SAN DIEGO (May 16, 2012) – Michael Bomberger, an injury lawyer with Estey Bomberger representing litigants in mass tort lawsuits against Skechers, calls today’s announcement of a $40 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “a good start but those injured by the product still need to be recognized and compensated for the injuries they have sustained by the shoes.”

Announced earlier today, Skechers will pay $40 million to settle FTC charges that it deceived consumers with ads for toning shoes that would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone muscles. The settlement will prevent Skechers from misrepresenting any tests, studies or research in regards to its shoes in the future and is believed to be the FTC’s largest ever involving consumer refunds.

“This settlement does nothing to financially help the individuals who were injured by this dangerous shoe,” says Bomberger, who is based in San Diego. “It does, however, demonstrate that Skechers deceptively marketed this product without any regard to the potential injuries it would cause, which is one of the claims in our lawsuits.”

Estey Bomberger has filed several mass tort actions against Skechers in California involving 61 individuals in 35 states. The lawsuits allege that the shoes were dangerous and that they caused the plaintiffs to be injured. The injuries sustained by parties to the suit include head trauma, broken bones and permanent back and neck damage.

The suits do not include an additional 49 people who have suffered fractures and other serious injuries that are also represented by the firm.

“The primary danger of the Skechers toning shoe is that it changes our gait- the way we walk,” says Bomberger. “Man has been walking on this earth the same way for millions of years. You do not need extensive research and development to tell you that if you change the way people are accustomed to walking, that significant problems will result. And that is exactly what happened here.”

Many of the firm’s clients wore the shoes for a period of time and then suffered from stress fractures, ruptured Achilles tendons or ligament issues. Others sustained falls caused by the instability the shoe creates. Many such falls resulted in fractures as well as head trauma and brain injuries.

Currently, there are approximately 90 lawsuits filed in the United States by individuals that have suffered injuries caused by the Skechers toning shoes. Courts in various jurisdictions have combined a number of these lawsuits in what are known as coordinated proceedings, allowing the lawsuits to be all handled by a single judge for pretrial purposes. The cases are coordinated in order to avoid inconsistent rulings and overwhelming the court system with unnecessarily duplicative litigation.

An initial status conference is set for June 2012 at which time the court is expected to address issues concerning the structure and process that will govern this litigation in California, trial setting procedures, depositions and production of relevant documents by plaintiffs and defendants as well as several other issues that come up in a complex litigation.

“Today’s settlement changes nothing in regards to our lawsuits,” states Bomberger. “Our clients have been significantly harmed by these shoes and we will continue to seek justice and compensation for them.”

About Estey Bomberger
The California injury lawyers at Estey Bomberger represent victims of serious injury and wrongful death due to the negligence or willful misconduct of others. The attorneys have successfully handled many complex and challenging cases against individuals, corporations and governmental agencies. For more information, visit http://www.estey-bomberger.com or http://www.california-injury-lawyer-blog.com.

Contact:
Valerie Ashton
858-342-8434
valerie@estey-bomberger.com

Teresa Warren
619-301-1814
twarren@tw2marketing.com

18-year commercial real estate veteran will oversee all San Diego holdings and operations

SAN DIEGO (May 15, 2012) – Lincoln Property Company, an internationally-focused real estate investment, development, property management and leasing firm, has hired Brigham Black as Senior Vice President - Southern California.  Mr. Black will focus primarily on implementing the firm’s strategy to strengthen and expand its position in San Diego.

Mr. Black will oversee and grow Lincoln’s San Diego holdings and operations. The firm currently manages 700,000 square feet of office property in San Diego.  Throughout Southern California, Lincoln owns and manages 11.5 million square feet of office, industrial and retail property.

“Brig not only brings extensive experience in commercial real estate investment and operations to Lincoln, but also the contacts and relationships to grow our firm in San Diego.  I am pleased that we were able to bring on a partner of Brig’s caliber, and expect to grow our asset base in the region,” said David Binswanger, Lincoln Property Company’s Executive Vice President of the Southern California region.

Mr. Black brings more than 18 years of commercial real estate experience to Lincoln Property Company.  His previous work includes various roles over nearly 12 years with The Shidler Group and its affiliated companies.

In addition to his duties at Lincoln, Mr. Black will continue to serve as 2012 President of NAIOP San Diego, the commercial real estate development association.

“I look forward to working with this group of people I greatly admire in the real estate industry,” said Mr. Black. “Lincoln Property Company and its team of professionals have developed a reputation of integrity and skill, and I plan to perpetuate these qualities through my work to elevate the firm’s role in the San Diego commercial real estate community.”

About Lincoln Property Company
Lincoln Property Company, founded in 1965 by its chairman Mack Pogue, is a privately-owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development, property management and leasing worldwide.  Lincoln employs approximately 4,400 people in 40 administrative offices in the United States and Europe.  Lincoln’s cumulative development efforts have produced over 100 million square feet of commercial space and over 185,000 multifamily residential units.  Lincoln Property Company is one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the world.  Access www.lpc.com for more information.

Contact:
Teresa Warren
619-582-5750
twarren@tw2marketing.com

SAN DIEGO, May. 11, 2012 – Jones Lang LaSalle’s landlord leasing group recently completed three transactions totaling 31,415 square feet of space.

• Ideal Industries leased 17,466 square feet of space at Avenue of Science Center, located at 15070 Avenue of Science in San Diego. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Managing Director Jay Alexander and Senior Vice President Ryan Grove negotiated the lease on behalf of HIR Avenue of Science. The tenant was represented by Zach Milrood of Hughes Marino. The 65-month lease is valued at $1.1 million.
• Excel Mortgage Servicing, Inc. leased 1,753 square feet of space at Beachwalk, located at 437 S. Pacific Highway 101in Solana Beach. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Managing Director Jay Alexander and Associate Chaneng Joe negotiated the lease on behalf of The Muller Company. The tenant was represented by Jordon Williams of Strom Commercial. The 12-month lease is valued at $58,000.
• Susco Media, Inc. leased 12,196 square feet of space at Rancho Bernardo Tech Center, located at 1011 Via Frontera in San Diego. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Managing Director Jay Alexander and Senior Vice President Ryan Grove, along with David Harper of Colliers International, negotiated the lease on behalf of Windell Investments. The tenant was represented by Jessica Breaux of Century 21. The 60-month lease is valued at $549,000.

Jones Lang LaSalle is a leader in the San Diego commercial real estate market. The firm employs approximately 120 of the area’s most recognized industry experts offering services in brokerage, capital markets, facility management and project development services. In 2011, the San Diego team completed 3.74 million square feet in lease transactions and directed $34.5 million in project management and currently leases and/or manages more than 5.5 million square feet in the market.

For more news, videos and research resources on Jones Lang LaSalle, please visit our U.S. media center Web page. Bookmark it here:  http://www.us.am.joneslanglasalle.com/UnitedStates/ENUS/Pages/News.aspx

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices.  The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.2 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit www.joneslanglasalle.com.

San Diego, CA, May 3, 2012 – Fish & Richardson principal Juanita Brooks has been named one of California’s  Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators by the Daily Journal. Four attorneys from San Diego were included on the list, with Brooks being the only local female attorney.

Brooks was nominated for her successful results in multiple high profile patent infringement trials throughout the U.S.

The Daily Journal honor included a summary of Brooks‘ representation of Irvine-based Allergan Inc. against generic pharmacetuical companies in 2011Hatch-Waxman bench trials in which she persuaded judges in two cases that the patents for Allergan’s drugs were valid.  In one case, the court’s decision stated the defense expert’s credibility was “eviscerated on cross examination” by Brooks. The Daily Journal also noted her representation of Microsoft in its long-standing patent infringement suit with Lucent Technologies.

The Daily Journal is the largest legal newspaper in California.

Brooks has received many honors for her trial work throughout her 35 years of legal practice. Every year since 1987, Brooks’ peers have voted her as one the Best Lawyers in America.

