CHIAO & WU - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Senior Counsel
Alexei Brenot is a senior associate within the firm who advocates for the legal interests of homeowners, business owners, government agencies, employees and others in the areas of business and commercial litigation, real estate litigation, employment and wage claims, class actions, construction law, and other civil litigation.
Alexei credits his decades of success as an attorney to his past military career. Alexei began his time in the military learning different languages at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California and later on attending the United States Air Force Cryptology School becoming a certified radio communications analyst. After being certified, Alexei was then employed as a Communications and Intelligence Analyst for the United States Air Force.
Using these analytical skills developed in the military, Alexei brought the same skills into his legal profession. Using his analytical skills stemming from his military career, Alexei would develop unique litigation strategies that both maximizes a client's recovery while also minimizing the risks, costs and expenses involved. For example, Alexei recently obtained a $2,400,000 Final Award stemming from a 7-day AAA/ICDR Arbitration held in New York while protecting the client from a $55,000,000 countersuit.
Alexei's compelling arguments in trials, alongside his creative negotiating skills in both arbitration and mediation are all factors of why clients are satisfied with his representation. In the past couple of years alone, Alexei's representation obtained awards and judgments in excess of $80,000,000.
Outside of work, Mr. Brenot enjoys traveling around the world with his family, or going out on unique excurions into the great unknown.
Education
Whittier Law School
Juris Doctorate (J.D.), 1997
University of Maryland
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Business Management, 1994
United States Air Force Cryptology School
is not just an attorney, but also a firefighter for the city of Arcadia. Being one of the first Asian-American firefighters to join Arcadia Fire Department, rising now acting as the Deputy Fire Chief, Mr. Suen knows the discipline needed to overcome challenging situations.
Biography
The newest addition to Chiao & Wu, LLP; Attorney Chen Suen brings a fresher aspect in what law is. For the past 18 years, Mr. Suen was a firefighter rising to the rank of Deputy Fire Chief with a local municipality in charge of the Department's operation. Not only was Mr. Suen a firefighter, but also taught future firefighters courses in community colleges located around the greater Los Angeles area.
Ching K. Chiao specializes in real estate, business transactions, and litigation at CHIAO & WU, LLP.
In his 15+ years as an attorney, Managing Partner Ching K. Chiao has and still is one of the most respected and prominent member of the Southern California Real Estate and Business Law communities. Majority of clients who retain Mr. Chiao all agree that the terms "honesty", and "professional" to be the factors that best describe Mr. Chiao and the firm. As managing partner to CHIAO & WU, LLP, Ching brings to the table rational approaches in all of his cases that result in clients praising the cost-savings and efficiency.
Biography
Managing partner Ching K. Chiao founded Chiao & Wu, LLP with a simple philosophy, "Your Success is Our Success." With over 15 years of experience in law, Attorney Chiao has represented a plethora of individuals and businesses. These representations include tenants, landlords, property owners, and other major real estate developers in Southern California having portfolios in excess of $500,000,000. Some businesses Attorney Chiao has represented are Gymboree, Code Ninjas, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Mcdonald's and Seattle's Best. Additionally, Attorney Chiao acts as general counsel to various real estate brokerage firms, for example Your Homes Sold Guaranteed Realty, REmax, and many others. As a result, Attorney Chiao is a very respected and prominent member of the Southern California Real Estate and Business Law community. Attorney Chiao states the success in his practice can be derived from one simple word, honesty.
Honesty for Attorney Chiao is central in developing a cost-efficient attorney-client relationship along with having an excellent reputation in the legal community. In a typical consultation between Attorney Chiao and a client, Attorney Chiao will be upfront and honest about everything in each client's case regardless of what the clients may want to hear at the time. Although this may stray clients away, this also builds the foundation for a healthy attorney-client relationship which is needed to make better choices and ultimately save costs. Companies who hire Attorney Chiao constantly report substantial cost savings and improved efficiency in operations, management, and litigation. With this strong honest attorney-client relationship developed, Attorney Chiao would then be able to strategize the best course of action for his clients, generally developing win-win scenarios for everyone involved while still maximizing his client's rights.
Outside the firm, Mr. Chiao can be seen attending board meetings, attending his children's school events or assisting the San Marino & Arcadia city councils. If Mr. Chiao is not there, most likely he's taking his children around Los Angeles testing new trendy dessert shops!
Education
Southwestern School of Law
Juris Doctorate (J.D.), 2004
University of California, Irvine
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Political Science Management, 2000
Sandy Wu is a family law and estate planning attorney at CHIAO & WU, LLP.
For the past 15 years, Ms. Wu has been representing the rights of her clients acting as the voice to those who can not be heard. A fierce advocator originally litigating against corporations, she has now brought that experience into family law matters, and probate litigation. Outside of litigation, Ms. Wu frequently drafts estate planning documents, prenuptial, postnuptial agreements, and cohabitation agreements, while also handling adoption cases.
Biography
Ms. Wu further advises clients on estate planning, and has drafted and administered numerous revocable and irrevocable trusts - from the simplest probate avoidance-style trusts to the most complex advanced estate planning structures, Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directives, and Nominations of Guardians for Minor Children. She handles probate administrations throughout California, including those involving contested and litigated issues. Ms. Wu has volunteered her time advising indigent people in Arcadia's Public Law Day events and SCCLA's Free Legal Clinic as a way of giving back to the local community.
Ms. Wu is a founding partner of the firm, encompassing practice areas of Family Law, Estate Planning, Corporate, Business, and Real Estate Law. Prior to opening up her own practice, Ms. Wu worked for two other Southern California law firms, and served as corporate counsel for a prominent LA architectural design building distributor, addressing business-related, compliance, trademark, contract, and employment issues. While at the law firms, she specialized in representing public entities in construction litigation cases, employment cases, and representing insurance carriers in first-party and third-party bad faith insurance contract litigation cases, and issuing insurance coverage opinions. Taking this invaluable experience with her, Ms. Wu continues to represent insurers of Lexington Insurance Company and AIG Insurance Company in general liability cases. Specifically, Ms. Wu represents one of the largest security guard companies in the U.S., Professional Security Consultants, which provides security services at all major shopping centers and Westfield malls. Additionally, CHIAO & WU, LLP serves as panel counsel for Philadelphia Insurance Company in all general liability cases.
Ms. Wu is a California native. She grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, attended University of California, Irvine, for undergraduate studies in Political Science, Sociology, Asian American Studies, and attended Southwestern University School of Law. She served as the Editor-in-Chief of Law Review, and had the pleasure of working for both state and federal judges, Honorable Charles McCoy, Jr., in the Superior Court of Los Angeles and Honorable Stephen V. Wilson in the United States Central District Court of California.
Widely active in the educational, civic, and community pursuits in the Los Angeles area, Ms. Wu has served on the Board of Directors of San Gabriel Pomona Valley Regional Center and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. Ms. Wu was also a past member of the Women's Club of Arcadia and the Pasadena Bar Association. Ms. Wu is currently a member of the Circle of Friends - Kidspace Museum.
In her free time, Ms. Wu enjoys spending time with her family and two Maltipoos, Smokey and Max, and enjoys skiing, baking, and reading.
Experience
Chiao & Wu, LLP