McDonough, Holland & Allen's litigation and business/tax sections has added a new attorney, Daniel N. Ballard. His practice focuses on patent and other intellectual property law matters in both the transactional and litigation arenas. Ballard is registered to practice before the United State Patent and Trademark Office. Ballard also brings to the firm several years of experience in the life sciences. He served as flight medic in the U.S. Air Force, and has worked for a number of years as a laboratory technologist in clinical, research, and environmental analysis laboratories. Ballard received his JD in 2001 from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, a BA in Biology from California State University, Sacramento, and an AS in Medical Laboratory Technology from Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Kara Ueda, a former staff attorney for the League of California Cities, has joined McDonough, Holland & Allen. She is a member of the firm's redevelopment and public law section. While at the League of California Cities, she coordinated the Legal Advocacy Program, wrote letter briefs to appellate courts and provided in-house legal advice. Ueda was a Senate Fellow in the California Senate Fellows Programs where she provided bill analyses to the Senate Committee on Public Safety. She also worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia. Ueda received her JD in 2000 from the University of California, Davis School of Law and holds a BS with Honors in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis.

Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rower LLP announces the addition of eight new associate attorneys.

Ricardo D. Bordallo joins the firm's business department. He received an LL.M. in general legal studies from New York University School of Law in 2001 and his J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 2000. He also received an M.P.A. from the University of Guam in 1997 and a B.S. in Business Administration from Marquette University in 1993.

Anita Starchman Bryant and Michael J. Hanretty join the firm's natural resources department as associate attorneys. Bryant, 25, received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2001 and her BS in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis in 1998.

Hanretty received his J.D. from Arizona State University College of Law in 2001 and his B.A. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University in 1998.

Candice L. Chung, Jenna L. Clark, Lisa A. Poncia, and David A. Livingston join the firm's litigation department.

Chung received her J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 2001, and her B.A. in Rhetoric and Communication from the University of California, Davis in 1996.

Clark received her J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific in 2000, and her B.A. in English from St. Mary's College in 1996. While a law student, Clark served as an intern at California's Third District Court of Appeals for the Honorable Justice George Nicholson. Prior to joining Downey Brand, she was Law Clerk for the Honorable William B. Shubb, Chief Judge of the Eastern District of California, in Sacramento.

Poncia, 25, received her J.D. from Hastings College of Law in 2001, and her B.A. in Political Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1998. Prior to joining Downey Brand, Poncia was a legal intern for District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton at the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California in 2001 and a legal intern at the California Attorney General's Office in San Francisco in 1999.

Livingston received his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific in 2001, and his B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis in 1997.

Suzanne M. Randol joins the business department. Randol's practice emphasizes family law. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1996, and her B.A. in French from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1988.

Ian W. Craig and Andrew F. Sackheim are pleased to announce the formation of Craig & Sackheim. Sackheim, formally of Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, specializes in commercial real estate transactions, including purchase and sales agreements, leasing financing and project development. Craig is a 1992 graduate of McGeorge School of Law and received his LLM in real property development in 1996 from the University of Miami School of Law.

The Sacramento law firm of Trainor Robertson is pleased to announce that Michael W. Thomas joined the firm's litigation group as an associate attorney. Thomas will assist the firm's clients with their litigation matters concerning real property, land use and developments issues. He earned his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, in 1991, an MA from the University of California Davis, in 1982 and his BA degree from California State University, Sonoma, 1980.

Hanson, Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos and Rudy, LLP is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew G. Giacomini as firm managing partner. At 39 years of age, the Hanson Bridgett, home-grown litigator becomes the youngest managing partner in the firm's history. He succeeds Douglas H. Barton. During his tenure, Barton, a senior labor partner, guided the firm through bull and bear markets, and the quick advance of technology into the legal field, and shepherded steady growth for the firm both in terms of number of attorneys and number of offices. Giacomini is an experienced trial lawyer whose litigation practice includes commercial disputes, construction, intellectual property, business torts and real estate. Giacomini also has an active transactional practice and he counsels clients in a wide variety of business matters. He joined the firm as a summer associate in 1990, a year before he received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.