In 2009, she was named to the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's (MCCA) national list of "Leading Law Firm Rainmakers." MCCA chose just fourteen attorneys for this honor, and Brooks is one of four women on the list.

In November 2011, IP360 named Brooks as one of the ten intellectual property “MVP’s” nationwide. She was the only woman to achieve this recognition.

Brooks joined Fish & Richardson in 2000 to focus solely on intellectual property litigation.

She resides in La Jolla, California.

About Fish & Richardson
Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP).  With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise.  Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice.  For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

Contact:
Teresa Warren
TW2 Marketing
(619) 582-5750

“The evolving transformation of corporate real estate from cost center to strategic asset comes alive in this research,” asserts Russ Howell, Managing Director with Jones Lang LaSalle, and one of the project leaders. “Portfolio optimization improvements and a renewed focus on using productivity and innovation-driven workplace strategies will be leveraged more frequently by corporations to achieve competitive success in the Year 2020. The C-Suite will increasingly turn to the corporate real estate function as key strategic partners and stewards of the physical platform, to drive widespread transformation and total value creation.”

“By 2020, corporate real estate and the workplace will barely resemble the offices and supply chain functions of the 20th Century,” explains Richard Kadzis, CoreNet Global’s Vice President, Strategic Communications. “Service providers and sophisticated analytical tools will be playing an even more central role as outsourcing of critical functions continues to increase. Likewise, technology-supported platforms shape the size, location and functionality of buildings. But perhaps more importantly, increased accuracy and availability of data will empower real estate executives to increasingly impact business decision-making beyond the real estate function.”

Jones Lang LaSalle real estate and workplace experts played a central role in developing a series of bold statements drawn from the research. These statements reveal a more data-driven and sophisticated corporate real estate function expected to emerge by the Year 2020. Following is a sampling of a few of the boldest of these statements and insights from Jones Lang LaSalle professionals who contributed to this transformative research project.

• Workplace: Corporate real estate professionals will evolve to Experience Managers offering employees, many of them digital natives, an à-la-carte workplace experience with a menu of services, location and support.
  
  “Innovation is central to success more so today than ever before in history,” says Patricia Roberts, Executive Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle, a leader of the workplace research. “We are in an idea-driven economy. For corporate real estate, this means that it’s no longer enough to provide a single workplace for an employee, even in a highly effective location and environment. Corporate real estate executives in the Year 2020 will have evolved to become strategists and experience managers, providing a menu of services that drive productivity, innovation and employee effectiveness overall. And they’ll be doing so in even closer collaboration with other support functions such as HR and IT than we are seeing today.”
  
  
• Service Delivery and Outsourcing: Data usage will become more widespread as a means of setting CRE strategy with companies maintaining control of data, but vendors taking a more active role in the management of that data stream.
  
  “Service providers will continue to innovate, create partnerships and deliver technology-enabled products and services that increase real estate contribution to business goals,” according to Jones Lang LaSalle Managing Director Blake Layda, a leader of the service delivery research. “These tools are part of a larger transformation of the corporate real estate function, in which outsourcing is becoming more common and, as such, more sophisticated services are being developed and deployed for large and middle-market companies alike.”
  
  
• Portfolio Optimization: Significant progress will be made in developing a set of tools to achieve financial optimization of the global portfolio in collaboration with corporate treasury, finance and taxation functions.
  
  “Information is power in a global, distributed economy. Data-driven portfolio optimization products and services will enable corporations and their advisors to more effectively conduct strategic planning, inform transaction execution and manage facilities,” says Howell, a leader of the portfolio optimization research. “Technology will bring together internal demand with external market conditions, to create a highly accurate and strategic approach to improving portfolio performance. In this manner, real estate will become more finely aligned with the needs of the business on a continuous basis. Corporate real estate executives will operate as part of a ‘Service Super Nucleus’ collaborating to deliver results with multiple corporate functions from legal and finance, to IT and HR.”
  
  

Additional Resources

To view videos of Jones Lang LaSalle executives sharing their expertise on trends covered in the initial report findings, visit the Jones Lang LaSalle 2012 Spring CoreNet Global Summit – San Diego website. Interviews will be filmed during the Summit on topics including:

• Russ Howell on Portfolio Optimization
• Blake Layda on Service Delivery and Outsourcing
• Kenneth Rudy on Business Analytics
  
  

For more news, videos and research resources on Jones Lang LaSalle, please visit our U.S. media center Web page. Bookmark it here: http://www.us.am.joneslanglasalle.com/UnitedStates/EN-US/Pages/News.aspx

About CoreNet Global
CoreNet Global is the world’s leading association for corporate real estate (CRE) and workplace professionals, service providers and economic developers. Our 7,000 members, who include 70 percent of the top 100 U.S. companies and nearly half of the Global 2000, meet locally, globally and virtually to develop networks, share knowledge, learn and thrive professionally. For more information, visit www.corenetglobal.org.

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

Contact:

Margy Sweeney
+1 312.612.0343
Margy.Sweeney@am.jll.com

Jennifer Harris
+1 224.619.2190
Jennifer.Harris@am.jll.com

“Clients come to Fish with their most important, bet-the-company patent cases and their toughest IP challenges because they know we will consistently deliver quality, results, and value,” said Peter J. Devlin, President of Fish & Richardson. “It is an honor to have the trust of America’s largest companies and to see that reflected in this survey.”

Corporate Counsel gathered data on each company's primary law firms via surveys sent to general counsel at each of the top Fortune 500 companies. To be included on the list, law firms had to be identified by the company’s general counsel as a “primary law firm,” which is defined as one or more of the following: firms that are on the company's preferred list; the go-to law firms for a specific practice area; firms that handled the most important cases in the previous year; firms used most often; firms with the most billings. Law firms that were either utilized two or more times in the practice area specified since 2007 and/or counseled the client with respect to a significant transaction were also included.

Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP). With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise. Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice. For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

Contact:
Teresa Warren
TW2 Marketing
619-582-5750
twarren@tw2marketing.com

Kelly Largey
Fish & Richardson
800-818-5070
largey@fr.com

“Whether this new law is seen as an attempt to untangle an abused funding problem or an opportunity to improve the system, there is one certainty – California cities and counties, of all sizes, must make some tough decisions and do it soon,” said Renata Simril, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle.

A copy of a white paper on this topic created by Jones Lang LaSalle and Keyser Marston Associates can be found here: ”Navigating the challenges of redevelopment agency dissolution.”

According to Simril, municipalities must in short order do the following:

• Financial management: Municipal entities must ensure they are in compliance with all of the legislative requirements and develop a process to manage financial obligations.  This includes preparing an annual administrative budget for consideration by the Oversight Board and identifying project management related costs that can be funded outside of the administrative cap.
• Affordable housing: The new law allows municipalities and local housing authorities to create a framework to assume responsibility for affordable housing assets formerly controlled by an RDA.  If creating a housing successor to take over the RDA’s affordable housing assets, officials will need to create a strategy for fulfilling any outstanding affordable housing obligations and prepare detailed cash flow projections, as well as set up systems to monitor compliance and affordability covenants.
• Strategic asset management, development and disposition: In evaluating the disposition of assets, it is important to avoid the ‘fire sale’ mentality and be proactive. Successor Agencies will need to make an inventory and prioritize relevant land and other real estate assets and prepare timing and market strategies for disposing of these properties. The approach needs to balance the immediate revenue needs of local taxing entitles with market realities in local communities.
• Get help if you need it: For many municipalities, this ‘new normal’ means adopting a longer term perspective on economic development and staying informed about the needs of the private sector in investment decisions.  This could require innovative public-private partnerships that reintroduce quality projects without relying on tradition financial assistance.

Jones Lang LaSalle’s public sector real estate practice is a premier provider of strategic real estate advisory and transaction services for local, state, national and international public institutions, covering the spectrum of the real estate cycle.

