randy@millerllp.com

Randall A. Miller is a 25-year litigator with nationally recognized practices devoted to defending professionals (lawyers, accountants, architects/design, agents and brokers), financial services clients (security broker-dealers, banks, registered representatives, certified financial planners, marketing organizations and actuaries), businesses, corporations and partnerships of virtually every size. See Practice Areas section.

Mr. Miller is Incoming Chair of the California State Bar Committee on Professional Liability Insurance (COPLI), which administers the bar-sponsored lawyers Errors & Omissions insurance program. Previously, Mr. Miller served for 11 years as Chair of Sedgwick's Professional Liability group in Los Angeles. Litigating in excess of 500 matters over his career, there is little he has not seen or handled. Due to his experience and high integrity, Mr. Miller also is retained by Superior Court judges across California to represent them in disciplinary matters before the Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP).

linda@millerllp.com

Since 1985, Ms. Miller has provided leadership as a partner at private law firms, along with serving in-house for a major insurance carrier as a founding partner of its national coverage law firm and managing its Los Angeles office. Her insurance experience extends to oil and gas, aerospace, chemical manufacturing, asbestos, pharmaceuticals, defamation, intellectual property, unfair trade practices and entertainment, among many others.

Additionally, Ms. Miller has served as national coordinating counsel for several types of insurance actions, with responsibility for evaluating, tracking and managing hundreds of high exposure litigations pending simultaneously nationwide.

She brings to the firm extensive federal and state court experience involving direct handling and supervision of sophisticated multi-party, high exposure and other "strategic" cases arising under cgl and third party policies, as well as first party policies, reinsurance, retrospectively rated premium disputes, extra-contractual litigation and other reinsurance-related matters. termination, and retaliation, with potential exposure reaching into the seven figure range.

Mr. Fields brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience in a wide range of professional liability and business disputes from early consultation focused on prompt resolution, though pretrial litigation, trials and appellate review. He has tried numerous cases to judgment in state and federal courts and has successfully briefed and argued dozens of appeals. Mr. Fields has lectured on legal malpractice and ethics for various bar associations, testified as an expert witness in trials on the standard of care, has served as Judge Pro Tem for various branches of the Los Angeles Superior Court and been recognized as one of California's "Super Lawyers" in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Active in his local community for over 27 years he has served on boards of directors of homeowner associations from Calabasas to Mammoth Lakes where he enjoys skiing and snowboarding.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

PROFESSIONALS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES LIABILITY

Architects/Engineers

• Represented architectural firm in lengthy arbitration involving dispute over unauthorized use of plans resulting in favorable award

• Represented numerous attorneys, small to mid-size law firms in hundreds of claims relating to purportedly insufficient settlements, losses at trial, losses on appeal, lapsed statutes of limitation, conflicts of interest, breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud

• Successfully defended bank officers sued for breach of fiduciary and fraud in connection with a multimillion dollar construction loan

• Successfully represented a pipe manufacturer brought into numerous multiple party construction defect cases

• Defended a variety of malpractice case
• Defended a surplus lines broker in RICO cases in three United States District Court cases brought by banks and the FDIC which claimed the client was the mastermind of an elaborate insurance premium finance fraud scheme

• Represented real estate brokers accused of malpractice

• Represented a trustee of various intervivos trusts accused of breaching duties owed to contingent beneficiaries
• Represented a trustee/attorney accused of a panoply of breaches dating back to the 1960's

• Successfully defended a physician sued by another physician for defamation relating to communications with government officials with the plaintiff dismissing the action instead of opposing a motion for summary judgment

• Represented attorneys in professional liability claims arising out of sexual harassment cases brought by clients dissatisfied with the results in their actions

• Represented a corporation and officers of one large commercial contractor accused by a competitor of theft of trade secrets; after the conclusion of the case obtained an award of attorneys' fees with lodestar enhancements as punishment for the pursuit of frivolous litigation

• Represented developer of a successful Internet based business in disputes over ownership of the company

• Represented a licensed contractor at trial involving claims of fraud and construction defects resulting in favorable judgment including a substantial attorney's fee award
• Represented attorneys accused of mishandling contractor disputes

• Represented partners in disputes involving the dissolution of partnerships

• Advised investment and financial services insurer relative to duties and obligations resulting in resolution threatened bad faith claims

• Acted as third party administrator for an errors and omissions program insuring hundreds of attorneys requiring monitoring of outside counsel, setting of reserves and paying claims

EDUCATION

Southwestern Law School JD 1976
University of California BA Political Science 1973

Vikram Sohal is a commercial litigator with broad experience in the areas of professional liability, intellectual property, D&O liability and products liability litigation. He has successfully defended professionals such as attorneys and banking executives in multi-million dollar lawsuits. In addition, Vikram has favourably resolved over fifty copyright infringement disputes on behalf of America's oldest performing rights organization both in and out of the courtroom.

