BKCG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Managing Partner
- Partner
Alton Burkhalter is the founding partner of Burkhalter Kessler Clement & George LLP, a business law firm with roots in Orange County since 1985. Mr. Burkhalter is an AV rated lawyer, the top ranking in ability and ethics by Martindale-Hubbell. He was selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for Business Litigation in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Mr. Burkhalter is a seasoned business trial lawyer, as well as a sophisticated transactional attorney. Mr. Burkhalter has successfully prosecuted and defended a wide array of business cases. He has received multiple "8 figure" jury trial awards, as well as several "7 figure" verdicts. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Burkhalter handles transactions, such as public offerings, mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Burkhalter obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accounting, cum laude, from Northwestern State University in his home state of Louisiana. After becoming a Certified Public Accountant with a big five firm, Mr. Burkhalter earned his law degree at Pepperdine University, graduating magna cum laude and ranked fifth in his law school class. He is admitted to practice in California and Arizona.
Amanda V. Dwight is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law where she was the recipient of two fellowships. At UCLA, Ms. Dwight served as the Chief Articles Editor of the Pacific Basin Law Journal and judicial extern for the Honorable Gary L. Taylor, U.S. District Court of California, Central District. Ms. Dwight also created a program to intake asylum seekers for the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law.
Ms. Dwight is co-author of a leading treatise on trademark prosecution law, Trademark Registration Practice (Thomson-West), and the only practice guide in the U.S. concerning trademark examining procedures, Practitioner's Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (Thomson-West). She has been a guest speaker and instructor at local and national organizations; including the national MAGIC Marketplace fashion tradeshow, regarding intellectual property matters.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Dwight was a computer programmer and systems consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and an in-house systems analyst for Gannet, Co. At Andersen, Ms. Dwight developed distribution control systems for Fortune 500 companies. At Gannet, Ms. Dwight installed and supported advertising systems for over fifty newspapers throughout the country.
Ms. Dwight received her Bachelor of Science as an honors graduate from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce with a major in Management Information Systems and Marketing.
Amber M. Sanchez is an associate in the firm's litigation department. Prior to joining BKCG in 2010, Ms. Sanchez worked in the in-house legal department of a large California utility, where she gained extensive litigation and trial experience.
Ms. Sanchez graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999 with a B.A. in Psychology. After careers in both corporate training and nonprofit management, she received her J.D. in 2006 from Santa Clara University School of Law. While at Santa Clara University, Ms. Sanchez was recognized as a Law Dean's Fellow and received a full-tuition scholarship; competed in Honors Moot Court and received the Best Oral Advocate award; and led first-year students in Torts review sessions as part of the university's Academic Success Program.
Ms. Sanchez is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California.
Daniel Kessler is the head of the firm's litigation department and one of the firm's founding partners. Mr. Kessler has litigated and tried a wide variety of business cases ranging from development disputes to fraud to water rights. Mr. Kessler has secured multiple million-dollar jury verdicts for his clients, including significant punitive damage awards. In 2008, Mr. Kessler prevailed on a motion to dismiss the opposition's case in its entirety in a high-profile Orange County development trial. Mr. Kessler is a strong advocate for alternative dispute resolution, as well, participating both as an advocate, and a neutral mediator. Mr. Kessler has lectured on mediation at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law. Mr. Kessler also serves as an adjunct professor of law at Whittier Law School, teaching trade secrets.
Mr. Kessler was born in New York City, but grew up in Los Angeles. Mr. Kessler received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991. Mr. Kessler attended Whittier Law School in Los Angeles, California where he graduated magna cum laude and ranked fourth in the law school class. During law school, Mr. Kessler was the recipient of numerous honors, competed nationally on moot court and served as an editor of the school's law review. Following law school, Mr. Kessler was clerk to the Honorable Kenneth R. Harkins of the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. Mr. Kessler has been a past board member for the Robert A. Banyard Inn of Court and is a listed on The National Registry of Who's Who. Mr. Kessler is admitted to practice in all courts in California, and has appeared in courts across the nation.
Eric J. Hardeman is an associate in the firm's litigation department. Mr. Hardeman has extensive experience in handling a variety of business litigation disputes, including trademark, trade secret, copyright, unfair competition, and contractual matters. Prior to joining BKCG, Mr. Hardeman was a member of the Business and Tort Litigation practice group at Jones Day in Irvine, CA, where he served as lead defense counsel handling numerous business and consumer litigation cases throughout the country.
Mr. Hardeman received a B.A. in political science from the University of California, San Diego in 2004 and his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2007. Mr. Hardeman is a member of the California State Bar and is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Central Districts of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Hardeman is also a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the Orange County Business Trial Lawyer's Association.
Gregory M. Clement's practice focuses on corporate, real estate and other transactional matters, as well as a wide array of employment law issues. Mr. Clement has handled the purchase and sale of numerous companies, including several multimillion dollar acquisitions by publicly traded companies and represents clients in a wide variety of fields including transportation, software, entertainment, insurance, Internet and telecommunications.
Mr. Clement began his legal career as a business litigator in Washington, D.C. before joining the business litigation firm of Whitcombe, Makin & Pentis in Long Beach. Before joining BKCG in 2000, he was general counsel of Golden Eagle Express, Inc., a regional transportation company based in Pomona with offices in multiple states. As general counsel, Mr. Clement served five years on the management committee and was responsible for all contractual and litigation matters, insurance and risk management. While employed with Golden Eagle Express, Mr. Clement served as a Board Member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Transportation, Law, Logistics & Policy.
