Motions for Summary Judgment: Writing for Two Audiences

Marshall Shepardson practices with Fraser Watson Croutch, defending physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals, with a particular focus on law and motion and appellate work. He began his career in 2007 defending medical professionals in New York, where he made his name in motion practice and on appeal, including a federal anti-SLAPP dismissal in Ginx v. SoHo Alliance, a published opinion that courts nationwide still cite today. Since returning to healthcare defense in 2019, his work has centered on research, writing, and oral advocacy. He has given CLE presentations on summary judgment in the medical malpractice context, and his recent appellate wins include the affirmance of a summary judgment he first secured at trial over expert-supported opposition. He is admitted to practice in California, New York, and Texas.

Neda Saghafi is an attorney at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and a key member of the Firm’s sexual abuse litigation team. A dedicated advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, Neda approaches every case with a client-centered philosophy that empowers individuals to share their stories and pursue accountability and justice.

Neda has helped secure significant results on behalf of survivors, including:

• $6 million settlement for a student who was impregnated by her former teacher within the Inglewood Unified School District.
• $4 million settlement on behalf of two former student wrestlers who were sexually abused while attending schools within the East Side Union High School District.

Prior to joining Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, Neda represented clients in complex product liability litigation involving pharmaceutical and biologic products and advocated for students in Title IX matters. Her commitment to public interest advocacy is reflected in an extensive pro bono practice, which has included securing state predicate orders for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, protecting the confidentiality of a non-party witness in a sexual abuse matter, and serving as co-counsel with the ACLU of Louisiana in a federal civil rights action.

Before entering private practice, Neda served as a policy intern with the United Nations’ Ending Violence Against Women Section and worked alongside organizations supporting survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence. She is a Teach For America alumna and formerly served on the advisory committee of LifeBridge Health’s Center for Hope.

After earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Neda clerked for the Supreme Court of Maryland, the state’s highest court. During law school, she authored The American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man: Using a Human Rights Framework to Deconstruct Systemic Police Misconduct Against Low-Income Women of Color, published in the Northeastern University Law Review, 10 N.E.U.L. Rev. 502 (2018).

Neda earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and later received a Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University.

Licensed to practice law in California, New York, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, Neda is fluent in Farsi. She serves as a Foundation Board Member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and as Vice Chair of the Litigation Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. She is also an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.