JANUARY 2006

Noelle Bensussen joined Gaines & Stacey LLP as a full time Associate. Noelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan, and her Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School. Noelle's practice focuses on land use and litigation matters.

FEBRUARY 2006

On February 13, 2006, Gaines & Stacey LLP Managing Partner Fred Gaines was a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California Graduate School of Real Estate Development. Fred's topic was "The Approval Process – Developer/Community Relations."

MARCH 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP Partner Lisa Weinberg won two significant litigation victories. In one case, the Grafton Hotel in West Hollywood successfully defended a multi-million dollar breach of contract suit and was awarded its attorneys' fees and costs. In another matter, all claims against our client in a complex land use and fraud suit were dismissed before trial.

APRIL 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP Founding Partner Sherman Stacey successfully represented the Serra Canyon Property Owners' Association in obtaining a trial court judgment against the California Coastal Commission. The Judgment overturned a Coastal Commission order which denied the Association the ability to maintain its gated private roadway.

MAY 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP Managing Partner Fred Gaines participated in the San Fernando Valley Economic Summit sponsored by California State University Northridge and the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley. Fred moderated a panel discussion entitled "Neighborhood Councils: The New Land Use Frontier."

JUNE 2006

On June 20, 2006, Gaines & Stacey LLP celebrated the "official" Grand Opening of our new office suite. Over 150 guests attended the event which included the presentation of a Mayoral Proclamation.

JULY 2006

The July issue of Los Angeles Magazine named Gaines & Stacey LLP Associate Kimberly Rible as a 2006 Southern California Rising Star Super Lawyer. For the third straight year, Kim was the only San Fernando Valley based attorney selected in the Environmental/Land Use Law category.

AUGUST 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP Associate Noelle Bensussen was recognized for her pro bono efforts on behalf of Casa Esperanza at the official groundbreaking ceremony for their new facility in Pacoima. Casa Esperanza houses numerous educational, religious, and social service programs on Blythe Street in one of the City's most gang-infested neighborhoods.

SEPTEMBER 2006

As part of the Urban Land Institute's Young Leaders Group, Gaines & Stacey LLP Associate Alicia Bartley lent her expertise to assist redevelopment efforts in South Los Angeles. Alicia's team helped a church group determine how to develop a largely vacant commercial corridor which had been neglected since the 1992 civil unrest.

OCTOBER 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP Associate Nanci Stacey finished fourth in the women's doubles competition at the 42nd Head of the Charles Regatta held on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Head of the Charles is the world's largest rowing regatta.

NOVEMBER 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP clients represented by Fred Gaines and Alicia Bartley won a trial victory which voided the City of Los Angeles' adoption of a historic preservation district in Windsor Square. The court held that the City violated the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") in adopting the controversial land use regulations.

DECEMBER 2006

Gaines & Stacey LLP client The Charles Company won approval for a new residential subdivision in the Bel Air community of the City of Los Angeles. Partner Fred Gaines successfully represented the property owner at both the Deputy Advisory Agency and the West L.A. Area Planning Commission public hearings.