Mr. Clement grew up in the United Kingdom and graduated in 1985 from Aston University in Birmingham, England with a Bachelor of Science (with Honors) in Business Administration and French. Mr. Clement worked as a licensed real estate agent in Philadelphia before attending the National Law Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C, from which he graduated with honors. During law school, Mr. Clement served on The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics. He authored, "The New Job-Creating Investor Visa Provision: A Legitimate Spur to Investment or a Sell-Off of U.S. Citizenship to the Highest Bidder?" 24 Geo. Wash. J. Int'l. L. & Econ. 195 (1990).
Mr. Clement is admitted to practice in California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Maryland and the District of Columbia and is an honorary member of Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, International. Mr. Clement is fluent in French and German and, when not drafting or reviewing business contracts, his interests include running, crime novels, independent movies and travel with his wife and two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Litigation Associate
Joshua Waldman is a litigation associate whose practice focuses primarily on business disputes. Mr. Waldman began his legal career as an extern for the Honorable Napoleon Jones, Jr. from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California. He was an associate for Walsworth, Franklin Bevins and McCall and Collins & Bellenghi, focusing on civil litigation, with an emphasis on business and employment disputes before joining BKCG.
Born in Phoenix, Mr. Waldman graduated from The University of Arizona in 1998 with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Business, Philosophy and Communications. He attended the University of San Diego School of Law and obtained a J.D. in 2002, where he graduated in the top fifth of his class, and earned an M.B.A. from the University of San Diego School of Business in 2003.
Mr. Waldman is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Mr. Waldman is a member of the American Bar Association and the Orange County Bar Association. When not practicing law, he enjoys riding his road or mountain bike and supporting the Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Senior Associate
Michael Oberbeck is a senior associate focusing on business litigation issues. In addition to general business litigation, Mr. Oberbeck has extensively litigated employment disputes, commercial and residential real property disputes, and trademark and franchise issues. Mr. Oberbeck has litigated cases throughout Southern California and has successfully prosecuted claims through alternate dispute mechanisms, including arbitration and mediation.
Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mr. Oberbeck graduated, cum laude, from Purdue University in 1993 with a double major in Psychology and Criminology. He earned his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. While at Northwestern, Mr. Oberbeck assisted in the Legal Clinic's highly publicized efforts to overturn a murder conviction that resulted in the exoneration of a wrongfully accused man who had spent 12 years on death row.
Mr. Oberbeck is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California and in the United States District Courts for the Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Los Angeles Bar Association.
Rosamund Lockwood is an associate with the firm's litigation unit. Prior to joining BKCG, Ms. Lockwood was an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Alaska's Department of Special Prosecutions and Appeals. Ms. Lockwood was promoted to the State's appellate unit after spending three years cumulatively as an Assistant District Attorney serving in the Anchorage Violent Crimes Unit and the Bethel and Kotzebue bush offices. Ms. Lockwood successfully prosecuting dozens of cases through trial.
Ms. Lockwood's trial experience made the transition from criminal law to civil business litigation a smooth one and since joining BKCG in 2004, Ms. Lockwood has skillfully managed cases involving trade secret and unfair competition claims, contract disputes, securities litigation, commercial litigation, and a wide variety of other business torts. Ms. Lockwood is also heavily involved in the firm's appellate practice, both in state and federal court.
Ms. Lockwood graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1993 with a B.A. in Philosophy. She earned her J.D. at McGeorge School of Law and graduated second in her class, summa cum laude in 1997. While at McGeorge, Ms. Lockwood was Assistant Articles Editor for the Transnational Lawyer, made the Dean's List each academic year, received the Annabel McGeorge Academic Achievement Scholarship consecutively in 1996 and 1997, and was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law, White Collar Crime, Federal Securities Regulations, and Constitutional Law. Ms. Lockwood also was a member, Traynor Oral Advocacy Team; Member. Upon graduation, Ms. Lockwood was received into the Order of the Coif.
Ms. Lockwood is admitted to practice in both the State of California and the State of Alaska. Outside of the office, Ms. Lockwood enjoys trail-running and other outdoor activities.
Mr. Kelch has substantial practical and academic experience in the areas of bankruptcy, financial restructuring and commercial law. He began his career as a business litigator in Los Angeles, but quickly gravitated to bankruptcy and commercial law. Most recently, he was of counsel to the bankruptcy firm, Peitzman, Weg and Kempinsky in Los Angeles, and prior to that practiced with Rutan and Tucker in Orange County and Gendel, Raskoff, Shapiro and Quittner in Los Angeles.
During his career, Mr. Kelch has represented debtors, creditors, creditors' committees and asset purchasers in chapter 11 cases, including representing major creditors in cases like Enron, PG&E and Mirant Energy. Mr. Kelch is also a Professor of Law at Whittier Law School, where he has taught Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization classes, as well as Corporations, Contracts, Commercial Law, Real Estate Finance and Professional Responsibility. He has published extensively on bankruptcy, real estate and animal law, and has lectured on bankruptcy and animal law issues. Among his publications are the book, Real Property Issues In Bankruptcy, co-authored with Michael Slattery, and numerous articles on business restructuring and bankruptcy, including articles on corporate governance and fiduciary duties in chapter 11 cases, and on derivatives contracts in bankruptcy.
Mr. Kelch graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies with high distinction from the University of Michigan and received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. He also has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California and a Masters Degree in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Kelch is admitted to practice in California and is a licensed real estate broker in California.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Certified Specialist
William George is a certified specialist in estate planning, and has practiced as such for more than 20 years. Mr. George received his B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Southern California. He earned his law degree at Pepperdine University, where he served as a member of the Law Review. Mr. George also has a Masters of Law (L.L.M.) in Taxation from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he was ranked third in the Masters class. An accomplished practitioner in estate planning and tax law, Mr. George has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer.