Insights
Firm News

Farella Adds Technology Industry Group Depth

July 29, 2019 Announcement

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2019: Regional legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel LLP is pleased to announce the addition of three attorneys to its Technology Industry Group. Joining the firm as a partner, Raymond H. Sheen represents policyholders in complex insurance recovery disputes. Both joining as special counsel, Sushila Chanana focuses on high-stakes intellectual property and business litigation, and Mary H. Fong helps employers maneuver California’s complex employment laws. All are based in Farella’s San Francisco office.

“I’m delighted to welcome Ray, Sushila, and Mary to Farella. Our clients in the technology industry will benefit from their wealth of experience in their respective areas of law representing fast moving startups to large Fortune 500 companies,” said Brian Donnelly, firm chairman. “The multi-disciplinary team of lawyers in our technology industry group—and in all of our industry groups— work cohesively to advance each client’s objectives in the most effective and efficient manner.”

Sheen has over fifteen years of experience representing policyholders and recovering money from insurance companies for a wide array of claims and losses, including data breaches and other cyber incidents, intellectual property and trade secrets claims, product liability/consumer class actions, securities litigation, and environmental claims. He has helped clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance recoveries. Sheen also assists clients in negotiating insurance policies, including cyber liability and directors and officers policies. He advises clients on insurance issues related to mergers and acquisitions and real estate transactions. He joins the firm from Hanson Bridgett LLP’s San Francisco office, where he was a partner and co-chair of its Privacy, Data Security and Information Governance Practice. Sheen earned his J.D. from Stanford University (1997).

A high-stakes technology litigator and legal advisor, Chanana focuses on patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret disputes for clients that range from small startups to large Fortune 500 companies. In addition to having a background in privacy and cybersecurity, Chanana is experienced in all phases of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, claim construction, trial and appeal. As a former U.S. Supreme Court legal news correspondent in Washington D.C., Chanana offers clients a unique and forward-looking perspective when it comes to developing long-term strategies and licensing programs to support business goals. Prior to joining Farella, Chanana was a partner with Redwood City, Calif.-based Bunsow De Mory LLP. Chanana earned her J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2007).

Fong represents companies, primarily fast-growth, tech-focused businesses, on employment matters in state and federal court and before administrative agencies. She also provides strategic and pragmatic advice to companies on hiring, terminations, discrimination, harassment, reasonable accommodations, and compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws. To help employers manage their employment litigation risks, she counsels employers on the design and implementation of preventative employee relations and employment practices strategies. Prior to joining Farella, Fong was a senior attorney with The Mitzel Group, LLP in San Francisco. She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2006).

Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business transactions and complex commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. Founded in 1962, we are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain offices in the Napa Valley that are focused on the wine industry.

Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433 / [email protected]

Firm Highlights

Publication

Compelling Employees to Arbitration Suddenly Has Less of an Upside

On July 17, the California Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in Adolph v. Uber Techs Inc., as to whether employees still have standing to sue for "non-individual" PAGA claims when they have been...

Read More
News

Farella Wins Complete Defense Ruling at Trial for Smart Meter Technology Company

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel secured a complete defense victory for a smart meter technology company following a two-week bench trial in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California...

Read More
Publication

Reporting Dispute Claims Within Closely Held Wineries

Many wineries operate as closely held companies, meaning they’re owned by an individual or small group of shareholders, who are often members of the same family. Disputes regarding ownership interests can arise, particularly when directors...

Read More
Publication

Major Decision Affects Law of Scraping and Online Data Collection, Meta Platforms v. Bright Data

On January 23, 2024, the court in Meta Platforms Inc. v. Bright Data Ltd. , Case No. 3:23-cv-00077-EMC (N.D. Cal.), issued a summary judgment ruling with potentially wide-ranging ramifications for the law of scraping and...

Read More
News

Sarah Good Honored Among Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business

Read More
Publication

Disputes Between Shareholders May Not Be Governed by Fiduciary Duties but Could Be Covered by Insurance

(As published in Private Company Director ) Disputes regarding ownership interests often arise in the context of closely held corporations, particularly when directors, officers, or majority shareholders sell or acquire ownership interests in the...

Read More
News

Farella Braun + Martel Earns 2024 Best Law FirmsĀ® Rankings

Read More
News

Farella 2024 Partner Elevations: Cynthia Castillo and Greg LeSaint

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel is pleased to announce the election of two lawyers to partnership effective Jan. 1: Cynthia Castillo and Greg LeSaint. “We are thrilled to elevate Cynthia and...

Read More
News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

Read More
Publication

Wire Fraud Victims Have New Reporting Factors After Ciminelli

Originally published by  Bloomberg Law . Courts around the country have seen an influx of challenges to indictments and convictions since the US Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in  Ciminelli v. United States  last May...

Read More