Class Notes

“I loved the weather, the West Coast flora, and just generally being outdoors as much as possible,” she says. “Berkeley Law also opened my eyes to all of what the practice of law could be.”

Her business law courses had a similar draw, with one area particularly standing out.

“I liked real estate law better than the other business law classes, many of which seemed very abstract,” Williams says. “John Hetland’s Real Estate Finance class cemented my desire to go into real estate law. It was intricate, detailed, math-like, and rules-based. I also liked that California’s real estate finance law was so different from that of other states.”

Her favorite course became her livelihood. She started out at large law firms and at a bank, and has headed Williams & Associates in Los Angeles since 2003, with a focus on representing institutional clients in commercial real estate transactions.

“I like having my own practice because I can choose my clients and work colleagues, and generally have more creativity and independence,” she says. “I also have a broad base of colleagues in my own practice and in the city, state, and around the country through my involvement in honorary real estate bar associations and other networking. I work on many transactions that require the use of other attorneys and have a network of people with whom I’ve had working relationships for many years.

“I consider this accordion-like ability to be a great asset.”

Williams enjoys the administrative side of practice and running a business she can adapt to her life. Close friends consider her to be a workaholic, she adds, but she feels she’s struck the right balance between her professional and family lives.

Another having-your-own-firm highlight: the chance to contribute to the larger profession. Williams does a lot of speaking and writing on commercial real estate legal topics, including a newsletter she has published since 2015, and serves on local nonprofit boards.

“I enjoy educating people. If I hadn’t been an attorney, I would have been a teacher,” she says.

She’s also racked up the accolades, including the Los Angeles County Bar Association Real Property Section’s 2023 Outstanding Real Estate Lawyer Award and the first California Lawyers Association Solo and Small Firms Section Excellence in Practice Award in 2019. In addition, she has been on Los Angeles magazine’s SoCal Super Lawyers list every year since 2006.

Williams also notes that her practice has included mission-based clients who address a public purpose, such as job creation or expansion into new areas.

“I think this type of involvement is important, because it puts you in contact with issues and causes that are broader than your immediate focus and introduces you to people who you might not otherwise meet.” — Gwyneth K. Shaw

In one stretch of his remarkable career, he handled cases involving foreign governments, museum curators, college sports regulations, and horse racing. A thriving litigation partner at Wilson Sonsini in Los Angeles, he’s currently representing a major video-sharing platform on several privacy issues.

“Strong relationships with colleagues and clients,” he says of the secret to staying motivated. “Working with people I admire and having their trust and support gives me the energy and incentive to develop as a lawyer, even through the most difficult stretches.”

So does nourishing his life outside of work. When his daughter Sofia played youth soccer, Li routinely stepped off an international flight and headed straight to the field — luggage in tow — to cheer her on. He also summited Denali and raced in two of the world’s most challenging multistage mountain bike races.

“Adventure racing tests your physical, mental, and emotional resilience,” Li says. “And no matter how strong you are, you can’t succeed by yourself — you need to work seamlessly with teammates to overcome obstacles and support each other through the toughest of moments. It’s like litigating, but in the wilderness.”

A three-time California Lawyer Attorney of the Year honoree, Li has played a leading role in many high-stakes, high-profile trials. He famously gained a complete trial victory representing Vanessa Bryant, the widow of NBA star Kobe Bryant, in a federal civil rights trial against Los Angeles County while dozens of reporters and sketch artists in the courtroom posted real-time updates and captured each gesture.

“Every action faced intense examination,” Li recalls. “But trial lawyers thrive in stress. In cross-examining a sheriff, I took calculated risks that ultimately paid off. When I sat down, Vanessa leaned in and whispered, ‘That was your 81-point game!’ in reference to Kobe’s iconic 81-point game against Toronto in 2006. I’ll treasure that compliment forever.”

Li also steered a successful defense of Deepwater Horizon owner Transocean arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and helped the Norton Simon Museum win a long-running dispute over ownership of two paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder. He is regularly recognized in Chambers USA, with clients calling him “spectacular in court with a limitless pool of skills” and “just outstanding on his feet in front of a jury.”

