When it comes to good vibes and memorable experiences, Jaré Cervantes is all in—so much so that she’s turned her passion for gatherings into a full-fledged career. Her knack for event planning, paired with her genuine love of bringing people together, made her the perfect fit for Scali Rasmussen’s Villa Ardore project, the luxurious Tuscan villa owned by Christian Scali, founder of Scali Rasmussen PC and his husband Stephen Lewis.

“There’s been a lot of growth over the past year that I have been here, and it’s great being part of a supportive, hardworking, and helpful team. Through my work with Scali Rasmussen, I’ve been able to work on some really fun and interesting events, and have met incredible people along the way,” says Jaré.

Jaré’s average workday literally spans the globe, as she acts in dual roles as executive assistant and event planner for the LA-based Scali Rasmussen in California and around the U.S. as well as international events involving Scali Rasmussen’s Italy-based Villa Ardore project. When she’s off the clock, Jaré typically spends time with her husband Saul and their two terriers, Bolt and Spots. She loves working out and has recently taken up salsa and hip-hop dance classes. “I also really love baking, especially when it comes to cookies,” says Jaré. “I make a great chocolate chip.”

Just a few months shy of ringing in her first decade with our law firm, Jennifer Woo Burns says her role with the Firm has changed over the years. All the while, the firm itself has been thankfully consistent.

“From day one, the work was so fast paced. And it hasn’t really let up since,” says Jennifer. “But what’s kind of cool is that the whole time the firm has remained constant, and I’ve always had a sense of belonging. It’s the consistency of my colleagues and the clients.”

Jennifer initially joined the firm in a full-time of counsel role in 2015, after working as in-house counsel and HR for car dealerships. She was recommended to Chris Scali by a mutual colleague at a time when the firm was in need of an employment lawyer with experience dealing with dealerships. Through her in-house roles, she gained an understanding of the operational realities of the automotive industry, so for all parties involved it seemed like the perfect match.

“At that time I had worked in-house for car dealerships for about 15 years, and I wanted to get back to the practice of law,” says Jennifer. “So it was such a fit — it was exactly the right industry, in the right area of law. It all just worked.”

Jennifer and her husband love the NFL and the Los Angeles Rams in particular. Following the team around the country for away games tends to dictate the family’s fall travel itinerary.

Having spent much of her youth on the open seas, Jasmin Bhandari was brought by the tides to Los Angeles in pursuit of a law degree.

“I grew up in a pretty unique circumstance, where my dad was a ship captain in the merchant navy, so I would spend my summers sailing around the world,” says Jasmin. “If it’s a place with a port, I’ve probably been there.”

After earning her JD from USC, Jasmin began working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A few months later, she received a call from firm founder Christian Scali—on a Friday—with an offer of employment starting Monday. Jasmin says she learned a lot from those early days with the firm, which at the time was only a few months removed from its 2013 founding.

“It was a really great experience starting with the firm so close to its inception. Not only was I able to dabble in the fields that I was passionate about, like real estate and consumer law, I really learned how to be a lawyer from mentors like Bob Daniels and Chris Scali.”

Now serving as principal and labor & employment co-chair, Jasmin says she’s happy to repay that favor as a mentor to the firm’s newest attorneys, as she’s had a passion for teaching that’s always shined through.

“I’ve always loved teaching and passing on knowledge. When I was a little girl, my grandmother did not speak English, so I would stand up on the dining room chair and try to teach her the A-B-Cs,” says Jasmin, who immigrated to the U.S. from India when she was nine years old.

Her penchant for teaching extends beyond her time at the office, as she likes to spend her off-time volunteering with various child mentoring groups, work that Jasmin says “really helps you to get out of your own head.” Married to her high school sweetheart and a proud mother of two, Jasmin’s not able to travel as much as she did in her early years on her father’s ship - but she says she’s more than happy to settle for quiet nights at home.

As she closed up shop on her own Calabasas business, Christine Grair thought about her next steps. As she did, she says her mind kept drifting back to how much she’d enjoyed working in the legal industry. But after so many years away from law, she wasn’t sure whether a firm would give her a shot at a second chance.

To our great fortune, our firm gave her just that.

“I am so grateful to Scali Rasmussen for taking a chance on someone with little experience in civil litigation and allowing me to learn all the new aspects of the law that had been unknown to me,” says Christine.

Christine works as a Legal Secretary, and her day starts with a check to ensure that all the previous days’ calendar requests are fulfilled, and deadlines are being met. Over the course of the day, she’s monitoring schedules, emails, calendars, and just about everything else on behalf of the litigation team.

“My role is that of support and when I know my attorneys and paralegals feel properly supported, I know I am doing my job well, which brings me great joy. I love to organize and make things as easy as possible for others to excel in their jobs; seeing that executed with precision is truly rewarding.”

