McManis Faulkner announces that James McManis and William Faulkner have been named Northern California Super Lawyers. Published by Law & Politics, the Super Lawyers list is compiled through peer nomination and research. Approximately five percent of the Northern California Bar received the distinction.
In addition, Super Lawyers issued its first list of 2009 Northern California Rising Stars to recognize the top up-and-coming attorneys in the region. Seven attorneys from McManis Faulkner earned this distinction: Catherine Bechtel, Michele Corvi, Marwa Elzankaly, Neda Mansoorian, Christine Peek, Elizabeth Pipkin and Pallie Zambrano. Approximately two percent of the Northern California Bar received this distinction.
Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers, from more than 70 practice areas, who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The objective of the Super Lawyers selection process is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist in the search for legal counsel. The selection process for Rising Stars is the same as the Super Lawyers selection process except that attorneys must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for ten years or less.
McManis was also ranked in the “Top 100,” a listing of attorneys that received the highest point totals in the Super Lawyers rankings. He represents Silicon Valley companies in commercial, trade secret and intellectual property issues. He also represents individuals in a variety of cases including personal injury, civil rights and criminal defense. A member of the trial bar for more than 40 years, McManis is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He earned his J.D. from University of California Berkeley School of Law (1967) and his B.A. from Stanford University (1964).
Faulkner, leader of the firm’s business practice, is a seasoned civil trial lawyer in commercial litigation, including trade secrets disputes and lease and real estate matters. He represents a wide range of businesses, including high technology, and advises on corporate and partnership matters. Faulkner earned his J.D. from University of California Hastings College of the Law (1978) and his B.A. from Stanford University (1973).
Bechtel is a partner and co-leader of the family law team. Her practice focuses on assisting clients in all aspects of marital dissolutions, including valuation of professional practices and close corporations; assessment of support; tracing of separate property reimbursement claims; misappropriation of assets; prenuptial agreement validity; and custody and visitation matters. Her practice includes custody and property disputes related to the dissolution of domestic partnerships. Bechtel earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University, School of Law (1999) and her B.A., cum laude, in English and French literature from the University of California, Irvine (1993).
Corvi is special counsel and co-leader of the family law team. Her practice focuses on issues such as domestic violence, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, valuation of property and division of assets. In addition, Corvi has successfully handled paternity claims, date of separation disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, reimbursement claims, valuation of stock options, valuation of businesses, post nuptial agreements and marital settlement agreements. Corvi earned her J.D. from the Santa Clara University, School of Law (2000) and her B.S. in political science from the Santa Clara University (1997).
A partner, Elzankaly, focuses on business litigation, including antitrust, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, breach of contract, unfair competition, malicious prosecution and employment issues. She also plays an active role in firm management and oversees the associate training program. She received her J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law (1999) and her B.S. in business administration from the University of California, Riverside (1996).
Mansoorian is a partner and serves as the firm’s Chief Legal Officer, working across multiple client service teams to leverage her courtroom know-how and business acumen to benefit the firm’s clients. Her practice emphasizes high-technology litigation matters, representing a diverse client base that includes corporations, small businesses and individuals. Mansoorian has extensive trial experience, representing clients in cases involving intellectual property, professional negligence, products liability and general negligence, high-asset marital dissolutions, wrongful termination, real estate disputes and breach of contract. She received her J.D. from the Santa Clara University, School of Law (1999) and her B.A. in political science from University of California, Berkeley (1994).
Peek, an associate, practices general civil litigation with a focus on constitutional law and lawsuits against government entities. She represents both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts. Peek has experience litigating constitutional issues in a wide variety of contexts, including business regulation, land use, freedom of speech, selective prosecution, and search and seizure. She received her J.D. from Santa Clara University, School of Law (2004) and her B.A., summa cum laude, in English from San Jose State University (2000).
Focused on civil litigation, Pipkin is a partner and has represented Fortune 500 companies and charitable institutions in cases involving intellectual property, personal injury and securities fraud claims. She defended a major telecommunications company against trade secrets theft allegations by a former contractor; obtained injunctive relief freezing the assets of a hedge fund that had defrauded her client; and obtained a jury verdict – granting compensation that exceeded the provable damages – for a personal injury client. Pipkin received her J.D. from Harvard Law School (2001) and her B.A. from Brigham Young University (1998).
Zambrano, an associate, focuses on civil litigation. She has written briefs and argued motions before Superior Courts in all nine Bay Area counties. Zambrano has particular experience in cases involving municipal and government agencies. She received her J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law (1999) and her B.A., cum laude, in English from San Jose State University (1994).
McManis Faulkner, a San Jose, California-based trial firm, provides a full range of services, representing both corporations and individuals through trial and appeal. The firm handles a wide variety of litigation, including business, civil rights, class actions, criminal, employment, family, general civil, intellectual property, personal injury, probate, and professional negligence. With experienced, well-trained trial lawyers and staff, McManis prides itself on its diversity – beyond ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, women comprise a majority of the firm’s management and staff.