Kimberly Valentine is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Kimberly Valentine from Valentine Law Group!

Kimberly spoke most recently our 18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) webinar on October 13, 2023 as part of the Southern California faculty. The program was also held late October with Northern CA judges and faculty. Both programs are available as Recorded Packages.

Kimberly has taught a few times at our annual Superior Court Boot Camps every October, to rave reviews, which is why we keep inviting her back.  Kimberly is a terrific teacher who always provides a ton of practical information and is very much appreciated by our attendees.

Kimberly  is the principal attorney at Valentine Law Group where she has dedicated her career in the practice of law to advocating for the vulnerable, the injured and the infirm. She practices in the areas of elder abuse, medical malpractice, products liability, serious personal injury, and government tort claims litigation.

Outside of the firm, Kimberly is an Associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and serves as the National Board Representative for the Orange County ABOTA Chapter. She has received the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association’s Top Gun award as an exceptional Elder Abuse litigator multiple times and has been recognized as a California Trial Lawyers Associations “Street Fighter” Award finalist. She was also named a Super Lawyer each year since 2014. Super Lawyers Southern California Magazine named her as one of the top 50 Orange County lawyers and Top 50 Women lawyers in Southern California multiple times and did so again in 2021.

Kimberly’s passion for supporting the community led her to found Operation Helping Hands, a non-profit providing community college scholarships/stipends to housing insecure students as well as providing backpacks full of necessity items to the homeless population. Kimberly received the 2019 Trial Lawyers Care award from the American Association for Justice for her work in the community with Operation Helping Hands. She is one of the founding members and serves on the Board of Directors for Stop Elder Abuses, a non-profit organization which educates the public on the issue of abuse. She also sits on the Advisory Committee to the Los Angeles Elder Abuse Forensic Center. Ms. Valentine also serves on the advisory board for the non-profit organization Together We Rise which is dedicated to improving the lives of foster children.

Thank you for joining us again, Kimberly and we hope to see you again next year!

Ryan Moore is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Ryan Moore from Fox Rothschild LLP!

Ryan most recently spoke at our 18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) webinar on October 13, 2023 as part of the Southern California faculty. The program was also held late October 2023 as a webinar with Northern California judges and attorneys teaching.  Both programs are available as Recorded Packages.

Ryan received top-notch reviews at this program and we can’t wait to have him back.

Ryan is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, where he defends businesses against personal injury, product liability, toxic tort, property damage and other claims at trial and on appeal in state and federal courts as a seasoned commercial litigator.

With his vast experience representing businesses in the manufacturing and rail transportation industries, Ryan has garnered much success in complex commercial litigation. He has achieved summary judgment in the Western District Court of Washington in FELA lawsuit involving railroad defendant. Successfully drafted 9th Circuit Respondent’s Brief and Opposition to Appellant’s Motion to Certify Issues to State Supreme Court. Achieved summary judgment in Los Angeles Superior Court in FELA toxic injury (benzene) lawsuit involving railroad defendant. Summary judgment granted based on procedural argument raised in reply papers.

Thank you for joining us again, Ryan!

Chaya Mandelbaum is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Chaya Mandelbaum from Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP!

Chaya will be speaking at our upcoming 18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) webinar on October 27, 2023 as part of the Northern California faculty. The program was also held on October 13, 2023 as a webinar with Southern California judges and attorneys teaching. 

Most recently, Chaya spoke at our 19th Annual Federal Court Boot Camp (CA) program, where he was complimented for his practical strategies. Chaya is a frequent speaker with Pincus – he has taught at our Annual Federal Court Boot Camp for almost a decade.  We always invite him back because the attendees always give him great reviews and he is such a great teacher.

Chaya Mandelbaum is a Partner at Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP where he represents employees in individual and class action litigation and negotiations across the spectrum of employment law. He has extensive experience in wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation, harassment and leave of absence matters.

Before joining Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, Chaya was a Senior Litigation Counsel at Sanford Heisler.  At Sanford Heisler, he represented employees in class actions involving wage and hour, discrimination and other civil rights claims.

Previously, Chaya was a Trial Attorney in the Office of the Solicitor for the United States Department of Labor.  In that capacity, he successfully represented the Secretary of Labor in numerous significant enforcement actions, including a multi-million dollar wage and penalty recovery based on violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  He obtained successful results in both jury and bench trials during his tenure. 

Chaya also recently served as Chair of the California Fair Employment and Housing Council.  He was appointed and re-appointed to the position by former California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and his appointment and re-appointment were confirmed by the California Senate.  The Council promulgates regulations related to employment and housing discrimination and holds hearings on civil rights issues confronting the state.

Thank you for joining us again, Chaya!

Barbara Adams is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Barbara Adams from Steptoe & Johnson LLP!

Barbara will be speaking at our upcoming 18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) webinar on October 27, 2023 as part of the Northern California faculty. The program started on October 13, 2023 as a webinar with Southern California judges and attorneys teaching. 

This will be the sixth time Barbara has taught this program. Barbara is a frequent speaker with Pincus and we have continued to invite her back because the attendees always have great things to say about her. Recently, Barbara spoke at our The Art of Jury Selection in California program, where she was praised by attendees for her knowledge and excellence as an attorney. 

