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The 2023 Annual Alumni Awards Gala

President & Dean Darby Dickerson and the Alumni Association Board of Directors cordially invite you to the 32nd Annual Alumni Awards Gala.


The 32nd Annual Alumni Gala

Thursday, June 15

6:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Skirball Cultural Center


We present this year's honorees:

Outstanding Alumna

Shawn Holley '88


Shawn Holley ’88 is a partner at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP, a boutique entertainment and business litigation firm in Santa Monica. She began her career as a Los Angeles County Public Defender, handling hundreds of serious criminal cases from inception to trial. She was the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of The Cochran Firm and the head of its national Criminal Defense Section. She is consistently listed in various top lawyers lists.

Outstanding Judicial Officer

The Hon. Deborah S. Brazil '96


The Honorable Deborah Brazil ’96 is a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. She was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown on December 5, 2013, and currently serves in a felony trial court assignment. Before her appointment, she served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for 17 years.

Outstanding Friend

Prof. Norman M. Garland


Prof. Norman M. Garland has been teaching at Southwestern since 1975 and has influenced more than 5,100 students.

He was named the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law in 1992, and the Paul E. Treusch Professor of Law in 2008. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Southwestern in 2016. Always interested in methods to improve law teaching, Professor Garland was one of the first law professors in the country to incorporate computer and internet-related resources in the classroom.

Oustanding Law Firm

Buchalter


Buchalter is a full-service business law firm that has been teaming with clients for nine decades, providing legal counsel at all stages of their growth and evolution, and helping them meet the many legal challenges and decisions they face. Their clients are engaged in a diverse global economy governed by complex laws and regulations.

Read more about our distinguished awardees!
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Southwestern Wins National Negotiation Tournament

Dave Fisher and Ani Manvelyan took home First Place from the Fordham National NBA Basketball Negotiation Tournament in New York on March 11, 2023.


Mastering both an NBA trade deal and an endorsement deal between Kyrie Irving and New Balance, the Negotiations Honors Program teams composed of Tia Owens, Andrew Hutchings, Dave Fisher, and Ani Manvelyan performed superbly and both teams advanced to quarter finals!


Out of 34 teams, Andrew and Tia tied for fifth place and Dave and Ani were crowned champions! Fordham is one of the toughest competitions to prepare for, and this is Southwestern's first top-place finish at this competition. Read more.


Moot Court Team ABA Wins Regional Best Brief Award, Finishes in Top Four

Southwestern's Team ABA, featuring writer Samuel Johnson and oralists Vanessa Martinez de la Torre and Ry Amidon, finished in the top four. The team also won the coveted Best Brief Award, an outstanding achievement in this particularly challenging competition.


The team's brilliant brief, crafted by Samuel Johnson, showed true mastery of First Amendment jurisprudence and compelling written advocacy, placing them as the top seed in the competition. The dynamic oralists Vanessa Martinez de la Torre and Ry Amidon delivered fierce, passionate, and well-reasoned oral arguments, earning them high praise from the judges throughout the rounds. Read more.

Elena Cordonean, 4L, described her experience preparing an amicus brief in Counterman v. Colorado, which will decide what type of intent is required in true threat cases.  Elena and her faculty supervisor, Professor Norman M. Garland discussed the case, summarized the Amicus Project brief’s arguments, and took questions. It was moderated by Professor Michael Epstein, Director of the Amicus Project at Southwestern Law School.


Read more about the Amicus Project at Southwestern.

Upcoming Alumni Events

SIDEBAR with Hon. Paul Watford, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, Southwestern’s Inaugural Distinguished Jurist-in-Residence

Wednesday, April 5

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

Via Zoom

Register here


CLE: Destination: Moon - The Future of IP Law in the Offworlds

Featuring Stephen Strauss '83, Roy Hadavi '13 & Sean Casey

Tuesday, April 11

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

In Person or Via Zoom

Register here


The Kenneth & Harle Montgomery Annual Lecture

Featuring Former Dean Bryant Garth

Thursday, April 13

6:00 8:00 p.m.

Southwestern Law School

Register here


Last Lecture: Professor Paul Bateman

Tuesday, April 18

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

via Webinar Broadcast

Register here


Orange County Alumni Reception

Thursday, May 4

6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Westin South Coast Plaza

Register here


SAVE THE DATE


Homecoming 2023

Friday, October 27

Southwestern Law School

Specific times TBD; anticipated 4:00–9:30 p.m.

Bison on the Move

Robert C. Brandt ’76 was awarded The Spencer Brandeis Award for 2022 by The Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section. The award is given to someone who has made a significant impact in the field of Family Law. It is not given every year.

 

Vicki M. Roberts ’83 received an esteemed "Honorable Mention" on February 1, 2023, for her original poem, Antietam, in the 2022 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition. The annual competition is for poets around the world who write metered poetry in the classical style, usually with rhyme.

 

Michele B. Anderson ’90 was named a trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Her term starts July 1.

 

Jeffrey K. Joyner ’95 joined Glaser Weil as a partner in the firm’s Century City office practicing intellectual property.

 

Joseph Ho Jin Kang ’97 was appointed to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. Kang was most recently a deputy public defender in Los Angeles.

 

Simon R. Umscheid ’99 was promoted from Chief Deputy District Attorney to Assistant District Attorney in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.


Monica C. Mazzei ’02, joined Buchalter as shareholder and chair of the newly launched law practice group in the firm’s San Francisco office.

 

Daniel A. Cooper ’07 celebrated the first anniversary of opening his law firm Cooper & Huber LLP.


Alison N. Kleaver Jordan ’07, and her husband Jonathan, welcomed son James Atlas in April 2022.

 

Anh Nguyen Stenzel ’07 was named one of Top 10 Industry Disruptors by LA Weekly.

 

Peter J. Woo ’09 was appointed as Board Chairperson and President of the Asian American Insurance Network (AAIN). Woo is the office litigation manager in the Riverside office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and a principal in the Irvine office. He represents public and private employers in labor and employment law matters.

 

Charles K. Chineduh ’10 joined Maynard, Cooper & Gale, LLP as a partner in the firm’s Century City office. Chineduh was previously a partner at Meserve, Mumper & Hughes, LLP.

 

Joshua H. Eichenstein ’13 won a case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in an opinion issued for publication, "HayDay Farms, Inc., et al v. FeeDx Holdings, Inc." Eichenstein was nominated by Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Intellectual Property Litigation in 2023, for the 7th consecutive year in a row.

 

April M. Zonnis ’13 was promoted to partner at Summers Levine & Kretzmer, LLP.

 

Nicholas E. Mitchell ’14 was promoted to executive vice president, and chief legal officer at Logix Federal Credit Union, a $9.6 billion financial institution headquartered in Southern California.


Alexa M. Whiteside ’17 joined Hearst Media Production Group as vice president of business affairs.

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In Memoriam

David J. Hart ’75, of Simi Valley, CA, died on February 3, 2023.

Marsha S. Miller ’83, of Sherman Oaks, CA, died on May 12, 2018.

New Alumni & Giving Webpages Launched

Content and functionality has been updated.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new alumni and giving website. The redesign aims to add functionality and timely content for our alumni members. The site features better navigation, fresh information, and convenient online forms to improve user experience.


We invite you to explore the new website and find events, news items, and other useful information.


Check out the new alumni webpages!

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