McDonough Holland & Allen PC

As executive director, Gerald Holt guides and oversees McDonough's administrative departments and business strategy. He has more than 27 years of executive business management experience, including 20 years of work with law firm administration and management. For six years, Gerry was an independent consultant to small- and mid-sized law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he specialized in firm wide strategic planning, including attorney compensation systems, financial profitability, marketing and business development, information systems and administrative operations. He also served as a management consultant with Hildebrandt International, where he worked with large- and mid-size firms across the country in strategic planning and financial reviews, and Holt has held director and executive director positions with multi-national and medium-sized law firms.

Mike Knudsen, founder and owner of Knudsen & Associates, in Sacramento, California, became Of Counsel to McDonough Holland & Allen PC in July, 2002. He specializes in California legislative and regulatory advocacy. In addition to representing the firm's clients in legislative and regulatory matters, Mike continues his lobbying work with Knudsen & Associates and currently represents a large, diverse clientele before the legislature and other governmental bodies. Mike is the lobbyist for Wells Fargo Bank and its subsidiaries in Sacramento. Other current clients include: Ameriquest Capital Corporation a national, privately held financial services company, Bally's Health and Fitness Clubs, Quanta Services, a utility contractor, H.D. Vest, Inc., Enviro Systems, Inc., Public Policy Advocates and Advocation, Inc. He has also been a consultant to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America as well as serving as General Counsel for the California Restaurant Association.

As information technology director, Norm Weiner manages the strategic and tactical use of technology at McDonough. Norm joined the firm with more than twenty years experience as a senior technology executive, including fifteen in the legal industry. Previously, Norm was Director of Technology at Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft, a multi-office regional law firm in San Francisco, California; Chief Information Officer at Duane Morris, a national law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he developed and implemented the IT strategic systems and processes to support their rapid expansion from a mid-Atlantic regional firm to a 1,200 user international firm; and Director of Information Services at Mesirov, Gelman Jaffe Cramer and Jamieson. Prior to his career in the legal industry, Weiner was Vice President, Information Services for Canterbury Educational Services, and Director, Information Services and Director, Accounting Services at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. Norm served in the United States Navy, where he managed communications aboard the USS Cone DD866, and was decorated for leadership during combat operations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Philadelphia University, and is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators and International Legal Technology Association.

Andrea joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 2006 as a member of the Public Law practice group where she represents public agency clients in both transactional and litigation matters. Prior to joining MHA, Andrea was a litigation associate at firms in Washington, D.C. and the Bay Area, where her practice focused on complex litigation.

Anthony R. Burney joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Real Estate practice group in 2005. Anthony represents real estate clients in entity formation for public and private investors, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations. He also represents clients in real estate acquisitions, dispositions and development, title review, real estate financings, and tax and business planning. Prior to joining MHA, Anthony served as an Intern for a San Francisco law office, where he prepared interrogatories for employment discrimination cases, prepared motions in opposition to summary judgment, researched and wrote motion to compel document production, conducted phone interviews with both new and existing clients. He was also a summer associate with MHA in 2004.

Brenna joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Health Care practice group in 2006. Her practice focuses on health care regulatory, operational, and policy matters. Prior to joining MHA, Brenna studied Fundamental Rights in Europe and the United States under Justice Kennedy at the Salzburg Summer Institute on International Legal Studies. She was a summer associate at MHA in 2005.

Cathy's practice is devoted to representation of nonprofit and public health care providers and payors. Her practice includes managed health care, acquisitions, mergers and affiliations of health care businesses, financing transactions (particularly tax-exempt bond financings), health regulatory and compliance issues, contract negotiation and preparation, and general counseling to public and private health care entities. Cathy's experience also includes representing entities which assume Medi-Cal and indigent care obligations. She currently serves as general counsel to the County Medical Services Program (CMSP) Governing Board.

Dan practices in the firm's Yuba City office where his emphasis is on corporate law, entity formation, secured transactions, landlord/tenant, contracts, real estate, and civil litigation.

Daniel M. Wolk is a member of McDonough Holland & Allen's Public Law practice group, where he represents private and public entity clients in both transactional and litigation matters. He also handles state legislative matters. Prior to joining MHA, Daniel worked with the East Bay Community Law Center Clinic assisting low-income individuals and families with housing-related issues. He also served as an intern for the California Attorney General's Summer Honors Program Antitrust Section, where he worked on various antitrust cases.

At Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Darren worked for firm clients such as The Mitsui Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. (workout of Hawaii real estate loans in excess of $1 billion), Eastman Kodak ($42 billion joint venture with Sanyo Electric Company), Lehman Brothers (build-out of Tokyo headquarters), and Trinity Investment Trust (establishing United Urban Investment Corporation, a $63 billion J-REIT). At McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon, on the real estate and business side, Darren worked on the acquisition of controlling interests in the five-star hotel Kea Lani Hotel Suites and Villas, and the reorganization/rehabilitation of The Hawaiian Insurance & Guaranty Co., Ltd. On the litigation side, Darren defended insurance companies, developers, resort owners and land trusts in major litigation before the Hawaii state and federal courts.

David joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Construction practice group in 2003. David specializes in providing litigation and counseling services to owners, contractors, subcontractors and sureties in all aspects of construction law. Before coming to MHA, David worked at the Marin County District Attorney's Office as a Special Deputy District Attorney in the Law and Motion Department. In this position, David drafted and responded to numerous motions and also successfully represented the State in various pre-trial and appellate hearings.

Harriet joined the Public Law practice group in 1983. Her practice focuses on public law, representing cities, special districts and joint powers agencies as city attorney, general counsel and special counsel. Areas of specialty include land use, environmental law, telecommunications law and cable television franchising and public financing. Harriet has worked on air quality and transportation matters, including Clean Air Act and federal transportation requirements and funding; agreements between local governments and Indian tribes; and agricultural and habitat conservation easements.

Dawn joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Estate Planning and Probate group in 1981. Dawn is certified as a specialist in both Taxation Law and in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. She specializes in estate planning and trust administration for family business owners, including farmers and ranchers, real estate investors and real estate developers. She assists clients in passing family wealth from one generation to another in a tax efficient manner, while implementing clients' goals for disposition of their assets. Dawn advises clients regarding tax planning to minimize estate taxes, gift taxes, generation-skipping taxes, income taxes and property taxes. She also prepares estate tax returns and gift tax returns, and she represents clients in estate tax audits and gift tax audits. She prepares revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney (health care and financial), insurance trusts, charitable remainder trusts, prenuptial agreements and property agreements. She also assists clients in forming family business entities such as family partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations.

Dawn joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Construction practice group in 2003. Dawn's practice specializes in construction-related transactions and contract disputes. She represents contractors, subcontractors, public and private owners and material suppliers in drafting and negotiating contract documents, and providing litigation and counseling services in all aspects of construction law. Dawn brings to MHA extensive business experience, having worked for ten years in several major San Francisco Bay area companies before beginning her legal education. Prior to joining MHA, she was a summer associate in the Business & Technology group at a national law firm, where she did transactional work for emerging companies.

Edward joined McDonough, Holland & Allen in 2005. He is a member of the firm's Health Care practice group and his practice includes health care regulatory, operational, and policy matters. Edward has practiced health care law since 2001 and has represented a variety of health care entities, including hospitals, IPAs, long-term health care providers, and physician groups. He came to MHA from a large national law firm where his practice focused on federal and state regulatory compliance in areas such as physician recruitment and contracting, lease arrangements, and medical director agreements.

Erin joined McDonough Holland & Allen as a construction attorney in 2006. Her practice focuses on providing construction related litigation and transaction counseling services to private and public clients in all aspects of construction law. Prior to joining the firm, Erin was an attorney for a law firm in Portland, Oregon. While in law school, Erin served as a law clerk at Oregon's Bonneville Power Administration.

Gabrielle practices in the firm's Oakland office, which specializes in public and municipal law. Her practice focuses on both transactional and litigation matters with an emphasis on land use and employment law for public agencies and private entities. Gabrielle's experience includes representing and advising cities and joint powers authorities on matters including: planning and zoning issues, the Subdivision Map Act, CEQA, affordable housing, rent control, code enforcement, elections, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, public contracting, conflict of interest laws, Proposition 218, telecommunications, and personnel matters such as hearings before the Public Employment Relations Board. She currently serves as the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Rohnert Park. Before joining McDonough Holland & Allen PC, she served as the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Tracy and the Deputy City Attorney for the City of Livermore.