Li credits his 10 years in the public sector, including seven as an assistant United States attorney, for powering his litigation success.

“The most important thing I learned was that accountability rests on my shoulders — accepting responsibility for my decisions and facing any consequences head-on,” he says. “Embracing accountability is not just a matter of personal integrity; it’s also essential for earning professional credibility in the eyes of the court, your colleagues, and your clients. I’m deeply grateful and consider myself incredibly fortunate to pursue my calling. It truly feels like I was meant to do this work.” — Andrew Cohen

Kahn is an investor, legal counsel, and public address announcer for the Ballers, which recently finished its first season in the Pioneer League, a Major League Baseball partner whose teams aren’t affiliated with specific MLB organizations. The Ballers are striving to rekindle the East Bay’s passion for baseball amid the Oakland Athletics’ recent floundering and upcoming departure after 57 seasons.

When Kahn read about the Ballers’ impending arrival and contacted CEO Paul Freedman about investing, the team was outsourcing various legal needs. He offered to help and soon found himself handling myriad tasks — from working with the city of Oakland to refurbish the Ballers’ stadium to navigating player and vendor contracts to finalizing insurance policies.

“We started from zero. If you stood on Raimondi Field in early March, you would’ve seen a run-down, unplayable baseball field,” Kahn says. “Three months later, we were playing professional games on that field with all the stadium infrastructure built up around it. Working with the city, the community, our organization, and all our partners has been deeply satisfying. And we’re only just beginning.”

A longtime baseball enthusiast and former San Francisco Little League president, Kahn managed ticket operations for the Athletics before law school. After graduating he was an associate at both Fenwick & West and Orrick, did a federal judicial clerkship, and joined a San Francisco litigation boutique firm before shifting to in-house roles in 2006.

Kahn worked at tech companies of various shapes and sizes for nearly 15 years. He was deputy general counsel at WhatsApp and general counsel at Segment, where he helped shepherd its $3.2 billion sale to Twilio.

“While I’ve worked at bigger companies, I’ve been happiest at startups,” Kahn says. “But I’ve never worked at a startup like this: super early-stage, tangible, and very visible to the public … I love seeing the effect the team’s efforts, and my personal efforts, have on the community.”

Kahn leans into the all-hands-on-deck nature of minor league baseball — he made six trips to Home Depot over two days in the sprint to ready the stadium — and relishes seeing the Ballers’ on-field product and game-day atmosphere help fill the void left by the Athletics leaving.

“This sport has a long history here that goes back decades and no one can just up and leave with that legacy,” he says. “We’re fundamentally a group of fans who want to not only preserve Oakland’s baseball legacy, but revitalize it as a key cultural touchstone for the area.

“We want to deliver a joyful, community-focused experience that unites people, celebrating the East Bay’s love for sports as a unifying force. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to be a Baller, you just have to love Oakland.” — Andrew Cohen

Colleagues note that he made an enormous impact at the school — hiring exceptional faculty, leading the building of the South Addition, dramatically increasing support for student public interest grants, and creating many impactful research centers.

“Chris and I were law school classmates. He has been a dear friend and provided me with invaluable wisdom and support,” Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says. “I know I speak for all of us in saying how terribly much we will miss him.”

Edley spent 23 years as a Harvard Law School professor, served in major White House policy and budget positions under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and held senior positions in five presidential campaigns.

​​“Chris Edley had a brilliant mind and a kind, good heart that he put to use to build a better, fairer, more just America … he always believed that law and policy are ultimately about people,” Clinton said in a statement.

Edley also taught at Berkeley Law, co-chaired the National Commission on Education Equity and Excellence, and served as the UC Berkeley School of Education’s interim dean from 2021 to 2023. He was a board member with several social justice–focused nonprofits and a fellow at numerous prominent organizations.

Professor Molly Van Houweling calls him “a relentless force for good in the world,” and praises “the good he accomplished directly and the good that he empowered other people to do.”

Berkeley Law held a memorial service for Edley on Aug. 27. — Andrew Cohen