In Case You Missed It: Civil Law Highlights from the Past Year (2023)

Jeff discovered his passion for wrestling with thorny legal problems while working as a litigator in a major international firm. Having begun his career in this fast-paced environment, Jeff thrives under pressure and provides efficient, excellent legal analysis. His time working as an in house litigation attorney also gave him a deep understanding of the legal and business considerations his clients face when pursuing an appeal. 

When he’s not parsing legal issues (and even sometimes when he is), Jeff enjoys traveling, hiking his way up tall mountains around California, watching The Golden Girls, and taking pictures of his dog

Rachel briefed her first winning appeal before she had even graduated from law school. Her list of successful cases has only grown since. By combining thorough research, clear reasoning, and creative storytelling, Rachel helps secure wins for her clients.

 Before joining GMSR, Rachel was a litigator at a large law firm. Known for her top-notch writing skills, Rachel served as the principal drafter of numerous high-stakes motions and appellate briefs in state and federal courts. She represented corporations, public entities, and individuals in a wide range of civil cases. Rachel also served as a law clerk for Judge Daniel P. Collins at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where she learned first-hand what judges find persuasive on appeal. 

Rachel received her law degree from Stanford Law School. There, she was Co-President of the Moot Court program, an Associate Editor of the Stanford Law & Policy Review, and a student lawyer at the Mills Legal Clinic. Before law school, Rachel graduated at the top of her Economics major at UCLA.

Kent Richland has been an appellate lawyer since he graduated from UCLA Law School in 1971. In 1983, Kent was one of the founding partners of Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP. 

Kent has been lead appellate counsel in hundreds of appeals. He has argued in state and federal appellate courts across the country, including many high-profile cases in both the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. He gained national prominence in 2006 for his United States Supreme Court argument in Marshall v. Marshall, in which he successfully represented the late Anna Nicole Smith. Kent is a frequent lecturer and author on appellate law topics and is co-author, with Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline of the California Court of Appeal, of West’s California Litigation Forms—Civil Appeals and Writs. He has served as president of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and multiple terms as president of the California Supreme Court Historical Society. He was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation and the Litigation Counsel of America. 

Among the honors he has received are the California Lawyer Magazine’s California Lawyer of the Year award in 2007, 2010 and 2019, Best Lawyers®’ Los Angeles Appellate Lawyer of the Year Award in 2015, multiple years’ recognition by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of the top 100 lawyers in California, multiple years’ recognition as one of the top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers and recognition by Chambers USA as one of three “Band One” appellate lawyers in California.