy, and Criminal Law and Procedure at Merit College from 1990 to 1994. Mr. Mancini published Criminal Law and Procedure, Charleston Publishing, Inc., 1993. He is a member of the American, Los Angeles, and San Fernando Valley Bar Associations and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Mancini has tried more than 40 jury trials and 35 bench trials. He has arbitrated more than 150 cases and mediated more than 400 cases. Mr. Mancini focuses his practice in the areas of general and catastrophic liability litigation including wrongful death, product liability and toxic torts. Mr. Mancini currently serves as the fi rm s Managing partner. He can be reached at scm@kmfm.com.
Andrew M. Morrow, III Andrew M. Morrow, III, was born on August 15, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. In 1983, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Southern California. In 1981, he received a certifi cate in International Relations from the University of Madrid (Spain). In 1986, he received his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. He received a Masters Degree in Government from Harvard University in 1987. Mr. Morrow was admitted to the State and Federal Courts of California in 1987. Mr. Morrow is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute s Committees on Insurance Law and Construction Law. Mr. Morrow has tried more than 20 jury and bench trials and mediated more than 750 cases. He focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect and insurance litigation. Mr. Morrow can be reached at amm@kmfm.com. Peter K. Pritchard Peter K. Pritchard was born April 16, 1964, in Redwood City, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1986 from the University of California at Irvine and his law degree in 1989 from Santa Clara University. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. Mr. Pritchard focuses his practice in the area of construction defect litigation. He has mediated more than 350 cases and tried fi ve bench trials. Mr. Pritchard can be reached at pkp@kmfm.com. Partners Karen M. Brockenbrow Karen M. Brockenbrow was born in Downey, California. She attended the University of California at Riverside where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1992. In 1998, she received her Juris doctorate from the University of West Los Angeles where she was a recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards in Criminal Procedure and Legal Research. Ms. Brockenbrow is admitted to all California state and federal courts and is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Her practice areas include general liability and catastrophic injury liability. Ms. Brockenbrow can be reached at kmb@kmfm.com. Susan L. Caldwell Susan L. Caldwell was born in Santa Monica, California and earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in both English and Philosophy in 1991 from Purdue University. Ms. Caldwell earned her law degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles and was admitted to both the California Bar and United States District Court in 1997. She heads the Firm s Environmental/Toxic Tort Practice Group and co-chairs the Product Liability Group. Ms. Caldwell specializes in Environmental Litigation, Product Liability and Business Litigation. She has tried numerous jury trials to verdict and has argued and written matters before the Courts of Appeal of the State of California including the pinnacle case of In Re Firearms (2005) 126 Cal.App.4th 959, which defi ned causation requisites under California s Unfair Competition/Business & Professions Code 17200 doctrine related to distribution practices by this Nation s leading fi rearm manufacturers and associations. Ms. Caldwell has served as coordinating and liaison counsel for the defense in complex, high profi le actions and has defended numerous mass tort actions in both the product liability and environmental arenas. Ms. Caldwell is a member of the Defense Research Institute Toxic Tort and Environmental Law and Product Liability Committees, the American Bar Association Environmental, Energy & Resources Committee. Ms. Caldwell has authored numerous articles, including Defense of the Mass Tort Effective Coordination and Cost Reduction, Sophisticated User Defense in California Environmental Torts. Ms Caldwell can be reached at slc@kmfm.com.
