Ashton McKinnon (JD '15) and Melissa Barcena (JD/MDR '13) Elected to Senior Counsel at Wood Smith Henning and Berman LLP

Pepperdine Caruso Law alumnae Ashton McKinnon (JD '15) and Melissa Barcena (JD/MDR '13) have been elected to Senior Counsel at Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP. McKinnon and Barcena practice from the firm's Thousand Oaks, California, office.

Via Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP:

Ashton McKinnon is senior counsel in WSHB’s Thousand Oaks office where she focuses her practice on complex civil litigation. Her wide ranging experience includes catastrophic injury defense, construction defect, real estate, professional liability, contract disputes, transportation, and medical malpractice. Ms. McKinnon handles all aspects of civil litigation, from inception through trial. She practices with a focused approach on early resolution through alternative dispute resolution methods to minimize client risk and exposure.

Originally from St. Simons Island, Georgia, Ms. McKinnon received her undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia, cum laude. She went on to earn her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law and a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute, where she was a writer and associate editor for the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary. Her publications include “Sacrificing Privacy for Convenience: The Need for Stricter FTC Regulations in an Age of Smartphone Surveillance,” (2014) (34 J. Nat’l Ass’n Admin. L. Judiciary 484).

Melissa Barcena is senior counsel in WSHB’s Thousand Oaks office. Her practice is primarily focused on complex commercial and civil litigation. She has successfully represented clients across industries and claims including construction, real estate, business, product liability, bodily injury, class actions, and catastrophic injury. Melissa is an experienced litigator that has handled state and federal cases, mediations, arbitrations, and trial with consistently favorable results.

Before practicing law, Ms. Barcena attended The Ohio State University where she studied English and graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Barcena then attended Pepperdine University’s School of Law where she was on the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship, and the Law. Ms. Barcena also received her Master’s Degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the prestigious Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University.