Officers & Board

Josephine Ann Brosas is a Partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP. She is a registered patent attorney and focuses her practice in the areas of intellectual property and technology matters, and in establishing, protecting, and defending intellectual property rights. She represents clients in a range of industries including food, nutritional supplements, apparel, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA, magna cum laude, and her J.D. from Southwestern Law School, magna cum laude. She is fluent in Tagalog.

Attorney Maria Theresa T. Calimag joined Reeves Immigration Law Group as an Associate Attorney in the Pasadena Office in 2021. She has represented clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on a wide range of immigration matters, including family-based petitions, applications for conditional and permanent resident status, naturalizations, asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA), and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Attorney Calimag has defended clients from deportation in Immigration Court and before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and has also represented clients in California State courts for post-conviction relief.

Cherisse H. Cleofe is a senior associate at Kiesel Law LLP. She proudly represents plaintiffs in mass tort litigation, consumer class actions, catastrophic personal injury, and other complex litigation in federal and state courts. Her practice focuses on product liability mass tort litigation against pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Ms. Cleofe received a B.S. in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego and earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Ms. Cleofe was a member of a trial team that won a record $417 million jury verdict for a woman who contracted ovarian cancer due to talcum powder use. She was also a member of a trial team that won a unanimous $11 million federal jury verdict in the first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation involving Wright “metal-on-metal” hip replacement devices.

Ms. Cleofe is a proud PABA Lifetime Member and continues to sit on the PABA Board of Governors. She was PABA President in 2020. In addition, Ms. Cleofe serves as Secretary for the Executive Committee of the LACBA Litigation Section and is a member of the APABA Public Appointments & Judicial Endorsements Committee. She also previously served as a member of the USF School of Law Board of Governors.

Jessica Obrador Gillette serves as Associate Counsel, Senior Director for L.A. Care Health Plan. She provides advice on a wide range of subject matters including employment, public agency, tax and licensing, and other legal matters. Jessica manages and oversees investigations, pre-litigation matters, administrative proceedings, and lawsuits. Prior to becoming in-house counsel for L.A. Care, Jessica served as a litigation attorney for a defense firm representing public entities and corporations.

Jessica is a PABA Lifetime Member and a member of the PABA Board of Directors. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel Southern California Chapter, serving as Chair of the Pro Bono Committee. She is a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society and spearheaded the relocation of the Landing of the First Filipinos monument in the City of Morro Bay. Jessica is also active in the City of Long Beach, where she serves as Equity and Human Relations Commissioner. She was instrumental in organizing the Inaugural City of Long Beach Filipino American History Month Celebration in 2022. She was also selected to be a member of the 2023 City of Long Beach Inauguration Honorary Host Committee.

Jessica was born and raised in the Philippines. She is fluent in Tagalog. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Davis, where she double majored in Sociology (Law & Society) and Rhetoric & Communication. She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and was a Public Interest Law Scholar.

Ben Hofileña is Assistant Chief Counsel at Hulu where he leads the legal team for Hulu Originals. Prior to joining Hulu, Ben was a Business and Legal Affairs executive in Netflix's live action film group. Prior to Netflix, he was a production attorney in feature films at Twentieth Century Fox. For twelve years prior to joining Fox, Ben worked at the global law firms of McDermott, Will & Emery LLP and Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP where his practice focused on intellectual property matters. Ben served as President of the Philippine American Bar Association in 2007-2008 and is a former President of the PABA Foundation. In 2018, Ben was recognized with the PABA Distinguished Leadership Award. Throughout his career, Ben has been committed to his pro bono work on behalf of children and domestic violence victims primarily working with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), The Alliance for Children's Rights, and Public Counsel. Ben earned his B.S. in Physiological Science at UCLA and his J.D. from Loyola Law School. While in law school, Ben won the national championship for the Giles Sutherland Rich IP Moot Court Competition sponsored by the AIPLA and was a judicial extern to the Honorable Stephen R. Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ben loves all things UCLA, underwater photography and is a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor.