We are excited to have her back!

Barbara is of counsel at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she specializes in the defense of toxic tort and product liability litigation involving asbestos, lead, food toxins, underground tanks, and other chemicals in personal injury, property damage, and long-term/latent injury litigation actions. Barbara has completed numerous jury trials in most of the Bay Area Superior Courts, otherwise successfully resolved complex cases, and has participated in the development of complex litigation rules for the Superior and Federal courts.

Barbara has a diverse litigation background that includes an emphasis on Proposition 65 litigation and toxic torts claims involving asbestos, lead, and mold. Barbara’s courtroom background is extensive. An experienced lead trial and appellate attorney, she has taken over 20 cases to verdict and has commenced more than 30 trials. She also has experience litigating personal injury, product defect, premises liability, and wrongful termination claims, as well as claims arising under California’s Lemon Law.

With a keen focus on providing superior quality work, Barbara is equally adept at resolving cases without resort to litigation. Barbara has briefed and argued cases before the California Courts of Appeal and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Northern California Super Lawyers has included Barbara among the area’s top attorneys for many years in recognition of her litigation excellence.

You can read Barbara’s views on toxic tort and chemical exposure issues at her blog, Toxics Defense.

Thank you for joining us again, Barbara!

Rachel Gezerseh is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Rachel Gezerseh from Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi!

Rachel will be speaking at our upcoming 18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) program on October 13, 2023 in Sierra Madre/Pasadena, California. The program is also scheduled for October 27, 2023 in San Francisco, California (though Rachel is only speaking at the Sierra Madre/Pasadena location). This will be her first time speaking with us and she comes highly recommended by other long-time speakers.

Welcome, Rachel! We are excited to have you join us this year.

Rachel is a trial attorney with Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi LLP. Rachel specializes in litigating complex catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death and products liability cases.

Throughout her career, Rachel has gained substantial experience in a broad range of litigation phases, including discovery, motion practice, mediation, and trial. She has taken and defended numerous party and corporate witness depositions and has extensive drafting experience with summary judgment and other critical motions at the trial level.

Rachel was previously an attorney at top international law firm, Jones Day, where she litigated large scale product liability and aviation disaster cases.  She regularly obtained outstanding results for her clients, which included consumer product and aircraft manufacturers, healthcare companies, and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.  Rachel has now taken the skills she gained at Jones Day and dedicated her practice to vigorously seeking justice for individuals who have been wrongfully harmed.

Recognized by her peers as a Southern California Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” Rachel  was named to the Super Lawyers list in 2020.  She has also been featured in Bloomberg Law and ABA for Law Students and is the author of the Law Career Playbook, the leading networking guide for law students and new lawyers.  Rachel is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law.

Thank you for joining us, Rachel!

Andrew Friedman is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Andrew Friedman from Helmer Friedman!

Andrew will be speaking at our upcoming18th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (CA) program on October 13, 2023 in Sierra Madre, California. Most recently, Andrew spoke at our Employment Law Year in Review – 2022: New Cases and Laws (CA & Federal), which showcased a comprehensive review of the most significant developments in California and Federal employment law for 2022.  Andrew is so popular that he has also spoken at our Annual Superior Court Boot Camps for the past several years.

He is also scheduled to speak at our January 2024 Employment Law Year in Review for 2023.

We are excited to have him back with us!

Andrew is a partner with the law firm of Helmer Friedman LLP. He primarily represents employees in all aspects of employment law, including not only individual discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases but also complex multi-party wage and hour class actions. He also represents clients in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights, and product liability cases.

Through his extensive experience in employment-related litigation in state and federal courts, Andrew recently won (with Tony Lewis of The Lewis Law Firm) a $4.1 Million jury verdict in a fraud and breach of employment contract lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court and he also prevailed (along with his law partner, Gregory D. Helmer) in a three week sexual harassment jury trial in the Orange County Superior Court. He also settled a $2.4 Million wage and hour class action lawsuit in federal court (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California), a $1.575 Million class action discrimination lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court and he recovered a $1.5 Million settlement in federal court (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California) in a wage and hour class action.

Andrew has received the highest possible Martindale-Hubble rating (“AV”), indicating that he is ranked at the highest level of professional excellence with “very high to preeminent legal ability” and “very high” ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar. Law & Politics Magazine and the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine selected Andrew as a 2006 – 2021 Southern California “Super Lawyer” in the category of Labor and Employment Law. 

Additionally, in 2020 & 2021, Super Lawyers named Andrew H. Friedman to its list of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Southern California and Lawdragon named Andrew to its list of the nation’s top 500 plaintiff employment and civil rights attorneys.

Thank you for joining us again, Andrew!

John Querio is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is John Querio from Horvitz & Levy!

John will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. He most recently spoke at our previous 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp in November of 2021 where attendees praised his teaching efficiency and knowledge on the topic.

We’re excited to have him back with us!