For more news, videos and research resources on Jones Lang LaSalle, please visit the Jones Lang LaSalle U.S. media center Web page.  Bookmark it here: 

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices.  The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

SAN DIEGO – For decades, leaders from both sides of the San Diego/Tijuana border have been searching for a way to bring together the two communities. According to panelists at the April breakfast meeting of the Urban Land Institute San Diego/Tijuana District Council, the proposed cross border facility (CBF) that will connect the Tijuana airport with southern San Diego County may be the answer. According to Reo Carr, editor-in-chief of San Diego Business Journal and the breakfast panel’s moderator, “the project comes close and has tremendous implications for the community.”

The San Diego-Tijuana Airport CBF will feature an elevated pedestrian bridge that directly connects a new facility in the U.S. to the Tijuana airport terminal to provide fast, safe and secure passage across the border. The facility is the brainchild of a single bi-national ownership team, Otay–Tijuana Venture LLC. It will be located two miles west of the existing Otay Mesa border, span 25 acres and include a 95,000 sq. ft. customs and border protection building and parking. According to Greg Rose, a panelist with the Equity Group Investments, which is affiliated with Otay–Tijuana Venture, the idea of such a facility has been around for years in different forms. It was the drive to find a simpler concept that resulted in the idea of a bridge.

The project received a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of State in August 2010, which signifies that the project is deemed to be in the national interest.

The entitlements were obtained in January 2012 for multiple uses in addition to the CBF, including a cargo facility as well as hotel, retail and industrial uses. According to Enrique Valle, the managing director of the CBF and one of the meeting’s panelists, 66 percent of those who use the Tijuana airport cross the border, and a projected 75 percent of those will use the CBF.

James Clark, director general of the Mexico Business Center at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the director of the San Diego-Tijuana Smart Border Coalition, sees the CBF providing opportunities for the region. “San Diego’s airport isn’t adequate for a world class city,” he stated. “The two airports together, however, are.” Transportation between the CBF and San Diego’s international airport, Lindbergh Field, has yet to be addressed.

Construction on the project can commence later this year with a one-year timeline. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is currently addressing staffing issues that may cause delays. According to Rose, the biggest challenge is cost, with the CBP taking the position that the $14 million in staff costs should be paid by the developers.

The economic impact of the project to the San Diego area is estimated to be at $4.6 billion over the next 18 years.
All buildings will be built to U.S. and California standards, and the project will have at least a sliver LEED™ rating.

About ULI
The Urban Land Institute develops leaders in the responsible use of land and promotes creation of sustainable, thriving communities worldwide. ULI has 27,000 members internationally and 470 in the San Diego region. The ULI San Diego/Tijuana District Council facilitates local discussion of public policy issues and best practices related to real estate development, city building and land use.

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 13, 2012 – Jones Lang LaSalle’s brokerage team recently completed two leases totaling 19,178 square feet of space, representing the landlord in both transactions.

Transdel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., leased 1,486 square feet of space at Beach Walk, located at 437 S. Highway 101 in Solana Beach. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Managing Director Jay Alexander and Associate Chaneng Joe negotiated the lease on behalf of The Muller Company. The tenant was represented by Carl Turnbull of The Turnbull Company. The 24-month lease is valued at $77,272. Black & Veatch Corporation leased 17,692 square feet of space at Willow Creek Corporate Center, located at 10089 Willow Creek Road in San Diego. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Executive Vice Presidents Tony Russell and Richard Gonor and Vice President Tim Olson negotiated the lease on behalf of LBA Realty. The tenant was represented by Ron Magnaghi of Studley. The 38-month lease is valued at $1.4 Million. Jones Lang LaSalle is a leader in the San Diego commercial real estate market. 

The firm employs approximately 120 of the area’s most recognized industry experts offering services in brokerage, capital markets, facility management and project development services. In 2011, the San Diego team completed 3.74 million square feet in lease transactions and directed $34.5 million in project management and currently leases and/or manages more than 5.5 million square feet in the market.

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from 1000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with more than $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

Contact: Teresa Warren or Kelly Largey
TW2 Marketing Fish & Richardson
(619) 582-5750 (800) 818-5070
twarren@tw2marketing.com largey@fr.com

Boston, MA, April 10, 2012 – Fish & Richardson today announced its 2012 1L Diversity Fellowship recipients – Andrew Huah, Karan Jhurani, Lealon Martin, and Dafan Zhang – who were selected from over 250 candidates. Each Diversity Fellow will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship, a paid 2012 summer associate position in the office of their choice, and a unique opportunity to be mentored by members of the firm throughout their law school education. Fish launched its 1L Diversity Fellowship Program in 2005 to help attract and recruit diverse first year law school students from across the U.S.

Fish’s 2012 Diversity Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in the 1L Scholars Program of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a national organization of law firm managing partners and corporate chief legal officers formed in 2009 to advance diversity in the legal profession.

“We are thrilled with the success of our 1L Diversity Fellowship Program. Seven years since its inception, the program continues to help us to recruit some of the top law students in the country to our firm and to provide them with professional growth opportunities at an early stage in their legal careers,” said Ahmed J. Davis, a principal in Fish’s Washington, D.C., office and National Chair of the firm’s Diversity Initiative. “Diversity is integral to who we are as a firm and is increasingly demanded of us by our clients – and rightly so. Our 1L Diversity Fellowship Program is thus critical to our ongoing initiative to advance diversity, both within our firm and the legal profession as a whole.”

Andrew Huah, who is a student at the University of California, Davis School of Law (2014), has an M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, and a B.S.E. in computer engineering from the University of Michigan. Mr. Huah will work in the firm’s Silicon Valley office.

Karan Jhurani, who is a student at Emory University School of Law (2014), has a B.S. in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Jhurani will work in the firm’s Atlanta office.

Lealon Martin, who is a student at the University of Texas School of Law, Austin (2014), has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Tuskegee University. Dr. Martin will work in the firm’s Austin office.

Dafan Zhang, who is a student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School (2014), has an M.P.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, Fels Institute of Government, and a B.S. in computer science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Zhang will work in the firm’s Delaware office.

Two Fish 2011 1L Diversity Fellows will also be returning for a second summer. These include:

Shamoor Anis, who has a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.A. in policy studies from Rice University, is a student at Duke University School of Law (2013). Mr. Anis will work in the firm’s Houston office.

Kevin Kantharia, who has a B.S. in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic University, is a student at the University of San Diego School of Law (2013). Mr. Kantharia will work in the firm’s Southern California office.

Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP). With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise. Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice. For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

SANTA ANA, Calif. The Santa Ana City Council has named Sonia Rubio Carvalho as the city's first-ever female Hispanic city attorney, hiring her to fill a unique hybrid position aimed at saving the city thousands of dollars in the long-term.

Carvalho will be a contract employee but perform all the duties of an in-house city attorney, which will save the city from paying her health and retirement benefits.

“I am honored to take on this unique role with Santa Ana, and I applaud them for thinking outside of the box and exploring a cost-savings business model,” she said.

Carvalho, who has served as city attorney to several cities across Southern California during a 20-year legal career, will remain a partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP. The firm’s lawyers act as city attorney to more than 30 cities across California and general counsel to dozens of special districts statewide.

With the Santa Ana City Council approving the contract with BB&K Monday night, Carvalho became the top legal chief of California’s 11th largest city and Orange County’s second-most populous city with 325,000 people.

"Sonia's qualifications and years of experience make her an outstanding match for Santa Ana,” Mayor Miguel Pulido said. "I know the community will benefit from her expertise and sound approach to municipal law."

Typically, city attorneys in California are either appointed by a city council to be in-house and full-time or hired as an outside contract employee. Carvalho’s position is a combination of the two, a hybrid model that has been used in a few cities such as Pasadena, Vista and Escondido over the years.

