California Securities Lawyers

Securities Law

5060 Shoreham Place, 300, San Diego, CA 92122

Brian J. Robbins is a co-founder and the managing partner of Robbins LLP. He has committed his entire career to representing shareholders, employees, consumers, and small businesses in complex litigation. Mr. Robbins has prosecuted hundreds of cases across the country, often in leadership roles, and has achieved sizable monetary recoveries and corporate governance improvements on behalf of his clients. For his leadership and achievements, he has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2007 – many years ranking among the Top 50 Attorney in San Diego – and a Best Lawyer in America for Securities Litigation. Mr. Robbins’ achievements are proof positive that shareholder derivative actions are an important tool for keeping corporate management and fraud in check. His dedication to shareholder rights has helped propel Robbins LLP into a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation. As lead or co-lead counsel, Mr. Robbins has negotiated sweeping corporate governance reforms and numerous multimillion dollar settlements – including one of the largest securities fraud class action recoveries in San Diego’s history. Mr. Robbins received his Master of Laws in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School, where he served as research assistant to Professor Donald C. Langevoort, former Special Counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Office of the General Counsel, and Professor Larry D. Soderquist, one of the most respected professors in the field of corporate and securities law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in just two and one-half years from the University of California, Berkeley.

Securities Law

1100 Glendon Ave, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Jennifer Pafiti became associated with the Firm in April 2014 and was elevated to Partner in December 2015. A dually qualified U.K. solicitor and U.S. attorney, she is the Firm’s Head of Client Services and also takes an active role in complex securities litigation, representing clients in both class and non-class action securities litigation. In 2023, Jennifer was nominated as a Lawyer of Distinction. In 2022, The Enterprise World named Jennifer as The Most Successful Business Leader to Watch Out. In 2021, Jennifer was selected as one of the “Women, Influence and Power in Law” honorees by Corporate Counsel, in the Collaborative Leadership – Law Firm category. Lawdragon named Jennifer among the 2021 Leading 500 Lawyers in the United States. In 2020 she was named a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers® and was recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a Future Star. Lawdragon has recognized Jennifer as a Leading Plaintiff Financial Attorney from 2019 through 2021. In 2019, she was also honored by Super Lawyers® as a Southern California Rising Star in Securities Litigation, named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List of the best young attorneys in the United States, and recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as one of Southern California’s Top Young Lawyers. In 2018, Jennifer was recognized as a Lawyer of Distinction. She was honored by Super Lawyers® in 2017 as both a Rising Star and one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California. In 2016, the Daily Journal selected Jennifer for its “Top 40 Under 40” list of the best young attorneys in California. Jennifer was an integral member of the Firm’s litigation team for In re Petrobras Securities Litigation, a case relating to a multi-billion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme at Brazil’s largest oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras, in which the Firm was sole Lead Counsel. She helped secure a significant victory for investors in this case at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, when the court rejected the heightened ascertainability requirement for obtaining class certification that had been imposed by other Circuit courts such as the Third and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals. Working closely with Lead Plaintiff, Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited, she was also instrumental in achieving the historic settlement of $3 billion for Petrobras investors. This is not only the largest securities class action settlement in a decade but is the largest settlement ever in a securities class action involving a foreign issuer, the fifth-largest securities class action settlement ever achieved in the United States, the largest securities class action settlement achieved by a foreign Lead Plaintiff, and the largest securities class action settlement in history not involving a restatement of financial reports. Jennifer was involved, among other cases, in the securities class action against rare disease biopharmaceutical company, KaloBios, and certain of its officers, including CEO Martin Shkreli. In 2018, Pomerantz achieved a settlement of $3 million plus 300,000 shares for defrauded investors – an excellent recovery in light of the company’s bankruptcy. Isensee v. KaloBios. Jennifer also helped achieve a $10 million recovery for the class in a securities litigation against the bankrupt Californian energy company, PG&E, which arose from allegedly false statements made by the company about its rolling power outages in the wake of the catastrophic wildfire incidents that occurred in California in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Vataj v. Johnson, et al. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Thames Valley University in England, prior to studying law. She earned her law degrees at Thames Valley University (G.D.L.) and the Inns of Court School of Law (L.P.C.) in the U.K. Before studying law in England, Jennifer was a regulated financial advisor and senior mortgage underwriter at a major U.K. financial institution. She holds full CeFA and CeMAP qualifications. After qualifying as a solicitor, Jennifer specialized in private practice civil litigation, which included the representation of clients in high-profile cases in the Royal Courts of Justice. Prior to joining Pomerantz, Jennifer was an associate with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP in their San Diego office. Jennifer regularly travels throughout the U.S. and Europe to advise clients on how best to evaluate losses to their investment portfolios attributable to financial fraud or other misconduct, and how best to maximize their potential recoveries. Jennifer is also a regular speaker at events on securities litigation and fiduciary duty. In 2022, Thought Leaders 4 Disputes published Jennifer’s article entitled “The Globalisation of Securities Litigation.” Jennifer served on the Honorary Steering Committee of Equal Rights Advocates (“ERA”), which focuses on specific issues that women face in the legal profession. ERA is an organization that protects and expands economic and educational access and opportunities for women and girls. Jennifer is a member of the National Association of Pension Fund Attorneys and represents the Firm as a member of the California Association of Public Retirement Systems, the State Association of County Retirement Systems, the National Association of State Treasurers, the National Conference of Employee Retirement Systems, the Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems, and the U.K.'s National Association of Pension Funds. Jennifer is admitted to practice in England and Wales; California; the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of California; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Securities Law

