Mark is a member of the bars of the State of California and New York. He recently returned to private practice after concluding his secondment as Chairman of the Board, CEO and General Counsel of a consumer finance subsidiary of GE Capital (WMC).
Mark was initially retained by GE Capital in 2013 as WMC’s Chief Legal Officer responsible for the management of significant financial exposure associated with the origination and securitization of nonprime and Alt-A residential mortgage loans that experienced massive defaults during the Great Recession. In 2016, Mark was then recruited by GE Capital to assume the further responsibilities of Chairman and CEO. Through these executive positions, Mark supervised a team of attorneys and managed the defense of multibillion-dollar RMBS litigation. In addition to managing an annual legal budget in excess of $50M as well as overseeing various compliance issues associated with discontinued mortgage loan origination operations, Mark was responsible for responding to a FIRREA investigation conducted by the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of WMC’s final wind down, Mark successfully negotiated the settlement of $450M in claims asserted by five national banks for $34M.
Prior to his employment with GE Capital, Mark operated a successful law firm which he founded in 1994. Over the course of his legal career, Mark established a reputation as a tough litigator who can deftly handle headline risk actions and secure just results. For example, Mark was co-trial counsel in obtaining a verdict in favor of Weyerhaeuser Mortgage Company against California Federal Bank and two former executives, each of whom was found liable for fraud and civil RICO. After a four-week trial, the jury awarded Weyerhaeuser over $6.5M in compensatory damages and $25M in punitive damages against all defendants.
Mark also represented WMC Mortgage as sole trial counsel in an action filed against a former executive officer and a competing lender who conspired to tortiously interfere with the sale of WMC’s prime mortgage lending business to Wells Fargo Bank. After a nearly three-week trial, the court ruled that the defendants had intentionally interfered with WMC’s transaction, engaged in unfair competition and awarded damages in excess of $3M. Mark’s 25 plus years of business litigation experience and representation of business owners has sharpened his skills as an effective negotiator, both in resolving disputes and striking deals. He has negotiated and documented numerous businesses transactions on behalf of a broad range of clients from start-up entrepreneurs to established enterprises in the financial services industry.
Mark was born and raised in New York City and briefly practiced law in Manhattan after law school. He returned to California in 1987 and moved to Orange County in 1991, where he and his wife raised two sons. Mark is an avid runner and, time permitting, enjoys traveling. Mark is a former member of the Board of Governors of The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and currently serves as Chairman of the Trust Fund and member of the Parish Council for St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Costa Mesa. Mark is also a member of the Diocesan Council of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.
Jamie is a partner with our firm and has represented clients in a broad range of litigation matters, including breach of contract, real estate and mortgage lending, mortgage servicing, landlord-tenant, and unfair competition. She also advises and represents clients in various business matters and transactions, as well as probate and real estate matters.
Jamie graduated cum laude from Chapman University School of Law and was admitted to the bar of the State of California in 2008. She served as a contracts academic fellow and legal writing teaching assistant to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and earned CALI Excellence Awards in Contracts, Corporations, Law & Economics, Corporate Governance, and Negotiations. While in law school, Jamie also worked as a corporate paralegal with Mark who was serving at the time as General Counsel Universal Guardian Holdings, Inc., a small cap, publicly traded company. Jamie then joined the firm as an associate in 2009.
Before attending law school, Jamie graduated with honors from the University of California at Davis in 2005, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. While studying at Davis, Jamie interned in Washington, D.C. for United States Senator Dianne Feinstein as well as Steven Cash, Esq., General Counsel to Sen. Feinstein. Jamie was also a member of both the Golden Key International Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Jamie has advocated for the firm’s clients and prevailed in hundreds of cases before the Superior Courts of California, and the United States District Courts in California, Florida, Missouri, and Michigan. Jamie has also argued and prevailed in appellate cases before the California Courts of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In every representation, Jamie has expeditiously secured the right results on behalf of our clients at an affordable price. Jamie also leverages her expertise and contacts in the financial services industry to resolve and/or settle thousands of lien release/title defect claims asserted against our clients, saving our clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees and valuable time and helping consumers clear title to their homes.
Jamie is passionate about defending and helping small business owners grow their businesses and empowering them with the tools they need to succeed. Jamie knows firsthand what its like to balance professional and family life and takes pleasure in forming relationships with her clients and helping them strike the same balance – sound legal advice, an appropriate corporate structure observing corporate formalities, and an experienced business lawyer acting as your general counsel. She strives to protect your business so that you can enjoy your family and personal life.
Jamie lives in Huntington Beach with her husband and three young daughters. In her free time, Jamie enjoys yoga, surfing, taking her children to the beach, and watching their ballet recitals and soccer games.