In her new role at Santa Ana, Carvalho will maintain an office at City Hall, where she will advise the City Council and the city's various commissions and departments, supervise seven deputy city attorneys and staff, and serve on the city’s executive team.

The city will have access to the vast experience of some 200 attorneys at BB&K in eight offices across California and a ninth in Washington, D.C. In addition, the city will be able to rely on BB&K’s immense legal database, various legal updates and free MCLE programs for their deputy city attorneys.

While the city can retain BB&K special counsel for cases requiring specific legal expertise, the city remains free to choose any firm to do the work, Carvalho said.
Born in Covina and raised in Azusa, Carvalho has served as city attorney for several cities, including Yorba Linda, Claremont, Azusa and Colton.  A co-chair of BB&K’s public policy and ethics group, she specializes in land use, ethics, open government laws and elections laws.

Carvalho was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Southern California Super Lawyer magazine in 2009 and 2011, and as one of Orange County’s top lawyers by OC Metro magazine in 2009.  She is a frequent speaker on topics related to ethics, the Brown Act and land use issues.

Carvalho received her bachelor’s degree in social ecology from the University of California, Irvine. She received her law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1992.

Best Best & Krieger LLP is a national law firm that focuses on environmental, business, education, municipal and telecommunications law for public agency and private clients. With 200 attorneys, the law firm has nine offices nationwide, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.bbklaw.com

Winterswyk is an associate in the Environmental Law and Natural Resources Practice Group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. She advises public agency and private clients on the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and other state and federal environmental laws. She also advises public agencies and private clients on complex land use matters involving the planning and zoning law, Subdivision Map Act and the State Mining and Reclamation Act.

Winterswyk teaches California environmental law at Whittier Law School and frequently guest lectures on environmental assessments at the University of San Diego.

AEP, with nine chapters throughout California, strives to improve public awareness and involvement in the environmental planning, analysis and review process in projects that take place within the communities in which it serves.

Best Best & Krieger LLP is a national law firm that focuses on environmental, business, education, municipal and telecommunications law for public agency and private clients. With 200 attorneys, the law firm has nine offices nationwide, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.bbklaw.com

Kelly Largey
Fish & Richardson
(800) 818-5070
largey@fr.com

Boston, MA, March 29, 2012 – Fish & Richardson has been named a top trademark law firm for the second year in a row by World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000, a guide to the world’s “outstanding” trademark firms and individuals who are “leaders in the field.” According to WTR, Fish has “a heavyweight reputation as a critical competitor with a national reach across the market.”

Fish received top rankings for its national practice and regional practices in California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Specific Fish attorneys noted in the rankings include Lisa M. Martens, a principal in the San Diego office and leader of the Fish’s California trademark practice.

Others noted in the rankings include Cynthia Johnson Walden, Trademark and Copyright Practice Group Leader/principal in Boston; Timothy French, managing principal of the Boston office; Lisa Greenwald-Swire, principal in Silicon Valley; Joel D. Leviton, principal in Twin Cities;; and Gregory A. Madera, principal in Boston and Twin Cities.

With 11 offices in the U.S. and one in Germany, Fish's trademark attorneys provide a full range of trademark advice and representation, including trademark counseling, prosecution, clearance work, complex litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

About WTR 1000
As the only standalone publication to focus exclusively on trademark practices and practitioners, the WTR 1000 is “the essential tool to finding those at the very top of the trademarks game.” The research covers more than 50 key jurisdictions and is based on interviews with more than 1,000 trademark specialists across the globe. Firms qualify for a listing on the basis of their depth of expertise, market presence, and the level of work on which they are typically instructed. Individuals qualify for inclusion upon receiving substantial positive feedback from market sources with knowledge of their practice and the market within which they operate.

About Fish & Richardson
Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP). With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise. Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice. For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

SAN DIEGO – The redevelopment situation was especially big news in San Diego because it was associated with potentially killing the Chargers’ hopes for a new stadium. However, according to program panelist Kim Kilkenny at the Urban Land Institute San Diego/Tijuana District Council’s latest breakfast panel event, a new football venue wasn’t a redevelopment project. Kilkenny, who is the Chair of the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), said that what is at risk is affordable housing and other projects that benefit San Diego’s low income and homeless populations.

Each month the Urban Land Institute tackles a topic of interest to San Diego’s real estate and land use professionals for discussion and debate. At the March breakfast, held on March 20, the subject was what will happen next as a result of the demise of redevelopment. A full-capacity crowd of 180 attended the program to find slivers of hope in what has otherwise been viewed as a catastrophic situation for advocates of revitalizing blighted areas throughout California.

In December 2011, the California Supreme Court handed down what Robin Madaffer, ULI’s local chair and moderator of the program, called the “worst possible outcome for redevelopment.” The court’s decision left redevelopment agencies statewide with only weeks to dissolve. In most cases, cities throughout the state have taken over the remaining redevelopment responsibilities as well as the unwinding processes.

Panelist William Fulton, a vice president of Smart Growth America, shared his thoughts on the unwinding process, which is now the priority for the successor agencies assigned that responsibility. Calling the state’s Department of Finance ‘the hammer,’ Fulton reviewed the steps the department has already taken toward unwinding redevelopment agencies, which include reassigning 20 state auditors to work on the process, issuing guidance for the successor agencies which are ‘tough,’ and in some instances, the department has suggested successor agencies cut their losses by abandoning some projects in early stages of development. Kilkenny added that he believes the key outstanding issue coming from the unwinding will be what to do about enforceable obligations, which may include staff pay, bond financing, tax sharing agreements, lease agreements and many more.

For Jim Reynolds, a principal with developer OliverMcMillan, the steps being taken won’t soon result in opportunities for the private sector. According to Reynolds, “there will be no significant fire sales.” His organization is taking a conservative view that calls for no short-term plans but rather taking a wait-and-see approach. Reynolds believes that the situation will sort itself out in less than a year and that his company will ‘follow the nature path.’

Kilkenny believes that San Diego’s unwinding process will be unique from other cities and could include imposing process fees to help recoup lost funds, rezoning for public use of ‘bad’ properties that can no longer be rehabilitated, the creation of bonus programs that will capture more fees for additional density and the use of suburban development tools in downtown San Diego. He also cautioned that the cost of development will increase and while that may be viable in downtown, other parts of the city will suffer as a result.

When asked what ULI members can do, Kilkenny stated that the private sector must step up to do more in terms of planning, paying for and maintaining public facilities, as government cannot and will not do so.
Madaffer asked if private developers can afford the additional costs. Reynolds responded that the ultimate cost will be paid by the consumer in terms of higher rents.

In summary, Madaffer offered up these take-aways: pay attention to the issue of enforceable obligations, keep an eye on the actions of the successor agencies and see how it all enfolds.

About ULI
The Urban Land Institute develops leaders in the responsible use of land and promotes creation of sustainable, thriving communities worldwide. ULI has 30,000 members internationally and 500 in the San Diego region. The ULI San Diego/Tijuana District Council facilitates local discussion of public policy issues and best practices related to real estate development, city building and land use.

Five Fish attorneys – Ruffin Cordell (IP and ITC rankings), David J. Healey (IP), Robert Hillman (IP), Michael J. McKeon (ITC), and Frank P. Porcelli (IP) – were also selected for inclusion in the global directory as leaders in their practice areas with top band rankings.  Fish also received a “Band 2” ranking for its IP work for Taiwanese clients.

Fish’s global IP practice provides strategic counseling, litigation, and patent prosecution for clients ranging from some of the world's largest corporations to individual inventors and innovators.  Fish is also one of the top firms practicing before the ITC, where it brings a multidisciplinary approach to ITC proceedings, drawing on its expertise in patent law, litigation, and licensing of intellectual property rights.

