Noteworthy
Deputy Trial Counsel, Office of the Chief Trial Counsel, State Bar of California, Los Angeles, California (1997 – 2021). Prosecuted all phases of attorney discipline cases.
Sherwood & Hardgrove, Brentwood, California – Litigation attorney in firm representing major real estate company and agents in real estate and professional negligence cases.
Garrett & Tully, Pasadena, California – Business litigator in firm handling accountants’ liability insurer and escrow and title insurance professional liability cases.
Horvitz & Levy, Encino, California – Attorney in civil appellate litigation firm. Handled appeals in federal and state courts of appeal, including medical malpractice, insurance bad faith, design defect, wrongful death and contract interpretation cases.
Hufstedler, Kaus & Ettinger, Los Angeles, California. Partner, 1988-91, Associate Attorney, 1986-88. Business litigation attorney experienced in all phases of trials and appeals before federal and state courts, and administrative agencies. Substantive cases included banking, securities and insurance fraud; business torts; design defect; partnership, joint venture and contract disputes; real estate and environmental matters. Handled trials, trial preparation, assisted senior partners with trial preparation, case analysis and settlement. Supervised associate attorneys in pretrial discovery, law and motion, hearings and trials. Participated in firm management and training.
Education and Honors
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California (J.D. 1981); Loyola Law Review, Scott Honors Moot Court; University of California, Davis, California (B.A. Philosophy, 1975); Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, D.F., Mexico (Spanish language certificate (1974, through University of Southern California).
Professional Associations
Instructor, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Southern California Deposition Programs at Loyola Law School (8 years) and Chapman University (1 year); Arbitrator, Los Angeles County Superior Court – (Volunteer 2 years).
Pro Bono
South San Fernando Valley Area Planning Commission – Successful appeal from Zoning Administrator’s Lot Line Adjustment on behalf of neighbors, lot line adjustment reversed.
Public Counsel Immigration Project – Represented political asylum applicants in Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Supervised associate attorneys in their political asylum cases and appeals. Successfully won new trial for Honduran labor leader in Ninth Circuit appeal.
Represented Roman Catholic sister witness in child abuse case.
Board of Directors, Western Law Center for Disabled Rights – 4 years.
Board of Directors, Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law – 2 years.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Office of Detention Ministries – Advisory Board member and past-president – 6 years.
Advisory School Board Member, Our Lady of Grace School – 2 years.
Bar Admissions
State Bar of California – 1982, United States District Court, Central and Northern Districts of California, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
A representative sampling of Ms. Brown’s experience is as follows:
State Bar of California
- 24 years’ experience prosecuting cases in State Bar Court and State Bar Review Department, including disbarments, suspensions, stipulated discipline, probation violations, 6007(b) petitions for involuntary inactive status, admonitions and warnings.
- Petitioned for assumption of jurisdiction over law practices of disabled/deceased attorneys, through California state courts.
- Prepared appeals to State Bar Review Department.
- Supervised investigators in General Investigations Unit to obtain and evaluate evidence of probable cause of disciplinable offenses prior to filing Notices of Disciplinary Charges.
- Processed complaints in Intake Unit to forward to Investigation Unit or close. Evaluated reopen requests, question, additional information from complaining witnesses. Explained case closings to complaining witnesses.
- Reviewed case closings in Audit & Review Unit, the last level of State Bar review of closings in Intake and Investigations Units. Prepared reopen recommendations and In re Walker letters, directing complaining witnesses to California Supreme Court review.
Civil Litigation Matters
- Represented insurance companies in the “Alliance” insurance fraud and legal corruption cases, where group of attorneys controlled all sides of litigation, primarily as Cumis counsel.
- Successfully represented East Coast financial institution investors in fraud actions arising from the sales of NMEC secured pooled mortgage-backed certificates.
- Obtained dismissal at trial of design defect case against former manufacturer of aircraft solenoid assembly part.
- Successfully obtained summary judgment for home construction company in construction defect case by subcontractor.
- Represented insured accountant in obtaining dismissal of federal grand jury subpoena in financial crimes investigation.
Published Appellate Opinions
- Roslan v. Permea, Inc. 17 Cal.App.4th 110, 21 Cal. Rptr. 2d 66 (1993).
- Gustavo Perdomo-Gomez v. Immigration and Naturalization Service 826 F. 2d 1070 (9th Cir. 1987).
- Seamen’s Bank for Savings v. Superior Court (Smith) 190 Cal.App.3d 1485, 236 Cal.Rptr. 31 (1987).
- Shurpin v. Elmhirst 148 Cal.App.3d 94, 195 Cal.Rptr. 737 (1983).