It was recently announced by Larry Cassidy, president of Northern California Collection Service and Sacramento Valley Board of Trade, that Jordan Walker has been retained as senior vice president in sales. Walker is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law. He will primarily be working with the food and beverage industries.

Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak & Sproul has added Michael W. Thomas to its common interest development practice area. Thomas has relocated from Hawaii where he practiced homeowner association, commercial and estate law. He is of counsel to the firm and is licensed to practice law in California and Hawaii. He received his BA from Sonoma State University, in 1980 and his MA from the University California of Davis, in 1982. He graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law, in 1991.

John P. Costello and Amy Heavy Halloran recently joined Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak & Sproul. Costello is of counsel to the intellectual property practice group. His practice involves patent law. Costello received a B.S. in biology from California State University, Chico in 1985 and a B.S. in Biochemistry in 1986, from the University of California of Davis. In 1991, he received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law School. Halloran is an associate in the estate, tax & fiduciary abuse section. Her practice will focus on estate and tax planning for individuals, families and small businesses, in addition to trust administration and other related matters. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1989, and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1996.

Val D. Hornstein, founding partner of Hornstein & Sproul in San Rafael, has joined Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak & Sproul. He will practice in the areas of intellectual property, entertainment, and technology. Hornstein received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University, in 1978. He graduated from George Washington University's National Law center, in 1984. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York and the District of Columbia.

The closing of one set of doors sparks the opening of another. As of mid-September the attorneys from the Sacramento office of Schachter, Kristoff, Orenstein & Berkowitz will open a local office in partnership with Hanson, Bridgett, Marcuss, Vlahos and Rudy, LLP, a 100-plus attorney firm based in San Francisco. John Adkisson, Sue Ann Van Dermyden and Charles W. Nugent will continue with the firm.

Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rohwer announces two new attorneys, Janlynn Fleener and Merswind Reyer. Fleener rejoins the firm as counsel in its litigation department. She received her J.D from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1993 and her B.A. in Art History from Santa Clara University in 1990. Fleener was associate with Downey Brand before leaving to join The Hustead Law Firm in Denver, Colorado, as an associate.

Reyer joins the firm as an associate in its natural resources department. She received her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1995 and her B.A. in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990.