Peter Holbrook and Matteo Daste join the firm in Orange County and San Francisco

May 21, 2009 Orange County/San Francisco - Buchalter Nemer announced today that Peter D. Holbrook and Matteo G. Daste have joined the firm as Shareholders. Mr. Holbrook is joining Buchalter Nemer's Orange County office as a member of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group. Mr. Daste, who practices in San Francisco, is joining the firm's Business Practices Group there. 

"We are very excited about having Peter on board here in Orange County. The firm's Orange County presence has been growing steadily and we are now able to support our clients, locally and nationally, across all practice areas," said Martin Florman, Managing Partner of Buchalter Nemer's Orange County office and a member of the firm's Business Practices Group.

Mr. Holbrook represents private and public sector employers in an array of employment matters including discrimination and harassment, wrongful termination, the enforceability of noncompetition agreements, employment contracts, trade secrets, unfair competition matters, and in arbitration. Mr. Holbrook is also highly experienced in litigating wage and hour cases, including class action suits.

In San Francisco, Matteo Daste is expanding the firm's Northern California Business Practices presence.

"Client demand for Northern California corporate expertise has grown recently, so we are delighted to have Matteo join us to address that need and to enhance our corporate, securities and venture financing abilities," said Sharon Morrissey, Managing Partner of Buchalter Nemer's San Francisco office and Co-chair of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group.

Mr. Daste’s practice complements the firm's existing strengths, in that he built his practice by providing sophisticated corporate advice to middle market companies. He brings corporate finance, venture capital financing and M&A expertise to the firm's San Francisco office with an emphasis on transactions in the technology and financial institutions sectors. A native of Italy, Mr. Daste advises clients with U.S. and Italian interests on international matters. He is a founding member of BAIA (Business Association Italy America), an Italian-American business networking association that assists Italian entrepreneurs, investors and companies in the Bay Area.

In recent months, Buchalter Nemer has hired senior laterals in Business Practices, Insolvency, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Real Estate.

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Buchalter Nemer is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional and national clients in eight major areas of practice and their subspecialties, among them: Bank and Finance, Business Practices, Insolvency and Financial Solutions, Litigation, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, and Tax and Estate Planning. Buchalter Nemer has offices in Los Angeles , Orange County , San Francisco and Scottsdale . For more information about the firm, visit www.buchalter.com.