IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst PC has just posted an opening for an organized and professional Legal Operations Manager to join our vibrant and collaborative team. The ideal Legal Operations Manager candidate would be based in our Irvine location and oversee the operations of both our Irvine and Los Angeles offices.
Klinedinst is dedicated to providing top-caliber legal services to clients across the West, while nurturing the professional development and personal advancement of each and every employee. We work hard to promote a positive, energizing culture built on teamwork and inclusion. It’s the reason why Klinedinst has been named a Best Place to Work: Law Firm by US News & World Report in 2024.
As Legal Operations Manager, we want you to inspire and help lead these teams to success.
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
Shareholder Lynda C. Shely (left)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Klinedinst is pleased to announce that Lynda C. Shely has joined the firm’s Phoenix office as Shareholder.
Ms. Shely is a highly-respected attorney who has built a practice focused almost exclusively on legal ethics law. With nearly four decades of experience, Ms. Shely frequently serves as an expert witness in legal malpractice cases, advises lawyers and law firms on risk management and professional responsibility matters, and assists clients in responding to allegations of professional misconduct.
Lynda C. Shely
Before joining Klinedinst, Ms. Shely managed her own firm, providing counsel on ethical advertising, Alternative Business Structure (ABS) law firms, fee agreements and billing requirements, training and supervision of law firm personnel, lawyers transitioning between firms, succession planning, trust account documentation, docketing and communication requirements, and conflicts of interest. Before starting her own practice, she worked at the State Bar of Arizona as the Director of Lawyer Ethics. In this role, she served as Staff Counsel to the Ethics, Fee Arbitration, and Peer Review Committees, as well as the Client Protection Fund Board of Trustees and the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. She supervised multiple departments and provided tens of thousands of telephonic advisory opinions to members of the State Bar on legal ethics issues over her ten years at the Bar. Ms. Shely assisted the Arizona Supreme Court’s Task Force in implementing adoption of ABS law firm regulation in Arizona, helping shape the rules and compliance mechanisms that govern these entities. She has been an active volunteer within the American Bar Association, serving as Chair of both the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and the ABA Standing Committee on Client Protection. She also was one of the representatives for the State Bar of Arizona in the ABA House of Delegates, and has been a longtime member of the ABA’s Center for Professional Responsibility.
Ms. Shely continues her involvement today in the legal ethics community, including as a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s ABS Committee and the Court’s Steering Committee on AI and the Courts, as well as the State Bar of Arizona’s Ethics Advisory Group and the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Regulation. As a result of her work within the community, she has been honored with multiple recognitions from the State Bar of Arizona, and was inducted into the Maricopa County Bar Association’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
Ms. Sagi-Lebowitz focuses her practice on labor and employment litigation. She counsels and represents employers in arbitrations, civil actions, mediations, and settlement conferences.
Ms. Sagi-Lebowitz graduated from Loyola Law School in the top 20% of her class. As a law student, she served as Articles Editor and Staff Writer for Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. Prior to law school, she received her B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), magna cum laude.
“Ms. Sagi-Lebowitz will bolster the firm’s labor and employment practice, and brings with her a wealth of experience to assist the firm’s clientele,” said Robert J. Hatem, Managing Shareholder of the Klinedinst Los Angeles office. “We could not be more pleased to have Ms. Sagi-Lebowitz join the firm as we grow our key practice areas.”
Klinedinst is proud to welcome Ms. Sagi-Lebowitz to the firm. Her full biography is available online at:
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA– Klinedinst PC announces the addition of construction attorney John C. Goodman as Senior Counsel to the firm’s San Diego office.
John C. Goodman
Mr. Goodman joins the firm with nearly three decades of experience in construction law and construction-related insurance defense. Prior, Mr. Goodman worked at his own private law practice, where he handled both private and major public work cases.
Mr. Goodman received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he graduated second in his class. During law school, Mr. Goodman served as a representative on the student council, after being nominated by his peers as a write-in candidate. Prior to law school, he received his undergraduate degree in Economics at Michigan State University.
“Mr. Goodman is a welcome addition to our thriving construction team,” said Robert J. Hatem, Managing Shareholder of the Klinedinst Los Angeles office and one of the Construction practice group leaders. “His background in representing developers, contractors, subcontractors and experts will provide sophistication and a steady hand to our clients. We look forward to Mr. Goodman’s contributions as we continue to expand our construction team.”
