Attorney Profiles
MANAGING PARTNER
A. RAYMOND HAMRICK, III
In addition to serving as Managing Partner of Hamrick & Evans, LLP, A. Raymond Hamrick, III also serves as Chairman of the Firm’s Litigation/Construction Defect Practice Group and of the Firm’s Insurance Practice Group. For undergraduate, Mr. Hamrick attended San Diego State University, where he obtained his B.A. with high honors, was named to the Dean's Honor List and was selected as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Hamrick received his law degree from Santa Clara University, where he served as Research Editor for the Santa Clara Law Review, and as a Judicial Extern to Judge Joseph Sneed, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1985, Mr. Hamrick was recognized by the American Lawyer when he departed his former firm to start his own law firm. He gained national recognition by representing a major Japanese electronics corporation in a high profile complex Civil Rico-Antitrust action.
Since founding Hamrick & Evans, LLP, Mr. Hamrick has concentrated his practice in the areas of construction defect litigation, entertainment litigation, insurance coverage, trial work and environmental litigation. Mr. Hamrick continues to represent clients in sophisticated litigation matters including bad faith and other complex civil litigation matters. Mr. Hamrick possesses decades of experience in the handling of all aspects of coverage-related matters, including coverage investigations and recommendations. Mr. Hamrick has lectured nationwide to insurance claims professionals and to attorneys, speaking on topics including insurance fraud, state insurance regulations and current developments in construction law.
Mr. Hamrick is peer-review AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Hamrick was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1980, to the State Bar of Nevada in 2000, and to the State Bar of Colorado in 2001. Mr. Hamrick is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Southern California Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research and Trial Lawyers Association, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Nevada and the State Bar of Colorado.
PARTNERS
DAVID L. EVANS
Starting with the Firm in 1994, Mr. Evans serves as Chairman of the Hamrick & Evans, LLP Business, Corporate & Transactional Practice Group and as Co-Chairman of the Firm’s Entertainment & Intellectual Property Practice Group. For his undergraduate education, Mr. Evans attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he graduated in 1987 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in German. In college, Mr. Evans served as an Editor of the weekly student newspaper, played forward on the Men’s NCAA Basketball team, and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Mr. Evans received his law degree in 1991 from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and was admitted to the California Bar that same year.
While at Loyola Law School, Mr. Evans finished 4th in the all-school Moot Court Competition, and was selected as a Member of the Loyola National Moot Court Team and the Scott Moot Court Honors Board. As a law student, Mr. Evans received American Jurisprudence Awards for excellence in Appellate Advocacy and Trial Advocacy. Mr. Evans is fluent in German and Spanish, and serves as outside General Counsel for a number of Corporations and Limited Liability Companies, both domestic and foreign.
An experienced litigator, transactional and trial attorney, Mr. Evans is 2009 Peer Review AV rated (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell for "High Legal Ability and Ethical Standards." Mr. Evans was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1991, to the State Bar of Nevada in 2000, and to the State Bar of Colorado in 2001. Mr. Evans practices primarily in the areas of business litigation, corporate law, entertainment, trusts and estates, employment and insurance defense. Mr. Evans is an active Member of the Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Nevada, and the State Bar of Colorado.
WILLIAM G. KELSBERG
Mr. Kelsberg serves as Co-Chairman of the Firm’s Civil Litigation/Construction Defect Practice Group, and specializes in the areas of insurance defense and products liability litigation. Mr. Kelsberg received his law degree from Whittier College School of Law in 1989, and was admitted to the California Bar that same year. Mr. Kelsberg is a veteran trial attorney with over 14 years of experience in civil litigation defense, focusing primarily on construction defect (including the defense of mold claims, and the defense of developers, general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals), wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, construction site personal injury, breach of contract, premises liability and products liability matters.
Mr. Kelsberg is admitted to the California Court of Appeals (1989), the U.S. District Court for the Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts (1990), the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit (1990) and U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit (1990). He is an active Member of the American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, and American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Kelsberg has served as a Guest Lecturer at the Second and Third Annual West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminars. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Kelsberg was a radio announcer, producer and music director. He has also appeared on Los Angeles radio broadcasts regarding construction defect litigation.
KENNETH A. HEARN
Mr. Hearn serves as Co-Chairman of the Firm’s Insurance Practice Group, and specializes in the area of insurance coverage law. Mr. Hearn was admitted to the California Bar in 1978 after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California Los Angeles in 1974, and his J.D. from La Verne University School of Law. Mr. Hearn has extensive experience representing developers, general contractors, and other trades in the construction industry. His expertise also encompasses the representation of carriers and policyholders under general liability, homeowners', business, commercial and professional policies. His clientele has included, among others, Scottsdale Insurance Company, Century National Insurance Company, Ellis Brokerage Insurance Services, American Specialty Insurance Company, North American Capacity Insurance Company, Clarendon Insurance Company, North American Risk Services, Legion Insurance Company, Villanova Insurance Company, Western General Agency, Universal Underwriters Insurance Company, and numerous insureds. Mr. Hearn is a member of the California State, Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley and American Bar Associations.
Mr. Hearn is peer-review AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Hearn has served as an arbitrator through the Los Angeles Superior Court, sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Program. Mr. Hearn is also a member of the Central, Southern and Eastern Districts of the Federal District Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and has authored several articles dealing with construction and insurance issues.
KENNETH C. GREENE
Mr. Greene serves as Chairman of the Firm’s Equipment Lease & Financing Practice Group, and specializes in commercial and civil litigation. Mr. Greene obtained a B.A. in Sociology from Brandeis University and his J.D. from Santa Clara University in 1980. Mr. Greene has extensive experience representing commercial equipment finance companies in transactional as well as litigation matters, including bankruptcy cases. He has been active in all of the major equipment leasing associations, including the National Equipment Finance Association ("NEFA"), and the United Association of Equipment Leasing ("UAEL"), for which he has twice served on the Board of Directors.
Mr. Greene practices in both the firm’s Northern and Southern California offices. He is a frequent writer and lecturer, as well as an acknowledged contributor to Miller & Starr’s California Real Estate 2nd. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Directors of Leasing News, an online publication serving the equipment finance industry. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Mountain Play Association in Marin County.
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEYS
DOUGLAS C. LACKEY
Mr. Lackey received his undergraduate degree from UCLA, and his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Mr. Lackey works in the firm’s Universal City office, and is admitted to practice in both California and Nevada. Mr. Lackey has 20 years of litigation experience, specializing in defending developers and contractors in complex construction defect matters.
MARK J. McGANNON
Mr. McGannon attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he received a B.S. in Geology and Business Administration in 1987. In 1992, he obtained his J.D. from the University of Denver, where he served as Articles Editor for the International Law Journal. He was admitted to the New Mexico Bar in 1992, and was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1994. Mr. McGannon practices in the Firm’s Las Vegas office, in the areas of civil litigation, insurance coverage and construction defect litigation.
ROBERT P. MITROVICH
Mr. Mitrovich attended Occidental College in Glendale, CA where he received an A.B. with Honors in History and Political Science in 1981. At Occidental, Mr. Mitrovich served on the Editorial Staff of the Occidental College newspaper. In 1982, he obtained a Masters in Journalism (with Honors and Distinctions) from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. In 1986, Mr. Mitrovich received his J.D. (with Honors) from the University of Southern California Law Center, where he was a semi-finalist in the National Moot Court Honors Competition. In 1991, Mr. Mitrovich obtained an MBA (with Honors) from Pepperdine University School of Business. Mr. Mitrovich has been a Member of the California State Bar since 1988. A veteran litigator and trial attorney, Mr. Mitrovich practices in the areas of complex insurance coverage matters (including construction defect and bad faith), business litigation, professional liability, construction defect litigation and products liability litigation.
JEFFREY A. WHITE
Mr. White received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his J. D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. White published an article in the Golden Gate University Law Review and served as Outside Articles Editor for the Law Review. Mr. White practices in the areas of civil litigation, construction defect, toxic tort and indoor air quality litigation.
HAO NGUYEN
Ms. Nguyen attended the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving a B.A. in History in 1999. Ms. Nguyen received her law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2002, where she was honored as a member of the Dean’s List (2000-02) and served as Articles Editor for the Loyola International and Comparative Law Journal in 2001-02. Ms. Nguyen also represented Loyola in the 2002 American Bar Association Dispute Resolution and Mediation Competition. Ms. Nguyen is a member of the California Bar, is admitted to the United States District Courts, and practices in the areas of civil litigation, construction defect litigation and insurance coverage.
ELLIE WIEDER
Ms. Wieder obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, where she graduated in 1999 with a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Clinical Psychology, receiving Provost Honors 1997-99. Ms. Wieder obtained her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2003, where she was named to the Dean’s List 2000-03. Ms. Wieder is a member of the California bar and practices in the areas of civil litigation, construction defect litigation and insurance coverage.
KENNETH A. KOTARSKI
Admitted to the State Bar of California in 1981, Mr. Kotarski has extensive experience in complex business litigation matters on behalf of individuals, public companies and privately-held businesses of all forms. Mr. Kotarski represents owners/developers in the development, financing, leasing and management of their real estate assets and, in addition, has established a national reputation as counsel in media, defamation and privacy actions, particularly on behalf of plaintiffs.
Mr. Kotarski takes pride in having been part of the legal team that worked on the following reported cases: Ward v. News Group Intern., Ltd. (C.D. Cal. 1990) 733 F.Supp. 83 (17 Media L. Rep. 1583); In re National Mtge. Equity Corp. Mtge. Pool Certificates Securities Litigation (C.D. Cal. 1988) 120 F.R.D. 687 (11 Fed.R.Serv.3d 369); In re San Juan Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire Litigation (D. Puerto Rico 1988) 687 F.Supp. 716.
Mr. Kotarski attended the University at Buffalo School of Management, SUNY (B.S., Business Administration, 1978) and received his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1981). Mr. Kotarski is admitted to all state and federal courts in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Kotarski is a member of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and volunteers as a mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Court ADR Neutral and Early Mediation Pilot Program Panels, 2000-present (Arbitrator, 1993-1998).