Before joining Miller LLP, Vikram worked for several years at Arnold & Porter LLP, where he represented clients from a variety of industries including a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, an aerospace manufacturer, a prominent B-to-B software developer and an Internet domain name registry.

Vikram also has represented numerous clients on a pro bono basis. Specifically, he has represented the victims of mortgage loan rescue and modification scams. He was also one of the lead counsels on a petition brought under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Vikram graduated magna cum laude from University of California, Irvine in 2002 with a B.A. in Political Science. . He received his law degree from University of California, Davis, School of Law in 2005, where he graduated in the top ten percent of his class and was elected to the Order of the Coif. During college and law school, Vikram operated multiple commercial websites and has over eight years of experience with search engine optimization (SEO).

A native of India, Mr. Sohal speaks fluent Hindi and Punjabi.

Scott Newman practices in the firm's professional liability section, handling matters on behalf of attorneys, trustees, and accounting firms. Scott has significant experience handling these cases from inception through trial, including the negotiation of favorable settlements for our clients. His experience also includes considerable work on post trial motions. Scott is one of a select few attorneys who represent judges in Commission on Judicial Performance proceedings.

Scott is also part of the employment litigation team, having experience in FEHA claims, including harassment and discrimination. He previously worked for a firm which represented plaintiffs in these claims which has assisted him in analyzing these cases from that perspective as well as from the defense perspective.

Prior to joining Miller LLP, Scott gained insurance defense experience, handling medical malpractice matters on behalf of health care providers, doctors and nurses. In this work, he became comfortable deposing people of all backgrounds, including professionals such as doctors.

Scott is a native of Southern California, growing up in Northridge, California. He currently resides in Long Beach with his wife and cocker spaniel, Wrigley. Scott spends much of his free time cheering on his California Golden Bears and NY Mets when not playing sports himself. He's also a supporter and volunteer for Special Olympics of Southern California.

Representative Cases

• First chaired business dispute involving a breach of contract claim resulting in verdict for his client and award of attorney fees;
• Drafted post trial motions following conclusion of month long jury trial, including coordination among a number of attorneys involved in underlying litigation;
• Obtained favorable settlement for accounting firm client after case was transferred to our firm less than a month before trial;
• Settled accounting malpractice matter for one-fourth of initial settlement demand made by Plaintiffs.

Joining Miller LLP from Jones Day, Jacob Kiani defends attorneys, accountants, trustees, and other professionals in litigation arising in the firm's Professional Liability and Financial Liability Services practice areas. He has a particular focus on defending attorneys against legal malpractice and related claims alleging attorney error in litigated matters in diverse substantive areas of law. He also has significant experience representing trustees in cases involving claims of fraud, breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence.

In addition, Jacob is a leader in the firm's Labor and Employment practice, contributing extensive experience representing employers ranging from small, closely-held businesses to large, multinational corporations in litigation involving allegations of wage and hour violations, wrongful termination, harassment, retaliation, and discrimination based on age, race, sex, national origin, and disability. He drafts employee handbooks and other personnel forms, prepares employment agreements, and counsels employers in the prevention of employment-related claims. He also defends employers in administrative proceedings before the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission among other administrative agencies.

As a Yale University undergraduate, Jacob worked for a summer at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt ,and studied abroad at the University of Cambridge. He served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Journal of Legislation during law school. Prior to joining Miller LLP, Jacob was a labor and employment associate at a prominent law firm in Century City and, before that, a litigation associate at a large international law firm based in Los Angeles.

Jacob is a native of New Jersey but moved to Southern California in 2007. He lives in Marina del Ray with his yellow lab puppy Mikey.

