Hopkins & Carley Adds Two Prominent Employment Shareholders in San Jose, Welcomes Three Associates

Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., February 3, 2020 – Hopkins & Carley, a leading Silicon Valley law firm, is pleased to announce that Eric Bellafronto and Karin Cogbill have joined the firm’s San Jose office as shareholders in the Employment & Labor Practice.

Both Bellafronto and Cogbill are seasoned litigators with extensive experience representing public and private clients of all sizes and industry in state and federal courts. Bellafronto’s practice focuses on all aspects of labor and employment law, including wage and hour matters, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower complaints and OSHA claims. Cogbill’s practice is devoted to wage and hour litigation, including class actions, as well as discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination matters.

“Eric and Karin’s wide-ranging expertise in complex employment issues adds further depth to our expanding Employment & Labor practice,” said Dan Pyne, Chair of the Employment & Labor Group. “Their commitment to client service meshes perfectly with our priorities, and will allow us to meet the growing needs and demands of our clients.”

“We look forward to working alongside Hopkins & Carley’s bench of accomplished lawyers,” said Bellafronto. “A real energy and enthusiasm for practicing law was evident in everyone we met at the firm, and we are excited to be part of the team.”

Bellafronto and Cogbill join Hopkins & Carley from Littler Mendelson’s San Jose office, where Bellafronto was the Office Managing Shareholder.

In addition, Hopkins & Carley welcomed three other attorneys in January: associates Rob Castillo, Case Collins and Robert Jain. Castillo has several years of experience in trust and estate, antitrust, and class action litigation; Collins is a third-year corporate attorney who advises clients in connection with a wide range of matters including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, and licensing agreements, and; Jain has several years of experience advising companies on their patent portfolios.

“I’m delighted to bring five exceptional attorneys on board as we continue our ongoing pursuit of the firm’s strategic growth priorities,” said Jeff Essner, Managing Shareholder.

Hopkins & Carley’s newest attorneys are:

Eric Bellafronto (San Jose, Employment & Labor): Eric joins as a Shareholder in the firm’s Employment & Labor Practice. He has nearly 30 years of experience representing a wide range of employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He regularly appears in California trial courts handling disputes for clients or counseling them on issues such as wage & hour matters, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Prior to joining Hopkins & Carley, Eric was a shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C. in San Jose.

Karin Cogbill (San Jose, Employment & Labor): Karin also joins as a Shareholder in the firm’s Employment & Labor Practice. She has more than 13 years of experience representing and counseling employers in connection with all types of labor and employment matters arising under federal and state laws. She has significant experience representing employers in wage and hour litigation, including class actions, as well as discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination matters in state and federal courts. Prior to joining Hopkins & Carley, she was a shareholder with Littler Mendelson P.C. 

Rob Castillo (Palo Alto, Trust & Estate Litigation): Rob joins as an associate in the Trust & Estate Litigation group. In addition to his focus on trust & estate litigation, Rob has experience in antitrust and class action litigation. Rob was previously with Tucker Ellis LLP.

Case Collins (Palo Alto, Corporate): Case joins as an associate in the Corporate Department. He advises clients in connection with a wide range of general corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, licensing agreements, and regulatory and compliance matters. He also has experience with cross border transactions. Case was previously with Pillar Legal, P.C.

Robert Jain (San Jose, Intellectual Property Litigation): Robert joins as an associate in the Intellectual Property Litigation group. Robert has experience with patent post-grant proceedings, patent portfolio valuation, and patent landscaping. Robert was previously a Litigation Associate at Unified Patents Inc. and a clerk to Hon. Paul Grewal of the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

About Hopkins & Carley

Hopkins & Carley is a premier Silicon Valley law firm with offices in Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Jose. Meeting the legal needs of entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and midsize and public companies in a variety of industries, Hopkins & Carley advises clients in business litigation, intellectual property, real estate, employment, estate planning, and corporate, tax, and business transactions.


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