El Toro Lawyers

Layn R. Phillips, founder of Phillips ADR Enterprises (PADRE), is a former U.S. Attorney and U.S. District Judge. Appointed at age 35 by President Reagan, he presided over 140+ trials in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, and sat by designation on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier, Judge Phillips served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, and at age 31, was nominated as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. After leaving the bench, he spent 23 years at Irell & Manella, focusing on complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and alternative dispute resolution. He later founded PADRE, specializing...

Barry R. Ostrager, a retired New York State Supreme Court Justice (Commercial Division, 2015–2023), presided over numerous trials and resolved hundreds of commercial cases. Before his judicial role, he was a litigation partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, leading its 300+ attorney Litigation Department and serving on the management committee. As lead trial counsel, Ostrager handled high-profile securities, antitrust, and insurance cases, including Swiss Re’s World Trade Center dispute and Travelers’ environmental coverage case against Shell Oil, both resulting in jury verdicts. He tried five cases involving $1 billion+ disputes and led major arbitrations, such as Andersen Consulting’s $14 billion...

Bill Ohlemeyer brings 40 years of experience to Phillips ADR, representing plaintiffs, defendants, and working at Altria Group. He has litigated, arbitrated, mediated, and tried cases in state and federal courts, advising on legal and regulatory challenges. A Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Bill graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri Law School and clerked for Chief Judge Scott O. Wright. He joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon, becoming partner in 1991, then served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Altria (1999–2008), managing litigation for Philip Morris...

I am committed to delivering the highest level of service and making bankruptcy relief financially accessible for everyone. Creditors must comply to the rules under California's Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). The failure of a creditor to comply with FDCPA could result in a statutory award to the consumer up to $1,000. I developed a proven system to screen for creditors in violation of the FDCPA.

Michael G. Rhodes, a leading trial lawyer, served as Global Chair of Cooley LLP’s Litigation Department and cyber/data/privacy practice, and was on its Management Committee. He represented clients like Google, Meta, Open AI, the Kardashian-Jenner family, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Zoom, Coinbase, and the Golden State Warriors. For Meta, he won three IP jury trials and settled another during trial. He also secured a victory in a high-profile defamation trial for the Kardashian-Jenner family against Angela White (Blac Chyna). Retiring from Cooley in 2024 after 40 years, Rhodes earned accolades including American Lawyer "Litigator of the Year," Chambers USA top lawyer...

Yasir Elbiali, a seasoned attorney with over 25 years of experience, founded Elbiali Law, APC to cater to the legal needs of entrepreneurs and businesses. He has held senior positions at Panasonic, Western Digital, Aramco, and Mitsubishi Electric, gaining deep insights into a broad spectrum of business legal challenges. Over the years, Mr. Elbiali has developed an exceptional reputation in the following areas: • Advising stakeholders across sectors like energy, healthcare, consumer products, technology, and entertainment, offering Outside General Counsel services; • Drafting and negotiating various agreements such as sales, licensing, consulting, supply, and commercial lease agreements; • Handling Commercial Transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and global...

Kenneth G. Marks was admitted to the California Bar in 1981 and has extended his practice into the area of Social Security Disability Law after working closely with a former Social Security Administrative Law Judge for his entire career. Personal injury law is another major area of practice and Mr. Marks brings his unique litigation skills to the Social Security Disability arena. He will handle an entire case, from application through appeals, and does not get paid unless he successfully gets his clients their benefits. You will receive personalized, experience legal service from Mr. Marks. He does not assign the case...

Lori Carver Hershorin is a licensed California, Texas and Indiana attorney with over 30 years of experience. Lori's practice focuses on real estate, escrow title, business, insurance and appeals. Ms. Hershorin has prevailed in 39 appeals out of 42. In 1991, Ms. Hershorin began her legal career at McDermott Will & Emery focusing on fraud, real estate, and employment matters. She subsequently joined Lewis Brisbois and focused on mortgage fraud, real estate and breach of contract litigation. In 1995, Lori joined the in-house legal team of Fidelity National Title Insurance Company as an Assistant Vice-President and Associate...

Law Office of Tung & Company, Inc. has represented a combination of high net worth individuals and businesses since 1994. We have earned a reputation for providing superior services throughout Southern California. A reputation we believe that stems largely from the Firm's rigorous standards. In addition to Juris Doctor (J.D.), our attorney hold advanced credentials such as the Master of Laws (LL.M. - Taxation) from one of the finest law schools in the country. The principal of the Firm, Mr. Derek C. Tung, is also a California Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional.

Because of our...

I am the managing partner and principle at Sky Law Group, APC. I have written, lectured and served as a guest speaker on various legal topics, including consumer protection laws, personal and business bankruptcy and personal injury law. With over a decade of legal experience and having represented thousands of clients, my approach remains rather old fashioned; it’s the human approach. To my clients, I am a combination of things — a coach, mentor, advisor, litigator and negotiator. I listen carefully to each client and guides them to a successful resolution of their legal problems during what is often...

Jenny has been living in Southern California for over 30 years. After attending the prestigious Whitney High School in Cerritos, Jenny earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and a Minor in Computing from UCLA. She then graduated in the top third of her class at USC Gould School of Law, which is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 law schools in the United States.