Water law attorney Mark Atlas, of Frost, Krup and Atlas in Willows, California, has been Of Counsel to MHA since 2001. For nearly three decades, Mark has been representing water and irrigation districts and individual clients in water rights, contracting and water transfer matters. He has intensive general counsel experience with public agencies, especially water, irrigation and community services districts, in the full range of public law issues affecting such entities. His clients include municipalities, public and private water rights holders and contractors with major water projects. He has particular expertise in contract and grant negotiations and represents clients in water rights issues before the California State Water Resources Control Board. During his career Mark has dedicated himself to protecting and expanding the rights of public and private clients to the prudent use of water. He has appeared before federal and state legislative committees on matters affecting federal Reclamation law, the Central Valley Project and state water rights issues. He is a charter member of the Advisory Committee of the Family Farm Alliance, a nonprofit grassroots organization composed of family farmers and those in related industries dedicated to preserving the tradition of irrigated agriculture throughout the Western states. His work includes assisting cities, public agencies and private businesses in acquiring water and building the infrastructure necessary for new development.

James Atencio is a member of the firm's Public Law Practice Group where he provides advisory and transactional services to public agencies and private entities, with an emphasis on redevelopment, land use and affordable housing law. Prior to joining MHA in 2007, James was affiliated with law firms in San Francisco and most recently served as an in-house Deputy City Attorney for the City of Oakland. In addition to counseling the City of Oakland on general municipal law issues, James negotiated, drafted and provided analysis on design development agreements, joint powers authority agreements, leases, MOUs, licenses and legislation for Oakland's Community and Economic Development Agency, City Council, Parks and Recreation Department, and the Oakland Museum. Outside of the public arena, James' experience includes representing a private developer in negotiating and drafting agreements for financing of a $25M residential development project in San Francisco, and the consolidation of fourteen real estate partnerships.

Jeff's practice covers a wide diversity of real estate transactions for both public and private clients. On the private side, he is local counsel for Lennar Corporation, a national merchant homebuilder, and represented them in their acquisition/merger of Winncrest Homes, the largest residential transaction in Sacramento history. He continues to represent merchant homebuilders Lennar, Winncrest, and JMC Homes on a day-to-day basis, handling acquisitions, dispositions, development and related work. He also represents Wildlands, Inc. in connection with its environmental mitigation bank documentation. On the public side, Jeff has served as special counsel to public agencies in numerous public and private transactions. Some of the most notable of those transactions include representation of the State of California Public Employees Retirement System in complicated acquisition, financing and workout transactions; the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors in connection with the mixed-use development in Marina Del Rey, providing real estate counsel on complicated and innovative leasing, subleasing and financing transactions involving property worth hundreds of millions of dollars; the County of Ventura as advisory counsel for a similar, smaller scale project; and the Daly City Redevelopment Agency in its partial acquisition, cotenancy and financing of a completed office building within the redevelopment project area. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Jeff was the manager of the commercial escrow department and a senior title officer for Ticor Title Insurance Company, handling complex title and escrow transactions. As a result of that experience, he represents title insurance companies and their insured with respect to title problems, and is frequently called upon to deal with complex title issues.

Jerry Ramiza is a member of the firm's Oakland office, where his practice emphasizes transactional redevelopment matters, public agency law and real estate law. Prior to joining McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 1999, he was affiliated with firms in Newport Beach and San Francisco.

John Barnes joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 2001. John's practice specializes in complex managed care litigation. John counsels health care entities on issues concerning regulatory compliance, provider liens, contract termination and continuity of care, and charity and indigent care. John also has significant experience representing health care entities that have been subpoenaed by government entities to produce information on indigent care, chargemaster pricing, and self-pay discounts. Prior to joining MHA, John was a legislative analyst in the California State Assembly.

Kara practices in the firm's Public Law practice group. Her practice includes transactional, advisory and litigation matters for both public agencies and private entities. Kara currently serves as Assistant City Attorney to the cities of Marysville and Paso Robles, Deputy City Attorney to the city of Davis, and as General Counsel to the First Five Yuba Commission. She regularly advises clients on conflicts of interest, elections, land use, and open government laws. Kara has litigated cases involving redevelopment plan amendments, elections, the California Environmental Quality Act, communities facilities districts, and affordable housing. Prior to joining the firm, Kara worked as a staff attorney for the League of California Cities and served as a Senate Fellow at the State Capitol.

