Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® 2016 Edition
OAKLAND (August 28, 2015) – Three attorneys from Donahue Fitzgerald were recognized in the 2016 edition of Best Lawyers in America®:
- Dawn Newton, Franchise Law
- Kristin A. Pace, Tax Law
- Merrill J. Schwartz, Corporate Law
The Best Lawyers in America rankings are based solely on peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of attorneys confidentially evaluate their colleagues. As lawyers do not pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
About Dawn Newton
Dawn is certified as a legal specialist in the area of Franchise and Distribution Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. She co-chairs the firm’s intellectual property practice. She has worked with franchise systems in the fields of seated and fast casual restaurants, real estate, retail, children’s programs, personal services, health care, construction, consulting and hospitality. She is a frequent speaker and author on the subject of franchise law and is currently a member of the Governing Committee for the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising.
About Kristin A. Pace
Kristin co-chairs the firm’s Estates and Trusts Practice Group and chairs the Tax Practice Group. She advises clients in sophisticated estate planning matters on strategies for minimizing estate and gift tax liabilities. She represents business and individual clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, State Board of Equalization and other taxing authorities. She also handles a wide variety of probate and trust administration matters. Active in professional and community organizations, she serves on the executive board of the Children’s Health Council at UCSF Bennioff Children’s Hospital and on the national board of directors for Girls, Inc.
About Merrill J. Schwartz
With a legal practice spanning almost five decades, Merrill’s business transactional experience includes formation of numerous corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, and he has structured numerous business acquisitions and dispositions. He has represented numerous commercial lessors and lessees in lease transactions involving office space, industrial and warehouse properties, retail stores and shopping centers. In his spare time, he competes in Ironman triathlons and has qualified for and finished the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kona, Hawaii the last four years.
About Donahue Fitzgerald LLP
DDonahue Fitzgerald LLP is a full-service law firm with more than fifty attorneys with offices in the Bay Area. The firm provides legal advice and representation in all aspects of business and corporate law, employment, intellectual property, real estate and construction, immigration, nonprofit, franchise, music and entertainment, data privacy and security, and tax, as well as trusts and estates and litigation. The firm was founded in 2014 with the merger of two of California’s oldest and venerable law firms, Donahue Gallagher Woods LLP and Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP.