Three Partners and One Associate Join Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner's Expanding Los Angeles Office

LOS ANGELES, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP has added three partners and an associate to its expanding downtown Los Angeles office. The new additions are needed to handle a growing list of real estate finance deals and class action litigation. The firm recently opened an additional floor at 333 South Hope Street to accommodate further growth.

Real estate finance specialist David Fong joins Thelen from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and will be the point person for the firm's real estate finance practice in Southern California. Class action expert and appellate law specialist Steven Katz joins the firm's distinguished Labor and Employment Department from Jones Day. In addition to Mr. Fong and Mr. Katz, Real Estate partner Jarrett Fugh will split his time between the firm's Los Angeles and San Francisco offices, and Real Estate associate Martha Bringas will also move to the downtown Los Angeles office from Century City to assist on real estate finance deals.

Known for having one of the premier Wall Street real estate practices, Thelen's real estate finance group, led by New York partner Jeffrey Steiner, has been able to capitalize on the firm's December merger to instantaneously and greatly expand the number of deals it is doing on the West Coast. Since December, the firm has already handled more than $1 billion in West Coast deals for major investment banking clients.

David Fong

Mr. Fong has more than 10 years of experience handling commercial loan transactions for investment banks. His expertise in the finance and capital markets area also includes the origination and restructuring of numerous syndicated, mezzanine, and securitized loans and lines of credit. Mr. Fong also has experience representing Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and other developers in connection with development and construction financing. Mr. Fong is a licensed real estate broker, and he is fluent in Chinese.

Mr. Fong's arrival comes a week after the firm announced that David Tang, another real estate finance specialist in China, had joined Thelen's Shanghai office from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Mr. Fong and Mr. Tang are expected to work closely together as Thelen expands its finance capabilities in California and China.

"Having someone of David's caliber to lead our West Coast finance work will greatly enhance the service we provide to our clients," Mr. Steiner said. "David's substantial finance expertise and reputation in the market fits well with our goal to expand our real estate finance practice on the West Coast and in China."

Steven Katz

Mr. Katz, a highly respected litigator and certified appellate specialist, was also drawn to the firm by the merger and the Labor and Employment group's focus on national wage-and-hour class action lawsuits.

Mr. Katz has successfully defended more than 30 class action cases and has an impressive appellate record. He has been retained as amicus counsel in numerous precedent-setting and high profile cases, including Sav-On Drug Store v. Superior Court, Reynolds v. Bement, and Murphy v. Kenneth Cole. He is currently serving as appellate counsel for Circuit City in connection with a closely watched case pending before the California Supreme Court challenging the enforceability of class action waivers in employment arbitration agreements. Mr. Katz is a prolific writer and is quoted as an expert by multiple publishers and news media on employment law developments and trends.

"A partner of Steven's caliber, experience and proven track record of success is a terrific addition to our already strong and growing group," said Labor and Employment National Chair Linda Husar. "He will be a tremendous asset to our very talented class action team."

With more than 60 attorneys and employee benefits specialists, Thelen is a destination firm for employers of all sizes throughout the United States.

About Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP is an international law firm with approximately 630 attorneys, and offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Hartford, Northern New Jersey, Shanghai, and London. The firm provides superior legal services in complex commercial litigation; corporate and capital markets transactions; project and asset finance; construction; labor and employment; intellectual property; information technology; domestic and international tax; employee benefits; government affairs; and real estate.