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
Mr. Eagle assists with the representation of corporations in both transactions and litigation, with a focus on the financial services industry. In his prior position, he handled contracts and negotiations for a startup tech company. Within the community, Mr. Eagle is an active member of both the business law and intellectual property sections of the King County Bar Association.
Mr. Eagle received his J.D. at Gonzaga University School of Law and interned at a firm that practiced criminal and family law throughout his time as a student. Before law school, he received his B.S. from Eastern Washington University.
“We are very excited to welcome Chancelor to our fast-growing Seattle team,” said Seattle Managing Shareholder Gregor A. Hensrude. “He is going to combine his experience with transactional matters with his considered approach to legal problems to serve our corporate clients doing business in the Pacific Northwest.”
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
Ms. Beck served as the 2022–23 President of NCWBA, and one of her goals was to not only address obstacles in gender equality, but those inhibiting racial diversity, as well. After noting the disparity between different racial groups in the membership of legal organizations, Ms. Beck established a Diversity Task Force to help NCWBA member associations strengthen their own diversity profiles.
One product of the NCWBA Diversity Task Force was the DEIB toolkit, designed to provide a roadmap for bar organizations to increase their inclusion of women of color. The toolkit outlines practical steps that can be easily integrated within an organization’s policy to increase the participation of both women in general, and women of color in particular. By driving change within individual organizations, the toolkit aims to help associations reach their own individually-defined DEIB goals, which can have profound positive effects on the legal profession.
Within Klinedinst, Ms. Beck serves as Co-Chair of the DEIB Committee, where she helps foster inclusivity and equity initiatives across the firm’s six offices. In 2023, the firm achieved Mid-Size Mansfield Rule Certification, and continues to be an active participant within the Mansfield community. The firm also regularly hosts webinars on DEIB-related topics, and participates in the American Bar Association’s annual Model Diversity Survey.
Klinedinst congratulates Ms. Beck on the successful launch of the DEIB Toolkit, and thanks her for her service to NCWBA. For more information on the new NCWBA DEIB Toolkit, visit: https://ncwba.org/resources/deib-toolkit/.
About Klinedinst
Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Irvine, and Seattle service the West Coast. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationships our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether vigorously advocating for clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
This year’s edition of San Diego Super Lawyers has just been unveiled, and 2024 represents the largest number of Klinedinst honorees.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The 2024 edition of San Diego Super Lawyers has just been published, and a total of thirteen Klinedinst lawyers are recognized in the publication.
Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The attorneys selected each year come from firms of all sizes and over 70 practice areas. The Super Lawyers team uses a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area. In many jurisdictions, there is one Super Lawyers publication that covers the entire state. However, the San Diego region has such a large number of licensed attorneys that it has had its own publication since 2007.
The list of Klinedinst attorneys recognized in 2024 San Diego Super Lawyers include:
As part of their annual publication, Super Lawyers publishes several “top lists” that honors the lawyers that received the highest number of votes in a number of categories.
Klinedinst congratulates all of the honorees recognized to San Diego Super Lawyers. For more information on the full list of Klinedinst attorneys to be featured, please visit:
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Milla J. Sheild is a Legal Assistant in the San Diego office of Klinedinst PC. Many of her colleagues were surprised to learn that Sheild, who is a member of the firm’s Arts Committee, is also an accomplished painter. She focuses her artistry on creating beautiful works with oil, in addition to acrylic and mixed media. She brings her original artwork into the office, and has been invited to display her paintings in exhibitions and other public spaces.
Sheild recently sat down with Snō, a San Diego-based artist and teacher, to discuss the process and the inspiration for her paintings.
Milla J. Sheild
Snō: Artists often turn to creative expression when faced with loss and pain. Tell us how a freak accident while bodybuilding sparked a resurgence of your need to produce artwork.
Sheild: While training to compete, I lost my balance, dropped a barbell with heavy weights on my left leg and basically crushed the bones. Two major reconstructive surgeries and a year of physical therapy later, I am grateful to be walking as well as I do. I was always doing art and interested in the arts as long as I can remember. Life would get in the way, but this time I returned to art to help me manage the pain from bone loss. I also had the newfound “freedom” of time. Bodybuiding takes a lot of dedication and time. I wasn’t training 6 days a week and had a lot of time on my hands.