Karen Baltier-Long manages the day-to-day operation of Oakland office. She has more than 25 years of managerial experience in the banking/finance field and began working as a Legal Administrator in 1998. She spent 12-1/2 years at the international investment management firm, Loomis Sayles & Company, where she managed the operation of their San Francisco office, as well as serving as Legal Administrator for their Legal & Compliance departments in both San Francisco and Boston. Karen's experience also includes managing multiple operational departments at Union Bank, California Federal Bank, and Great Western Savings. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Northern California Human Resources Association, and the Association of Legal Administrators, serving on the Board of its East Bay chapter.

Kent specializes in all facets of tax, business and estate planning for high net worth individuals. He designs and implements succession plans to transition ownership of family businesses and investments from one generation to another in a tax efficient manner, while addressing the personal concerns of each family. Kent provides advice on how to minimize estate taxes, gift taxes, generation-skipping taxes, income taxes and property taxes. In order to implement these plans, Kent's practice involves the formation and administration of trusts and business entities such as partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations as well as planning for charitable giving. Kent represents clients in income tax, estate tax and gift tax audits and supervises the preparation of gift tax returns and estate tax returns. He also assists clients by applying his tax expertise to a wide variety of business transactions.

Kevin Mora joined McDonough Holland & Allen in August 2004 and is a member of the firm's Public Law practice group. His practice includes advisory, litigation, and transactional work for public and private sector clients. Kevin's practice focuses primarily on environmental, natural resources, and land use matters. Specifically, he has developed experience in a several areas, including CERCLA ("Superfund"), CWA, and CEQA. Kevin also has experience in other areas of law, including municipal and employment law. Prior to joining the firm, Kevin interned with the Natural Resources Section of the California Attorney General's Office, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Kimberly Hood joined McDonough Holland & Allen in 2004 as a member of the firm's Public Law practice group. Kimberly worked as a summer associate in 2002 for MHA. Prior to joining the firm, Kimberly clerked for the Honorable Robert A. McQuaid, Jr., United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Nevada. She also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Frank C. Damrell, Jr., United States District Court judge for the Eastern District of California. From 1999 to 2001, she worked as legislative coordinator for the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) organization where she developed relationships and activities between CAHSAH members and State legislators to promote the needs of home care.

Laura joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC as a litigation attorney in 1998. She specializes in employment law, representing employers in a variety of court and administrative proceedings. Laura has defended both public and private employers in lawsuits for wrongful termination, breach of contract, unpaid wages, harassment, and discrimination. Laura drafts employee handbooks, policies, and employment agreements. She also provides employers with day-to-day advice regarding wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, disability accommodations, and decisions regarding discipline and termination.

Laura joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 2006 as a member of the firm's Public Law practice group. She is involved in both litigation and advisory work for cities, counties, and other public agencies in the Bay Area. Recently, her practice has focused on First Amendment issues, Proposition 218 litigation, code enforcement, Pitches motions, and assisting redevelopment agencies in complying with recent changes in Community Redevelopment Law. She has done extensive research and advised a number of public clients on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person's Act ("RLUIPA") in various contexts. Laura recently assisted in updating the property acquisition and disposition chapters of the 2007 Supplement to the 2004 [Third] Edition of Redevelopment in California. In 2005, Laura was a summer associate with MHA's Public Law practice group in the firm's Oakland office. During law school, Laura served as an extern for Justice Simons of the California Court of Appeal researching and preparing draft opinions. As a law clerk for the Center for Community Solutions Legal Clinic, she assisted in providing legal services to survivors of domestic violence. She gained valuable experience as a volunteer for the San Francisco Superior Court's Access Center, and as a teaching assistant in the Hastings College of the Law, Writing and Research Department. Before law school, she served as an intern with the Federal Defenders of San Diego.

Leslie Murphy joined McDonough Holland & Allen in 2003. She is a member of the firm's Health Care practice group, where her practice includes health care operational, regulatory, and litigation matters. Leslie is also a Certified Coding Specialist Physician Based ("CCS-P"), which requires in-depth knowledge of the CPT coding system and familiarity with the ICD-9-CM and HCPCS Level II coding systems. This certification adds to her credentials as an expert in health information documentation, data integrity and quality, and coding as well as billing in physician-based settings such as physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty clinics, and specialty centers.

