Class Notes

Yes, this year’s Minnesota State Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner is a fierce advocate for his clients with an impressive track record over 30-plus years as a federal public defender and sometime civil rights and civil litigator. But peers say Mohring’s integrity, mentorship, and tireless work supporting fellow lawyers in recovery truly sets him apart.

An aspiring lawyer since early adolescence, Mohring found UC Berkeley Law to be a great fit and formed meaningful connections with several faculty members. Clinic work in Fresno provided “the satisfaction that comes from telling the stories of people who are not generally given the opportunity to speak, who are not generally heard,” and drove home “how the law often makes promises upon which it does not deliver.”

Volunteer work and civic involvement became career hallmarks. District of Minnesota Federal Defender Katherian Roe says Mohring continually models “patience, empathy, and thoughtful advocacy” as the coordinator of their district’s federal defender mentor program and that his mentorship and teaching “has left a distinct imprint” on their state’s legal community.

“He is kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and has a human spirit that draws others to him,” Roe says. “But he is also a tough, relentless, sharp-edged advocate who will fight intensely to defend his client against what can seem like the overwhelming power of the government.”

For years as the First Assistant Federal Defender, and currently of counsel at Goetz & Eckland in Minneapolis, Mohring has found unique approaches to thorny cases dealing with corruption, fraud, money laundering, securities, tax, and other white-collar crimes. He is also an adjunct law professor at the University of Minnesota.

Mohring credits well-rounded experience (judicial clerk, public defender, law firm partner, law school teacher) for his success — and service.

“Indigent defense and community work that benefits the disadvantaged and dispossessed, that’s where the greatest need is,” he says. “But selfishly it’s also where the best stories and the best community of like-minded people are found.”

Mohring’s work helping attorneys navigate addiction so they can return to effective, ethical practice adds a special dimension to a rewarding career helping people.

“The ways we’re given opportunities to serve, to be of use to others, are enormously varied,” Mohring says of wanting “to make positive contributions when the opportunities present, as they often do, in pretty much every aspect of life.”

Criminal defense attorney Dane DeKrey says Mohring has helped many clients avert subpar lawyering by attorneys in active addiction.

“He saved my clients from the worst version of myself, and made it so they get the best version of myself. He taught me to be a better lawyer and made me a better human,” says DeKrey, who nominated Mohring for the award. “Whether it’s in courtrooms, church basements, or designing and running the district’s compassionate release protocol during COVID-19, Andrew saves lives. I know because he saved mine, and I’m not alone. The number of lives Andrew has touched boggles the mind.” — Andrew Cohen

“At Berkeley Law, I found exactly that,” she says.

These days, Sheth challenges the status quo for employees who have experienced discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other forms of workplace injustice. After gaining a versatile skill set in law firms, the nonprofit sector, and government, she became a solo practitioner last year.

“My solo practice is rooted in the same vision that guided me to law school: that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, and that the law should protect all people — not just highly resourced people and powerful institutions,” she says.

At Monali S. Sheth Law in San Mateo, she represents employees “because I’ve always been compelled to stand with people who are challenging power — especially when speaking up comes at great personal risk. The workplace is where people spend much of their lives, and when that environment becomes hostile, discriminatory, or unsafe, it can have profound effects not just on someone’s career, but on their mental, emotional, and even physical health.”

Named a Northern California Super Lawyer for employment litigation the past three years, Sheth says she often sees women and particularly women of color disbelieved, dismissed, or pressured into silence when they try to assert their rights at work. She strives to ensure that each client feels heard, supported, and empowered — and that their stories help drive systemic change.

“Representing employees is about more than legal outcomes; it’s about restoring agency and dignity to people who have been denied both,” she says. “What I enjoy most about this work is the deep human connection, the trust my clients place in me during some of the most difficult and vulnerable moments of their lives.”

Sheth likes how each case offers a blend of legal analysis, storytelling, negotiation, and advocacy, and relishes crafting narratives that elevate what clients experienced while navigating a system that doesn’t always make space for those voices.

Solo practice’s juggling act of advocate and business owner does present challenges, of course. She handles litigation, client care, and strategy along with the infrastructure that keeps her practice running: managing finances, technology, and case workflows. Sheth’s network of trusted colleagues and systems help her stay focused on what matters most — advocating for her clients with intention, care, and clarity.

“Solo practice offers incredible autonomy, but that freedom only works if you’re deeply grounded in your purpose and values,” she says. “It requires a different kind of entrepreneurial mindset. You need to be self-motivated, adaptable, and comfortable with uncertainty. But the core values of good lawyering — integrity, diligence, empathy, and clarity — matter just as much, if not more. Solo practice isn’t for everyone, but for those who crave autonomy, want to align their work with their values, and are willing to take some risks, it can be incredibly rewarding.” — Andrew Cohen

Not long before Numa Isnard wrapped up a transformative year at UC Berkeley Law — building both a deep understanding of U.S. law and a top-notch network of global contacts — startup companies like SpaceX started breaking that mold.