As a visual artist who has also turned to art to cope with personal loss and physical pain, I too find that the visual arts provide a comforting embrace. How has your inclusion of meditation added to this union?
The neurobiology is proven on the healing benefits of art. It literally changes the structure of your brain. There is increased blood flow to the medial prefrontal cortex, the brain’s reward center. Art is meditation. Art, meditation and exercise are vital component of my selfcare. The act of self expression is very healing. A study with a group of firemen painting only 20 minutes a day for a month showed that they had significant improvement in trauma response after big fires. Looking at a beautiful piece of art increases the blood flow to your brain by 10% (the same as if you’re looking at someone you love).
Tell us what it was like to grow up in a creative family.
For one, it was not quiet. My dad used to sing opera. (That is how I knew who Maria Callas was at a tender 6 years old.) My mother was an exceptionally skilled seamstress. She inspired me to follow my craft with excellence in pursuit. With my mother’s sewing skills I could be anybody. One day I was a ballerina in pink tulle, the next day Cleopatra. If I could envision it, she could make it. I was also producing, directing and the lead star in productions that played out in our backyard with my mother’s linen’s as backdrop for the makeshift “stage.” Mother was “wardrobe.” My sister was a nationally awarded gymnast. So it came to be that I fell in love with arts and fitness. Expression and movement.
As a fellow self-taught artist, I can suffer from feelings of being an ‘imposter’ within the creative community. You’re an artist with great natural and skillful use of color, line and form. What would you say to novice artists that let their lack of training prevent them from entering into creative spaces?
I might not be the best person to answer this. I do not create for a broader community. I typically do not engage or share my art work in the art community. I have sold quite a bit of art by word of mouth and really enjoyed doing some commissions. I accumulate a lot of art. Mostly I leave it out in public. I have had the experience of neighbors in my building telling me they took the art that was left out. (Word has spread in my building that I create these paintings.) It’s also intriguing wondering where my art ended up. It’s about motive and intent. I create because I am instinctively following the desire to create. Maybe later in life I will focus more on selling art.
The study of art is really beneficial for technical skill, but I am concerned that it might stifle personal creativity. I have a problem calling myself an artist. I am a human being making marks. Sometimes it’s with paint. Words. Food or yarn. If anything, I would tell them to follow their instincts. I think with both novice and trained artists the biggest challenge is to create without fear. When I do share my art, I am saying: “Look at this color. Look at the flow.” I am excited about it. You art will reveal who you are. Maybe stop focusing so much on how you are “supposed” to do it, and lean more into being your true self. If you create art for a living, you are bound by what what your audience wants to see and buy. I have mad respect for all artists. How brave it is to be that vulnerable and show yourself. Even though I am a baby artist, I would say that I have been very successful so far. I have only been nibbling at the periphery. For me the secret is not necessarily more training, but to create without considering others’ expectations, and your own fear of letting go. Art makes me happy. That is an incredible success.
How does your artistic ability strengthen the skills you use at Klinedinst?
For me, art is the passionate pursuit of life with all your senses. If you’re passionate about what you do, it goes a long way. But, honor passion and reason as two equally honored guests in your house. With too much passion the house burns down. Too much reason leaves the house cold. Artists’ attention to detail is very beneficial. Focused attention.
Imagine you are ten years old again. What advice would you give to that version of yourself, knowing you’ll grow up to be in both the art and legal communities?
I think it would be the same advice I would give myself at any age. Heart like a lion, soul like a lamb. Authentically be yourself, unapologetically. Life is short. I buried a husband and a child and that is all the reminders I need. Stick-to-It-Ness is imperative. I have always been a very tenacious person. It has served me well. BE PRESENT. The inspiration and divinity is in every day life. Nature. The timber of a voice. Architecture. A beautiful word you can savor on your tongue. To paraphrase Herman Hesse, happiness is in your own backyard. I have a hard time not bringing home an interesting pebble or a tree branch from my daily walks. That is the golden retriever in me. There is such beauty in everything. You must just learn to see it.
Thank you for your answers, Milla! These paintings are truly BRILLIANT.
To connect or see more of Milla’s artwork, follow her on Instagram @milla_sheild.
