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Elise Bonine is an associate in Burke’s Public Law and Litigation groups. She has experience in both criminal and civil litigation, as well as in both federal and state courts.
Elise’s experience includes mass tort, class action, commercial litigation and criminal prosecution. Prior to joining Burke, Elise gained experience at a well-known and respected plaintiff-side firm in the Bay area as well as at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
During her tenure as an Assistant District Attorney, Elise specialized in prosecuting domestic violence offenses. She successfully indicted more than a dozen felony cases, negotiated felony and misdemeanor plea agreements, argued in front of the Appellate Division, conducted hundreds of investigations, and litigated almost five hundred cases to resolution.
While attending Columbia Law School, Elise worked at the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals prosecuting individuals who committed war crimes during the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. She also assisted asylum seekers through her externship with the Legal Aid Society as well as volunteer work with the International Refugee Assistance Project. As a member of the Advanced Mediation Clinic, she mediated a wide variety of issues ranging from alleged violations of the Equal Employment Opportunities Act to housing conflicts. She conducted trainings for the United Nations, Judicial Ethics Committee, and for new mediators.
Outside of the office, Elise is passionate about animal rescue and enjoys running with her Australian Shepherd, reading science fiction novels, and solo travel.
Karen Lee is an associate in Burke’s Los Angeles office and a member of Burke’s Litigation practice group. Karen’s areas of practice include public entity defense, premises liability, dangerous condition of public property, and general tort litigation.
Prior to joining Burke, Karen worked at an established medical malpractice defense firm, where she represented a prominent university in a multitude of lawsuits involving Title IX claims, regulatory issues, and intentional tort allegations. Karen also served as second-chair trial counsel in a case of alleged medical malpractice, in which the jury rendered a unanimous defense verdict.
Karen is experienced in cases involving large teams of lawyers, including high-value litigation combined with internal and government investigations. Karen has experience in all phases of civil litigation, including motion practice, appearing in court for oral argument, all aspects of discovery, and preparing for trial. Karen has worked in a variety of different practice areas, including family law, immigration, workers’ compensation, and business litigation.
During law school, Karen was a staff member of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review. Karen was a part of the Law Review’s Inter-American Court of Human Rights Project, where she created comprehensive summaries of judgments rendered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Karen also volunteered as an advisor for the Dorsey High School Teen Court and as a mentor for the Young Lawyers Program.
Karen graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Art History and a minor in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Daniel C. Oren is an associate in Burke’s Litigation and Eminent Domain/Inverse Condemnation Practice Groups. He has extensive experience defending individuals and entities in various litigation matters in both federal and state court.
Daniel’s litigation experience includes civil rights, insurance coverage, commercial litigation, mass torts, products liability, and professional liability. Prior to joining Burke, Daniel defended public and quasi-public entities in construction litigation arising from publicly-bid, large-scale infrastructure projects.
Daniel has managed cases through pre-litigation and pre-trial phases, including conducting internal investigations, drafting responsive pleadings and discovery, conducting and defending fact and expert witness depositions, responding to subpoenas, negotiating and obtaining favorable settlements, and drafting dispositive motions. Daniel has brought several cases to the eve of trial within the past year, ultimately settling out of court or prevailing on motions for summary judgment.
Daniel also performs significant pro bono work, having represented indigent clients in Immigration Court.
While attending law school, Daniel served as an extern for Honorable William H. Alsup at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where he gained valuable experience drafting orders, conducting legal research, and assisting the judge during courtroom proceedings.
Outside of the office, Daniel enjoys technical rock climbing throughout the Sierra Nevada and gravel biking in Marin.Rachel Balchum is a senior associate in Burke’s Labor and Employment Law Practice Group. Rachel represents public and private employers and individuals in employment disputes, including in the areas of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour. She provides preventative counseling regarding employment practices, including COVID-19 issues, as well.
In addition, Rachel represents clients in trust and estate, financial elder abuse, and business litigation.
During law school, Rachel served as a legal extern at the United Nations Development Programme in Guatemala.
Richard Shreiba is an Associate in Burke’s Orange County office where he provides advice and council to public and private entities on labor and employment matters. Richard is experienced in providing employers with practical solutions to every-day personnel related issues, as well as representing employers throughout the various stages of litigation in both state and federal courts.
Richard’s experience includes assisting employers throughout the employee discipline process, preparing workplace policies and handbooks, preparing executive employment agreements, advising employers with leave related issues, guiding employers throughout the interactive process for workplace disability accommodations, and presenting workplace trainings.
Richard has represented public entities at various different levels of government, and private entities that varied from small regional businesses to large national enterprises.
During law school, Richard clerked for multiple public entities. Richard’s experience and passion for serving public and non-profit entities enables him to provide exceptional service and creative solutions for his clients.
Richard’s first career as a manager in the financial services industry enables him to provide employers with practical strategies and creative alternatives to solving employment personnel issues while simultaneously complying with state and federal employment laws.
