Catching Up With Montage Legal Group – San Diego

by Erin Giglia

2012 has been a busy year for Montage Legal Group in San Diego.  Montage Legal’s freelance attorneys have been hard at work speaking at MCLE panels, writing for journals and legal trade publications, and assisting excellent California law firms with substantive legal projects.  Montage Legal Group has close ties to San Diego – co-founder Laurie Rowen grew up in Coronado where she lived until college, and co-founders Laurie Rowen and Erin Giglia both attended the University of San Diego School of Law.  Rowen and Giglia remain active with USD School of Law, and are committed to assisting USD Law students and alumni whenever possible.  Montage Legal Group’s San Diego presence is strengthened by our two San Diego “Lead Attorneys” – Samantha Everett and Sara Mostafa-Ray. Sara and Samantha are an excellent resource for San Diego law firms. Montage Legal Group is thrilled that Laurie, Samantha and Sara are being honored at two outstanding events in November.  We hope to see you there!

USD School of Law – 2012 Rising Star Recent Alumni Award

Montage Legal Group’s co-founder/owner, Laurie Gormican Rowen, has recently been selected as USD School of Law’s Rising Star.  As stated on USD Law’s website, USD Law and the Law Alumni Association Board of Directors present the Rising Star Recent Alumni Award to “alumni who have graduated within the past ten years and have made significant achievements in the legal profession, or chosen field, and demonstrated a high level of community involvement.”  Laurie, a 2004 graduate from USD Law, practiced at Snell & Wilmer following law school.

In 2009, Laurie co-founded Montage Legal Group, a network of experienced contract/freelance attorneys with impressive credentials and training in prestigious law firms.  Montage’s attorneys assist firms with temporary legal projects on an hourly basis and provide a cost effective way to manage case overflow.  Laurie was recently named by the National Association of Women Business Owners-OC as their 2012 Entrepreneur to Watch during their annual Remarkable Women Awards Ceremony, and has been featured in the ABA Journal and selected as one of OC Metro’s Top 40 Under 40.

Please join us at the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon.  Details are as follows:

• Event: 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon
• Date: November 16, 2012
• Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
• Location: Westin Gaslamp Quarter, City Terrace, 4th Fl, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego CA 92101

To register, visit the USD Law website.

Laurie will also be speaking on a panel titled “Women Can Have it All: A Panel on Work/Life Balance” on November 8th at USD School of Law, along with Judge España (San Diego Superior Court), Sarah Boot (Office of the U.S. Attorney & President of Lawyers Club) and Heather Rosing (Klinedinst PC).  Details are here.

San Diego Business Journal – 2012 Women Who Mean Business

Each year, “the San Diego Business Journal recognizes dynamic women business leaders who have contributed significantly to San Diego’s businesses.  Now in the 19th year, the San Diego Business Journal applauds these women by hosting our biggest and most anticipated reception and awards program to honor the winners and guests.”

Montage Legal Group’s San Diego lead attorneys, Samantha Everett and Sara Mostafa-Ray, are finalists for the San Diego Business Journal’s Award “Women Who Mean Business.”  Samantha and Sara – both former Cooley LLP attorneys – have been heading up Montage’s presence in San Diego.

Sara focuses on handling transactional projects for law firms, and Samantha focuses her freelance practice on litigation projects. Samantha is also a 2004 graduate from USD School of Law, and Sara graduated from UCLA Law School.  For more information and articles regarding Sara and Samantha, please see these prior blog posts: Samantha Everett to Speak on Increasing Work-Life Balance for Newer Lawyers, Recognizing Service: Freelance Lawyering Provides Opportunities for Military Spouse Attorneys, Remedies for Survivors of Domestic Violence in Jeopardy, and Montage’s Samantha Everett Weighs in on Flextime Arrangements at Small, Medium and Large Law Firms.

We are honored that two of our freelance lawyers have been honored by the San Diego Business Journal.  For more information about this event, please visit the San Diego Business Journal’s website.

Update:  Congratulations to Sara Mostafa-Ray, who was honored as a Winner at the Women Who Mean Business Awards ceremony for her efforts with Montage Legal Group!