Bios
Angela De La Housaye CEO/Founder/Managing Attorney
Angela De La Housaye founded the business law firm of De La Housaye & Associates in 2000 in Los Angeles, California. It has since expanded to two additional cities in California, Walnut Creek & San Francisco. Ms. De La Housaye began her legal career in civil litigation with a focus on business protection, and uses this experiential knowledge in managing DLHA’s litigation strategy. Ms. De La Housaye also specializes in the transactional areas of business law, mergers and acquisitions, liability protection, business succession, trade secrets, and proprietary information protection, and employment matters for her clients.
Ms. De La Housaye manages all DLHA offices and, in addition, works deeply within the community and East Bay region. She speaks on legal business matters and coaches business clients regarding preventative legal work. Various boards and involvement include:
Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce; present position on the Board of Directors and past Chair
East Bay Leadership Council Board of Directors
Member San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
Chair and Co-Founder of Shadelands PBID Property Owners Committee
Co-Chair Walnut Creek Downtown Board of Directors
Graduate of Leadership Contra Costa
Member of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and Bar Association of San Francisco
And a recipient of the Walnut Creek Chamber’s Business Person of the Year, the East Bay Leadership Council’s Outstanding Task Force Chair Award & also of the Pace
Setter Business Award from Women’s Initiative
B.A. In Communications,
Minor in Business from Pepperdine University, 1985
J.D. from Loyola Law School
Los Angeles, 1989
Jon T. King, Sr. Litigation Attorney
Jon King is a civil litigation attorney for DLHA. He has handled all phases of civil litigation in state and federal courts in California and all over the country, on behalf of defendants and plaintiffs, and corporate and individual clients. Additionally, Mr. King has litigated in numerous arbitrations conducted by the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, ADR Services, Inc. and others. Mr. King has extensive experience in numerous civil practice areas, including business and employment litigation.
Mr. King also has represented clients in numerous high-profile litigation matters, including in sports and entertainment cases, class actions, and other complex civil litigation. He has significant experience in media relations.
Mr. King is licensed to practice law before all courts of the State of California, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Eastern Districts of California, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Eighth Circuits, and has been admitted to practice pro hac vice to practice in numerous other state and federal courts across the country.
J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, cum laude, member, Order of the Coif, Editor-in-Chief, Hastings Law Journal, 1998-99
B.S., Santa Clara University, Political Science (honors in Political Science)
Jon King Successes:
- Stepping in to represent a client as sole counsel one week prior to an arbitration hearing (the trial) in a contract dispute, conducting all aspects of the hearing, including cross-examination, opening and closing statements, and obtaining an arbitration award in favor of the client, including the requirement that the opposing party reimburse the client for attorneys’ fees.
- Assisting a partner in litigation regarding a start-up food-service business. Another partner denied the client access to critical financial information, and the client became concerned about potential misappropriation of funds. Obtaining a court-ordered injunction to stop the concealment of financial information.
- Representing 30 members of an LLC on an emergency proceeding in an international arbitration to obtain critical time-sensitive information from the LLC and its manager relating to federal regulations. Achieving an order from the arbitrator requiring that the LLC immediately provide the information, and prevailing on issues regarding the confidential status of the information.
Lindsay R. Meyer, Associate Attorney
Associate Attorney
Lindsay R. Meyer is a graduate of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Ms. Meyer’s practice is substantially devoted to advising clients on personnel policies and practices, wage and hour compliance, employment and severance agreements, conducting harassment and management training sessions, alternative dispute resolution, drafting employee handbooks and a wide variety of other employment issues. Ms. Meyer has represented numerous clients in a wide range of employment related matters, including discrimination, harassment, wage and hour violations, wrongful termination, unfair competition, breach of contracts, and trade secret misappropriation, in both state and federal court, and before the CA Labor Commissioner, CA Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, CA Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She is licensed to practice law before all courts of the State of California and the United States District Courts for Northern and Eastern California.
J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
B.A., California State University of Chico
Lindsay Meyer Successes:
Represented client in lawsuit against landlord on behalf of client/tenant, a business owner in a long-term commercial lease for the location of its progressive educational school program, regarding breach of contract and successfully renegotiated the terms of the lease to obtain a significantly more favorable long term lease on behalf of tenant, as well as full reimbursement to client of excess Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charges based on renegotiated lease terms.
Successfully represented business executive against former corporate employer for failure to pay earned commissions and bonuses at hearing before the California Labor Commissioner and received a decision in favor of the employee. The decision was not appealed by the employer and the judgment was paid in full.