Kenneth (Kenny) P. Hsu is a Partner in Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP’s Litigation and Intellectual Property Departments with a focus on brand protection, intellectual property disputes, and complex commercial litigation. Kenny advises clients from a wide range of industries, such as apparel, food and beverage, and technology, in protecting their brands. He prosecutes and defends clients in intellectual property disputes, including trademark and patent infringement actions, in federal and state courts. In addition, Kenny regularly counsels clients regarding trademark matters, including applications, responses to office actions, licensing, and portfolio strategy.

During law school, Kenny served as editor-in-chief of the Hastings Business Law Journal. He also externed for the Honorable Susan Y. Illston, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to law school, Kenny worked as a press aide for an elected official in New York City, New York and as a seasonal sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News. Kenny is an active member of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, and has been recognized as a “Minority Leader of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal and as a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers.

Ria King (nee Pascual) serves as counsel in Goodwin Procter LLP’s Technology group, where she advises emerging growth companies and venture capital firms in a wide range of corporate and transactional matters, including entity formations, equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and structuring and executing secondary sales for private companies and their investors. Ria’s representation of start-up and late-stage companies spans the entire corporate life-cycle, including pre-incorporation planning, general corporate representation and counseling, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, corporate governance, and public company representation.

Ria received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and her B.A. from University of California, San Diego.

Prior to rejoining Goodwin in 2023, Ria served as Associate General Counsel of Venture Capital and Growth Equity for StepStone Group, a global private markets firm with $143 billion in AUM.

John Bernard de Leon is an attorney with the State of California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He currently serves as the Board President of the Baldwin Park Unified School District's Board of Education and a member of the Board of Directors of CASE – California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment, the labor union representing California's legal professionals.

Ferry Eden Lopez is a Partner in the Labor, Employment, and Workplace Safety group of K&L Gates. She focuses her practice on defending employers in single plaintiff and class action employment lawsuits and providing clients with strategic and collaborative solutions to minimize litigation risks. Ferry also provides advice, counseling, and training to management on every aspect of California employment law and traditional labor matters and has extensive expertise conducting workplace investigations and customized audits to ensure legal compliance.

Ferry received her J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law, and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Ferry practiced management-side labor and employment law at an international law firm and labor and employment boutique and served as a judicial law clerk to the honorable Christopher M. Klein, Chief Judge of the US Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of California.

Edzyl Magante is senior counsel at Parker, Milliken, Clark, O'Hara & Samuelian in the areas of labor and employment, including employment law counseling, commercial litigation, and appellate practice. He specializes in employment litigation, representing employers in single-plaintiff actions for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, as well as in wage-and-hour claims brought on an individual basis, on class basis, and on representative basis under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Alongside employment litigation, Edzyl continues to engage in general civil litigation, including contract litigation and real estate litigation.

Prior to moving to California, Edzyl gained significant experience in international tax and business law practice from his managerial role at a Big-Four accounting firm’s Philippine office, where he was recognized as a Visionary for strong performance and communication skills. He previously clerked at the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and taught conflict of laws and international economic law at Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in the Philippines, where he earned his J.D. Edzyl also has LL.M. degrees from both Harvard Law School and The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nicholas “Nick” Marfori is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Ogletree Deakins. His practice is focused on defending clients against individual and class action lawsuits brought under the Unruh Civil Rights Act and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nick regularly advises and defends retail stores, restaurants, hotels, theme parks, and other places of public accommodation in matters involving architectural access barriers and digital accessibility (e.g., website accessibility, mobile apps, streaming media). Nick also represents clients in employment litigation matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims. He has also represented residential developers, homeowners’ associations, and property management companies in fair housing matters and construction-related issues. Nick received his B.A. at the University of California, Irvine, and his J.D. at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. During law school, he externed for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and served as Developments Editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review.