Chambers and Partners is a global research organization that has published annual lawyer and law firm directories for 22 years.  Widely considered to be the most reputable directories in the world, inclusion in Chambers is based solely on the findings of its research teams, who conduct extensive interviews with thousands of lawyers and clients to identify the leading lawyers and law firms worldwide.  Criteria for the rankings include technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by legal clients.  Law firms and individual lawyers are ranked in bands from 1-6, with 1 being the best.

Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP).  With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise.  Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice.  For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

• VivanTech leased 10,100 square feet of space at Plaza 2020, located at 2020 Camino Del Rio North in San Diego. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Executive Vice Presidents Tony Russell and Richard Gonor negotiated the lease on behalf of TA Associates Realty. The tenant was represented by Jones Lang LaSalle Managing Director Scot Ginsburg and Associate Damon Melda. The 60-month lease is valued at $1.4 million. 
  
  
• First Associates Loan Servicing, LLC leased 12,373 square feet of space at Carmel View Office Plaza, located at 15373 Innovation Drive in San Diego. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Managing Director Jay Alexander, Associate Chaneng Joe and Executive Vice Presidents Tony Russell and Richard Gonor negotiated the lease on behalf of Arden Realty. The tenant was represented by Craig Knox of Hughes Marino. The 36-month lease is valued at $631,000. 

Jones Lang LaSalle is a leader in the San Diego commercial real estate market. The firm employs approximately 120 of the area’s most recognized industry experts offering services in brokerage, capital markets, facility management and project development services. In 2011, the San Diego team completed 3.74 million square feet in lease transactions and directed $34.5 million in project management and currently leases and/or manages more than 5.5 million square feet in the market.

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from 1000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with more than $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

CHICAGO, March 13, 2012 – Recent economic and real estate factors indicate that most of the Sunbelt geographies have already hit their cyclical lows and during the next six to 12 months are likely to surpass national growth rates, according to a special office report issued by Jones Lang LaSalle.

Although nearly all areas of the U.S. were negatively impacted by the recession, some of the hardest hit were the Sunbelt markets of Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

“The Sunbelt markets witnessed substantial drops in their overall economies in 2007-2009 with relatively no recovery in 2010-2011. However, despite ongoing negative perceptions, most of these markets are undergoing a resurgence and poised for dramatic changes in 2012 and beyond,” said John Sikaitis, Senior Vice President of Research at Jones Lang LaSalle. “These economic upswings bring much optimism for future office and employment levels, as well as investor interest for the capital markets.”

Sunbelt office recovery indicates future gains to surpass national levels

Currently nearly all Sunbelt markets posted substantial upticks in occupancy, experienced declines in vacancy and moved closer to seeing office rents and concession levels hit bottom. In 2011, occupancy gains in these beaten-down housing economies totaled nearly 6.0 million square feet and provided evidence that, as we move forward in 2012, most of these geographies will start to outpace the national recovery. This resurgence is due to strengthening employment, migration and housing market shifts with absorption rates in the 1.5 percent to 2.0 percent range across most the Sunbelt geographies.

Sunbelt-wide employment gains outperforming national averages of late and picking up speed month by month
Markets such as Jacksonville, Miami, Orange County, San Diego, Tampa and West Palm Beach have surpassed the national average in total non-farm, private and professional and business services (PBS) job growth. Floridian markets have dominated the jobs recovery of late: Jacksonville’s 5.9 percent annual increase in PBS jobs is among the largest in the nation, while Tampa’s 2.5+ percent annual growth in all measures shows signs of revival and diversification. Miami also surpasses both national expectations, increasing at around 1.9 percent overall annually.

Sunbelt migration trends starting to turn positive

In terms of domestic migration, the majority of Sunbelt cities display a common pattern: a net loss of residents in 2007, shifting to an inflow of residents in 2008 or 2009 and then stable, yet increasing, population growth in 2010 and through 2011. Nearly 75 percent of the Sunbelt markets are now, once again, showing significant positive migration with Florida reporting the largest increase of at least 20 percent. As the hub to Latin America, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are leading the charge due to strong immigration trends from Latin America that drive population, business and economic growth.

Sunbelt’s housing crunch on the verge of stabilizing

Since their pre-recession peaks, housing markets within the Sunbelt have experienced drastic reductions in price and sale volume, far greater than any other region of the United States. In most cases, these housing markets have yet to begin recovery. However, as a result of positive office demand growth, employment and migration indicators, there is a strong chance that most of these geographies are hitting their market low and will soon begin to recover, if this has not begun already. Since employment and other indicators point to recovery while housing prices are only beginning to stabilize or in some cases are still decreasing, continued economic, employment and office sector growth will lead to gradual, but steady, gains in the housing sector moving forward.

2007 levels far off but future gains are on the horizon

Vital to the continued improvement of most Sunbelt geographies in 2012 will be consistent gains in employment across multiple sectors with emphasis on diversifying economies. Since job performance has remained either constant or accelerating in these metropolitan areas not only among themselves, but also outpacing national results, it is probable that most Sunbelt markets will recover faster than the U.S. as a whole in 2012 and 2013. They will see rebounds in their housing markets as well, driving even further office demand from the housing-sectors (i.e. homebuilding, mortgage companies, etc.)

Sikaitis added, “Whereas migratory patterns drove the Sunbelt to unprecedented growth in the pre-recession years, those patterns will now be reflective of recent strong office recovery in these markets, being more economically sustainable and diverse than before with the potential to surpass the rest of the country. Even with these positive shifts, most of these geographies are two to three years away from returning to pre-2007 levels; so, while we are upbeat about the recovery for these markets, we remain realistic and guarded in the fact that we are not yet back to 2006 territory and likely will not be until the 2014-2015 timeframe.”

For more news, videos and research resources on Jones Lang LaSalle, please visit the firm’s U.S. media center webpage. Bookmark it here: http://bit.ly/zJGpBb

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

El Abuelo, a film produced by San Diego - based Drama House Productions, has been accepted to the 2012 San Diego Latino Film Festival and will be shown on March 14 at 6 p.m. at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center.  The short film was inspired by a couple who changed their lives for their autistic son. Patrick Scott, founder and executive producer of Drama House Productions, produced the film in San Diego in collaboration with students from San Diego State University and included San Diego-based actors.  The film’s trailer can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/38104584.

The film also recently won honorable mention in the L.A. Movie Awards.

“We are honored that El Abuelo is in the 2012 San Diego Latino Film Festival,” states Scott.  “This is one of the most celebrated festivals on the West Coast, and we are proud to participate in it.”

Inspiration for all Drama House Production films, including El Abuelo, comes from a deep appreciation for family and the challenges families face in today’s ever-changing times.

Scott was inspired to document the unique challenges of autism in El Abuelo after watching his friends raise their autistic son and the sacrifices, struggles and rewards they experienced.

According to Autism Speaks, autism affects one in 110 children, and there is no medical detection or cure for autism.  Families must make significant accommodations to support children with this disease.

“I admire the courage of parents with autistic children,” states Scott.  “This film is truly heartfelt by all who participated in its making. “

El Abuelo chronicles the journey of Nick, an autistic boy who does not speak, who is befriended by an illegal Mexican laborer, El Abuelo. Over the course of the ensuing day and night, Nick will listen, watch and learn about lives very different from his own. He will come under the quiet spell of El Abuelo and at the end of the adventure, Nick will finally find his voice.

El Abuelo was produced, written, filmed and edited entirely in San Diego.  Screenwriter Stephen Metcalfe (“Pretty Woman”) participated in writing the script.  Stephen Crutchfield, director of the film, used El Abuelo for his graduate degree thesis at SDSU.  SDSU film students, led by Crutchfield and El Abuelo production designer Christopher Ward, researched north San Diego county immigrant life to reproduce the setting of the movie in Poway.  The film also included shots from Rancho Bernardo, Solana Beach and the Del Mar Mesa Road area.

Actors Louie Olivos, Jr. (El Abuelo) and real life father and son Jonah and Fran Gercke (Nick and his father, Greg), prominent actors in San Diego theatre, star in the film that was shot in seven days.  Also appearing in the film is Jessica John (Sara), a leading actress in San Diego theatre.

“We had about 35 people on the cast and crew of El Abuelo, of which the majority were students at the SDSU film school,” continues Scott.   “We are very proud of our film and the help it gave to students who are chasing their passion by advancing their education and their careers.”

About Drama House Productions, LLC

Founded by Patrick Scott, Drama House Productions, LLC is a San Diego-based, independent production company that focuses on producing full length feature films, short scripts and web series.

Most recently, Drama House Productions completed El Abuelo and is currently extending the film Danielle’s Beacon into a feature-length film, as well as a producing a musical called Baseball or Broadway. The company’s short script Little Soldier is still in development. Drama House Productions is also in pre-production on a Web series, Tranquility Falls.  For more information on Drama House Productions visit http://www.dramahouseproductions.com.

For more information about the Latino Film Festival, visit http://www.sdlatinofilm.com/.

Click here to view the trailer for El Abuelo

San Diego, Calif. (March 7, 2012) – Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP, a San Diego-based litigation law firm serving national, regional and local clients, has added Emily T. Gates and Nykia J. Wilson to the firm’s employment law practice. Founded in 1991, Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP is one of the largest women-owned law firms in the region.

Gates and Wilson both join Wilson Turner Kosmo from Luce Forward where they practiced in the labor & employment law group for several years.

“We are pleased to welcome Emily and Nykia to the Wilson Turner Kosmo team,” states, Claudette G. Wilson, a founding partner of the firm. “They will bring quality and experience to our employment law practice and are wonderful people to have in our group.”

Gates and Wilson employment law practices focus on representing corporations in federal and state court litigation, arbitration and mediation involving wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, unfair competition, and wage and hour claims. They also pro-actively work with employers to prevent employment claims and create effective defenses to litigation by providing preventive counseling on employment-related matters.

Gates and Wilson also regularly conduct employment law related workplace training for employers and other legal organizations.

Gates obtained her J.D. from the University of Southern California and her B.S. in psychobiology from University of California, Los Angeles. She is an adjunct professor at San Diego State University - College of Extended Studies, where she teaches human resource management and the law. She is on the board of directors of ElderHelp of San Diego and is a member of Lawyers Club of San Diego, San Diego County Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section, Athena San Diego and the San Diego Employer Advisory Council.

Wilson received her J.D. and B.A. in Government from University of Virginia. She is a member of Lawyers Club of San Diego, San Diego County Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section, Society for Human Resource Management (National and San Diego Chapter) and a mentor at the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association.

About Wilson Turner Kosmo
Wilson Kosmo Turner serves as California trial counsel for local and national companies and public institutions. The firm’s 24 lawyers provide litigation expertise in the areas of product liability, employment law, warranty, healthcare, First Amendment, trade secret litigation and general business litigation. Established in 1991, Wilson Turner Kosmo’s attorneys are frequently honored for their commitment to the legal profession and the San Diego community. Currently, the firm is certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, and The Supplier Clearinghouse for the Utility Supplier Diversity Program of the California Public Utilities Commission.

For more information, visit http://www.wilsonturnerkosmo.com.

San Diego, CA – The San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Inc. (SDVLP), an organization that provides free legal services to thousands of low-income San Diegans every year, has elected Rosalie A. Kramm CSR, RPR, CRR and Leah Swearingen, APR to its board of directors. Kramm, president of Kramm Reporting, and Leah Swearingen, principal of Swearingen Communications, will increase the SDVLP board to 34 directors.

“It’s important to SDVLP to have a well-rounded board that is active in the growth of the organization,” states Jeffrey Isaacs, Esq.,President of the board of SDVLP. “Both Rosalie and Leah understand the San Diego legal community, are dedicated to civic involvement, and are admired for their numerous contributions to the betterment of San Diego. They bring great strength and a wealth of knowledge to SDVLP.”

Kramm began court reporting in 1981 and founded Kramm Court Reporting in 1985. In addition to growing her business, she has successfully reported for highly complex business and patent litigation matters involving industrial processes and biotechnology. Kramm is a certified court reporter in California and Nevada, and is also a national certified real-time reporter.

Kramm is a resident of San Diego.

Swearingen is the founder of Swearingen Communications, a firm she launched 20 years ago. She works with executives and business owners to develop and implement communication strategies for their organizations. Her clients include firms from the legal and business services industries. Prior to launching Swearingen Communications, Swearingen held senior level positions in communication for corporate and non-profit organizations, including Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Swearingen is a resident of downtown San Diego.

About SDVLP
San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Inc, founded in 1983, serves thousands of disadvantaged individuals annually, making the organization the largest provider of a wide-ranging array of pro bono legal services in San Diego County. Lawyers from large firms to sole practitioners, with all types of legal expertise, volunteer their time by providing pro bono legal services to abused women, children, the homeless, veterans, immigrants, the seriously ill, and many others who otherwise would go without legal representation. SDVLP’s staff of 20 attorneys and administrators, working in four locations around the county, coordinates the volunteer efforts and also directly represents clients. The organization’s key areas of representation include domestic violence prevention, guardianship law, family law, AIDS law, immigration law, children and youth law, class action and impact cases, support to the homeless and services to non-profit organizations. www.sdvlp.org

SAN DIEGO, Mar. 2, 2012– With only four regional markets adding minimal new developments, leasing demands continue to outpace supply, allowing landlords to scale back tenant improvement allowances by five percent while increasing rents by nearly three percent at top office properties. The annual North American Skyline Review from Jones Lang LaSalle also reports that heightened investor interest for this type of product caused activity to expand beyond gateways into secondary markets.

“Vacancy levels continue to drop in Trophy and Class A properties; yet, with the exception of markets spurred by technology, energy and healthcare demands, they have a way to go before witnessing the lows of 2006,” said John Sikaitis, Director of U.S. Office Research, Jones Lang LaSalle. “However, net-effective rents in the U.S. increased with some markets witnessing double-digit growth. With limited supply in the pipeline, we anticipate to see this upsurge trend continue.”

Jones Lang LaSalle Skyline Markets

Jones Lang LaSalle’s annual proprietary Skyline Report provides a unique perspective of office market trends across a select group of Class A and Trophy buildings in urban areas. This top tier of buildings, representing 30 percent of total CBD office space, historically has been the market-moving segment of the office sector, leading the overall market through downturns and expansions. The North American Skyline Review combines data from 26 U.S. and five Canadian markets to gain a broader insight into near-term market trends.

San Diego

Though 2011 saw the greatest amount of leasing activity since the onset of the recession, the market struggled after some big move-outs including the Navy at 525 B Street, which vacated 77,000 square feet, leaving the vacancy rate unchanged from the previous year at 18.7 percent. Vacancy in the Skyline is forecasted to make a marginal improvement in 2012 thanks to a handful of new deals signed in late 2011 and some current tenants in the market.

The investment market in San Diego’s Skyline ended its three-year run of zero sales in 2011 with 450 B Street trading hands for $61.7 million ($220 per square foot) and 110 Plaza for $80 million ($245 per square foot). Uncertainty over the availability of redevelopment funds and weak fundamentals will continue to weigh heavily on investor sentiment in the CBD. Owners will be challenged in 2012 to maximize value until leasing demand returns to historical norms.

North American Leasing Highlights

Demand within the Skyline segment continued to outpace that of the overall U.S. office sector through the end of 2011 and into 2012. In total, the Skyline market absorbed 6.5 million square feet of space in 2011 and outshined overall market rates by 40 percent. Vacancy levels also dropped from a high of 15.7 percent to the current level of 14.7.