Marcia's practice includes a broad range of civil litigation matters in both state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as transactional work and counseling, in all aspects of health care law affecting providers, health plans, insurance companies, agents, brokers, other fiduciaries, and employers. Marcia handles class action lawsuits and other complex business litigation, as well as federal and state regulatory compliance and licensing work for insurance companies and Knox Keene Health Plans, brokers, and others. She also counsels clients on coverage and reimbursement issues, fiduciary duties, joint venture arrangements, partnerships, and employee benefits, including Health Savings Accounts and wellness programs. Marcia believes that her clients expect and are entitled to straightforward direction and specific, trustworthy, creative recommendations for solving their problems. She strives to provide each of her clients with concrete, well-researched, and considered advice, delivered pr omptly and in language they can quickly review, understand, and integrate into their business decisions. Marcia has been a guest lecturer at the U.C. Davis School of Law, and has conducted seminars on complex litigation, women in the law, consumer directed health care and wellness programs, civil discovery, and other legal and business subjects. She also heads the firm's wellness program. In addition to her client work, Marcia is an arbitrator for the American Health Lawyers Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Service. Marcia has served as a research assistant for the Sacramento Municipal Court District and an extern for the Honorable Edward J. Garcia, United States District Court, Eastern District of California.

Michael S. Wilcox joined McDonough Holland & Allen's Business Services practice group in 2005 and focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, patent portfolio management and appellate work. Following his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, Michael spent ten years as a Post Graduate Researcher and Staff Research Associate with the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. Michael's research there included work with monoclonal antibodies as part of a cancer therapy research project. While attending Davis' School of Law, Michael served as an intern for The Honorable Randall R. Rader at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and prepared bench briefs and draft opinions for the court on patent, trademark and administrative cases. After graduating from Law School, Michael became an IP litigation associate with McDermott Will & Emery and practiced with that firm for four years.

As Manager of Administrative Services for the Sacramento Office of McDonough, Holland and Allen, Patty Harvey manages core day-to-day administrative support functions including office services, facilities, secretarial services, and document production. Patty has more than30 years of legal experience. Prior to joining MHA, Patty managed the law firms of Brunn & Flynn and Curtis & Arata in Modesto, and Nielsen, Merksamer in Sacramento. Patty has also worked as an independent consultant to small law firms advising in administrative matters and training staff in legal accounting and docketing software. Patty has received her Professional Human Resources certification, and is a member of the national and Sacramento chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and the Society for Human Resource Management. She received her BS in Applied Studies from California State University Stanislaus, in Turlock, California.

Paulla joined McDonough in 2003 as a member of the firm's Public Law practice group in the Yuba City office. Her practice includes transactional, advisory and litigation matters for both public agencies and private entities. Paulla currently serves as Deputy City Attorney to the Cities of Yuba City and Lincoln and as General Counsel to the Winship-Robbins Elementary School District. She regularly advises clients on conflicts of interest, zoning, land use and open government laws.

Robert J. Wood (RJ) has been with McDonough Holland & Allen PC since he graduated from UCLA School of Law and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2005. RJ has represented clients in a wide variety of matters, including real estate and commercial disputes, complex construction defect cases, and lawsuits involving trusts and estates. His experience covers all stages of litigation, from drafting pleadings to conducting discovery, writing motions and preparing for trial.

Sean Thompson joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 2001. His practice focuses on construction matters, including counseling, drafting of contracts, and litigation. Sean counsels clients and litigates disputes in most areas of construction law, including public and private contracts, insurance coverage, mechanic's liens, stop notices, surety bonds, bidding, licensing, false claims, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

Stephen Goff is the lead litigation attorney in McDonough's Health Care practice group. His work includes handling contract and quasi-contract disputes between health care providers and payers, and developing contracting and operational strategies. Steve's primary focus is to meet the needs of clients. With his own unique style and approach, he combines exceptional legal skill with outstanding service. As a testament to his commitment to his clients, Steve was recently recognized by BTI Consulting Group, Inc. (an independent research and business consulting company) as one of 134 select attorneys nationwide to earn the distinction of being unsurpassed in providing superior client service. Client service criteria included: proactively approaching clients' upcoming needs, efficiency in managing clients' time and money, and using deep knowledge of the client's industry and business as the backdrop to deliver exceptional legal advice. He also is an AV-rated attorney, the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards.

Stephen has represented individuals, private businesses, and public agencies in the areas of real estate, business/commercial, and environmental litigation since 1995. He has developed an extensive background in all phases of civil litigation, including successfully litigating to completion jury and bench trials. He also has counseled clients on franchise and environmental related issues. Prior to law school, Stephen served as the environmental assistant to the Mayor of San Diego, responsible for developing and implementing programs and policies in the areas of water supply and conservation, parks and open space, air quality, and solid and hazardous waste.