When she’s not working, Christine likes spending as much time as possible with family, friends, and her dog. She’s always looking for new adventures and wants to set aside a bit more time for travel – though a side effect of having a large extended family is that much of your off-time is spoken for.

“It feels like there is always an event, an outing, or a girl’s night that’s being planned so time seems to fly. Between work and life I feel like I have the best balance I have had in a long time,” Christine says.

The typical workday for a lawyer in complex litigation ranges from busy at best to chaotic at worst. But whatever the challenge, Scali Rasmussen Shareholder Jeffrey Erdman is always happy to meet it.

“It can get pretty intense at times,” Jeffrey said. “Typically, my cases are high stakes litigation involving very sophisticated clients with complicated legal issues to resolve.”With support from paralegals and staff, Jeffrey and his litigation team handle their cases from start to finish, often up to or even through trial.

“The work can sometimes lead to long hours over extended periods, but we enjoy working together for a common goal and we all like each other very much. So, it usually doesn’t feel like it’s too much to handle,” Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey managed his own small firm for about 15 years, and when the time came for his then-partner to move into retirement, he struck up conversations with Chris Scali, who he knew from bar association and fundraising events.

“It all came together 6 years ago this month when I closed the doors to my former firm and became a partner at Scali Rasmussen. It was the perfect place to take my skill set – and even some of the staff from my prior firm – to finish out my career,” said Jeffrey. "I am blessed to work with some old colleagues and also to have built strong friendships with folks I’ve met here; I feel like we are a family. We also have great clients I like working for, which is always a blessing for a litigation attorney.”

Outside of work hours, Jeffrey and his fiancé love attending theater and are subscribers to the LA Phil, the LA Opera, and the Ahmanson Theater. They’re also very much looking forward to their upcoming wedding in October, which will be held at Villa Ardore, a private luxury villa just outside of Florence, owned and operated by Chris Scali and husband Stephen Lewis.

“It is the perfect location for what is sure to be a magical celebration of love,” Jeffrey said. “I can’t wait!”

We’re lucky to have Gwenn Albright on our team– not just because of the value she provides as a paralegal, but because of all the twists and turns in life were necessary for her to arrive here.

The journey dates to her time as a legal secretary trainee at a law firm that had also just hired Jeffrey Erdman and Julie Pearson, who are now shareholder and principal, respectively, at Scali Rasmussen.

“Jeffrey became a law clerk to one of the partners at the firm – I think he was all three of my then pre-teen daughters’ first crushes,” says Gwenn.

Gwenn kept working with Jeffrey for many years as he formed Bennett & Erdman alongside Roberta Bennett, though they initially parted when the two partners went their own ways as she remained at Bennett’s new firm. As that practice was winding down, Gwenn says she was more than happy to reunite with Jeffrey at his new firm, and Scali Rasmussen was more than happy to have her.

“I really love the crew. Everyone is easy to work with. I appreciate the ability to work remotely but also enjoy my in-person time in the office,” says Gwenn. “There is no real day-to-day for me, per se. I am given projects to do by whomever needs help. I see the project to a conclusion, bird-dogging issues as they arise and under the direction of whichever attorney or senior paralegal has given me the task.”

Outside of work, Gwenn loves reading, cooking, and playing Scrabble with her husband. She’s also an on-duty grandmother to her eldest daughter’s five-year-old twin boys three days a week, as well as her youngest daughter’s three-year-old girl two afternoons a week. Grandmothering to her middle daughter located in St. Louis (if and when it happens) may be a bit trickier, says Gwenn, but she’s more than happy to give it a try.

“My family is my passion. I used to think that wasn’t enough for a ‘passion’, but age has taught me that it is – at least for me,”

It’s hard to say no to life in sunny Los Angeles, but it can be easier than uprooting yourself from home. Luckily for Jennifer Whisenant, her career at Scali Rasmussen affords her the best of both worlds.

“I work from home in Gilbert, AZ three days a week, so I love the two days I spend in the office. It is great to interact with the staff and attorneys. And it’s terrific in the summer, as being in LA is a break from the dry heat in Arizona where temperatures are averaging 115 degrees,” says Jennifer.

She’s been with the firm for just over three years now, but Jennifer says she’s known firm founder Chris Scali for nearly 40 years. When she caught word that his law firm was in need of someone to handle operations and finance, she says she jumped at the opportunity.

“The grind of being in the construction industry for twenty years was wearing thin, and I was ready for a new challenge in a new industry,” says Jennifer. “What’s great about this job is that no two days are the same, and the plan for the day in the morning, ends up looking very different reflecting back at the end of the day.”

It took some time to get used to the industry change, but by now, Jennifer says her only regret is that she didn’t make the jump sooner.

Outside of her work, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and his two children, a nineteen-year-old daughter and a ten-year-old son. They love being outdoors, from beach trips to hiking to golf or just hanging by the pool. Despite loving all those warm, sunny activities, Jennifer says the best place she’s ever travelled to is actually Antarctica.

