Two Murchison & Cumming Women Attorneys Named to Southern California Rising Stars List

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Murchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Kelsey Maxwell and Associate Partner Georgiana Nikias, have been selected to the 2021 Southern California Rising Stars list. This is an exclusive list, recognizing no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Southern California.

Kelsey L. Maxwell is a Partner in the Los Angeles office. Ms. Maxwell focuses her practice on the areas of general liability, entertainment, product liability and specialty tort including habitability and discrimination claims. She is a graduate of The University of Arizona (B.A.) and Chapman University, Dale E. Fowler School of Law (J.D.). Ms. Maxwell started with the firm as a summer associate at M&C’s Orange County office in 2012 and 2013 continuing on as an attorney in Los Angeles beginning in 2014.

Georgiana A. Nikias is an Associate Partner in the Los Angeles office. She has experience in business litigation, employment law, products liability, general liability, art law, and commercial real estate litigation. Ms. Nikias is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law (B.A. and J.D.) and Oxford University (M.St.). She is involved in her community through fundraising events for various charity groups and serving on her Homeowner’s Association Board.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, 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.

Murchison & Cumming Welcomes New Associate to San Francisco Office

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Murchison & Cumming is pleased to announce that Laurie E. Yoon has joined the San Francisco office as an Associate. She has represented individuals and businesses in a wide variety of matters, including housing, personal injury, real estate, premises liability, business litigation, employment, and probate matters. She has handled a wide variety of litigation and controversy matters at all stages, including pre-litigation counseling, discovery, motion practice, mediation, arbitration, trial and appeal.

Laurie’s clients appreciate her personalized service keeping them informed at every turn and providing honest feedback. She strives to provide a positive legal experience with favorable results. Prior to joining M&C, Laurie was a litigation associate at plaintiff as well as defense firms representing both individual and corporate entities in a variety of civil litigation matters in state and federal court. Her experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in all civil litigation matters provides her with unique perspective and insight.

While in law school, Laurie served as certified intern at the Housing Advocacy Clinic representing underprivileged and low income tenants in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has also provided pro bono legal services to the disadvantaged groups in the community in various legal matters including immigration, landlord/tenant, and probate.

Arleen Milian Nominated as an Executive of the Year by LABJ’s Diversity, Inclusion + Equity Symposium & Awards

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Murchison & Cumming is pleased to announce that Director of Client Relations, Arleen Milian has been nominated as an Executive of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal’s (LABJ) Diversity, Inclusion + Equity Symposium & Awards. On March 24th, the LABJ will host the awards portion to honor diversity & inclusion champions in the Los Angeles region for their ongoing efforts to celebrate and respect the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all their team members while simultaneously creating an inclusive environment that enables diversity to thrive.

“Arleen brings a unique and intuitive perspective to our firm and brightens the firm’s path to the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Ken Moreno, Senior Partner at Murchison & Cumming. “We value and applaud Arleen’s role in our firm and the deserved recognition of this nomination.”

As the Director of Client Relations for Murchison & Cumming, LLP, Ms. Milian oversees the firm’s client services and DE&I Initiative; successfully launching the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative in 2017. She is a purpose-driven leader who possesses the ability to elevate & embed the necessity of diversity and the power of inclusion as catalysts that drive innovation, engagement, productivity, and profit. Her primary area of focus involves providing personalized strategic planning to drive cultural transformation within an organization.

Outside of the professional spectrum, much of her time and energy is devoted to mentoring women in marginalized communities. Her vision is to create a world where underrepresented groups within an organization are able to bring their authentic selves, and are provided opportunities to be in leadership positions.

Three M&C Senior Partners Named 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers

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Jean A. Dalmore, Murchison & Cumming’s newest Senior Partner, joins colleagues Friedrich W. Seitz and Guy R. Gruppie as 2021 Southern California Super Lawyer honorees in the annual vote of peers and area judiciary conducted by Thomson Reuters.

Ms. Dalmore is the co-chair of the Construction Law practice group. She focuses her practice in the area of construction litigation, including breach of contract, construction defect and construction site accident, representing developers, general contractors, sub-contractors, design professionals, manufacturers and material suppliers in all fields of construction, and in the area of professional liability, representing insurance and real estate agents and brokers, accountants, design professionals, and other professionals in malpractice actions. Ms. Dalmore is well experienced in all aspects of litigation, including discovery, mediation, arbitration, and trial having spent her entire career as a trial lawyer at Murchison & Cumming. She is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Seitz chairs the Wildland Fire Litigation and the International Law practice groups and co-chairs the Product Liability, and Business Litigation practice groups. He served as Managing Partner of the firm from 1986 to 2007 and has been recognized by Super Lawyers 17 times. He focuses his practice on domestic and international product liability, aviation, catastrophic injuries and business litigation and is a specialist in defending Wildland Fire cases representing public utility companies. Achieving the rank of Advocate with the American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA), Mr. Seitz has tried more than 100 jury trials , most involving product liability matters. He holds the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating.