Thomas Swett was admitted to practice in California in 2004. He received his Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management in 1994 from the University of Nevada and his Master of Science in Forest Products in 1997 from Oregon State University. Tom earned his law degree from McGeorge School of Law in 2004 graduating second in his class. At McGeorge, Tom was a member of the law review, the ABA Moot Court Competition team and received the Witkin Award (formerly AmJur) for Property, Civil Procedure, Torts, Evidence, Wills & Trusts, and Community Property.

Tom Curry joined McDonough Holland & Allen after serving for more than 20 years as the City Attorney for the City of Livermore. He also served as Assistant City Attorney of Walnut Creek and Deputy City Attorney of Hayward. His practice focuses on all aspects of public agency law with an emphasis on complex land use matters. He currently serves as City Attorney for Sonoma and had served as City Attorney for San Ramon. Tom brings to MHA extensive trial experience in CEQA, land use, the Public Records Act, the Brown Act and general municipal issues. He has been involved in promulgating claims administration procedures, Municipal Codes, personnel rules, growth control policies, litigation status reports, sign ordinances and FLSA issues. He is very active in the League of California Cities and is a frequent presenter at conferences for organizations including the California Transit Authority, California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority and the California State Bar. Tom has served as a professor of law at John F. Kennedy University

Veronica joined McDonough Holland & Allen in 2005 as a member of the Public Law practice group where she represents public entities in both transactional and litigation matters. Prior to joining MHA, Veronica served as a litigation attorney with Downey Brand LLP. Her practice included commercial, corporate, employment, construction, real estate, appellate, and insurance law. While attending law school, Veronica worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Chicano Studies Department at UC Davis. She also participated in UC Davis' Immigration Clinic where she represented indigent clients in Cancellation of Removal hearings.

Wendy's law practice focuses on health care law, regulatory compliance and policy matters. Wendy's areas of practice include medical staff bylaws, rules and regulations, medical staff discipline, physician and medical group contracts, Medicare/Medi-Cal compliance, and Medicare decertification. Before joining the firm, Wendy served as the Regulatory Affairs Fellow for Public Citizen's Congress Watch in Washington, DC where she advocated health, safety and environmental protections and consulted with Congressional staff, media and public interest organizations on current policies and issues. Immediately after graduating from law school, Wendy was an associate in a small Washington, DC law office specializing in business litigation and real estate transactions.

Wynne Furth is of counsel in the Oakland office and has been representing public agencies for thirty years. Her practice is focused on land use, housing, and environmental law. Before joining McDonough Holland & Allen in 2006, she was a partner in Best Best & Krieger LLP in Riverside, California and City Attorney of Claremont, California. She then worked in-house for the City of Palo Alto, devoting much of her time in Palo Alto to negotiating development agreements for the re-use of commercial and industrial sites in the city with new commercial development, housing, and public amenities. These projects included substantial new affordable and market-rate housing, new public parks and parking structures, and commercial redevelopment. The project sites included important historic and biological resources and superfund sites. Finding consensus was an important council directive as existing neighborhoods needed to be assured that new development would contribute to their quality of life, while landowners and developers, historic preservation and housing advocates, neighboring jurisdictions, and the general public were keenly interested in both process and outcome. Wynne has extensive experience working for public agencies as city attorney or general counsel and as a land use lawyer. She has written custom zoning for mixed-use projects, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, transferable development credits for open space and historic preservation, "downtown" districts, and done extensive work with conservation easements of various types. She also has extensive experience in assisting cities with CEQA and NEPA compliance and working with state, local and federal regulatory agencies, including both the state and local coastal commissions. She represented the City in Citizen's Committee to Save Our Village v. City of Claremont, (1995) 37 Cal. App. 4th 1157, a successful defense of the City's finding of no adverse environmental affects from a carefully mitigated new building on a historic campus. She has also advised utility providers on capital projects, urban water management, and regulatory compliance. In addition to serving as City Attorney of Claremont for 25 years and of LaVerne for fourteen, Wynne has represented such cities as Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Ontario, Corona, La Verne, Glendora, Big Bear Lake, Shafter, and Hemet, as well as numerous special agencies and joint powers authorities. She has also served on the counsel committee in complex multi-party litigation cases involving local, state, and federal agencies.