Jenny has 12 years of legal experience and works directly with Sean on various complex tax and estate planning matters. Jenny also supports Sean with his Korean-speaking clients. Having grown up helping her...

Jeffrey Mishkin, a Phillips ADR neutral, is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the NBA and head of Skadden’s Sports Practice. He specializes in sports-related disputes involving antitrust, intellectual property, labor, gambling, and commercial matters. At the NBA, Mishkin managed all legal affairs, including litigation, labor relations, commercial transactions, intellectual property, and anti-drug programs, leading collective bargaining and the 1998-1999 NBA labor dispute. At Skadden, he represented major sports organizations like the NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA, and others, as well as high-profile athletes, including a top-ranked golfer. Now a full-time mediator and arbitrator, Mishkin serves on the Court...

Kimberly Huebner serves as the Insurance Liaison for Phillips ADR, specializing in Directors’ and Officers’ Management Liability and Employment Practices Liability Insurance for companies and public entities. She facilitates communication between insurance carriers and Phillips ADR, reporting to panelists and coordinating further interactions. Before joining Phillips ADR, Kimberly was Vice President of Technical Claims for D&O Claims at AIG Claims, Inc. She tracked litigation trends, analyzed potential exposures, and reported divisional loads. Kimberly evaluated complex claims for strategic resolution and trained colleagues on claims handling, coverage evaluation, and negotiation. Kimberly earned a B.S. in Psychology from Roanoke College and a J.D. from...

Ann Cook brings a business-focused approach to Phillips ADR, leveraging a decade at Ernst & Young LLP, including two years as General Counsel. Experienced as both plaintiff and defendant, she understands dispute dynamics and has litigated, arbitrated, and mediated cases in accounting, securities, contracts, and employment. A creative problem solver, Ann advised on complex corporate initiatives, balancing risk and business goals, earning recognition as a tenacious leader. At EY, Ann managed legal strategy for a $20B firm with 50,000 employees, overseeing litigation and regulatory matters during high regulatory activity. She advised on public disclosure and bankruptcy issues for over 1,000 public...

Sean Coffey, a Phillips ADR neutral, served as the 24th General Counsel of the Navy (2022–2025), leading over 1,100 attorneys worldwide. Previously a renowned trial lawyer, he handled plaintiff and defense cases in securities, class actions, and complex litigation. At Latham & Watkins, he secured a directed verdict in a bet-the-company case. At Bernstein Litowitz, he led the $6.2 billion WorldCom Securities Litigation recovery. As Chair of Complex Litigation at Kramer Levin, he advised corporate clients. As Navy General Counsel, Sean founded the Taxpayer Advocacy Project and led the exoneration of 256 African American Sailors from the 1944 Port Chicago courts-martial,...

Caroline brings extensive mediation and problem-solving expertise to Phillips ADR, drawing from her roles as General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Principal Deputy White House Counsel. Known for her communication, judgment, and legal acumen, she excels in advising Boards and senior leaders on dispute resolution. At PwC, Caroline managed all legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance matters, handling lawsuits and regulatory issues with potential damages in the billions. She led settlement negotiations and mediations with opposing counsel, clients, and regulators like the SEC and FDIC, while resolving internal conflicts within PwC’s global network. As Principal Deputy White House Counsel under President Obama, she...

Danielle Menitove is an independent arbitrator and mediator specializing in commercial and sports-related disputes, including antitrust, employment, intellectual property, gambling, anti-doping, and player-agent issues. Danielle serves as an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and on the American Arbitration Association’s commercial, consumer, and national sports panels. Before starting her ADR practice, Danielle was a litigator at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York for over ten years, handling complex litigation in federal and state courts, government investigations, and advisory matters. Her cases involved antitrust, contract breaches, fiduciary duty, and unfair competition. ...

Paul Dagostino is a highly experienced attorney who has handled numerous complex and high-profile cases throughout his career. He has been involved in major litigation against General Motors LLC related to a faulty ignition switch issue and worked on the Johnson & Johnson talcum powder cancer cases in California State Court. Additionally, he has represented military service members in actions against earplug manufacturer 3M for injuries caused by their products.

Courtney has a unique combination of experience and education that makes her well suited to help clients with complex family law issues. No two family law cases are alike, and Courtney is dedicated to working with clients to achieve their unique goals. She uses her skills to help set expectations for clients, advocate in an informed way, and act in their best interests. As someone who has navigated the divorce process with her children in California, Courtney compassionately strives to ease future uncertainties for families going through divorce. She has helped countless individuals make their divorces quick, easy, and efficient....

Hani is in the business of protecting his clients’ inventions, technology, designs and brands. He knows that in order to be an effective advocate for his clients, he has to fully understand their businesses, objectives, technologies, competitors and the industries where they operate. His experience is technology extensive and covers products, processes and designs in mechanical, health care, information technology, material sciences, medical devices, computer networking, memory devices, electronics, gaming, apparel, nutritional supplements, biotechnology along with entertainment, sports and media. As a seasoned patent attorney, he prepares, files and prosecutes patent and trademark applications in front of the United States...