SNR Denton is pleased to announced that Fletcher Alford, Laura Geist and Doug Scullion have joined the firm’s San Francisco office as partners in the Litigation practice.

Fletcher Alford‘s practice focuses on the defense of class actions and other complex civil litigation in both the trial and appellate courts, with an emphasis on claims involving financial services, product liability, consumer fraud, breach of contract and unfair business practices. He also advises product manufacturers on regulatory and labeling issues. Alford has extensive trial and appellate experience, and has handled large, complex cases before both state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.

Laura Geist specializes in class action defense as well as defense of Unfair Competition and Unfair Business Practices, and is also active in life insurance and financial services litigation, including market conduct and annuity sales practices, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations, broker-dealer disputes and defense of corporate directors and officers. She has defended national and state-wide class actions involving the Truth in Lending Act, Unruh Act, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, premium financing, advertising/marketing, rate making, school accreditation, Telephone and Consumer Protection Act and product liability claims. Geist also handles Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Data Compensation arbitrations, and her practice includes the defense of parallel regulatory and governmental actions to civil litigation.

Doug Scullion has a broad commercial litigation background, with a focus on counseling and representing life insurers, annuity companies and financial institutions. He regularly represents clients in class actions, complex disputes including secondary market and unclaimed property matters, as well as individual plaintiff suits. He is experienced defending claims for breach of contract, bad faith, fraud, unfair competition, and improper sales practices. He also represents clients in ERISA litigation and in FINRA arbitrations and investigations.

“Fletcher, Laura and Doug’s extensive class action and consumer protection litigation experience is a perfect complement to our practice, and they’ll add significantly to our deep bench of litigators and to our growing San Francisco office,” said Roger Heidenreich, head of SNR Denton’s US Litigation and Arbitration practice.

The trio is most active in cases involving life insurance and annuity products, including market conduct and annuity sales practices matters, and they routinely defend national and state class actions in the insurance, product liability, and financial services sectors. They also have significant trial experience, including the trial of a nationwide class action.

“We’re very excited to join SNR Denton,” said Geist. “We feel strongly that the firm’s global platform and upcoming Dentons combination will allow us to represent our current and future clients in expanded ways. We also look forward to working with our new colleagues—in the US and beyond—to create strategic and innovative solutions to meet our clients’ changing needs.”

Also joining the San Francisco-based Litigation practice are associates Kelly Fair and Anna Rassouli.

Kelly Fair practices insurance and commercial litigation. She has represented businesses and individuals in all phases of disputes and litigation before California state and federal courts.

Anna Rassouli focuses her practice on commercial litigation, specifically class action defense. She also represents individual and corporate clients in business disputes involving claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition and unfair business practices.

Alford received his J.D. magna cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A. magna cum laude, from the University of Puget Sound. Geist received her J.D. magna cum laude, from the Santa Clara University School of Law and her B.A. from Pepperdine University. Scullion received his LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, J.D. from the University of British Columbia and his B.A. from the University of Western Ontario. Fair received her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and her B.A. magna cum laude, from Fordham University. Rassouli received her J.D. summa cum laude, from Santa Clara University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Davis. The group joins SNR Denton from Gordon & Rees LLP.

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