AALRR Announces New Equity and Non-Equity Partners

01.09.2018

Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo is pleased to announce five attorneys have been named equity partners with the firm. Another three attorneys have been named partners.

“The attorneys who were elected as partners and equity partners this year are highly qualified and hugely talented,” commented Managing Partner Mark Palin. “As our firm’s deep bench of dedicated attorneys continues to grow, the decision-making process grows more and more difficult. We are gratified to have such a hard working team and are proud this year to have been able to promote a diverse group of attorneys that represent the best of our firm.”

The new equity partners are Brigham Cheney, Kevin Dale, Elizabeth Rho-Ng, Amber Solano, and Elizabeth Zamora-Mejia.

Brigham Cheney represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. His wide range of litigation experience encompasses all phases of law and motion practice, discovery, mediation, arbitration, and trial. Mr. Cheney has unique experience in wage-and-hour class action law, having successfully tried two such class actions. He has also obtained denials of class certification and dismissals of class and representative claims in numerous complex actions alleging a variety of wage-and-hour claims at both the trial and appellate court levels. 

Kevin Dale, an experienced labor negotiator, represents employers at the bargaining table and has prepared numerous agreements with various types of bargaining units. He has also successfully represented employers in union actions, including unfair practice charges filed with the Public Employment Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board. He also provides general counsel services to various public agencies, including school districts, community college districts, and others. 

Elizabeth Rho-Ng represents California public school districts, county offices of education, private schools, community college districts, and special education local plan areas in various aspects of education law, specializing in special education and student issues. She advises clients on all matters related to serving the needs of disabled students and has extensive expertise on topics ranging from Section 504 and has successfully litigated special education cases in both state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.

Amber Solano is an accomplished litigator who represents employers in both the private and public sector in all areas of labor and employment law, including wrongful discharge, wage and hour (including class actions), discrimination/harassment, retaliation, leaves of absences, privacy, and the First Amendment. Ms. Solano handles matters in state and federal courts as well as before various administrative agencies. She has received remarkable results for clients in hearings, arbitrations, trials, and appeals. 

Elizabeth Zamora-Mejia represents public and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Ms. Zamora-Mejia focuses on education law, providing advice and counsel to California public school districts and community college districts on general school law matters which include classified and certificated employee discipline, student rights and discipline, defending school districts against discrimination claims and contract grievances, and conducting school-related investigations. 

The new partners are David Boyer, Deborah Ettinger, and Brian Wheeler.

David Boyer has more than 20 years of success as litigation counsel for government agencies throughout California. Mr. Boyer has litigated civil actions involving water rights and supply, state water contracts, environmental and natural resources, public construction, public agency, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, land use, insurance coverage, and employment law. He has been successful in representing public and private clients before federal and state regulatory and administrative tribunals on a variety of water and environmental matters.

Deborah Ettinger represents California public school districts, county offices of education, and special education local plan areas. Ms. Ettinger specialized in education law, with a focus on special education and student issues. She has assisted clients in serving the needs of disabled students for over a decade and has successfully litigated special education cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts and before administrative agencies. She also works with clients proactively to help avoid costly disputes through advice and counsel.

Brian Wheeler’s practice focuses on high-stakes, complex commercial litigation and white collar defense and investigations. He has significant experience representing private companies and organizations in all aspects of business litigation and pre-litigation counseling in myriad substantive areas of the law. In particular, Mr. Wheeler is an experienced litigator in intellectual property matters, including trademark, trade dress, design patent, and copyright infringement, as well as trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition cases.