Sharlynne M. Mate is an associate in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling. Sharlynne previously defended individuals and entities, including governments, non-profit organizations and private sector companies, in various tort and commercial litigation actions.

Sharlynne obtained her J.D. by completing the SCALE Two-Year Program at Southwestern Law School and her B.S. in Finance from California State University - Northridge. While in law school, she externed at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, where she conducted preliminary hearings and assisted in white collar crime matters.

Anastasia ``Asia`` Olano is an associate attorney with the Dordick Law Corporation. She is originally from Northern California and attributes her passion for being of service to others to her East Bay upbringing. Asia received her bachelor's degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara. She then completed one year of AmeriCorps service, working in the community to help Los Angeles' most vulnerable populations. She earned her Juris Doctor from LMU Loyola Law School. During her time there, she served as a Team Leader in the Young Lawyers Program and was a member of the Entertainment Law Review. She also dedicated two years as a certified law student in Loyola's Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic. Before graduating, she completed a judicial externship in the Los Angeles Superior Court and worked as a law clerk for the Orange County Public Defender's Office. Asia was a 2021 American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Fellow. Prior to joining the Dordick Law Corporation, Asia was an associate attorney at a prominent medical malpractice law firm where she gained valuable experience in understanding complex medical issues.

Ernie is Counsel in the Entertainment & Media Industry Group of Reed Smith LLP. He advises clients in connection with business launches, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and venture finance, and provides general corporate counsel with respect to client operations.

Arnold Pamplona is a seasoned Hospital Operations Attorney at CommonSpirit Health, bringing over two decades of expertise in healthcare law. An alumnus of Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to mentoring future legal professionals. He actively participates in professional organizations such as the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys (CSHA) and the American Health Law Association (AHLA). Arnold's involvement with the Philippine American Bar Association of Los Angeles (PABA) and the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA) underscores his commitment to diversity and leadership within the legal profession. In 2009, he served as the President of PABA.

Jenny Pelaez focuses her practice on complex commercial and class action litigation at the trial and appellate levels. She has extensive experience representing a diverse group of clients in high-stakes matters involving claims under antitrust, securities and consumer protection laws, as well as a variety of contract and tort claims. She also regularly represents public companies and individuals in a wide range of industries in securities class action and derivative litigation. Her clients include companies in the financial services, accounting, technology, and entertainment industries.

Jenny also maintains a robust pro bono practice, including in the areas of reproductive rights, immigration law, public benefits, criminal procedure and prisoner’s rights.

Prior to joining the firm, Jenny clerked with the Honorable Pamela K. Chen of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She worked for two years as a fellow at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, where she litigated class actions seeking to reform policies and practices affecting low-income populations, including claims under the federal Due Process Clause, Food Stamp Act, Medicaid Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. Previously, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Frank Maas of the US District for the Southern District of New York.

Stacey A. Villagomez is Senior Counsel in Allen Matkins' Los Angeles office. She practices in all aspects of general business and real estate litigation in both state and federal courts. Stacey received her bachelor's degree in English, with a minor in Asian American Studies from UCLA. She received her J.D. from USC Gould School of Law where she served as Topic Editor for the Hale Moot Court Honors Program and Secretary for the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. While in law school, Stacey also obtained a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Prior to entering law school, Stacey worked as a paralegal for five years at an Orange County law firm. She also clerked for boutique litigation and appellate firms in Los Angeles while completing her law degree. Stacey is currently Co-Chair of the General Real Property Subsection of LACBA and is an active member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

Mark is a 1L at Western State College of Law. Mark graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in Film and Electronic Arts with an emphasis in Production Management at California State University, Long Beach. Following a year of working he decided to go to Cerritos College where he completed the paralegal certificate and eventually furthered his legal career when he started attending Western State. Mark currently serves as the secretary for his school’s Asian Pacific Law Student Association. Mark was born in the Philippines but grew up around the Middle East and believes that this upbringing can bring a different ideology into the legal field. He is fluent in Tagalog and speaks conversational French and Arabic.