Six Payne & Fears LLP Attorneys Named to Super Lawyers® 2019 Southern California Rising Stars List

May 30, 2019 – Irvine, CA – Payne & Fears LLP is pleased to announce that six attorneys have been selected as 2019 Southern California Rising Stars by Super Lawyers®. Congratulations Ray E. Boggess, Rhianna S. Hughes, Leilani E. Jones, Scott O. Luskin, Robert T. Matsuishi, and Alejandro G. Ruiz.

Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Ray E. Boggess represents and advises employers in all aspects of employment law. He defends employers in single-plaintiff cases at both the trial court and appellate level in matters involving wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, breach of contract, wage-and-hour laws, and other related claims. Ray also represents employers in traditional labor matters. He defends employers in labor arbitrations related to discipline, discharges, and collective bargaining agreement disputes.

Rhianna S. Hughes is a partner in the Employment and Business Litigation Groups, and oversees the firm’s Phoenix office.  Rhianna represents clients in all aspects of complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. She also represents clients in a diverse array of labor and employment matters in both state and federal courts. Rhianna is a strong advocate for women in the legal profession, and takes pride in being an active member and supporter of the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Leilani E. Jones is an associate in the firm’s Business Litigation Group. Lani’s professional philosophy includes working as a team with her clients, and aggressively advocating for their interests. Personal investment is her priority, whether it’s handling complex commercial litigation for a business or defending employers in harassment and discrimination suits, or representing policyholders in insurance-related matters. Currently, Lani serves as Treasurer of the Orange County Young Republicans, and executive board member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, and is active in her church community.

Scott Luskin is a partner in the Business Litigation Group and Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office. In addition to business litigation, Scott also has extensive experience in employment litigation and insurance coverage litigation. Recently, he was an integral part of a trial team that obtained a complete defense verdict for a publicly traded airline in a sexual harassment matter. Scott is actively involved in his community within his role as Advisory Board Member for The South Bay Jewish Law Forum. Also, Scott is an Executive Committee Member for LACBA Delegation to the California Conference of Bar Associations.

Robert T. Matsuishi is an associate attorney in the firm’s Irvine office. Bobby has experience in complex business matters and extensive experience litigating labor and employment matters. He is a member of Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and a Member of the Orange County Bar Association. Additionally, Bobby is a member of the Japanese American Bar Association, and is fluent in Japanese.

Alejandro Ruiz is a partner in the Irvine office and an integral part of the Employment Litigation Group at the firm. Alex has extensive experience as a litigator, having taken cases from complaint through appeal in both federal and state courts under the employment laws of the United States, California, and various other states throughout the country. Alex has also litigated various types of cases, ranging from high profile cases with intense media coverage, complex civil cases, multi-million dollar class actions, single-plaintiff lawsuits. Throughout his career, he has repeatedly secured favorable outcomes for his clients, ranging from settlements to complete and unqualified victories by summary judgment. Additionally, Alex is fluent in Spanish and actively involved in the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County.