For nearly 30 years, Zac Smith has conducted trials and arbitration hearings in a broad range of cases and in a variety of settings. In addition to representing public entities, corporations and individuals, Zac has served as a judge pro tem, arbitrator and mediator for the Placer County Superior and Municipal Courts, the Nevada County Superior Court, the El Dorado County Superior Court and the American Arbitration Association. Prior to Zac's legal work he was a carpenter for residential homebuilder Ditz-Crane Construction Company in Santa Clara, California and an English teacher at Head Royce School in Oakland, California.

Donna joined McDonough Holland & Allen in 2004. She is a member of the firm's Real Estate practice group where she specializes in all aspects of real estate, including commercial transactions, acquisitions, development and representing national homebuilders. She also assists clients with documentation of master-planned communities. Donna negotiates and prepares complex real estate documents including Purchase and Sale Agreements, Declarations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Cross-Easement Agreements, Right-of-Entry Agreements, Cost Sharing Agreements and Infrastructure Improvement Agreements. Prior to joining the firm, Donna was a senior associate attorney in the real estate transactional group of a Sacramento law firm where she represented real estate developers in all stages of development including land use entitlements to the sale of the asset for residential, commercial and mixed-use projects. Donna drafted, reviewed and negotiated complex commercial real estate documents, including Purchase and Sale Agreements, Easement Agreements, and Licensing Agreements. She analyzed surveys and titles, including preliminary reports, title policies, endorsements for commercial projects and reviewed ALTA surveys, Subdivision Maps and Site Plans.

As a member of the Business Services practice group, Jim's practice concerns all aspects of corporate, partnership and personal income tax planning. He advises clients on issues relating to real estate exchanges, structure, formation and operation of partnerships and limited liability companies, and planning and implementation of corporate reorganization and business acquisitions. Jim is a frequent speaker on corporate, partnership and tax issues for firm-sponsored seminars, state and local bar associations and private seminar companies.

Andre has been a member of McDonough Holland & Allen's Construction Practice Group since 1996. He represents private and public clients, including owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, regarding all aspects of construction law. Andre's practice includes bidding and protest issues, government contract law, drafting and negotiating contracts, counseling clients as issues arise during projects, and the litigation, arbitration and mediation of disputes. Prior to joining MHA, Andre served as a Major in the United States Air Force, where as a contracting officer he drafted, negotiated, reviewed and awarded complex, multi-million dollar contracts for research and development and space hardware. Andre has also been a speaker on construction law topics for the Associated General Contractors of California, Lorman Education Services, and Continuing Education of the Bar.

As a shareholder in the firm's Business Services practice group, Jim provides general corporate and tax counsel to a wide variety of private companies. His practice focuses on business transactions, planning and dispute resolution for private companies, including mergers and acquisitions; structuring and choice of entity planning in connection with business formations; buy-outs; equity financings; reorganizations and business dispositions or dissolutions of corporate (including nonprofit) and pass-through business entities. Jim's tax practice focuses on transactional tax planning as part of his corporate practice, and includes general business tax planning and client representation in federal, state and local tax controversy matters. As part of his executive compensation practice, Jim combines his corporate and tax specialties to work with businesses in the planning and implementation of key employee compensation arrangements, including stock and synthetic equity performance incentives, deferred compensation plans, stock option plans, stock appreciation rights, and phantom stock option plans.

Brent practices redevelopment, land use, housing and environmental law (both transactional and litigation). He represents clients throughout California and in other western states, including Nevada and Idaho. His practice emphasizes the adoption and amendment of redevelopment plans, negotiation of development transactions, development agreements, asset management and preparation and lobbying of redevelopment legislation. Brent currently represents the redevelopment agencies of the cities of Brentwood, Capitola, Davis, Foster City, Hawthorne, Hayward, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Oakland, Pacifica, Sacramento and others. He also represents the redevelopment agencies of the counties of Merced and Humboldt and various private development companies. Brent is General Counsel to the California Redevelopment Association. The firm has served as CRA's General Counsel for more than 25 years, drafting much of the redevelopment legislation enacted during that time. Brent's litigation experience includes practice before state and federal courts relative to the Community Redevelopment Law, California Environmental Quality Act and California Relocation Assistance Act as well as eminent domain law and planning and zoning Law. He lectures frequently for organizations such as the California Redevelopment Association, League of California Cities and the University of California. He is the chairman of the Legal Committee of the California Redevelopment Association.