Additionally, John is co-author of the leading treatise on civil appeals before the Ninth Circuit, the Rutter Group’s Ninth Circuit Civil Appellate Practice. Because John is speaking at our 9th Circuit program, along with co-author Peder Batalden, the Rutter Group will give attendees at that program 40% off the Guide.  Attendees will learn how to take advantage of this discount during the seminar.

John is a partner at Horvitz & Levy, where he has worked on dozens of civil appeals in state and federal court. He has special expertise in federal, civil, and appellate procedure. John has argued numerous appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

John’s proficiency in a wide range of practice areas, including commercial contract disputes; arbitration and class actions; defense of claims based on professional conduct (including the anti-SLAPP statute and First Amendment issues, legal malpractice, and malicious prosecution); defense of insurance coverage and bad faith litigation; products and premises liability defense; civil rights litigation defense; and punitive damages. 

Due to John’s extensive experience in appellate procedure, he has counseled many significant companies on appellate matters, including Ford Motor Company, State Farm, American General Life Insurance Company, Hospital Corporation of America, QBE Insurance Corporation, Travelers, Kiewit, Dow Chemical Company, Philip Morris, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company. 

John has also represented cities, counties, and peace officers in federal civil rights actions; major hospitals and providers in healthcare matters; and large insurers in coverage disputes. He has worked with major trade associations to position cutting edge issues for appellate review, including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Washington Legal Foundation, the California Hospital Association, and the California New Car Dealers Association.

Thank you for joining us again, John!



Janet Schorer is our Latest Featured Speaker

Our latest featured speaker is Janet Schroer from Hart Wagner!

Janet will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. She previously spoke at our 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp, where attendees gave her rave reviews for her teaching skills and terrific materials. 

We’re excited to have her back with us!

Janet is a partner at Hart Wagner, where she frequently serves the firm’s clients in the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  She also represents her clients’ business, professional and personal interests before various trial courts and professional licensing agencies.

Over the course of her career, Janet has handled well over 50 cases to final decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  She has argued over 30 cases and taken them to final opinion in the Oregon Supreme Court, and argued over 130 cases resulting in opinions in the Oregon Court of Appeals.  She has also handled appeals in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Idaho Supreme Court, Nevada Supreme Court, and Washington Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

Janet defends doctors, lawyers and other professionals in Oregon state and federal trial courts. She also handles all aspects of professional malpractice, commercial litigation, products liability and general litigation.

Janet also represents Oregon professionals in matters involving their licensing Boards. She works frequently with the various Oregon professional licensing Boards.

Thank you for joining us again, Janet!



Brendan Begley is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Brendan Begley from Weintraub Tobin!

Brendan will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. He most recently spoke at our Covid 19 Employment Litigation: Liability, Privacy, and Arbitration Webinar where he was praised by attendees for how direct and concise his presentation was.

We’re excited to have him back with us!

Brendan is a shareholder at Weintraub Tobin, who spearheads the firm’s Appeals and Writs group, and is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Labor & Employment, Trust, Probate, and Elder Abuse Litigation groups.

Throughout his career, Brendan has worked on class actions and managed entire cases, including conducting witness interviews, preparing and responding to written discovery, arguing related motions, taking and defending scores of depositions, prevailing on numerous anti-SLAPP and dispositive motions, mediating many cases, and second-chairing trials to successful verdicts. At the appellate stage, he has handled both briefing and oral argument before all appellate courts, from the California Court of Appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Before Weintraub Tobin, Brendan served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable John M. Gerrard, Associate Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, and later as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Connie M. Callahan, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Thank you for joining the program, Brendan! We are excited to have him back.

Peder Batalden is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Peder Batalden from Horvitz & Levy!

Peder will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. He most recently spoke at our 8th Annual Advanced Appellate Practice Seminar in California and was praised by the attendees for his knowledge and insight.  He also spoke at our 2021 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp to rave reviews.

We’re excited to have you with us again, Peder!

Peder is a partner at Horvitz & Levy. He has successfully petitioned for review in the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has argued and won numerous appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. He routinely assists clients in responding to large money judgments, drawing upon a deep knowledge of federal jurisdiction and procedure to assist in staying enforcement of judgments and preparing post-trial motions so that issues for appeal are not lost.

Additionally, Peder is co-author of the leading treatise on civil appeals before the Ninth Circuit, the Rutter Group’s Ninth Circuit Civil Appellate Practice. Because Peder is speaking at our 9th Circuit program, along with co-author John Querio, the Rutter Group will give attendees at that program 40% off the Guide.  Attendees will learn how to take advantage of this discount during the program.

He is also a past Chair of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on the Federal Courts, which works to enhance bench-bar relations and studies proposed changes to federal rules. He also routinely comments on proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and to the Ninth Circuit rules.

Throughout his career, Peder has represented many significant companies, including AutoNation, Bank of America, Chevron, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell, Hospital Corporation of America, Lyft, Media News Group, The Sherwin-Williams Company, Newell Brands, Sempra Energy, TASER International, Travelers, and Toyota Motor Sales. He has also represented government entities and employees in federal civil rights actions; major medical providers in healthcare matters; and insurers in coverage actions.

Thank you for joining us again, Peder!