Elizabeth is an accomplished trial and appellate advocate who is a go-to appellate resource for colleagues in her own Consumer Financial Services Practice Group as well as in many other practice groups across the firm. As a licensed California appellate specialist, she has handled dozens of appeals across the U.S., including more than 50 cases in the Ninth Circuit and more than 100 in the California state appellate courts. Elizabeth also offers deep experience in the Fourth Circuit and the North Carolina appellate courts.

Elizabeth has handled the full range of consumer financial services disputes, including class actions. She handles matters involving the Truth in Lending Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the California Homeowner’s Bill of Rights, California’s Rosenthal Act, various states’ UCL/UDAP statutes, and more. Elizabeth represents participants throughout the sector, including loan originators, mortgage servicers, furnishers of credit information, background screening companies, national banks, and other financial institutions.

Elizabeth is frequently asked to assist litigation teams at trial with issue preservation and with drafting pleadings and briefs in support of dispositive motions, class certification matters, motions in limine, and other mission-critical events in the life of a lawsuit or arbitration. She also represents business clients in connection with contract claims, business torts, managed health care disputes, privacy-related disputes, and a wide variety of state and federal constitutional issues.

Elizabeth is a member of the firm’s West Coast Recruiting Committee and serves as pro bono general counsel to the Board of the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

• Represented a veteran pro bono in the Federal Circuit in connection with a dispute over the appealability of orders denying motions to waive further fact finding in order to expedite benefits determinations.
• Represented insurance client in the Ninth Circuit in connection with coverage dispute between two insurers over maritime accident.
• Defended trade secrets lawsuit brought against startup client in the Northern District of California.
• Represented insurance client in the Ninth Circuit in connection with coverage dispute involving genetic engineering of seeds.
• Defended multiple cases on behalf of bank clients in FCRA lawsuits in the Eastern District of California.
• Represented mortgage lender in elder abuse action in California state court.
• Represented business client in breach of contract and unfair competition lawsuit in Northern District of California.
• Represented banks in multiple Ninth Circuit appeals involving individual consumer litigation.
• Represented casino client in breach of contract appeal in Virginia Court of Appeals.
• Represented bank client in successfully opposing petition for review in Virginia Supreme Court.
• Represented bank client in the Fourth Circuit in connection with consumer appeal involving allegations of wire fraud, elder abuse, and negligence.
• Obtained full reversal of an adverse jury verdict and attorney fee award out of Los Angeles Superior Court in a whistleblowing employee case brought against a restaurant client.
• Defended a health care insurer in a negligence and wrongful death case in California state appellate court.
• Filed numerous amicus letters and amicus briefs in California Supreme Court on behalf of various companies and trade groups in the background screening industry.
• Represented background screening company in connection with writ petition in California state appellate court following adverse demurrer ruling, including oral argument.
• Represented manufacturer of face masks in contract dispute in California state appellate court.
• Represented client in connection with breach of contract dispute involving gas station operations in California state appellate court.
• Represented a group of veterans and their family members pro bono in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Defended a health care insurer in a multimillion-dollar arbitration brought by a major California health care provider.
• Defended background screening company in lawsuit in federal district court in the Northern District of California.
• Represented mortgage servicer in connection with defending appeal of a summary judgment order in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented large retailer as local counsel in several intellectual property disputes in federal district court in the Northern and Central Districts of California.
• Represented an insurance client in connection with coverage for a personal injury lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented a private client in connection with high-stakes easement dispute in California state appellate court.
• Represented an insurance client in Hawai’i state appellate court in connection with coverage for an employment-related lawsuit.
• Represented an insurance client in California state appellate court in connection with asbestos coverage litigation dating back more than twenty years.
• Represented a mortgage loan servicing client in connection with alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented a background screening client in connection with a dispute over personal jurisdiction in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented a background screening client in connection with a writ petition involving a statutory interpretation issue of first impression in California state appellate court.
• Represented a managed care client in connection with a negligence dispute in California state appellate court.
• Represented a managed care client in arbitration in connection with a contract dispute.
• Represented a private client in the restaurant industry in connection with an employment-related dispute in California state appellate court, as well as handling post-judgment motions in superior court following a jury trial.
• Defended a debt collector client in consumer class action dispute in federal district court in North Carolina.
• Represented employer client in California state appellate court, successfully obtaining reversal of trial court order denying employer’s motion to compel arbitration. D’Avella v. Overhill Farms, Inc., No. B303644, 2021 WL 4958910 (Cal. Ct. App Oct. 26, 2021).
• Argued an issue of first impression before the Ninth Circuit involving the statute of limitations for rescission claims under the federal Truth In Lending Act. Hoang v. Bank of America, N.A., 910 F.3d 1096 (9th Cir. 2018).
• Briefed and argued appeal of summary judgment grant in foreclosure-related consumer lawsuit in which the Court of Appeal dismissed the case at respondent’s request without discussing the merits, citing opposing counsel’s “egregious violations of basic appellate norms.” Ewald v. Nationstar Mortgage LLC, 13 Cal. App. 5th 947 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).
• Secured dismissal of a federal consumer lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act, and California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, in the process obtaining an order rejecting plaintiff’s theory that consumers in all states may sue under California’s credit reporting laws based solely on the California-based location of the defendant’s headquarters.
• Played a key role in the negotiation of a multimillion dollar global settlement arising from multi-venue litigation over post-acquisition escrow account.
• Drafted summary judgment motion in putative class action involving challenge to multiple clients’ statewide foreclosure sale practices in Hawai’i.

• Best Lawyers in America®: Appellate Practice (2025-2026)