Downey Brand Names Three New Partners
January 3, 2023
Downey Brand is pleased to announce that Samuel Bivins, Christopher Kolkey, and Alexandra LaFountain have been elected to the firm partnership effective January 1, 2023.
Samuel Bivins is a member of Downey Brand’s renowned water group where he primarily focuses on water rights litigation and environmental disputes for agricultural, municipal, and industrial clients. In addition to litigation, he provides advice and counsel to public and private clients on water rights and related environmental and public law issues. Since 2018, Sam has been recognized as a Northern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the category of Energy & Resources, exemplifying his legal excellence. Sam earned his J.D., with honors, from Duke University School of Law in 2014 and his B.A., with highest honors, from the University of California at Davis in 2010.
Christopher Kolkey is a member of the firm’s litigation department where he represents clients in a range of disputes involving construction, trusts and estates, and complex business matters. His wide array of clients include multimillion-dollar companies, government entities, small and medium-sized businesses, and individuals. He is a frequent contributor to Downey Brand’s Trust on Trial, a leading blog that offers legal analysis of trust and estate litigation matters. Christopher is a recent graduate of Leadership Sacramento, where his class fundraised and completed the renovation of the Mack Road Valley Hi Community Center, a haven for at-risk youth and families. Christopher received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2014, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the same university’s undergraduate program in 2011.
Alexandra LaFountain’s practice focuses on employment and appellate matters. Alex defends employers in wage and hour class actions and other lawsuits involving claims for harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, and unfair business practices. She also provides guidance to public and private employers on a variety of wage and hour issues. As a result of her exemplary legal work, Alex has been recognized as a Northern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers and a Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine. She is a member of the 2022 class of Leadership Sacramento, which spent the last year partnering with Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center to upgrade and improve its senior center’s outdoor space. Alex earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2014, and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2011.