Mr. Gruppie, one of California’s go-to defense trial attorneys, has now been recognized as a Super Lawyer for the 13th consecutive year. He specializes in the defense of complex, high-stakes and high-profile litigation. His clients include national and major regional and local businesses, entertainment/media companies, celebrities, professional athletes and other high net-worth individuals. Mr. Gruppie is a sought-after speaker/lecturer on trial and tort trends often by national and local media for comments, expertise and quotes regarding various civil litigation issues including in the past year, insurance, immunity, and tort reform issues pertaining the Covid-19 Crisis and related legislation. Mr. Gruppie is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has taught Civil Procedure at Southwestern Law School, and currently serves as a mediator with the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have been chosen by their peers and through independent research of Law & Politics. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Only the top 5% of attorneys in each state or region are honored as Super Lawyers.

Murchison & Cumming Senior Partner Guy R. Gruppie Featured in Elevator World Magazine

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Elevator World

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Guy R. Gruppie was the subject of an interview/profile for the September issue of Elevator World, an edition focusing on pandemic-related issues affecting tort litigation in general and elevator and escalator accident cases in particular. The profile and related Q&A addressed vertical transportation claims and lawsuits in the COVID-19 era and related topics such as case trends, court backlog and staffing issues, statute of limitation extensions and COVID-19 immunity/claim limitations being debated in Congress and legislative bodies in several states.

Gruppie has handled more than 500 escalator/passenger elevator/freight elevator cases in his career on behalf of product manufacturers, service and maintenance companies, property owners and public entities. He has authored numerous legal papers addressing issues arising in such cases, including the widely cited: “Uncommon Perception: The Common Carrier Duty Does Not Rule Out Defense Verdicts in Elevator and Escalator Accident Trials,” first published in the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Law Review in conjunction with Marquette University Law School.

Elevator World is considered the leading publication in the world of vertical transportation news and information, commerce, product development and innovation, and claims/litigation. It is the most credible source of industry news because its reporters, editors, readers and advertisers encompass all parts of the “elevator world.”

Gruppie is a Senior Partner who is resident in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of Murchison & Cumming, LLP, serves as Chair of the Firm’s Emerging Risks and Specialty Tort Practice Group, and is a senior member of the Firm’s Product Liability and General Liability practice groups. His first elevator matter was in 1993 in a case where several college students were allegedly injured in the free fall of an apartment elevator that suffered a sudden hydraulic failure.

Cannabis Businesses Need to Ensure Protective Safety Measures Are in Place

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During many of the recent protest demonstrations, numerous cannabis businesses in California were vandalized and robbed. Some businesses have reported that the damage was not done by the peaceful protesters, but by opportunistic criminals.

Since cannabis remains illegal under federal law, businesses do not have basic access to bank accounts, some insurance policies, and are ineligible for the federal government’s small business loans. This makes the cannabis businesses an easy target for crime, with little recourse available. It’s unclear when, or if these smaller cannabis businesses will be able to recover from the theft and damage done.

In response to the threats, damage, and burglaries, California’s Cannabis Industry Association issued a letter to the Bureau of Cannabis Control requesting they take action to safeguard these businesses by removing the physical addresses of cannabis licensees from their online licensee search portals.

The Bureau of Cannabis Control has removed all physical addresses for the businesses. While CDFA’s CalCannabis temporarily disabled its licensee search portal. California’s Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Safety Branch Licensee Search Tool remains active, but does not disclose physical addresses of its Manufacturing Licensees.

Last week, CDPH’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch, issued a press release with reminders and tips on maintaining a secure premises. Now is a good time for cannabis businesses to review safety protocols, policy coverages, and be aware of notification requirements, and relief options that might be available to them

Safeguards & Options for Your Cannabis Business Include:

  1. Ensure that your security alarm systems and commercial-grade locking systems are in place and working properly.
  2. Properly secure windows and points of entry.
  3. Review insurance policy coverages to know what is and is not covered.
  4. If necessary, a business could choose to close, or request local and state permission to adjust operating hours.
  5. Businesses can request Disaster Relief from their appropriate State Licensing Authority, which could allow them to temporarily relocate cannabis goods or cash to a safer and more secure location.
  6. If your cannabis business experiences theft or loss of goods, State laws and regulations require a Licensee to notify the appropriate State Agency and local law enforcement within 24 hours of the discovery.

For more information or questions on how to properly ensure your cannabis business is protected, you can contact Kelly Hayes.

Four Murchison & Cumming Attorneys Named to Southern California Rising Stars List

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Murchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Tina Vo and Associates Suzanna Harman, Kelsey Maxwell, and Tyler Sanchez have been selected to the 2020 Southern California Rising Stars list. This is an exclusive list, recognizing no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Southern California.

Tina H. Vo is a Partner in the Los Angeles office. She has experience in products liability, business torts, commercial, entertainment, employment, and commercial trucking defense litigation. Throughout her career, Ms. Vo has represented clients ranging from corporations and insurance companies, to premises liability defendants and contractors.