In addition, only four markets – Boston, Houston, Miami and Washington, DC – delivered a total of seven new buildings compared with the 2007-2010 annual averages of 17 new buildings across the U.S. Skyline. Looking ahead, the development pipeline appears just as equally barren with a total of eight buildings under construction, measuring 6.1 million square feet with New York and Washington, DC accounting for nearly 90 percent of the space currently under construction driven by the World Trade Center and CityCenter developments, respectively. Looking forward, large blocks of space will continue to come at a premium across most geographies and tenant leverage will continue to slip with almost no new supply.

Overall, asking rents jumped 2.9 percent in 2011 to an average full service rate of $37.35 per square foot while tenant concessions packages have lowered with improvement allowances down 5.0 percent in 2011 and rent abatement down 5.1 percent.

North American Investment Highlights

Investors continued to flood capital into core stabilized assets in 2011 with sales of Skyline assets increasing at nearly double the rate of overall U.S. office sales volume. In total, Skyline sales volume jumped 66.4 percent with New York, Houston, Chicago, Boston and Washington, DC registering sales volumes greater than $1 billion throughout the year.

Major Market Highlights

Chicago:
Of the 16 deals larger than 100,000 square feet signed in the CBD during the year, 15 were in Skyline buildings primarily resulting from relocations or expansions seeking quality upgrades. New York:
While Midtown registered an 11.3 percent Class A vacancy rate at the close of 2011, the vacancy rate for floors 25 and higher registered at 3.8 percent.

Los Angeles:
The Downtown Skyline continued to outperform the rest of the Class A office market despite rising vacancy in key Trophy assets hit hard by the downsizing in the large energy, financial and legal services tenants. 

San Francisco:
Rental rates outperformed the overall market averaging $48.28 per square feet versus the market’s $43.39 per square foot. Additionally, technology leasing activity continued as the driving force behind investment activity as sales volume reached its highest level since 2007.

Washington, DC:
The completion of the election cycle and more certainty surrounding the federal budget should help tenant demand in 2013. For more news, videos and research resources on Jones Lang LaSalle, please visit the firm’s U.S. media center Web page. Bookmark it here: http://bit.ly/czyo1D

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

Fish & Richardson Sweeps Managing Intellectual Property’s “Tier 1” IP Rankings in Every National U.S. Category for Second Year in a Row

Boston, MA, February 24, 2012 – Fish & Richardson has received “Tier 1” IP rankings in every national U.S. category – Patent Prosecution, Patent Litigation, Life Sciences, and ITC – in Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) magazine’s annual ranking of the top IP law firms in the U.S.  This is the second year in a row that Fish has swept the Tier 1 national U.S. rankings.  MIP also ranks firms regionally in Patent Prosecution and Patent Litigation, and Fish received five Tier 1 rankings and two Tier 2 rankings in the regional surveys.  The rankings were published in MIP’s February 2012 issue.

MIP’s survey is based on extensive research and interviews with both law firms and clients worldwide in 80 jurisdictions.  Based on this research, firms are ranked in tiers in each category in each jurisdiction.  The tiers reflect the perception of the leading firms in each market with the top tier listing those firms regarded as having the strongest practices in each category.  The research was conducted between September 2011 and January 2012.  This is the 16th year that MIP has published its annual international IP survey.

MIP is a leading international magazine for in-house IP counsel and is part of the Euromoney Legal Media Group with offices in London, Hong Kong, and New York.

Fish & Richardson is a global law firm providing strategic counseling and litigation services to innovative clients who seek to protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property (IP).  With more than 375 attorneys and technology specialists practicing IP strategy and counseling, IP litigation, and business litigation, Fish is known for its superior technical expertise.  Fish has been named top patent litigation firm in the country for eight straight years, a premier IP firm for America’s biggest companies, and an elite top tier law practice.  For more information, visit www.fr.com or follow @fishrichardson on Twitter.

SAN DIEGO – Sophie A. Akins, a partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP, has been appointed to the Legislative Committee for the California Special Districts Association. The nonprofit association works to ensure the continued existence of local, independent special districts. Its Legislative Committee develops the organization’s annual legislative agenda including reviewing, directing and assisting with legislative/public policy issues. The Legislative Committee seats are limited to industry experts with tenure and dedication to the organization. Only a select few are selected to participate in this committee. Akins was selected for her renewable energy expertise, leadership, knowledge of special districts and long-time support and participation in the organization.

Akins’ legal practice includes advocacy on renewable energy issues, assisting her clients to procure and construct solar and alternative energy projects and proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission. Last year, the Daily Journal recognized Akins as one of California’s top 25 clean tech lawyers. She has also been named by Law 360 as one of the top ten energy lawyers under 40 in the United States and was part of San Diego Metro Magazine’s “40 Under 40” honor roll.

Best Best & Krieger LLP is anational law firm that focuses on environmental, business, education, municipal and telecommunications law for public agency and private clients. With 200 attorneys, the law firm has nine offices nationwide, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.bbklaw.com

A nonprofit organization, the California Special Districts Association was formed in 1969 to ensure the continued existence of local, independent special districts. It is the only statewide association representing all types of independent special districts including irrigation, water, park and recreation, cemetery, fire, police protection, library, utility, harbor, health care and community services districts. The association provides education and training, insurance programs, legal advice, industry-wide litigation and public relations support, legislative advocacy, capital improvement and equipment funding, collateral design services, and, most importantly, current information that is crucial to a special districts management and operational effectiveness. For more information, visit www.csda.net

SAN DIEGO (February 16, 2011) –Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP announced that Richard Gluck has joined the firm as a partner in the litigation department.  Gluck has broad experience, including significant trial experience, representing individuals and businesses of all types in securities and consumer class actions, in SEC investigations and enforcement actions, and in a wide variety of business, construction, real estate, employment, and trade-secret litigation matters in state and federal court and in arbitration.

“We are pleased to welcome Rich to Solomon Ward,” states Michael D. Breslauer, the firm’s managing partner.  “His litigation experience includes working with an expansive scope of clients and industries.  This expertise will broaden our firm’s foundation in serving litigation clients.”

Before joining Solomon Ward, Gluck was a partner in the San Diego office of Fairbank & Vincent where he also practiced business litigation.

Prior to Fairbank & Vincent, Gluck served as general counsel for a privately held automobile dealership group.  He was also an associate in the San Diego office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he defended securities-fraud and consumer class actions.

Gluck earned his law degree from Santa Clara University, where he graduated second in his class and served as an editor of the Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Law Journal. Following law school, he clerked for United States District Court Judge William H. Orrick in the Northern District of California

Gluck is the vice president of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and a member of the San Diego County Bar Association.

Gluck is a resident of San Diego.

About Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP
Founded in 1977, Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP provides a full range of legal services to individuals, as well as to businesses of all sizes. The firm has 31 attorneys and offers a comprehensive mix of transactional and litigation services  ranging from business and corporate law, real estate and construction law, employment law, international law, taxation, trust and estates, bankruptcy and insolvency to most types of business litigation and personal injury. For more information, please visit www.swsslaw.com

SAN DIEGO – What many call San Diego’s front porch is going through a major transformation. According to officials from various agencies who spoke at the Urban Land Institute San Diego/Tijuana District Council breakfast yesterday, the keys to getting the project off the drawing board and into construction were commitment, cooperation and collaboration among the parties involved.

The project, which spans from Seaport Village to the Coast Guard station along the city’s embarcadero, was first envisioned in 1998. Construction of the $18 million phase one started in January of this year and is expected to be completed in approximately 18 months. The initial phase includes multiple new parks and enhancements to the Broadway Pier.

In all, five government agencies are involved, with the Port of San Diego, Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) and the Coastal Commission being the most active in recent years to move the project along.
“The hallmark of this project is compromise,” stated Shaun Sumner of the Port of San Diego’s real estate department, a panelist at the breakfast.