Representative Cases

• Defending attorneys in legal malpractice actions ranging from alleged transactional negligence in handling a commercial development foreclosure to alleged faulty modification of a will with claimed seven figure damages;
• Defending prominent law firm in malicious prosecution action pertaining to litigation on behalf of a city against outside vendor accused of defrauding city support services through alleged false invoicing for over a decade;
• Conducted insurance analysis regarding coverage and allocation issues under complex financial services/trustee/private equity liability policy for multifaceted investment managers accused of alleged corporate raiding;
• Defended national Japanese restaurant franchise in litigation involving claims of wage and hour violations based on alleged misclassification of employees as exempt;
• Drafted complex employment agreement for key employee of closely-held automotive parts distribution company;
• Represented large steak house franchise in litigation involving allegations of sexual harassment, sex discrimination, wrongful termination, and retaliation, with potential exposure reaching into the seven figure range.

As a graduate of University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Austa Wakily brings substantial experience as a litigator to bear on her practice focusing on Professional Liability, Financial Services, Insurance and Commercial disputes in state and federal courts. Austa continues to build on the strong foundation developed very early in her career as a lead counsel on several complex multi-party litigations involving violations of state and federal lending laws. She was also counsel in cases against private and government agencies involving violations of federal and state fair housing laws. She is adept at taking and defending depositions of key witnesses, successfully drafting and arguing motions, taking a high profile role at trial, and negotiating settlements.

Austa recently moved from Sacramento to Santa Monica California and is looking forward to discovering the beautiful sites Southern California has to offer. She enjoys hiking, running, and spending time with close friends and family when she is not working.

Representative Cases

• Active member of trial team for six day bench trial in multi-party, multi-firm litigation against County for violations of federal and state fair housing laws; prepared witnesses for trial, conducted pre-trial workup, participated in strategy sessions, and conducted plaintiff's direct examination at trial. Decision pending;
• Represent law firms, attorneys, and other professionals against claims of professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract;
• Represent law firm in securing collection on multi-million dollar attorneys' fees award following successful defense of professional malpractice lawsuit;
• Represented client and negotiated settlements against six defendants for violations of state and federal lending laws and unfair business practices in complex multi-district lawsuit;
• Represented clients against financial service providers for violations of the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act (RESPA), and unfair business practices;
• Represent clients in lawsuit against large disability insurance company engaging in bad faith and unfair claims conduct.

Speaking Engagements

• Fair Housing Rules in 2011 - An Overview of the Fair Housing Landscape in California Today, Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors. (2011)
• Fair Housing Act Basics Training, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, (2011)
• Making Legal Referrals- Annual Foreclosure Peer to Peer Convening (2009)
• Housing, Fair Housing and Fair Lending Conference: Foreclosure and Predatory Lending, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (2009)

Shawn Shaffie is an associate attorney, whose Professional Liability practice involves performing all aspects of litigation including drafting pleadings and motions, conducting all phases of discovery, making court appearances, participating in depositions, and counseling clients. Shawn also has experience in cases stemming from business and contractual disputes, real estate and unlawful detainer issues, and personal injury matters.

In addition to Professional Liability, Shawn currently works in Miller LLP's Entertainment practice area. His experience within the fields of music, new media, television, film, and intellectual property ranges from matters involving the representation of talent throughout all phases of deal making, contracts, and negotiations, to copyright and trademark registration and litigation, licensing, and royalty issues.

Prior to joining Miller LLP, Shawn worked at a prominent Hollywood talent agency, clerked for The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, and served as a member of the University of Maryland Law Clinic where he provided free legal services to the Baltimore inner city community.

Residing in sunny Santa Monica, Shawn's personal passion is music, and when he's not working you can probably find him at a local concert venue.

Representative Cases

• Defended an attorney in a $3 million dollar legal malpractice lawsuit pertaining to whether defendant properly reviewed and advised business owner client with regards to insurance coverage and potential liabilities;
• Defended attorneys in legal malpractice cases arising out of underlying real estate and leasing transactions with claims of hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages;
• Represented a law firm in a legal malpractice case arising out of the underlying dissolution of a multimillion dollar corporation which led to allegations of professional negligence and breach of contract;
• Defended attorney/law firm in legal malpractice lawsuit for alleged malpractice arising out of an underlying catastrophic injury case against a major American automobile manufacturer;
• Representing commercial specialty produce company in copyright/trademark dispute with competitor for infringing use of business name and possible products;
• Defended medium sized business owner against 132a employment claim for wrongful termination.