MELANIE C. POLK
Ms. Polk practices in the firm’s Las Vegas office. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Nevada Reno in 1981, and received her J.D. in 1984 from McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. Ms. Polk is a member of the Nevada bar and practices in the areas of civil litigation, construction defect litigation and insurance coverage.
EMANUEL ORLANDO
Mr. Orlando attended Princeton University, graduating in 1999 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Mr. Orlando received his J.D. in 2006 from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he served as Senior Note & Comment Editor of Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review. Mr. Orlando is a member of the California Bar and practices in the areas of entertainment law, civil litigation, business law, solar energy law and biotechnology. Mr. Orlando is fluent in Italian, and serves as outside counsel for a diverse array of corporate clients, both domestic and foreign.
MICHELLE E. GOODMAN
Ms. Goodman received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2002 with a B.A. in History. Ms. Goodman received her law degree from Loyola Law School in 2005, where she was a research assistant to Professor F. Jay Dougherty and interned with several entertainment companies, including Brillstein Grey (now Brillstein Partners). Following her graduation from Loyola Law and her admittance to the California Bar in December 2005, Ms. Goodman worked in the legal department at KB Home, assisting in handling corporate and transactional matters, and most recently worked in the Business Affairs department at ABC. Prior to joining Hamrick & Evans, Ms. Goodman also maintained her own practice, representing a number of clients in entertainment-related transactions. Currently, Ms. Goodman practices in the areas of entertainment and corporate litigation and transactions, and also handles construction defect litigation.
SVETLANA KUPERMAN
Ms. Kuperman obtained her B.A. in Business Administration from the University of California (Berkeley) Haas School of Business in 2001, and obtained her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of law (Boalt Hall) in 2005. While at Boalt, Ms. Kuperman was honored with the Richard W. Erskine Fellowship, and obtained her certification in Intellectual Property from the Berkeley center for Law and Technology. Ms. Kuperman is a member of the California Bar and practices in the areas of civil litigation, entertainment law, trusts and estates and business law.
CHRISTOPHER W. SMITH
Mr. Smith obtained his B.S. in Business Administration emphasis in Finance from San Diego State University in 2003, and obtained his J.D., Cum Laude from Seattle University School of Law in 2007. While at Seattle University, Mr. Smith earned a CALI Award for Criminal Procedure and worked as a Research Assistant for Prof. Russell Powell. Mr. Smith is a member of the California Bar and practices in the areas of civil litigation, environmental law and business law. Mr. Smith is also a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the South Bay Bar Association and the Association of Surfing Lawyers.
OF COUNSEL
MARTIN J. BARAB
Martin J. Barab, born January 2, 1945, grew up in Southern California. Martin graduated from the University of Southern California in 1967 with a B.S. degree in Finance. He graduated from Loyola University School of Law in 1970 with a J.D. degree. His practice of law began as a First Amendment attorney with emphasis on Constitutional Law. Around 1980 his law practice specialized in entertainment litigation and gradually evolved into the specialized field of motion picture production, finance and distribution arenas. In 1985, Martin began producing and distributing independently produced motion pictures, as well as gaining international reputation as a leading attorney in the independent motion picture production and financing field.
Working as an entertainment attorney, Martin has been production, distribution and financing attorney for numerous independent distribution and production entities. He has represented over 100 production entities and over 40% of the independent foreign sales companies, banks, Production financiers, foreign co-producers, as well as foreign distributors. Since commencing practice in the entertainment branch of thelaw and producing motion pictures for himself, Martin has been involved in the production and distribution of over 250 motion pictures. Martin has organized and was involved in founding of major motion picture companies such as: Nu Image, Millennium Pictures, Franchise Pictures, Moonstone Entertainment, American World Pictures, as well as many other independent production entities. As an attorney he has represented some of the leading independent motion picture production and distribution companies such as: Cannon Pictures, 21st Century Entertainment, Behavior Worldwide, Trimark Pictures (Currently LionsGate Pictures), Fries Film Group, Showcase Entertainment, Providence Entertainment, Liberty International Inc., Hannibal Pictures , Crystal Sky as well as many others.
In his capacity as counsel for the numerous producers and distributors, he has organized the productions, arranged for the financing and oversaw the distribution of each picture. In many instances he has followed up production financing with enforcement proceedings to collect and obtain profits and participations for his clients. He is currently involved with companies such as Blue Rider Pictures, as well as numerous European funds, all engaged in various form of Bridge and/or production financing.
As an independent producer, Martin has produced and/or was an executive producer of 27 independently produced motion pictures: DOG OF FLANDERS (1998) starring Jon Voigt; LOVE AND SEX (1999) starring Framke Jensen and John Favareau; STATE AND MAIN (2000) starring Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker and directed by David Memmet. The last three pictures have received large theatrical releases, fine reviews and returns on investment (See IMDB.com under Martin J. Barab)
He was the President of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association from 1997-1998. He is a member of the Santa Fe Rotary Club and the Producers Guild of America.
Click here to view Martin’s IMDB profile.
