McGuireWoods Los Angeles Lawyers Named Southern California Super Lawyers ‘Rising Stars’

Four lawyers from McGuireWoods’ Los Angeles - Century City office were named among the Southern California Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” for 2015, including senior counsel Sabrina A. Beldner, who was ranked among the top 50 women lawyers in the region with the highest point totals in survey’s nomination, research and review process.

“Rising Stars” recognizes top up-and-coming lawyers who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 or fewer years. The lawyer rating service Super Lawyers will publish this year’s survey findings in its Southern California Super Lawyers magazine and in the July 2015 issue of Los Angeles magazine.

McGuireWoods’ 2015 Southern California Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”:

• Sabrina A. Beldner, Employee Litigation: Defense. Beldner represents employers in all aspects of employment-related litigation and traditional labor law, including wage and hour class, collective and representative actions, and state and federal litigation of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, FMLA/CFRA, and unfair competition/trade secret violations claims. She has extensive experience representing clients in employment mediations and arbitrations, Labor Commissioner proceedings and at trial, and she regularly provides advice and counsel on discipline, discharge, reduction in force, and leave and accommodation issues.
• Payam Khodadadi, Bankruptcy . Khodadadi has a wide range of experience in bankruptcy cases and has represented corporate debtors, bankruptcy trustees, creditors’ committees, indenture trustees, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, lessors, lessees, contract counterparties and other interested parties in bankruptcy cases and related litigation. His practice also encompasses complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on representing banks. He has represented clients in both federal and state courts.
• Christopher A. Killens, Employment and Labor . Killens’ practice focuses on labor and employment litigation on behalf of management. He has specific experience defending employers in matters involving allegations of race, age, sex and disability discrimination, as well as retaliation, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wage and hour violations. In addition, he works as national coordinating counsel for a major transportation company.
• Lindsay L. Ryan, Employee Litigation: Defense . Ryan has represented employers in all phases of employment litigation. She handles cases involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage-and-hour class-action disputes. She also has experience representing clients in employment mediations and Labor Commissioner proceedings, providing advice and counsel on leave and accommodation issues and conducting training and presentations on the prevention of unlawful employment practices.

A Thomson Reuters publication, Super Lawyers identifies candidates through independent research and by inviting lawyers in each state to nominate the best attorneys they have observed in action. A lawyer-led research staff evaluates candidates on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Candidates also undergo a peer review by practice area.