Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP > San Francisco, United States > Firm Profile

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Energy > Renewable/alternative power Tier 2

Some of the most prominent domestic and international sponsors of renewable energy projects in the US look to Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP for counsel across the full suite of matters. Recent highlights have included power sale agreements on a major wind farm project, and advice on tax equity investments on a variety of renewable projects. The sizeable team is jointly coordinated by Chicago-based Katherine Gillespie and Anthony Toranto in San Diego. Further key contacts include Elliot Hinds in Century City, who focuses on the transactional side, and Christine Hourcade-Hoefliger in San Francisco, who is well versed in the sale, acquisition and financing of renewable energy projects. She also advises on tax equity matters. Christine Kolosov at the San Francisco office is strong across transactions, development and regulatory advice in renewable energy, while Amit Kalra is a tax contact to note in Chicago.

Government > Government contracts Tier 2

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is highly regarded for its breadth of experience in government contract issues affecting the aerospace, defense, and intelligence communities, offering clients a soup to nuts service covering counseling, regulatory compliance, disputes, and protests. The practice is housed in Washington DC, and led by Jonathan Aronie, a powerhouse in bid protests, self-disclosures, and DOJ and FCA investigations. Litigator Anne Perry counts among her specialisms export controls, M&A, costs and pricing issues, and suspension and debarment proceedings. Keith Szeliga is frequently retained by aerospace and defense contractors for a host of claims and disputes, while David Douglass enjoys a strong reputation in defending healthcare and life sciences companies in government and FCA investigations and litigation. Townsend Bourne is an emerging name in cybersecurity and data protection, specializing in DOD and civilian agency security contractors. Ryan Roberts supports small business and large defense contractors in both disputes and counseling.

Healthcare > Health insurers Tier 2

Praised by clients for its ‘wealth of deep understanding‘, the California-based practice at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP handles a broad array of mandates, including the taxation of health plans and disputes concerning out-of-network reimbursement. Eric Klein leads the team, utilizing his longstanding transactional experience to advise clients on joint ventures and M&A. Lynsey Mitchel is a regulatory specialist when it comes to HMO-related issues under the California Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act, while Moe Keshavarzi routinely acts for health plans in class actions and disputes concerning unfair competition. W0rking out of the Washington DC office, Christine Clements is known for her broad knowledge of HIPAA compliance issues and both state and federal managed healthcare government contract programs.

Healthcare > Service providers Tier 2

Predominantly based in California, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s practice is noted for its expansive transactional expertise. Practice head Eric Klein acts for a diverse client roster of hospitals and physician organizations in joint ventures and M&A, while Lynsey Mitchel primarily represents value-based care enterprises and accountable care organizations in HMO regulatory mandates. Working out of the Washington DC office, Michael Paddock‘s areas of expertise include healthcare fraud and abuse cases arising under the Stark Law and the FCA, and Erica Kraus, who is noted for her extensive knowledge of health policy, assists clients with government investigations and regulatory compliance. In New York, corporate transactional and tax expert Jay Gerzog‘s client base consists of provider and payor institutions. Carolyn Metnick joined the Chicago team from McDermott Will & Emery LLP in June 2023, contributing her deep knowledge of privacy and digital health.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 2

Fielding a team that is ‘hyper-focused on achieving solutions’, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP assists entrepreneurs, private equity investors, venture capital funds and strategic clients with a range of buy- and sell-side transactional work encompassing acquisitions, divestitures and mergers and both multistate and multijurisdictional mandates. Sectors in which the practice has expertise include aerospace, retail and consumer products. In San Diego, healthcare specialist Jeralin Cardoso and capital markets expert John Tishler oversee the firm’s offering alongside the New York-based venture capital specialist John Hempill. In the firm’s Los Angeles office, Lawrence Braun's portfolio of work includes deals for healthcare and food service clients, David Sands handles transactions in the in the media, entertainment and technologies industries, and Zachary Turke is well acquainted with the cannabis and beauty sectors.

Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional Tier 2

Drawing upon its extensive global experience, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s media and entertainment practice group adeptly manages the acquisition, financing, production, and distribution of content for major studios, streaming services, and other platforms worldwide. The practice’s expertise extends across various industry sectors, including sports, music, live events, podcasts, art, publishing, and fashion. Leading the practice from New York is Alexis Robinson, who is renowned for providing strategic counsel in complex commercial transactions involving the emerging technology, entertainment, and media sectors. In Los Angeles, key contacts include advertising, fashion, and art specialist Robert Darwell, Robb Klein, whose expertise lies in film and television financing, production, merchandising, and the licensing of rights in digital media, and Linda Michaelson, who assists public and private companies with a range of corporate transactions. Further key contacts in the Los Angeles office include finance and mergers expert David Sands, Leif Cervantes De Reinstein, who has notable experience in scripted television and VOD matters, and Shaun Clark, whose entertainment practice encompasses IP rights and first-look agreements.