During his free time, Richard loves to enjoy the outdoors and catching a baseball game whenever possible. He enjoys spending time at the beach, Angel stadium, and hiking state and national parks with his family.
Gail Kavanagh’s commercial litigation practice includes real estate title and contract disputes; eminent domain; commercial landlord-tenant matters; commercial tort actions; employment contract, discrimination and harassment actions; and trademark, copyright and trade secrets protection.
John has written widely on cutting-edge issues involving charter school law, including a definitive treatment of "Understanding Dependent Charters," Charter Schools and Collective Bargaining: The Unholy Alliance, and “Charter Schools and Collective Bargaining, Implications for Authorizing Agencies,” (California Schools, Winter 2011) a work that was cited in the Hastings Law Journal (Chen, J. “California Charter School Teachers: Flexibility in the Classroom, Vulnerability as an Employee,” 67 Hastings L.J. 1733 (2016).) He has also written on "Land Use: The New Arena In The Struggle Between Independence and Accountability For Charter Schools."
Other Areas John also practices in the areas of personnel and employment law, with a focus on school district labor relations and personnel, including discrimination claims before the DFEH and EEOC. He has also compiled a successful record representing school districts in arbitration hearings and unfair practice claims before PERB. He also advises school districts and other educational institutions on contracting issues, student matters, and accreditation. John has also been certified as an Interest Based Bargaining trainer, and speaks frequently before industry associations on charter school and school district personnel legal issues.Joseph Buchman maintains a diverse litigation and transactional practice, acts as general counsel to Montebello Land & Water Co., a mutual benefit non-profit water company, and as counsel to the Los Angeles Unified School District School Construction Bond Citizens' Oversight Committee.
Joseph has extensive background in public, corporate, business, and real estate matters, acquired from years of experience representing and advising clients in bankruptcy matters, eminent domain, real estate and title litigation, purchase and sale transactions, financing transactions, probate and estate planning, tort litigation, collection actions, contract disputes, and election litigation.
Nearly 25 years in the making, the $130 million Transit Center project is finally under construction in the City of Emeryville. Along the way, Burke lawyers Mike Biddle, Jerry Ramiza, and Leah Castella were instrumental in processing land use entitlements, negotiating funding and development agreements, obtaining federal and state approval of environmental remediation plans, and successfully litigating the enforceability of necessary public funding with the State Department of Finance.
The Transit Center site was previously an EPA-approved hazardous waste dump located in the heart of Emeryville. Westinghouse Electric Corporation (later “CBS”) occupied the site from 1924 until the 1980s as part of larger operation built out for the repair and servicing of transformers. PCB contamination was the predominant environmental concern at the site. In 1985, the property was converted into a waste cell for the deposition and containment of PCB-bearing soil waste excavated from neighboring Westinghouse parcels during their individual remediation pursuant to a Consent Agreement and Final Order between Westinghouse and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”).
A design review and use permit was approved by the City Council in 2010, and the former Redevelopment Agency (“RDA”) engaged the U.S. EPA and Cal EPA, Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”), and prepared a Final Feasibility Study and Remedial Action Plan (“FS/RAP”), for remediation of soil and groundwater contamination. DTSC and the U.S. EPA approved the Final Remedial Design and Implementation Plan (“RDIP”) in February 2011. Concurrently, the City, RDA, CBS and developer Wareham Development entered into an agreement whereby CBS would undertake the environmental remediation of the Transit Center site in accordance with the FS/RAP, the parties (excluding the City) would share in the costs of the remediation work, and CBS would transfer the Transit Center site to Wareham for redevelopment. Effective February 1, 2012, the RDA was dissolved pursuant to the Redevelopment Dissolution Act. Further, Wareham and CBS were unable to timely fulfill certain provisions of the aforementioned agreement with the City and RDA which technically terminated the agreement. Hence the RDA’s contribution to assist with the site cleanup was at risk. However, the Dissolution Act allowed for the Successor Agency to the former RDA to reenter into agreements with the City upon obtaining the approval of the Emeryville Oversight Board. On June 26, 2012, the Oversight Board approved an agreement between the City and Successor Agency and authorized approximately $4.2 million in funding for the Transit Center project. Notwithstanding clear authority under the Dissolution Act, the State Department of Finance denied the agreement as an enforceable obligation, and the City and Successor Agency, represented by Burke, successfully challenged the DOF’s decision (see City of Emeryville, Emeryville Successor Agency v Michael Cohen(2015) 233 Cal.App.4th 293).
With the funding component of the former RDA finally secured along with other private and public funding elements ($836,000 Federal Highway Administration grant and $4.2 M State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) grant), the environmental remediation was completed in the fall of 2016, the Transit Center site was transferred by CBS to Wareham, and the project is now coming out of the ground with completion expected in the spring of 2018.
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