Successfully defended residential care home client relating to numerous claims by a former caretaker employee pertaining to numerous violations of the California Labor Code and obtained a favorable resolution saving the client thousands of dollars, including preventing the employee from pursing a PAGA action against the client. Post resolution, assisted client in revising internal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with California law to limit future risk of exposure.
Kellen Stevens, Transactional Attorney
Kellen Stevens is a transactional attorney for DLHA. He formerly worked as in-house counsel for a San Francisco financial institution delivering capital market solutions to commercial real estate developers throughout the United States. In this role he split time between legal affairs and managing the organization's compliance program.
As corporate counsel, Kellen negotiated financial agreements with institutional investors, drafted resolutions for corporate entities, and handled a variety of commercial agreements for the organization, such as office leases, non-disclosure agreements, and vendor agreements. He also formed, managed and dissolved corporate entities and supported corporate governance initiatives. As the compliance lead, Kellen designed and implemented an enterprise-wide online compliance platform, performed internal audits on business lines, and drafted policies and procedures.
Prior to working in San Francisco, Kellen was based out of New York, where he negotiated OTC derivative instruments and supported Know Your Client and Anti-Money Laundering initiatives for HSBC Securities, a multinational broker-dealer, and worked for a law firm specializing in securities litigation.
Kellen maintains state bar licenses in New York and California.
J.D., Fordham University School of Law
B.A., University of Southern California
Kellen Stevens Successes:
- As an employee of a national nonprofit commercial lender, pitched, created and managed a Salesforce-based solution for compliance management of credit agreement covenants and regulatory filings for subsidiary and off-balance sheet entities that provided an enormous organizational and record keeping benefit to the company that had previously relied on manual entry and upkeep of the related credit, loan, and corporate entity systems.
- Working with a prominent west-coast manufacturer’s representative for electrical distributors, installers and end users, negotiated a business critical and bespoke executive compensation agreement that strategically rewarded the executive for the introduction of an east coast manufacturer into the company’s line portfolio while encouraging further growth through a complex incentive-based compensation structure.
- Successfully appealed a property tax reassessment of a multi-family investment property in San Francisco. Worked with the California State Board of Equalization’s Legal Entity Ownership Program office to obtain a favorable legal determination regarding a change in ownership of legal entity and coordinated with the Assessment Appeals Board of the City and County of San Francisco Assessor-Recorder to implement the determination and retroactively apply the base year tax treatment for the property, saving the property owner significant sums over the life of the property assessment period.
Christina Romero Associate Attorney
Christina Romero is a compliance attorney for DLHA Law Group. As a compliance attorney, she primarily assists business clients with entity formation, adherence to corporate formalities, and protecting intellectual property.
Although Christina was born and raised in New Mexico, she has made the Bay Area her home. Prior to her work as an attorney in California, Christina clerked for both a private general practice law firm and a federal Public Defender in New Mexico. Christina was also a judicial clerk for Justice N. Mihara at the Sixth District Court of Appeal for the State of California, and a law clerk in the Consumer Protection Division at Bay Area Legal Aid.
J.D., University of New Mexico School of Law
B.A., University of New Mexico
Christina Romero Successes:
Assisted the broad-impact consumer protection litigation division at Bay Area Legal Aid in Smith v. Reiskin and Coalition on Homelessness v. City and County of San Francisco, challenging the constitutionality of a city towing low-income residents’ vehicles because they cannot afford to pay tickets, resulting in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issuing a preliminary injunction against the city's practices.
San Francisco Chronicle: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Homeless-man-files-civil-rights-suit-after-SF-12611550.php
Successfully obtained dismissal of lawsuit, setting aside a default judgment against client who was wrongfully sued by a collection agency for mistaken identity. Appearing ex-parte, the court granted the motion to set aside and vacate the default judgment after proof was provided that the incorrect party was sued.
Reinstated guardianship for a grandmother of two young granddaughters after the court revoked her custody when the biological father returned after a 12-year absence, despite the grandmother being the primary caregiver since their birth. Urging the court to consider modern family structures against the backdrop of traditional family ideals, the court ultimately returned the grandchildren to their grandmother.
Jacqueline Menendez Associate Attorney
Jacqueline Menendez is an Associate Attorney focusing on business and employment litigation.
Jacqueline advises clients on employment matters and drafts employment policies, agreements, and handbooks to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws. If disputes arise, she works efficiently to provide creative legal solutions to defend clients. She has extensive case management experience, including drafting and filing pleadings in federal and state courts.
