Chief Justice of California Appoints Snell & Wilmer Partner M.C. Sungaila

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - Oct. 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that M.C. Sungaila, an appellate partner at Snell & Wilmer, was appointed by the Chief Justice of California to the Judicial Council of California’s Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions for a three-year term, commencing November 2014. The 22 members of the committee (the majority of whom are trial and appellate judges) maintain the state’s pattern civil jury instructions. The committee is charged with regularly reviewing case law and statutes affecting jury instructions and making recommendations to the council for updating, amending and adding topics to the council’s civil jury instructions.

Ms. Sungaila has consistently briefed and argued appeals raising cutting-edge core business issues, and has helped secure important rights for women and girls, nationally and internationally. Twice named a “Notable Appellate Practitioner” by Chambers, she is described by clients in one Chambers listing as a “gifted appellate lawyer who consistently delivers bottom line results.” Clients call on her to craft winning approaches to emerging legal issues across multiple cases and jurisdictions. Clients also value her strategic approach during pretrial and trial consultations in cases where an appeal by either side appears inevitable or a “key case” outcome might impact a whole series of cases for a client.

In 2014, Ms. Sungaila simultaneously leads appellate practice and amicus curiae committees at the local (OCBA), national (ABA), and international levels (IADC). She is a Ninth Circuit Appellate Lawyer Representative, Lecturer in UCI School of Law’s Ninth Circuit Clinic and Adjunct Professor at Whittier Law School.

In 2013, Ms. Sungaila was recognized for her leadership in law and commitment to community by the California Women Lawyers with the Judith Soley Lawyer as Citizen Award. She was recognized by The Recorder among their “Women Leaders in the Law” in 2012 and was a recipient of the Women Lawyers' Association of Los Angeles’s “Distinguished Service Award.” She has been repeatedly named one of the Top Women Lawyers and Litigators in California by the Daily Journal, and The National Law Journal named her “Appellate Lawyer of the Week” for her innovative amicus brief in the closely watched Wal-Mart v. Dukes U.S. Supreme Court class action case. More information about Ms. Sungaila's practice is available online at http://www.swlaw.com/attorneys/mc_sungaila.

About Snell & Wilmer.

Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing in nine locations throughout the western United States and in Mexico, including Orange County and Los Angeles, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs and celebrates 25 years in Southern California. For more information, visit www.swlaw.com.