Pillsbury Elects Ten New Partners For 2014

“We are proud to welcome these accomplished lawyers to the partnership,” said Pillsbury Chair James Rishwain, Jr. “All of our new partners have distinguished themselves through their outstanding knowledge of the law, strong leadership skills and exceptional dedication to client service.”

The members of Pillsbury's new partner class are:

Jamie Bobotek (Litigation/Washington, D.C.): Bobotek is a member of the firm’s Insurance Recovery & Advisory group and concentrates on insurance coverage, risk management and risk allocation with a focus on representing corporate policyholders seeking to confirm insurance coverage on commercial property. He has litigation experience before federal and state courts, arbitral tribunals, and judicial and private mediators. He earned his law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

Carrie Bonnington (Litigation/Sacramento): Bonnington’s practice incorporates general civil litigation, representing large commercial entities such as financial institutions, managed health care plans and land developers, and includes experience across all phases of litigation in state and federal courts and alternative dispute forums, from investigation through trial and appeal. A member of the firm’s Wine, Beer & Spirits practice, she represents clients before various state alcoholic beverage control boards. She earned her law degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

Patty DeGaetano (Corporate & Securities/San Diego North County): DeGaetano advises emerging and seasoned companies on SEC reporting and disclosure, corporate governance matters, federal and state corporate and securities law compliance, equity incentives, and M&A. She has experience working with companies listed on the NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange and American Stock Exchange as well as ones traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in the legal departments of several large, publicly-traded companies. She earned her law degree from California Western School of Law.

Ben Esplin (Intellectual Property/San Diego North County): Esplin is on the firm’s Social Media team and focuses on development and monetization of intellectual property, patent filing strategies, patent preparation and patent portfolio sales and licensing. His patent prosecution experience includes post-grant proceedings and patent interference. Before practicing law, Esplin was a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a patent clerk. He earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School.

Steve Hamilton (Real Estate/San Diego): Hamilton’s practice concentrates on real estate finance, commercial leasing and hospitality. He represents large financial institutions on originating, restructuring and working-out construction and permanent loans, lines of credit and letters of credit. He also handles hospitality deals for hotel owners and operators and advises on loan transactions involving Native American tribes, hotels and casinos. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

John Hane (Communications/Washington, D.C.): Hane has developed a portfolio of experience in the law, business and technology of media distribution and satellite communications. He represents television broadcasters, satellite companies and technology vendors in regulatory and transactional matters. His capabilities include satellite transactional work, signal carriage negotiations and related litigation, and spectrum licensing and allocation. He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School.

Patrick Jennings (Intellectual Property/Washington, D.C.): Jennings advises clients across a gamut of industries on all aspects of trademark law, including counseling, prosecution, dispute resolution, enforcement, and opposition proceedings. A member of the Social Media & Games team, he has also handled trademark matters for social media companies and mobile application developers. Prior to joining Pillsbury, Jennings was a trademark Examining Attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his law degree from Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law.

Julie Mayo (Finance/Houston): Mayo is a member of the Energy & Infrastructure Projects group and concentrates on oil, natural gas and electric power projects. She represents major energy companies in the development of complex global projects, including the development of pipeline facilities, permit applications, mergers and acquisitions and structured financings. Mayo is a member of the firm’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) transactional team, which represents three of the world’s five leading natural gas producers, and earned her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Dianne Sweeney (Litigation/Silicon Valley): Sweeney has extensive experience in civil, criminal and administrative law cases, including multiple jury trials. Her broad practice includes complex business transactions, antitrust litigation, trade secret litigation and white collar defense for high-technology markets. She is President-Elect of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and will become the organization's president in January 2014. She earned her law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Carolyn Toto (Intellectual Property/Los Angeles): Toto’s practice covers intellectual property litigation and prosecution and transactional work for clients in the chemical, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Deeply familiar will all aspects of intellectual property litigation, she has served as second chair on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright infringement cases involving a wide range of products and processes. Toto was recently profiled by Working Mother magazine as Pillsbury’s Working Mother of the Year. She earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury is a full-service law firm with an industry focus on energy & natural resources, financial services including financial institutions, real estate & construction, and technology. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global business, regulatory and litigation matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to understand our clients’ objectives, anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues—helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities, meet and exceed their objectives and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.