Jacqueline also supports clients in corporate formation, governance, and compliance matters. She counsels clients on securing Women’s Business Enterprise National Counsel Certification (WBE Certification) for women-owned businesses.
While in law school, Jacqueline served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Chief Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and was a member of the Berkeley Business Law Journal and the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal. Jacqueline also served on the Law School Admissions Committee.
Before law school, Jacqueline worked at the Family Violence Law Center as a Bilingual Family Case Manager supporting domestic violence victims. She also worked at Public Counsel Law Center, the nation’s largest pro bono law firm, assisting attorneys in the Immigrants’ Rights Project, advancing asylum and immigration rights.
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Graduate Diversity Program Award
MSc, Global Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science, Merit
B.A., Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Distinction in General Scholarship
Jacqueline Menendez Successes:
- Obtained a highly favorable outcome for a global technology company in employment wage and hour dispute before the California Department of Industrial Relations.
- Achieved positive pre-trial settlement for a health services provider in an employment dispute; conducted factual discovery and recommended legal strategy for the proceedings.
- Researched and strategized novel claims in ongoing trade secrets litigation, representing an industrial manufacturing company.
Ryan Finn, Law Clerk
Ryan Finn is a graduate of Boston University School of Law. While in law school, Ryan worked as a student attorney in Boston University’s Housing, Employment, Family & Disability Clinic where he represented clients in housing eviction defenses, unemployment compensation appeals, and wage and hour violation claims. Ryan also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and was a member of the Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law.
As a Law Clerk at DLHA, Ryan brings his valuable case management experience, and strong legal research and writing ability to support the firm’s litigation department in many phases; including drafting pleadings, preparing discovery, and reviewing evidence. Ryan also assists with the firm’s employment sector by drafting employee handbooks, personnel policies, and employment agreements.
J.D., Boston University School of Law
B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, History and Political Science
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Lauren Ocadiz, Legal Assistant
Lauren Ocadiz is a graduate of Golden Gate University’s School of Law in San Francisco. While in law school, Lauren worked as a Certified Law Student at the Women’s Employment Rights Clinic where she represented clients in wage and hour violation claims, unpaid wages claims, and unemployment insurance appeals. Lauren was recognized for her dedication and hard work at the clinic when she received the Academic Award for Excellence in Labor and Employment Law at graduation. Lauren also worked as an intellectual property and entertainment law intern at California Lawyers for the Arts where she served creative artists and innovators in a variety of arts and non-arts related matters such as copyright, trademark protection, and contract review and negotiation. Lauren also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable A. James Robertson II of the San Francisco Superior Court, Civil Trials Division.
As a Legal Assistant, Lauren brings a diverse background of experiences and skills that will support the firm’s litigation department.
J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law
B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, History and Public Policy
Alyse J. Toth, Law Clerk
Alyse J. Toth supports the firm’s litigation, transactional and estate attorneys in many phases of legal work, from litigation document preparation, evidence review, corporate compliance support, and estate document compilation as well as service and filing of litigation documents. Ms. Toth has worked in the legal field since 2015 and began her career with DLHA in 2017 firstly as a file clerk, advancing quickly to legal assistant, and now holds the position of law clerk. She is currently pursuing a degree in law at the University of San Francisco Law School.
B.S., Major in Psychology, Minor in Anthropology, Saint Mary’s College of California
National University of Ireland, Galway
Heather J. Larsen , Office Manager/Public Relations
Heather Larsen joined the firm in 2008. She assists in the implementation of firm policies and procedures and skillfully manages administrative duties to ensure the smooth operation of the firm. Heather also efficiently handles client inquiries, scheduling and calendaring appointments and facilitates business development and coordinating events.
Jenny E. Cash, Director of Operations
Jenny Cash heads up Operations, and Accounts Receivable. Ms. Cash has an extended tenure with DLHA and manages the operational aspects of the firm as well as client inquiries, interface and staff support. Her creative and solution driven approach as well as her patient and helpful demeanor are paramount to the firm’s culture.
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Jessica Shurr, Legal Administrative Assistant
Jessica attended college in the East Bay and has worked in the legal industry since 2010. She began her legal career focusing on plaintiff personal injury litigation and has since acquired experience in multiple practice areas including product liability, insurance defense, medical malpractice, family law and workers’ compensation. She has worked as a legal secretary, legal assistant and paralegal and has recently broadened her skills by learning bookkeeping and billing practices. During Jessica’s spare time she enjoys swimming, kayaking, and cooking.
Anne Adham, Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeping
Anne Adham is an administrative assistant at the firm and also assists with bookkeeping. She plays an integral role in keeping the office running smoothly and efficiently.