Seven AALRR Northern California Attorneys Named as 2024 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

07.11.2024

Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) is proud to announce that Super Lawyers has named seven AALRR attorneys to its 2024 Northern California Super Lawyers list and its 2024 Northern California Rising Stars lists.

The following AALRR attorneys were selected:

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SUPER LAWYERS

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.

Micah Jacobs, Partner, is a trial lawyer who specializes in complex commercial, business, and intellectual property litigation, including breach of contract disputes, partnership disputes, patent infringement and trade secrets, unfair competition, employment, and business tort cases. Mr. Jacobs resolves complicated disputes for leading internet and technology companies throughout Silicon Valley, as well as many other industries. He has almost 30 years of experience litigating, resolving, and trying cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States, winning many unanimous jury verdicts and high-profile settlements. Mr. Jacobs has also litigated cross-border, international commercial disputes. He has appeared on the Northern California Super Lawyers list every year since 2010.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RISING STARS

Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars is a highly selective recognition that spotlights exceptional attorneys aged 40 years and younger, or those in practice for 10 years or less. Each selected attorney undergoes a multiphase selection process involving peer nomination and evaluation, as well as independent research. With only 2.5% of attorneys named as Rising Stars, these honorees are truly the “best of the best”.

AALRR attorneys appear frequently in Super Lawyers’ annual rankings, and this year’s Northern California Rising Stars selection was no different. Georgelle Cuevas, Jacqueline Hang, Junn Paulino, Erika Rodine, Angelo Villarreal, and Janette Malanowski appeared on this year’s list.

Georgelle Cuevas, Partner, is experienced in counseling and representing public and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, disability, reasonable accommodation, wage and hour requirements, leave requirements, discipline and dismissal.  She has significant experience conducting thorough and effective investigations concerning workplace issues and student complaints.  She regularly assists school districts, county offices of education, and community colleges in navigating the requirements of the Education Code, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the Brown Act, and other state and federal laws. She has represented employers in multi-day administrative hearings. This is the third year Ms. Cuevas has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

Jacqueline Hang, Senior Counsel, represents California public school districts, community college districts, and county offices of education in all areas of general education law. She has significant experience conducting impartial, prompt, thorough, and effective workplace investigations, and Title IX investigations. She also provides legal counsel on matters involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, reasonable accommodation requirements, charter school operations and compliance, and student and personnel discipline. This is the first year Ms. Hang has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

Junn Paulino, Senior Counsel, provides full-service representation to California school districts, private and parochial schools, county offices of education, community college districts, and public and private universities in all matters related to education and labor and employment law. This is the third year Mr. Paulino has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

Erika Rodine, Senior Counsel, represents Northern California educational agencies in all matters of the law. Ms. Rodine’s experience includes conducting investigations for public school districts; litigating individual, representative, and class employment cases from inception to settlement; drafting and reviewing discovery requests and responses; and researching, drafting, and filing motions in both state and federal courts. In addition, she provides counsel for a full range of legal issues relating to charter schools, including operational compliance review and monitoring, complaint investigations, petitions and appeals, and operating agreements. In the realm of employment law, Ms. Rodine has worked on wage and hour matters as well as discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination cases. This is the third year Ms. Rodine has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

Angelo Villarreal, Senior Associate, represents public and private entities in a wide array of labor and employment matters. He regularly provides advice and counsel and litigation services in the areas of wage and hour, retaliation, employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, leaves of absence, employee termination and discipline, and grievance issues. This is the third year Mr. Villarreal has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

Janette Malanowski, Associate, represents school districts, community college districts, and county offices of education in all aspects of labor and employment law and in general education matters. Ms. Malanowski focuses primarily on personnel-related matters, including certificated and classified discipline and dismissals, employee leaves, and personnel investigations. This is the fourth year Ms. Malanowski has appeared on the Northern California Rising Stars list.

“At AALRR, we believe that the depth of our legal talent is our greatest asset, and that is reflected in our attorneys regularly earning these types of recognition,” commented James Baca, Managing Partner. “We have had dozens of attorneys who have been recognized by Super Lawyers in past years. The attorneys named to this year’s Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists are phenomenal attorneys who add significant value to both our firm and the clients we serve. This recognition is richly deserved.”

About Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo
With 45 years of unwavering commitment to client service, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) is one of California’s leading law firms. Our diverse team brings a seasoned perspective to California’s complex legal landscape for public and private entities, with particular strength in the areas of education, labor and employment, construction, complex litigation, corporate, taxation, and water. AALRR’s public sector clients include more than 450 K-12 school districts, community college districts and universities, as well as cities, counties, and special districts. We also represent diverse business entities, from small, family-run businesses to publicly traded corporations. At 250 lawyers and growing, AALRR has nine offices in Cerritos, Fresno, Irvine, Marin, Pasadena, Pleasanton, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Diego to serve our clients throughout California.

###