Suzanna R. Harman is an Associate in the Los Angeles office focusing her practice on Law & Motion. She has always enjoyed being able to assist others in amicably resolving their disputes and rising to the occasion when there is a group that needs a voice. Her clients know that she will focus intently on their case and make sure that they understand exactly what is going on, during what can be one of the most stressful times of their lives.

Kelsey L. Maxwell is an Associate in the Los Angeles. Ms. Maxwell focuses her practice on the areas of general liability, and specialty tort including habitability and discrimination claims. Ms. Maxwell routinely seeks to resolve cases through dispositive motions and has found success with these motions both in the courtroom and as leverage to encourage early resolution.

Tyler E. Sanchez is an Associate in the Los Angeles office. Tyler regularly represents insurance carriers in complex insurance and bad faith litigation matters. His clients have come to appreciate his disciplined approach to resolving their matters. He is committed to developing and honing his ability to think creatively in order to mitigate potential exposures.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, 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.

Murchison & Cumming Elevates Matthew Voss to Associate Partner

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Murchison & Cumming is pleased to announce that Matthew E. Voss has been elevated to Associate Partner. Mr. Voss is based in the Los Angeles office focusing his practice on Law & Motion. Over the past 20 years, he has built a diverse practice spanning from general civil litigation to entertainment law. After years of focusing solely on entertainment industry legal matters, Mr. Voss decided to return to a firm-based environment to best service his clients’ legal needs.

Mr. Voss is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law (J.D.) and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Illinois State University.

A Chicago native, Mr. Voss became an attorney to help others champion their causes. He brings a compassionate and hard-working energy to his practice and zealously represents his clients’ best interests. His most rewarding legal experience was successfully defending a high-profile talent agency in an idea theft entertainment litigation matter that arose from the production of a major feature film. In that case, he successfully opposed a motion for summary judgment and prevailed on appeal with respect to the trial court’s ruling on that motion.

Murchison & Cumming Names Two New Partners

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Murchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Robert M. Scherk and Nancy J. DePasquale have both been elevated to Partner.

Robert M. Scherk is based in the San Diego office focusing his nearly 40-year practice in areas of professional and legal malpractice, general and product liability, premises liability, and business and commercial law. He also conducts Examinations Under Oath for insurers. Mr. Scherk has tried more than 28 cases to verdict and arbitrated or mediated hundreds more to successful conclusion. In 2003, Mr. Scherk was listed in the America’s Registry of Outstanding Professionals, granted to individuals who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in their profession. Mr. Scherk is a member of the San Diego chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell and was listed as a Top Lawyer for six consecutive years by San Diego Magazine.

Nancy J. DePasquale is based in the Irvine office focusing her 30-year practice on complex, high-exposure, catastrophic injury cases. She has broad experience in all areas of tort and personal injury cases— including premises, products, labor and employment, health care malpractice, auto/trucking, business torts, and contract disputes. She is “AV” rated by Martindale Hubbell and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Ms. DePasquale was an educator in Southern California schools for several years and practiced as a Speech and Language Pathologist with a Certificate of Clinical Competence. This experience has proved invaluable to her legal career and specifically to school representation and employment law issues.

Murchison & Cumming Elevates Jean Dalmore to Senior Partner

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Murchison & Cumming is pleased to announce that Jean A. Dalmore has been named a Senior Partner. As co-chair of the firm’s Construction Law practice group she focuses her personal practice in the area of construction defect and construction site accident, representing developers, design professionals, general contractors, sub-contractors and material suppliers in all fields of construction. Additionally, Ms. Dalmore represents clients in professional liability matters, representing real estate, insurance, and business agents and brokers, as well as accountants, property managers, and security companies in malpractice actions.

“We are very proud to have Jean Dalmore join the senior partnership,” said Managing Partner Dan L. Longo. “Her leadership, mentoring and legal skills will support the firm for many years to come.”

Growing up Ms. Dalmore knew her path would lead to a position as a business woman. She began her career as a licensed real estate agent and appraiser before going back to school to complete her undergraduate degree in business administration. With the goal of attending law school, Ms. Dalmore worked full time and attended California State University, Los Angeles year-round. After her second year at USC Law School, she joined M&C as a law clerk and has been at the firm ever since.

With more than 25 years of legal experience, Ms. Dalmore has built long-standing relationships with her clients with an unparalleled level of responsiveness. Her clients have come to rely on her ability to provide early evaluation of a matter and achieve a quick, cost effective resolution. She found that the skill set she gained during her real estate career carried over into her interest in construction law and professional liability. Ms. Dalmore is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and is a well-respected attorney both at the firm and with her peers.

“It is my honor and pleasure to have been elevated to Senior Partner. Having worked my way up from a summer law clerk position, I believe I bring a unique perspective to this new role,” said Ms. Dalmore. “I look forward to working with the other Senior Partners in the management and future direction of the firm, and I hope my elevation serves as a role model for the firm’s associates as to what can be achieved with dedication and hard work.”