Allen Matkins Appoints Marissa Dennis and Michael Holmes as Operating Partners of its Los Angeles and San Diego Offices; Matthew Marino Appointed as Associate G.C.

SAN DIEGO – July 23, 2019 – Allen Matkins, a California-based full service real estate and business law firm, announced today that litigation partner Marissa M. Dennis has been named Operating Partner of the firm's Los Angeles office, real estate partner Michael J. Holmes will become Operating Partner of its San Diego office, and San Diego-based litigation partner Matthew J. Marino has been appointed as Associate General Counsel. Dennis, Holmes, and Marino represent an emerging generation of talented young leaders at Allen Matkins, which recently elected Jeffrey R. Patterson as its new Managing Partner.

Dennis succeeds George "Tim" McDonnell who served as the Los Angeles office's Operating Partner for more than 15 years. Holmes succeeds Jeff Patterson who served as Operating Partner of the San Diego office since 2011 until taking over as Managing Partner of the firm. Marino reports directly to Patterson, who remains the firm's General Counsel, a position he's held since 2012. In a busy year of transition at the firm, Allen Matkins also elected three attorneys to partner – Paul W. Nash in the firm's San Francisco office, and Ariel Shaeps and Elizabeth J. Wilgenburg, both in the firm's Century City office. All new positions were effective as of July 1, 2019.

“As Allen Matkins transitions from its founders’ generation into the next generation, we’re refilling from our middle ranks with really dynamic attorneys, who I am confident are going to drive our success into the future,” Patterson says, referring to the recent promotions and a number of new hires over the past year.

Dennis, Holmes, and Marino will continue to grow their thriving respective practices while taking on their new leadership roles: Dennis, frequently recognized as one of the top minority and women attorneys in Los Angeles, represents clients in pre-dispute resolution, negotiated settlements, arbitration, as well as jury trials. In addition to her new role as Operating Partner of the Los Angeles office, she prides herself on balancing her legal practice with a commitment to giving back to the community through her involvement in the firm's Community Outreach, Diversity, and Pro Bono Committees.

Holmes' practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including retail, office, and mixed-use leases, acquisitions and dispositions, development and transactions concerning the ongoing operation, and management of commercial property. Prior to serving as Operating Partner of the San Diego office, he was Chair of the firm's San Diego Community Outreach Committee, which will now be chaired by land use partner Heather S. Riley.

Marino represents large real estate developers, commercial landlords, property and asset managers, and other clients, in helping to find solutions to complicated lawsuits, as well as addressing everyday operational issues, such as landlord-tenant conflicts, insurance coverage and recovery, ADA accessibility, and more. As the Associate General Counsel, he provides critical risk management functions for the firm.

ABOUT ALLEN MATKINS

Allen Matkins, founded in 1977, is a California-based law firm with approximately 200 attorneys in four major metropolitan areas of California:  Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and San Francisco. The firm's areas of focus include real estate, construction, land use, environmental, and natural resources; corporate and securities, real estate and commercial finance, bankruptcy, restructurings and creditors' rights, joint ventures, and tax; labor and employment; and trials, litigation, risk management, and alternative dispute resolution in all of these areas. For more information about Allen Matkins please visit www.allenmatkins.com.