Education

Law School/Year: University of Michigan, 1992

College/Year: B.A., Xavier University, 1989, cum laude

Bar Admissions

California, 1992; Texas, 1999

Practice Areas

Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Discrimination & Civil Rights, Labor

Major Cases

My primary practice is the defense of employment litigation matters. I have tried more than 25 employment trials, in state and federal court throughout the state, including trials in San Diego, Vista, Orange County, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno and Ventura on issues ranging from ADA access to sexual and racial harassment, religious, gender and age discrimination, retaliation and whistleblower allegations, and have handled countless arbitrations as well. I also continue to enjoy the counseling aspects of employment law, working with employers to achieve resolution of workplace issues before they become litigation. 

Professional Background

I come from a family of lawyers, including my father, who recently retired as a state Supreme Court Justice in Kentucky after 35 years on the bench. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 1992 and spent the first 12 years of practice at what was originally Gray Cary Ames and Frye and then became Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich. I became a partner there in 1998, and shortly before the merger with DLA, I became a partner at Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, heading its San Diego employment group. Allen Matkins is a fantastic firm with a great group of lawyers who are a pleasure to practice with. 

Professional Affiliations

I'm active in the Federal Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association and the ABTL, and have been named a "Super Lawyer" for the past four years and a 2010 Top Influential by The Daily Transcript. I'm a member of the board of directors of the San Diego Blood Bank and a former member of the board of directors for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. I work closely with San Diego Youth Services in a pro bono capacity. I'm also active in alumni organizations for law school, college and even high school and with my local parish, St. Agnes.