Scali Rasmussen was founded on the notion that it’s not necessary for a personal life to suffer for a professional life to thrive, and employees are encouraged to pursue passions and live life to the fullest. In that regard, Christian Scali is happily leading from the front.

Chris says he realized early in his career that the traditional BigLaw lifestyle and his own personal and professional desires weren’t compatible.

“I didn’t want to sacrifice my interests and individuality in pursuit of that traditional career track, where the law firm may be well known nationally, but the individual is never anything more than a cog in the wheel,” Chris says.

In his practice, Chris focuses on automotive law, with a particular emphasis on the representation of franchise dealers. But in his capacity as the firm’s managing shareholder, he rejected the belief that the firm’s size determines the breadth of services offered, a popular line of thinking among megafirms. Though enormous practice groups have their advantages, most companies would be better served with a personal touch from an individual with a name, a face, and a phone to call.

“Say you’ve got two candidates for a job - one whose every waking moment is defined by their career, and another who performs their duties, efficiently and to the letter, but is an otherwise fully formed person with a life outside of the office. I think in most cases people will say they would prefer the latter,” Chris says. “People inherently understand that we need that sense of balance in our lives, but many in the legal industry have convinced themselves that ignoring that very basic human instinct should somehow be a point of pride.”

When it comes to pursuing passions, cultivating a firm culture, and fostering a sense of openness and warmth, there’s no better example of Chris’ commitment to the cause than Villa Ardore. An eight-bedroom suite Tuscan estate and luxury spa located in the rolling hills of Florence, Italy, Villa Ardore is a labor of love created by Chris and his husband Stephen Lewis, who own and operate the property together.

“To turn this dream that we’ve had for decades now into a reality has been an incredible experience, both in terms of how we’ve physically rejuvenated the property, and how we’ve worked to make Villa Ardore not just a personal passion, but a professional pursuit,” says Chris. “Our clients and colleagues are practically regulars. The villa provides an environment that’s away from all the hustle and bustle where they can really relax.”

Not long after we welcomed Halbert “Bert” Rasmussen in 2017, the firm previously known as The Scali Law Firm was officially transformed into the Scali Rasmussen PC we know today.

As firm founder Christian Scali said at the time of the rebranding, placing the Rassmusen name on the office front door was an honor well-earned by Bert, who is among the most prolific (and consistently successful) litigators in the industry today, particularly when it comes to representing franchises in the automotive space.

He is well-regarded by his peers, and even his opposing counsel tend to have kind words for him away from the lectern. He has been recognized numerous times by distinguished legal and business publications and institutions of law, having even been awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s prestigious AV® Peer-Review Rating.

Bert is happy to put his vast experience in automotive law to work not just in courtrooms and boardrooms, but in books, periodicals and publications as an industry thought leader. He is the author of several industry compliance books and publications, including “A Dealer Guide to the FTC Red Flags and Address Discrepancy Rule,” published by the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) as part of the NADA Management Series and the Franchise Law Manual published by the California New Car Dealers Association.

Bert is a frequent speaker at industry events, including the California New Motor Vehicle Board Industry Round Table, where he is often sought for his thoughts on the future of the automotive industry.

Officially, Eric Robinson is Scali Rasmussen’s records manager. Unofficially, he says, he’s also the firm’s running back and all-around utility player.

“I really do everything; I catch passes, I block, I’m doing whatever’s necessary that day, from docketing to mail processing and client intake,” says Eric.

While the firm’s operations are taking its attorneys all over Southern California and beyond, Eric’s often called upon as the anchor back at home base.

“I take pride in being able to help the firm as a whole, to help everyone complete their projects in an efficient manner. They can count on me to know what they need and when and how they need it,” Eric says.

Eric grew up in South-Los Angeles, and says he became an activist in college after witnessing firsthand the negative impact that drugs and the gangs that peddled them had on his neighborhood and throughout the city. He became a volunteer for the Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change, kickstarted by civil rights leader and pro football hall of famer Jim Brown.

He remains active with social reform and support programs since, most recently through Suit Up, which provides spirit gear, team uniforms, and student body club apparel to underserved high schools at cost.

“What I admire most about Eric is his commitment and dedication to helping others, which he not only demonstrates in the office, but through the numerous organizations he helps. I am deeply appreciative of his work with Give Mentor Love Foundation as well as his commitment to this firm and its team,” says the firm’s managing partner, Christian Scali.

“I’m still involved in activism, and what I’m really interested in is helping people explore the uncelebrated aspects of black history,” Eric says. “So much emphasis is put on the struggle – and with good reason. But what people need to hear more about is how parts of the struggle were overcome, and there is still work to be done.

Eric also volunteers his time to schools throughout the greater Los Angeles Area; currently, he’s helping out at Morningside High School, a primary school in Inglewood.