Sumner described how the organizations worked together to overcome concerns about lack of public open space expressed by the Coastal Commission and the public, which threatened the entire project. Despite a one-year delay to the plan approval, ultimately the differences were worked out among the public entities and private developers, which resulted in enhancements to the project without any major changes to the original footprint.
“Outreach efforts with the public and others changed the project while staying true to the course,” said Sumner.

Panelist Gary Bosse, assistant vice president of public works with CCDC, described the project as a lesson in the ‘three C’s: cooperation, compromise and commitment.’ Bosse said one of the pivotal moments in the project’s approval process came when the City of San Diego made a ‘bold move’ to vote for funding ahead of the coastal development permit, sending a message of a unified front.

Martin Poirier, FASLA of Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects, believes a fourth C was also instrumental in making the project a reality: a champion. Poirier deemed Mike McDade, the former chair of an initial planning group comprised of local government agencies called the North Embarcadero Alliance, as the project’s earliest champion. As the project progressed Wayne Darbeau of the Port of San Diego and businessman Tom Fat were also champions who provided collaboration and compromise to work through the issues.

“The paradox of such a project is it takes multitudes but needs a champion to be successful,” stated Poirier.
County Board of Supervisor Greg Cox, who moderated the program, shared that in the 15 years the project has been in the works, there have been a few bumps in the road. Now that construction has started, he envisions a ‘legacy project’ for San Diego.

About ULI
The Urban Land Institute develops leaders in the responsible use of land and promotes creation of sustainable, thriving communities worldwide. ULI has 30,000 members internationally and 500 in the San Diego region. The ULI San Diego/Tijuana District Council facilitates local discussion of public policy issues and best practices related to real estate development, city building and land use.

 Contact: Teresa Warren
(619) 582-5750
twarren@tw2marketing.com

SAN DIEGO, CA – The Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Diego/Tijuana District Council has announced its new management committee for 2012, led by chairwoman Robin Madaffer. Members will serve a one-year term.

“The new board is a tremendous mix of new members and ULI veterans,” says Mary Lydon, executive director of ULI in San Diego. “We have an aggressive agenda for 2012, including renewing our efforts on our bi-national focus, our third annual innovation economies conference, now a national conference, and the upcoming ULI International Spring Conference coming to San Diego in May 2013. The individuals on this team are committed to moving San Diego forward in terms of land use that positions the region to thrive for decades to come.”
The 2012 Management Committee members are:

• Robin Madaffer, Schwartz Heidel Sullivan, LLP - ULI Chair 
• Chris Morrow, Project Design Consultants - Immediate Past Chair 
• Tony Pauker, City Ventures - Past Chair 
• Ivar Leetma, Saranac - Treasurer 
• Tucker Stine, Greenhaus 
• Nathan Moeder, The London Group 
• Brian Fish, Luce Forward 
• Deborah Hunkeler, Cushman and Wakefield 
• Deborah Bossmeyer, Stewart Title 
• Ryan Marcos, SCS Engineers 
• Dan Johnson, SCS Engineers 
• Rameeta Garewel, URS 
• Gabriel Garza, Loponti Holdings 
• Stephanie Morgan, RECON 
• Mary Lydon, ULI San Diego/Tijuana - Executive Director

“We deliberately focused on reducing the level of problem assets during the fourth quarter as a prelude to growing the overall loan portfolio,” explained Dan C. Yates, president and chief executive officer of Regents Bank. “The reduction in past due and non-accrual assets, to one-half percent of total loans, is reflected in our Texas ratio, which has steadily improved from 8.7 percent at the end of the first quarter to just three percent at year-end 2011. That ratio put us among the best of our banking peers.” The Texas ratio is a measure of a bank’s portfolio risk, with a higher ratio indicating more severe credit troubles. A Texas ratio of 100 percent or above is the threshold that generally classifies a bank with severe credit problems.

The bank’s profitability for the full year 2011 was up significantly from 2010 earnings, which included Regents’ only quarterly loss since its de novo period when the bank chose to boost reserves in the second quarter 2010. Net income in the fourth quarter 2011 increased modestly to $439,000, up from $430,000 posted at the end of the previous quarter, and was down from $698,000 in the prior year fourth quarter, due principally to the reduction in loan outstandings.

Total assets and total deposits at year-end 2011 increased approximately seven percent on a year-over-year basis to $344.6 million and $302.6 million, respectively. Both totals were down slightly from the third quarter 2011, which is consistent with historic trends. With the reduction in problem assets, total loans at December 31, 2011, dropped slightly from the prior year end to $211.9 million, but were marginally higher than the previous quarter.
Regents Bank continued to substantially exceed well capitalized standards at December 31, 2011. The total risk-based capital ratio was 18.8 percent; Tier 1 leverage ratio was 11.4 percent; and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 17.5 percent. Federal banking agencies define a well-capitalized bank as having a total risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than 10 percent; Tier 1 leverage capital ratio equal to or greater than five percent; and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than six percent.

“This past year, we put our effort into strengthening our balance sheet and making sure we have the liquidity and capital resources to weather a lukewarm economy and support the needs of our clients, who count on us to help their businesses grow and prosper,” said Yates. “We are in an excellent position to lend to qualified borrowers and to continue delivering the consultative service Regents pioneered.

“Our new holding company, Grandpoint Capital, brings additional capital resources and product expertise that has enabled us to raise our lending limits and offer new product specialties,” added Yates, . “We are also anticipating the new growth opportunities created by our impending merger with California Community Bank.”On January 19, 2012, Grandpoint Capital announced a definitive agreement to acquire Escondido-based California Community Bank. At the completion of the transaction, expected in the third quarter 2012, Cal Community’s four San Diego County banking offices will be merged into Regents Bank. “Bringing Cal Community’s banking team and well-placed branches into Regents will make quality business banking more accessible to San Diego County businesses and extend our reach to new prospects.”

Founded in 2011, Regents Bank offers a wide range of financial services to its clients. The bank specialized in serving small to mid-size businesses. Regents Bank offers a full line of commercial business loans, SBA 504 real estate loans, investment real estate financing, an array of depository products, corporate cash management and private banking services. Regents Bank operates banking offices in downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Carlsbad and El Cajon, California, as well as in Vancouver, Washington. Regents Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grandpoint Capital, Inc.

SAN DIEGO, CA – Best Best & Krieger LLP has appointed Arlene Prater to serve as office managing partner of the San Diego office.   Prater will oversee strategic direction, general operations and business development for the San Diego office of BB&K.  The San Diego office has 33 attorneys practicing in various areas of public and private sector law. Prater practices in the firm’s Labor and Employment Group.

Prater succeeds BB&K partner Warren Diven, who served as the firm’s San Diego office managing partner since January 2008.

“We are pleased Arlene has accepted this leadership position,” stated James Gilpin, a partner and member of the executive committee at BB&K.  “Arlene’s management skills combined with her energy and experience are admired by her peers and clients alike.”

Prater joined BB&K in October 1993. She has specialized for many years in providing advice to public and private employers on personnel and labor matters and representing public agencies and private employers in employment law litigation and administrative proceedings.

Before joining BB&K, Prater was a partner at Jennings, Engstrand & Henrikson and was employed with the San Diego County Counsel’s office from 1977 – 1988.

Prater is deeply involved in giving back to the legal industry and San Diego community. She is on the State Bar of California Labor & Employment Section Executive Committee, which educates attorneys and provides a forum for California's labor and employment lawyers regarding labor relations and employment issues. She is also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association on the Panel of Employment Arbitrators.  Prater regularly conducts human resources training for clients, and she is a frequent speaker at employment law seminars for attorneys and human resource professionals.

She serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, San Diego Botanic Garden, PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and Access to Independence of San Diego.  She also provides pro bono services to various nonprofit agencies in San Diego.

Prater is a resident of Del Mar, Calif.

Best Best & Krieger LLP is a national law firm that focuses on environmental, employment, business, education, municipal and telecommunications law for public agency and private clients. With 200 attorneys, the law firm has nine offices nationwide, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.bbklaw.com