January 03, 2006 12:23 ET

Sheppard Mullin Welcomes San Diego Litigator, Dana Dunwoody

SAN DIEGO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- January 3, 2006 -- Dana J. Dunwoody has joined the San Diego office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group. Dunwoody, most recently at Mazzarella, Dunwoody & Caldarelli in San Diego, focuses on trials, arbitration, and litigation of disputes concerning real property, partnerships, intra-corporate matters, contracts, hotel management agreements and franchise agreements, employment and intellectual property.

Guy Halgren, managing partner of the firm said, "We are very excited to have Dana joining our firm. He is at the top of the next generation of lead trial attorneys in San Diego. Not only does Dana have exceptional litigation skills, but clients just love him. He is a terrific fit."

Commented Dunwoody, "I have enjoyed practicing in a smaller firm but to really best serve my clients, I needed to move to a bigger outfit. Sheppard Mullin is perfect for me and my clients. I have known the Sheppard attorneys my entire career and think the world of them. My clients now have the resources of a national firm and the focus of two thriving San Diego offices, downtown and in Del Mar. I can't wait to get transitioned and introduce my clients to Sheppard Mullin."

Dunwoody's clients include: The Ryness Company; Morrison & Foerster, LLP; Initial Broadcasting of California; Maguire Partners; Sharper Image; ST Microelectronics; Jimsair; Maxim Integrated Products; The Henry Schein Companies; Heritage Golf Group; and others. He was co-founder, along with Mark Mazzarella, of the law firm of Mazzarella & Dunwoody in 1991. Dunwoody previously practiced with the San Diego offices of Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble & Mallory and Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps.

Dunwoody received his law degree in 1985 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as an Associate Editor for the Industrial Relations Law Journal. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with high honors in 1981 from the University of California at San Diego. Dunwoody is a former Judicial Extern for the Honorable Laughlin E. Waters of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is a frequent lecturer and panelist on trial and litigation for National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, California Continuing Education of the Bar, among other organizations, and is also consulting editor to the comprehensive Matthew Bender resource text, "Contract Litigation." Dunwoody is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, an exclusive global consulting group comprised of 185 members who represent key hospitality industry client companies.

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 480 attorneys in nine offices located throughout California and in New York and Washington, D.C. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Sheppard Mullin provides legal expertise and counsel to U.S. and international clients in a wide range of practice areas, including Antitrust, Corporate and Securities; Entertainment, Media and Communications; Finance and Bankruptcy; Government Contracts; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Real Estate/Land Use; Tax/Employee Benefits/Trusts & Estates; and White Collar Defense. The firm was founded in 1927. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.