Many countries, including the U.S. and Isnard’s native France, had changed their traditional policies on space research and development, also creating business opportunities for private contractors with expertise. Entrepreneurs rushed into the void, tapping venture capital funding and snapping up veteran engineers alongside younger scientists to build the space industry of the future.

Isnard, then specializing in telecommunications law at a Paris firm, saw an opportunity.

“A lot of these startups had no idea what the regulatory ecosystem was within the space industry,” he says. “It’s very heavy everywhere — a lot of things to comply with that can be very costly. So the sector had a lot of players who’d been in the industry for decades but had never negotiated any contracts or intellectual property rights, because they were in another part of the business.”

In order to fill that gap, Isnard launched Spaceadvocat, billed as “the law firm for all humankind,” in 2021.

“With this new influx of new ventures, there were new players, and they weren’t from the space sector. They had other ways of thinking when they negotiated contracts,” he says. “I went to see some of these people, the old subcontractors at the new startups, and told them, ‘You should think about having a legal counsel who is actually dedicated to the space industry.’

“When I named the firm, I wanted it to be very clear who we are and what we’re doing: We are a space industry player that provides legal services.”

In the firm’s first year, Isnard won the European Legal Award in Space Law, a feat he repeated the following year. And as his firm heads for the stratosphere, his UC Berkeley Law experience and network are fueling the flight.

“In my firm, it’s a huge asset,” he says. “Because of my understanding of the U.S. legal system, I can talk in an easier way with my U.S. colleagues. When we have a transatlantic deal, which is very common in the space industry, I always feel my U.S. counterpart is more at ease when they know that I’ve got a Berkeley background.”

When clients do a multijurisdictional deal call and want Isnard’s take on what’s happening in Africa, Asia, or South America, he just taps into his UC Berkeley Law directory and finds a friend or classmate to ask.

For Isnard, who dreamed of studying at Berkeley after a brief visit on vacation, his LL.M. experience was the perfect recipe for success.

“Thanks to Berkeley, I had this amazing exposure to U.S. law, and this network ready to work,” he says. — Gwyneth K. Shaw

On a late July evening in Los Angeles, UC Berkeley Law’s Development and Alumni Relations Office welcomed more than 40 graduates, incoming 1Ls, rising 2Ls, and rising 3Ls working in the area. The annual Los Angeles Alumni Chapter summer gathering was hosted at Crowell & Moring by Jennifer Romano ’97, a partner at the firm, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Bryant Yang ’07.

The event featured a luminous panel discussion with State Senator Ben Allen ’08, Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court Criminal Division Yvette Verastegui ’93, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California Fernando Olguin ’89, and Miller Barondess Partner Jason Tokoro ’07. Panelists shared stories of their unique career paths, and the impact of support they received from UC Berkeley Law communities in Los Angeles.

The school’s Regional Engagement Alumni Chapters (REACh) program has chapters in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. Focused on bringing UC Berkeley Law to graduates living across the country, REACh is a collaborative effort between alumni volunteers and Alumni Engagement Office staff that provides opportunities for networking, intellectual engagement, career development, and social interactions.

If you’d like to connect more closely with fellow alumni in your area and become involved with one of our chapters, serve on a steering committee, host an event, or share programming ideas, please contact David Smith at davidsmith@berkeley.edu.

His path to UC Berkeley Law was fueled by getting arrested in Mississippi while working to register voters — and getting released through the help of the National Lawyers Guild. In 2014, the organization named Siegel and his wife Anne Weills “Champions of Justice,” citing them as “a big reason why social movements are so strong in the Bay Area.”

A former Oakland School Board president and Oakland Housing Authority chair, Siegel co-wrote Oakland’s community policing law and taught graduate courses at Mills College.

While UC Berkeley student body president as an undergraduate, Siegel coordinated a protest after the university fenced off People’s Park, and urged people to “go down there and take the park.” Law enforcement arrived with shotguns and tear gas, injuring dozens and killing a bystander. That night, then Gov. Ronald Reagan sent National Guard troops to enforce a curfew and a ban on public assembly.

The State Bar of California later used Siegel’s actions to ban him from practicing law, but the California Supreme Court ruled that protest participation does not indicate deficient moral character. His many landmark legal victories include the two largest verdicts ever awarded in cases under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which bars sex discrimination and requires gender equity in higher education.