HONOREE
Brian A. Cardoza
Senior Attorney
Southern California Edison Company
Boston College Law School
It is rare for a Fortune 250 law department to have in-house counsel prepared to try large cases in court without the use of outside counsel. Brian Cardoza is an exception to this norm. While working at Southern California Edison Company (SCE), Cardoza has litigated and tried numerous cases against some of the best trial attorneys in the state. He has tried all manner of cases affecting the utility, including catastrophic personal injury, business loss and interruption, alter-ego, breach of contract, wrongful death, structure fire and wildland fire matters. In fact, he is only one of a handful of attorneys in the state to have tried to verdict a California wildland fire case. He is currently on several trial teams defending high-stakes wildland fires cases for the company.
His strategic insight and leadership in the ever-evolving world of fire litigation has been of value to the company.
To achieve favorable litigation results, Cardoza has developed expertise in the subject areas unique to representing an electric utility. For example, for over 20 years, he has undergone specialized training in fire origin and cause determination and takes a “hands-on” approach to investigating fires affecting the utility. This includes boots-on-the-ground evidence review, site analysis, and coordination with experts.
Because of his front-end assessment of liability, SCE is often in a strong position to defend or prosecute its cases when the matter goes to the courtroom.
In addition to actual trial work, Cardoza has acted as lead attorney in numerous appellate matters affecting SCE. In one case, he acted as lead trial counsel, authored the subsequent appellate brief, then argued the appeal. The result was a seminal published decision that is often cited in the utility industry. When not litigating, Cardoza is actively involved in mentoring and training other attorneys and often speaks on topics of trial preparation to industry groups. He has co-developed an in-house attorney trial training programat SCE. He has also served as past chairman of the nonprofit organization Volunteers in Parole, a Los Angeles Bar Association sponsored program which pairs incarcerated youth offenders with attorney mentors.
FINALISTS
Yemi Adeyanju, Esq.
Vice President, Senior Corporate Counsel
Providence St. Joseph Health
Syracuse University College of Law
Yemi Adeyanju is vice president and senior corporate counsel at Providence St. Joseph Health, a health system that uses its voice to advocate for vulnerable populations and needed reforms in health care while remaining committed to highquality, compassionate health care for everyone, regardless of coverage or ability to pay. Adeyanju is an exceptional healthcare and corporate law attorney with over 16 years of experience in hospital operations, physician practices, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance (including Federal and State fraud and abuse laws like the Stark Law, Anti-kickback Statute, False Claims Act, Civil Monetary Penalties Law, HIPAA, EMTALA, etc.), corporate compliance and advising on hospital and health system policies and procedures.
Sabina Clorfeine
Assistant General Counsel
Southern California Gas Company
University of Southern California
Sabina Clorfeine is a leading voice in the legal community. She is a results-oriented leader who searches for strategic solutions and partners with senior business leaders in order to solve complex and high-profile legal, regulatory and compliance issues. In her current role at SoCalGas, Clorfeine manages significant high-profile litigation and regulatory matters. Most recently, her work has been representing SoCalGas in litigation and regulatory matters related to the Aliso Canyon incident in 2015. She is also at the forefront of SoCalGas' net zero energy plan, which includes moving into renewable gases and hydrogen. In the community, she has headed up various Southeast Asian Bar Associations, and she speaks on industry panels, including a recent panel at the CMCP Women of Color Conference.
Mark Goldzweig
Executive Director & Associate General Counsel
Kia Motors America
Loyola Law School
Mark Goldzweig is the executive director and associate general counsel serving as the “COO” of the legal department at Kia America. An expert in risk mitigation, legal counsel and strategy, and litigation and regulatory management, he is responsible for the group's attorneys, paralegals and staff. Goldzweig oversees all U.S. lawsuits involving Kia Motors, including product liability, class action, warranty, employment, business litigation, dealer litigation, and intellectual property. He has directly managed nineteen product liability trials. Of the plaintiff verdicts, one was reversed, one verdict was vacated and one was settled during the appeal. He serves as the lead negotiator for all high-profile cases. Additionally, Goldzweig has managed three class action trials and numerous settlements and is responsible for the management of employment lawsuits.
Amy Lerner Hill
Deputy General Counsel
City National Bank
Loyola Law School
Amy Lerner Hill started her career as a commercial litigator at the law firm of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell LLP where she worked on a wide range of litigation matters and provided counsel to clients innumerous industries. After ten years at the firm, Hill went to City National Bank and special assets group, supporting litigation, workouts, bankruptcy, and collection. After a few years at City National Bank, she volunteered to take on additional responsibilities that took her back to her litigation roots, including the oversight of the bank’s retention policies and eDiscovery program.
She is now deputy general counsel at City National Bank, where she oversees a team of lawyers and legal professionals who advise on a wide range of subject matters, including litigation and investigations, regulatory enforcement, information governance and privacy, intellectual property, bank operations, and special assets/bankruptcy.
Michael Speaker
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
City National Bank
University of Virginia, School of Law
Michael Speaker is executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of City National Bank. Speaker oversees the Legal and Corporate Administrative Group, which consists of legal and corporate governance, community reinvestment and corporate security. He joined City National in September 2019 and is a member of its Executive Committee. Speaker led attorneys working in the financial services industry, as well as advising executives in the government and private sectors. Before City National, he served as deputy general counsel at Cincinnati's Fifth Third Bancorp, where he oversaw legal teams that supported credit, commercial and private banking. He also provided mergers and acquisitions advice, served as secretary and chief risk officer for five subsidiary boards of directors and managed nearly 200 outside counsel relationships.