Raymond C. Dion Raymond C. Dion was born on November 8, 1955, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University, Northridge in 1984. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School in 1988, where he received an American Jurisprudence Award in Business and Tax Planning. Mr. Dion is admitted to all State and Federal courts in California and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Los Angeles County and the American Bar Associations. Mr. Dion has participated in matters resulting in eight published Court of Appeal decisions. Mr. Dion s practice includes resolution of complex insurance coverage issues, general liability, complex business litigation, and appellate work. He can be reached at rcd@kmfm.com. Sharon G. Friedman-Castiel Sharon G. Friedman-Castiel was born on August 5, 1965, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Ms. Friedman- Castiel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987. In 1993, she received her Juris Doctor Degree from Loyola Law School. She is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is an active member of the American Bar Association and Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. Ms. Friedman-Castiel focuses her practice in the area of construction defect litigation and has mediated more than 500 cases. She can be reached at sgf@kmfm.com. Christian F. LaMond Christian F. LaMond was born in Newport, Rhode Island on October 4, 1966. Mr. LaMond received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Villanova University in 1988 and his Juris Doctor degree from Whittier College School of Law in 1992. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. Mr. Lamond focuses his practice in the area of construction defect litigation, in which he has mediated more than 500 cases. He can be reached at cfl @kmfm.com. Bryan Reiner Bryan S. Reiner was born on August 24, 1966, in Glendale, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political Science in 1988 from the University of Southern California and his law degree in 1995 from the University of LaVerne Law School. Mr. Reiner is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the Association of the Southern California Defense Counsel and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Reiner focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect litigation and business litigation. Mr. Reiner can be reached at breiner@kmfm.com.
Associates Shimea C. Anderson Shimea C. Anderson was born in Oakland, California on November 27, 1978. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000. She received her law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, CA, where she was a scholarship recipient and a member of Hastings\ Woman\ s Law Journal. She was admitted to practice before CA state courts in December of 2004. She currently focuses her practice in the area of construction defect and general civil litigation. She can be reached at sanderson@kmfm.com. Eugene J. Bennett Eugene J. Bennett was born in St. Clair, Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. in Engineering Physics from Michigan Technological University and did graduate study at University of Southern California. He received his J.D. from Southwestern University in June 1970. He was admitted to the California Bar on Jan. 9, 1971. Mr. Bennett is also admitted to all relevant California U.S. District Courts. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has been a disciplinary judge and a fee arbitrator with the California State Bar and has been on the Los Angeles Superior Court settlement panel and the Olympics Settlement Panel. He can be reached at ebennett@kmfm.com. Mitchel A. Brim Mitchel A. Brim was born on February 1, 1976, in Westwood, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Studies in 1998 from Pitzer College and his Juris Doctorate degree in 2002 from Southwestern School of Law. While in law school, he was the Vice President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and received the CALI Award in Negotiation and Counseling. Mr. Brim is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect litigation. He can be reached at mbrim@kmfm.com. Ruth A. Cornell Ruth A. Cornell was born January 30, 1961, in San Jose, California. In 1991, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Biola University. In 2000, she received her Juris doctorate from the University of LaVerne, College of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. She is admitted to all state and federal courts in California. She focuses her practice in the areas of construction defect and general liability litigation. Ms. Cornell can be reached at rcornell@kmfm.com. Karen D. Cox Karen D. Cox was born on December 8, 1963, in Van Nuys, California. She attended the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987. She received her law degree in 1997 from Loyola Law School, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honors Board. Ms. Cox is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. Her practice is focused on construction defect and general liability litigation. Ms. Cox can be reached at kcox@kmfm.com.
