About ACBA
Board of Directors
With two decades of trial experience in private practice and as a deputy public defender, Megan Burns specializes in criminal defense and plaintiff personal injury matters. She has tried over fifty jury trials and been named a Super Lawyer in Northern California every year since 2018. Megan enjoys fighting for real people with real problems, whether they are charged with a crime or seeking recovery after being injured through no fault of their own. Megan graduated with honors from Boston College in 1999 and earned her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School.
Jo-Anna Nieves formed the Nieves Law Firm, APC in order to help those accused of crimes navigate the complex and challenging criminal justice system. Jo-Anna is the former Chair of the ACBA Barristers Section Executive Committee, former Chair of the ACBA Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee, and the President-Elect of the ACBA Board of Directors. She has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2016 and her firm has been recognized as one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation by Law Firm 500. Most recently her firm was named one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the nation by Inc. 5000. She attributes her Firm’s success to her genuine commitment to helping people thrive in difficult situations.
Janice Cho has been practicing law since 2004, with expertise in family law and immigration law. Ms. Cho received her Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University School of Law. After law school, Ms. Cho began her career working exclusively in the area of family law and immigration law. She has supervised family law and domestic violence legal clinics, provided technical assistance to non-profits and pro bono attorneys, provided trainings on family law and immigration law, and regularly serves as Judge Pro Tempore in Alameda County. Ms. Cho was selected as a 2021 Super Lawyer in Northern California. She is proficient in Spanish and conversational in Korean.
Chief Assistant City Attorney Maria Bee oversees both the Affirmative Litigation, Innovation & Enforcement Division, which focuses on injustices that impact Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x, Asian / Pacific Islander, and other historically and/or presently marginalized communities, and the General & Complex Litigation Division (defense) of the Oakland City Attorney’s Office. Before taking this post, Ms. Bee served as the Chief of the Victim Services Division in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she was responsible for providing critical services to victims of crime in San Francisco.
Ms. Bee is a member of the Charles Houston Bar Association and serves on the Alameda County Bar Association board. She formerly chaired the Alameda County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service committee and served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of La Casa de Las Madres, an advocacy program for survivors of domestic violence.
Mahal began her law practice in 2014, having spent the previous fourteen years as a law clerk, educator, and paralegal specialist for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mahal was born in Vallejo, and after a series of family tragedies enrolled herself in the tenth grade at Oakland Technical High School. She was legally emancipated as a minor the following spring. These childhood experiences inspired her to become an attorney and in her law practice, to work on family law issues. Mahal received a full academic scholarship to study law at the University of Iowa after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UC Berkeley.
Mario Choi
Administrative Law Judge State of California
Mario Choi is an Administrative Law Judge with the State of California. He hears, mediates, and arbitrates administrative matters.
He is a former litigation attorney and counselor with nearly 20 years of experience handling complex commercial, intellectual property, civil, partnership, consumer protection, securities, antitrust, and privacy matters.
Outside the office, Mario is an active member of the community. Mario is a lecturer at U.C. Berkeley School of Law. Mario also serves – or has served – on the boards and committees of several non-profit and legal organizations. For his work, Mario was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Aimee Hamoy is a litigation partner with extensive trial experience. Her practice focuses on the defense of public entities in cases alleging violations of civil rights/excessive force, and the defense of national retailers in serious personal injury and premises liability matters. Ms. Hamoy started her legal career as a deputy district attorney and has represented public entity clients and large national retailers in all aspects of conflict resolution from pre-litigation negotiations through verdict and appeal. Some of her most interesting and challenging work has been in the defense of law enforcement officers across Northern California in civil rights, excessive force, and wrongful death claims. Aimee’s trial experience includes excellent results involving traumatic brain injury claims, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury matters.
Maria Lampasona is a shareholder of Rankin, Shuey, Mintz, Lampasona & Harper, an Oakland civil litigation defense firm. Her practice includes the defense of general liability, access, and employment-related claims.
In general liability matters, Ms. Lampasona’s practice has included the representation of clients in the medical transport and hospitality industries, as well as various universities, public school districts, and public and private entities. Ms. Lampasona also is experienced in advising and defending clients, including owners and tenants of large facilities, stadiums, and ballparks, regarding general liability matters, access issues, and compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
In employment-related litigation, Ms. Lampasona has represented public entities and private companies, as well as public and private educational institutions, both in civil actions, and in administrative actions involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the California Civil Rights Department (formerly the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing).