Real estate > Land use/zoning Tier 2

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s real estate, energy, land use and environmental department provides clients with advice on a wide spectrum of zoning and land use matters, including on subdivision, environmental reviews and the California Environmental Quality Act, community engagement matters, historic preservation and development agreements, wetlands, endangered species, zoning and water quality regulations, and real estate litigation. Keith Garner co-leads the group from the firm’s San Francisco office, while Michael Leake co-leads the department from the firm’s office in San Diego. With vast experience in land use planning, entitlement approvals, and land use litigation defense, Jeffrey Forrest ‘has proven invaluable in helping to navigate municipal permitting processes, and very challenging CEQA pathways’. In Los Angeles, Jack Rubens handles land use litigation and real estate transactions, while New York’s Jodi Stein frequently represents real estate developers in obtaining land use approvals, well-supported by associate Eva Schneider. In March 2023, Cleveland lawyer Andrew Bengston, Dallas attorneys Michelle Brown and Shane Trawick, and Columbus-based partner Ian Lange joined the team from Jones Day, while Alfred Fraijo and Kira Conlon departed the practice in May 2023. Rocky Delgadillo joined the team from DLA Piper LLP (US) in April 2024.

Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities) Tier 2

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP advises tax-exempt nonprofit groups across the full lifecycle of their domestic and overseas activities. The department boasts particular strength in the healthcare industry, with further expertise in the sports, sustainability, and educational sectors. David Ulich co-heads the team from Los Angeles alongside Tamar Rosenberg, who works from New York. Ulich maintains close client relations with a number of prominent nonprofits and additionally acts as president of the Foundation for Global Sports Development, while Rosenberg is highly active on behalf of healthcare clients as well as catering to religious, humanitarian, and education groups, amongst others. Also in New York are Jay Gerzog, ‘one of the best tax-exempt organizations lawyers in the country’ who advises on a range of complex corporate transactions in the nonprofit space, and Amanda Zablocki, who chiefly handles issues in the healthcare sector.

Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) Tier 3

The privacy and cybersecurity practice group at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is a go-to for high-profile brands and retailers, advising on the development of compliance policies along with preparation for and response to data security incidents. Liisa Thomas, based in Chicago, co-heads the practice and brings global experience to international data concerns and digital advertising matters; co-head Craig Cardon works out of Century City and has particular intellectual property expertise. In California, Del Mar-based Wynter Deagle designs and implements privacy and cybersecurity compliance programs, while Moorari Shah in Los Angeles advises on federal consumer protection laws and regulations and Rachel Hudson in San Francisco, leads the firm’s retail, fashion and beauty team with notable reference to the collection and use of data in these industries. For disputes based work, privacy litigation specialist Kari Rollins is noted in New York while Century City’s Jay Ramsey heads the firm’s consumer class action defense team.

Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory Tier 3

With a strong background in the cable industry, the telecoms team at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP advises a range of cable providers and industry groups, with a particular focus on infrastructure mandates. The firm fields a growing space and satellite practice, taking on a number of new clients from the sector in the past year, and representing satellite operators in FCC proceedings. Focusing on the satellite and wireless sectors, Brian Weimer leads the Washington DC-based team. Paul Werner has an established contentious practice, representing communications providers in litigation and arbitration at state, federal, appellate and international levels. Dave Thomas has built up a diverse clientele that ranges from telecoms providers to broadcasters, advising on wireless and broadband networks, satellite communications, licensing and permitting, and spectrum use, while Douglas Svor brings extensive experience before the FCC and a ‘deep regulatory background’, advising operators and investors in the wireless, satellite and technology sectors. Imad Matini, Abraham Shanedling and Hannah Wigger are other key names to note.

Real estate Tier 3

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s real estate, energy, land use and environmental group handles a wide range of real estate matters, regularly representing investors, developers, and property owners, including a number of large homebuilders and hospital systems. Hotels and self-storage facilities are other areas of expertise, as are the retail, commercial, and industrial spaces. The firm is also known for its financing and restructuring expertise and has seen a number of recent mandates relating to single and portfolio transactions and ground leases. The team has a particularly strong West Coast presence with heads Keith Garner based in San Francisco and Michael Leake in San Diego. Tim Reimers is a key contact in the firm’s Los Angeles office and heads the healthcare and public finance real estate groups where he has considerable experience handling acquisitions, project syndications, developments, and financings. The firm continues to grow its presence in New York, which houses experienced real estate transaction lawyers Eric Altman and Peter Koffler, the latter of which focuses on commercial real estate transactions including air rights transfers, multi-property transactions, and cannabis-related financings.