Daniel A. Crespo Daniel A. Crespo was born on April 23, 1977, in Burbank, California. Mr. Crespo graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University of Northridge in 2001. He received his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2004 where he served as Chairman of the Moot Court Board of Governors. Mr. Crespo is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect and general liability litigation. Mr. Crespo can be reached at dcrespo@kmfm.com. Stephen C. Dreher Stephen C. Dreher was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 23, 1951. After serving as a medic in the U.S. Army, Mr. Dreher obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from UCLA in 1976. He practiced emergency room/ ICU nursing before entering law school at Western State University. Mr. Dreher received his Juris Doctor degree in 1986. Mr. Dreher s practice specialties are medical malpractice and construction defect litigation with an emphasis on the defense of medical, design and engineering professionals. He is admitted to practice before all the state and federal courts in California and is a member of the American Bar Association. Mr. Dreher can be reached in the Oakland, CA offi ce at sdreher@kmfm.com. Julie A. Esposito Julie A. Esposito was born in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated cum laude from California State University Northridge, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Journalism. She thereafter attended Loyola Law School, and earned her J.D. degree in 1993. Ms. Esposito has been the recipient of various academic awards, including the Judge Julian Beck Award for Academic Achievement. Prior to her entry into civil trial practice, Ms. Esposito practiced in the area of constitutional law at the appellate level. Currently, Ms. Esposito s practice is focused on general liability and catastrophic injury litigation. She can be reached at jesposito@kmfm.com. Ellen M. Fister Ellen M. Fister was born on May 2, 1961, in Los Angeles, California. She attended the California State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1992. She received her law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2000. She is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. Ms. Fister focuses her practice in the areas of construction defect and general liability litigation. Ms. Fister can be reached at efi ster@kmfm.com. Alex M. Grigorians Alex M. Grigorian joined Koletsky, Mancini, Feldman & Morrow in 2004, and practices in the areas of Environmental/Toxic Tort, Product Liability and Business Litigation. Prior to commencing his legal career, Mr. Grigorians co-founded and developed a successful internet product/technology company with over 35 employees where he served as Director of Product Development. After accepting a purchase bid from a major product/technology provider, Mr. Grigorians undertook his legal studies, attending and earning his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern university School of Law where he served as a board member of the Student Bar Association and was honored with a CALI Award for Excellence. Mr. Grigorians subsequently served as extern to the Honorable Dickran Tevrizian in the United States District Court, Central District of California, and is admitted to practice before all State and Federal Courts in California. Mr. Grigorians is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Environmental, Energy & Resources Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Armenian Bar Association and Beverly Hills Bar Association. He may be reached at amg@kmfm.com.
Brett G. Hampton Brett G. Hampton was born on May 29, 1963, in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Hampton received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 1983 and his law degree from Pepperdine University in 1987 where he was a recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards in constitutional law and trial advocacy. Mr. Hampton is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in the areas of general liability and catastrophic injury litigation. Mr. Hampton can be reached at bhampton@kmfm.com. Donald L. Hausman Donald L. Hausman was born in Los Angeles, California on July 6, 1958. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, from California State University, Northridge in 1983 and his law degree from the University of La Verne in 1990. Mr. Hausman is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect and general liability litigation. He can be reached at dhausman@kmfm.com. Michael T. Kennedy, Jr. Michael T. Kennedy, Jr. was born on March 21, 1965 in Pasadena, California. Mr. Kennedy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Southern California in 1990 and his law degree from Western State University, College of Law in 1997 where he was a member of the Law Review, a member of the Honor Roll, and a recipient of an American Jurisprudence Award in criminal law. Mr. Kennedy is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Barristers, and serves as a Judge Pro Tem in the Alameda County Superior Court. Mr. Kennedy is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in the area of construction defect litigation. Mr. Kennedy can be reached at mkennedy@kmfm.com. Margaret A. Klug Margaret A. Klug was born in Glendale, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in English from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, in 1980, and her Juris Doctor Degree in 1984 from Loyola University School of Law, in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Klug is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses her practice in construction defect and general civil litigation. She can be reached at mklug@kmfm.com. Amy Y. Kuo Amy Y. Kuo was born on July 20, 1979 in Taichun, Taiwan. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego in 2001 and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2004. While in law school, she clerked in the Legal and Business Affairs Department of Universal City Studios, LLLP working in contract and property law. Ms. Kuo is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Her practice currently focuses on construction defect litigation. Ms. Kuo can be reached at akuo@kmfm.com.