Originally from Massachusetts, Ms. Lampasona graduated from the University of California at Davis, receiving a B.A. in American Studies and a B.A. in Political Science. Prior to receiving her degrees, Ms. Lampasona participated in the University of California Washington D.C. program, and interned at the White House in the office of Vice President Al Gore. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Spojmie Nasiri the principal attorney at the Law Office of Spojmie Nasiri PC. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis in 1998 and her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University, School of Law in 2003. Mrs. Nasiri is a member of the California State Bar and has been practicing immigration law for over 10 years.
In addition to her legal practice, Mrs. Nasiri is actively involved in various immigrant rights organizations, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and has volunteered her expertise to provide services to the immigrant community. She is a frequent speaker at immigration law conferences and seminars and has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the field.
Her dedication to her profession has been recognized by many organizations. In 2019, she was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame for her unwavering commitment to immigration-related legal work in the community. In 2021, she was also awarded the Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award by the AILA Northern California Chapter. Additionally, in 2021, Mrs. Nasiri was recognized by Congressman Eric Swalwell in the Congressional Record for her pro bono service to the Afghan community. In 2022 and 2023, Mrs. Nasiri was awarded AILA President’s Commendations Award for her tremendous contribution to immigration law. Mrs. Nasiri is fluent in English, Pashto, and Dari.
David Parnall is the principal of Parnall Trust & Estate Law, PC. His practice emphasizes trust and estate litigation, administration, and mediation. Dave is a seasoned litigator who fights hard for his clients, having taken cases through trial and appeal. When possible, he aims to resolve his clients’ legal issues by working cooperatively with opponents, emphasizing alternative dispute resolution and the mitigation of interpersonal conflicts.
Dave’s cases commonly relate to financial elder abuse, contested estate accountings, the validity of testamentary instruments, the removal of fiduciaries, and similar disputes relating to the transfer of assets between generations.
A certified trust and estate law specialist, Dave was selected to the Northern California SuperLawyers list for 2022 through 2024. He spent several years with one of California’s preeminent trust and estate law firms, where he defended a trial victory through a successful, published appellate decision addressing an opposing attorney’s incivility. Dave earned his J.D. in 2006 from U.C. Davis, where he was an editor of the law review.
Dave is also an accomplished musician and was one of the original music analysts for Pandora internet radio. He also serves a lifetime appointment as the lucky father of two wonderful children.
Since 1983, Oakland-based business transactions attorney Brian Ripley has counseled and represented business owners, particularly licensed professionals, in a broad variety of legal issues and matters, including corporate compliance and governance, risk management, asset protection, buy-sell agreements, business policies and procedures, commercial leases, business contracts and agreements, succession planning and “exit” strategies, and many more.
Alice Cheng, Candelaria PC, is a family law attorney who handles matters throughout many Bay Area counties. Alice was the 2017 recipient of the ACBA Distinguished Service Award for Barristers and the CCCBA’s 4th Annual Outstanding Woman Lawyer award in 2023. Alice has been included on the SuperLawyers list for 2023, 2022, and 2021 SuperLawyers – Rising Stars list for 2020, 2019, and 2018. Alice is on the ACBA’s Lawyer Referral Service Family Law Panel and regularly volunteers with Legal Access Alameda’s pro bono clinics. She is also a member of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court Executive Board and the CCCBA’s Family Law Section Executive Committee. A proud immigrant from Hong Kong, Alice also speaks Cantonese and basic conversational Mandarin.
Dustin currently works at Cogent Legal as an Attorney Consultant. Prior to joining the Cogent team, Dustin was a practicing litigator handling: business disputes, product defect, and high value personal injury cases. Dustin tailored his career to trial work with an emphasis on case presentation and persuasion. Dustin now assists attorneys as a consultant, and is heavily involved with case strategy throughout each phase of litigation.
Hadassah Hayashi has built a 20-year career at the ACBA serving in various capacities and positions, most recently as ACBA Deputy Director responsible for managing operations, finance, and technology. She has successfully managed various programs and departments including Membership, Education, & Events, the Lawyer Referral Service Program, and the Bay Area Legal Incubator. She has worked in both the Civil and Criminal Court Appointed Attorney’s Programs and partnered with Legal Access Alameda on various projects and fundraisers. During her tenure with the ACBA she has worked closely with the Board of Directors, Executive Committees, and collaborated with many local legal organizations and the courts on initiatives including the formation of the Racial Justice and Equity Task Force and the Civics Outreach Program.