355 S. Grand Avenue, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Jonathan B. Waxman is an experienced litigator who represents clients in securities, entertainment, and general business matters. Jonathan is adept at guiding clients at all stages of litigation, including in trial proceedings. Jonathan has successfully resolved investor class actions, merger litigation, and other complex business disputes, as well as civil fraud investigations, for prominent public companies and their officers and directors in a range of industries, including financial services and energy.

Securities Law

71 Encino Rd, Atherton, CA 94027, USA

Area of Practice: Investment Fund Formation SHANE GOUDEY is the leader of Sidley’s Venture Funds practice. Shane focuses his practice on all aspects of the formation and operation of domestic and international investment funds, including venture capital, private equity, fund of funds, corporate, secondary market, debt, and a variety of other types of funds. He has represented sponsors in the formation of thousands of funds, ranging from multibillion-dollar venture capital and leveraged buyout funds to smaller firms forming early-stage venture capital, angel, pledge, and similar micro-funds, with just several million dollars in committed capital. Shane also regularly advises accelerator, venture studio, and incubator firms with respect to their organizational, operational, investment, and fund formation matters. As fund counsel, Shane regularly advises his clients on all aspects of the fundraising process, including providing sophisticated market intelligence on fund terms and conditions, review and preparation of all fundraising documentation (e.g., private placement memoranda, roadshow presentations, diligence materials, etc.), formulation of marketing plans and strategies, preparation of all governing agreements, and leading negotiations with various participants in the fund formation process (including investors, private placement agents, and gatekeeper organizations). In connection with his fund practice, Shane possesses extensive knowledge of various securities laws (such as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940), tax planning and accounting issues, and other regulatory matters (e.g., ERISA, Bank Holding Company, FOIA, AML, etc.) affecting investment firms and the funds they manage. In addition, Shane has extensive experience in advising and guiding his fund clients on all facets of their internal management structuring, governance, and compensation matters, including developing and implementing both simple and complex organizational structures (often layered over multiple domestic and international jurisdictions), overseeing investment professional departures and separations, consulting on generational management succession planning, designing effective compensation programs (including detailed carried interest sharing plans), and all other general maintenance matters as outside counsel to such clients. Further, Shane also has substantial experience counseling both domestic and international institutional clients in connection with their investments in private investment funds, having represented clients in this capacity in aggregate investment transactions worth over US$5 billion. In addition to his fund formation practice, Shane represents fund clients, other institutional investors, and portfolio companies in their private and public investment transactions, and he has represented a number of emerging growth companies as outside corporate counsel, advising on legal, strategic, financing, tax, and structural matters arising throughout their life cycles. Prior to his legal career, Shane was a senior manager with the San Jose office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he practiced in the firm’s International Tax Services group. In addition, prior to law school, Shane served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson (Wyoming) in Washington, D.C., working both in the Minority Whip’s office and on the Senate Judiciary Committee.