Catherine C. Lagman Legaspi Catherine C. Lagman Legaspi was born on October 19, 1970 in Manila, Philippines. Ms. Legaspi graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Mount St. Mary s College in 1993. She received her Juris doctorate from Whittier College School of Law in 1998 where she was an Associate Editor of the Whittier Law Review. Ms. Legaspi is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses her practice in the areas of construction defect and general liability litigation. Ms. Legaspi can be reached at clegaspi@kmfm.com. Michael S. Lew Michael S. Lew was born in Los Angeles, California on December 16, 1960. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology in 1985 from the University of California, Los Angeles and his law degree from Western State University in 1990. Mr. Lew also received an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 1999. Mr. Lew is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. He has tried six jury trials as fi rst chair in State Superior Court and obtained six defense verdicts. He focuses his practice in the areas of commercial liability and construction defect litigation and can be reached at mlew@ kmfm.com. Jennifer L. Marks Jennifer L. Marks was born on March 8, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 2001 from the University of California, San Diego and her Juris Doctor Degree in 2004 from Southwestern School of Law. While in law school, she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Board and the International Law Journal. Ms. Marks is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and focuses her practice in the areas of construction defect litigation. She can be reached at jmarks@kmfm.com. James J. Merriman James J. Merriman was born on June 8, 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1983, both from Creighton University. He was awarded the highest academic (i.e., Presidential) scholarship to law school; while in law school, he was awarded an AmJur Prize. Mr. Merriman is admitted to practice before state and federal courts in California and focuses his practice in construction defect and general civil litigation. He can be reached at jmerriman@kmfm.com. F. Edward Navarro F. Edward Navarro was born on October 13, 1972, in San Diego, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1996 from the California State University at Northridge and his law degree from Loyola Law School in 2000. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the Los Angeles County and Mexican-American Bar Associations. Mr. Navarro focuses his practice on construction defect litigation primarily representing developers; coverage; real estate litigation and business litigation. Mr. Navarro can be contacted at enavarro@kmfm.com.
Chan B. Reader Chan B. Reader was born on August 6, 1963, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Idaho State University in 1985 and his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1988. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations. Mr. Reader focuses his practice in the areas of general liability and catastrophic injury litigation. He can be reached at creader@kmfm.com. Perry E. Rhoads Perry E. Rhoads was born in Los Angeles, California on November 17, 1974. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Irvine in 1996 and his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1999. Mr. Rhoads is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Rhoads focuses his practice in the area of construction defect litigation. He can be reached at prhoads@kmfm.com. Michelle L. Steinhardt Michelle L. Steinhardt was born in Tarzana, California on May 11, 1979. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California in 2001 and her law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2004. She is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California. She is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She focuses her practice in general liability and construction defect litigation. Ms. Steinhardt can be reached at msteinhardt@kmfm.com. Nancy A. Tu Nancy A. Tu was born on April 13, 1950 in Seattle, Washington. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology in 1972 from Oregon State University and her Juris Doctorate Degree in 1992 from Golden Gate University School of Law. She is a member of the Southern California Defense Counsel. Ms. Tu is admitted to practice before all state courts in California and the Northern and Central District federal courts, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She focuses her practice in the area of general liability and construction defect litigation. She can be reached at ntu@kmfm.com. Kathleen A. Umrein Kathleen A. Umrein was born on June 13, 1947, in Portland, Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1969 from the University of Oregon Honors College and her Juris Doctor Degree in 1973 from the University of Chicago Law School. While in law school, she was awarded the Hinton Moot Court Award for Best Written Brief. She was a principal attorney in the San Francisco offi ce of the District Attorney for almost 10 years and has focused on insurance defense work since that time. She was an adjunct professor at Hastings Law School, teaching evidence advocacy, writing and evidence for six years. She can be reached at kumrein@kmfm.com. Michael D. Wilson Jr. Michael D. Wilson Jr. was born in San Francisco, California on January 24, 1977. Mr. Wilson received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology, History and a Specialization in African-Area Studies in 2000, from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also received his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2004, where he was a member of the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal. Mr. Wilson is admitted to practice before all State Courts in California and focuses his practice in the areas of construction defect, general liability and insurance litigation. Mr. Wilson can be reached at mwilson@kmfm.com.