Shea Stokes & Carter Names New Shareholders

We are a nation on the edge, at least when it comes to land development and the legalities of disaster-prone and environmentally sensitive areas. That's why the University of San Diego School of Law and the Land Use Law Center of Pace University School of Law in White Plains, N.Y., are sponsoring a series on the subject called "Nation on the Edge."

The first presentation was "Disaster Declaration, Relief and Mitigation -- The Changing Role of the Federal Government 1950-2000," held in the Peace and Justice Theatre, Joan B. Kroc Center for Peace and Justice on the USD campus.

Launched last month, the series was the brainchild of USD School of Law Dean Daniel Rodriguez and John Nolon, director of the Land Use Law Center.

"The two of us created a program that would address the issue of disaster mitigation," said Rodriguez. "We are in a precarious position, especially on coast land, and with fires, flood, hurricanes -- the law doesn't have an effective way of dealing with these issues of impending natural disaster. Mostly, we deal with it through insurance, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), after they've happened. It's a real puzzle -- land use, planning and zoning, insurance, private property vs. public liberty. How does the government deal with people who want to live out where there is chaparral around or on a cliff?"

He's putting together a series of bicoastal conferences and workshops to grapple with these issues, including one coming up at USD on April 1, and three more back east at Pace and Yale University in late April.

The end result, said Rodriguez, will be a book, published by the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C.

For more info on the series, call George Decker, director of publications at USD, (619) 260-4097, or visit hrenchir@sandiego.edu.

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New Shareholders: Shea Stones & Carter ALC has named three new shareholders in its San Diego office.

They are Peter B. Maretz, a graduate of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, who focuses on employment construction and insurance litigation; Bruno W. Katz, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, whose practice includes professional liability, employment, real estate, corporate litigation and complex multiparty litigation; and Patrick M. Howe, University of San Francisco School of Law, who specializes in the defense and prosecution of insurance bad faith and insurance coverage matters, toxic tort and business litigation.

Jerrilyn T. Malana has been made a shareholder of Littler Mendelson's San Diego office.

She represents national Fortune 500 clients and San Diego businesses in all types of employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage and hour violations. She also counsels and trains employers to avoid these types of claims.

A graduate of California Western School of Law, magna cum laude, Malana is the immediate past president of Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP has elevated two attorneys in its San Diego office as partners.

They are Jonathan Hangartner, a magna cum laude graduate of Pace University, who represents clients in intellectual property, complex commercial litigation and international arbitration matters; and Amar Thakur, a graduate of Arizona State University, who specializes in corporate and intellectual property, and has counseled corporations on patent and trademark issues related to mergers and acquisitions.

Shannon Petersen and Mark Myers have joined the firm's San Diego office.

Petersen, a graduate with distinction from Stanford Law School, is a Navy veteran, author and former Fulbright fellow.

Myers, who received his law degree with distinction from Stanford Law School, is experienced in employee benefits and executive compensation, and has authorized several articles on federal Indian law.

Todd D. Carpenter has been hired by the San Diego law firm Casey Gerry Reed & Schenk as an associate.

A graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, Carpenter was previously a law clerk, focusing on business, civil litigation and personal injury at the San Diego law offices of Thorsnes, Bartolotta & McGuire.

Contact Pat Broderick at pbroderick@sdbj.com or call her at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 3112.