About Klinedinst
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – In what promises to be the first of several legal challenges, a U.S. District Court has determined that the new Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is excessive in its scope and unconstitutional. However, the U.S. Treasury and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) were quick to issue guidance that the Court’s ruling applies only to the parties involved in the litigation, and businesses of all sizes are still bound by the CTA’s reporting requirements.
The Corporate Transparency Act was originally enacted on January 1, 2021 and went into effect as of January 1, 2024. The federal law requires most small- and medium-sized business entities to file a report with the Department of the Treasury, through its FinCEN unit, concerning the beneficial ownership of those business entities.
The National Small Business Association (NSBA), a non-profit organization with 65,000 members across the country, sued the Treasury Department and requested a permanent injunction against enforcement of the CTA. On March 1, 2024, Judge Liles C. Burke from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, issued a ruling that agreed with the NSBA. In his opinion, Judge Burke wrote that, “[because the] CTA exceeds the Constitution’s limits on the legislative branch and lacks a sufficient nexus to any enumerated power to be a necessary or proper means of achieving Congress’ policy goals,” that the CTA is unconstitutional and that the NSBA was entitled to summary judgment.
The ruling surprised many in the business community. Many companies have already dedicated resources to compliance with the terms of CTA and its reporting requirements. However, many court watchers agreed that the grant of summary judgment to the NSBA and its request for a permanent injunction are likely limited only to the NSBA and its members for the time being. In fact, FinCEN released a statement that made clear that FinCEN’s interpretation is that the ruling only affects the plaintiffs in that case and does not prevent enforcement of the CTA otherwise.
What happens next is an open question. The Department of the Treasury may decide to appeal the decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. However, it is also likely that copycat lawsuits, similar to the one filed by the NSBA, will raise the same constitutionality issues in district courts across the country.
The CTA is a federal law which has several analogs at the state level. For instance, starting in December of 2024, businesses in New York will be required to comply with the LLC Transparency Act, which essentially requires those entities file similar beneficial owner reports to the State of New York. Regardless of the present disposition of the CTA, some entities may still have similar state law obligations to remain cognizant of.
While an expected appeal is pending and the future of CTA plays out in the courts, clients are encouraged to discuss their continued CTA compliance obligations with Klinedinst’s team of transactional and corporate attorneys. To learn more about the CTA, or to contact a member of the transaction team, please visit:
This update on the CTA is provided as-is and does not constitute legal advice. The use of information from this article does not create any type of attorney-client relationship.
About Klinedinst
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
Security incidents are growing at an alarming pace. Security Magazine estimates that there are 2,200 cyber attacks per day, with a cyber attack happening every 39 seconds. In its recent “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023,” IBM estimated the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. Cybercrime is estimated to cost $9.5 trillion in 2024, and the cost to businesses is growing exponentially.
When subjected to a data breach, businesses are responsible for security incident reporting that is compliant with both State and Federal laws. Notice requirements vary by state, and generally can include impacted organizations, law enforcement, customers, consumers, businesses and government officials (Attorneys Generals).
Reporting can include details about the incident, such as when it happened, what happened, who was impacted, the scope of the breach, and any remediation plan. There are federal requirements for reporting, and every state has its own requirements for reporting, depending on the industry impacted.
“Cyber breaches are becoming more and more commonplace, but the response to these incidents is becoming more complicated,” said James D. Snyder, who chairs the Klinedinst Privacy and Data Security Group. “Businesses, regardless of size, have become stewards of incredible amounts of data, meaning they often become targets of cyber criminals. More states are treating that data as a valuable commodity to be held and protected, and companies need to stay ahead of the regulatory curve to avoid being penalized when a breach occurs. Helping businesses stay informed of their responsibilities was the genesis behind the creation of BreachNotices.com.”
State and Federal penalties for failure to timely issue required notices can be extreme. Further, businesses handling customer data can have significant brand damage if they fail to act quickly in these unfortunate incidents. The Klinedinst Data Breach Notification search tool that links to all 50 states’ security incident reporting requirements is available at:
Klinedinst’s Privacy and Data Security team helps clients across a broad range of industries throughout the US and internationally, to proactively prepare for these problems before they occur. Our attorneys also provide effective cybersecurity incident response solutions, should the worst happen. Our holistic approach to compliance and security is designed to ensure our client’s business values are preserved and protected in the event of a security incident. Feel free to contact our offices today for more information or for assistance with data privacy or security incident reporting or planning.
About Klinedinst
Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.
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