Antitrust > Cartel Tier 4

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is proficient in acting for domestic and multinational clients in antitrust investigations, prosecutions, and enforcement actions. The team’s strong expertise with matters related to the technology sector is noteworthy, as is its focus on the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property law, which extends to topics such as patent pooling, product distribution and licensing restraints. The group is based in Washington DC and headed by Leo Caseria, whose multifaceted workload includes federal and state cartel investigations, and former DOJ official Ann O’Brien, who is recommended for the whole range of domestic, international, and multi-agency cartel matters, including federal jury trials.

Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense Tier 4

Attracting client praise for its ‘tenacious litigation prowess,‘ Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP’s antitrust litigation team handles international monopoly cases for large tech sector clients, as well as defending clients in antitrust merger matters and handling competitor-on-competitor disputes. Practice co-heads Leo Caseria and Ann O’Brien, praised by clients for their ‘unparalleled‘ subject matter expertise, oversee the team from the Washington DC office. Caseria has a strong record defending clients in cases involving claims of monopolization, price gouging, and conspiracy, with particular success at the early stages of litigation. O’Brien, who also leads the firm’s criminal antitrust and cartels sub-group, takes point on agency-facing litigation, leveraging her experience from working at the Antitrust Division. Michael Cohen left the firm in 2023.

Antitrust > Merger control Tier 4

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is reputable among a wide range of businesses and private equity investors for its capacity to handle large and prolific flow of HSR filings and domestic and cross-border merger proceedings. The firm combines its active merger work with contentious and litigation expertise, representing clients in fields such as healthcare, energy, tech and manufacturing sectors. Antitrust co-chair Leo Caseria represents clients in complex merger-related litigation, while fellow co-chair Ann O’Brien, who joined the team from BakerHostetler, specializes in criminal and civil government antitrust investigations and litigation. John Carroll advises clients on US and international merger control processes, as well as government investigations. Attorneys mentioned are based in Washington DC.

Environment > Environment: litigation Tier 4

The team at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is known for its ability to navigate a full spread of environmental issues relating to soil and groundwater contamination, land use, hazardous waste and water and air quality. The group is led from Los Angeles by Jeffrey Parker, who predominantly handles product liability cases, and Whitney Roy, who is a name to note for tort litigation. In San Francisco, Nicholas Van Aelstyn’s wide practice encompasses cost recovery actions and regulatory enforcement actions, regularly handling a range of Superfund and contaminated sites matters.

Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation Tier 4

Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions Tier 4

Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: transactions Tier 4

With particular expertise in the cable industry, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is adept at advising clients on their cable systems and business operations. The firm is active in key sector developments, such as the FCC’s C-band proceeding and the deployment of broadband, as part of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Brian Weimer leads the telecoms team from Washington DC, focusing on the satellite and wireless sectors, and advising on international telecoms transactions, such as satellite landing rights and M&A. Douglas Svor is an expert in national security matters, particularly regarding the crossover with technology. Jodi Goldberg is a key member of the team.

Healthcare > Life sciences Tier 5

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s ‘flexible and business oriented’ practice assists clients with the management of their patent portfolios, advising on patent prosecution strategies and representing them in court where infringements occur, while also supporting clients in negotiations with the FDA over labelling issues and approvals for novel drugs. Based in New York, the practice leadership consists of Jeffrey Fessler, who focuses on life sciences transactions, and Scott Liebman, who accompanies pharmaceutical, biotech and medical devices clients through FDA procedures. Former team co-head Allison Fulton took up an in house post in February 2023.

Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation) Tier 5

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is adept at handling a broad range of international and domestic construction law matters, as well as litigation and arbitration mandates, assisting a range of clients such as owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, REITs, lenders and sureties drafting and negotiating construction contracts, design services contracts, and other construction-related contracts. Exemplifying this in particular are practice heads Erinn Contreras in San Francisco and Ira Schulman in New York. Other key names in New York are Cesar Pereira and Emily Anderson, who was promoted to partner in March 2023. In Del Mar, John Yacovelle represents clients in disputes and emphasizes energy, while Marisa Miller comfortably handles commercial litigation matters.

Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)

The group at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP regularly handles an array of employment litigation, with core mandates including wage and hour, non-compete, discrimination, wrongful termination, defamation, and breach of contract mandates. The team’s sectoral expertise covers healthcare, transportation, financial services, retail, fashion, and hospitality. Los Angeles-based Kelly Hensley co-leads, along with New York-based Jonathan Stoler, who represents international clients in a variety of contentious and transactional matters. Additional key department figures include Chicago-based Kevin Cloutier, who has experience appearing before state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country; and Los Angeles-based Tracey Kennedy, lauded as a ‘superstar employment defense trial lawyer’.

Insurance > Advice to insurers

Real estate > Real estate finance