SLO Reporter

Miller Barondess adds top appellate partner, Nadia A. Sarkis, continuing the expansion of the firm’s appellate practice.

Adding Ms. Sarkis to the firm’s appellate team of Mira Hashmall and Ellie Ruth further cements the firm’s effectiveness in representing clients at every stage of litigation, from pre-litigation counseling through trial and appeals. Clients and colleagues rely on the firm’s appellate team to successfully develop a case long before an appeal is filed.  The team collaborates on dispositive and other significant pre-trial motions and is instrumental during the post-trial motion phase, when issues are teed up for appeal.

With a broad-based appellate practice, Ms. Sarkis has successfully briefed and argued appeals on a wide range of subject matters, including product liability, employment, punitive damages, civil rights, anti-SLAPP, and a myriad of commercial matters.  She has appeared as amicus curiae in the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.  Ms. Sarkis secured a per curiam reversal in the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2021 term in Rivas-Villegas v. Cortesluna and obtained reversal of a $15 million punitive damages award in a case involving managing-agent liability.

“We are pleased to welcome Nadia to the firm. Adding her to our appellate practice is a natural move for us.  She’s smart and tenacious.  We’re excited about what that means for our firm,” said Skip Miller, a founding partner of Miller Barondess.

“Miller Barondess is deservedly well known in the Los Angeles legal community as a litigation powerhouse with a talented team.  I look forward to helping the firm strengthen its appellate capabilities and collaborating with outstanding lawyers to serve our clients,” said Ms. Sarkis.

Partner Mira Hashmall, a Certified Specialist in Appellate Law, heads up the firm’s appellate practice.  Ms. Hashmall’s appellate experience includes First Amendment, defamation and libel, insurance coverage, employment, real estate, contract, whistle-blower, public entity, anti-SLAPP and other areas.  She is also a top trial lawyer having achieved Top Verdict recognition on both the plaintiff and defense side.  She is recognized among the Top 100 Lawyers in California.

Associate Ellie S. Ruth rounds out the firm’s appellate team.  She joined Miller Barondess in August 2022 and is admitted in California and Texas.  Her practice focuses on appeals, writs, and dispositive pre- and post-trial motions on a broad range of legal issues.  She is recognized among The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 in Appellate Law.

Ms. Sarkis joins Miller Barondess from appellate boutique Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland. She started her legal career with two appellate clerkships, for Ferdinand F. Fernandez of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court.  Ms. Sarkis earned her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and her A.B. from Princeton University.  She is admitted in California, Colorado and Illinois.

To accommodate the firm’s growth, Miller Barondess will move from its current location at 1999 Avenue of the Stars to new, larger office space at 2121 Avenue of the Stars, 26th floor and part of 27 (formerly, Fox Plaza).  The move, planned for early 2023, aligns with the firm’s strategic growth plan and underscores the firm’s commitment to its employees and clients.

Original source can be found here.