The WTJ team stepped out of the office on Friday, December 3, 2021, to celebrate our own Jessica Thomason. She passed the California Bar Exam and was sworn in by retired Justice Stephen J. Kane in front of her friends, family, and colleagues. Jessica’s passion and dedication to our clients make her an integral part of our team of attorneys. We look forward to her continued success with our firm. Congratulations, Jessica!
WTJ is fortunate to be comprised of people who are wholeheartedly committed to serving clients and supporting colleagues. As our firm continues to grow and evolve, it is our privilege to elevate the members of our team who have become respected leaders in the community and industry, in addition to being leaders in our office. WTJ is therefore proud to announce Courtney McKeever and Kristi Marshall as its newest equity partners.
This means that WTJ is now the only boutique business law firm in the Central Valley that is majority-owned by women, which is an especially significant milestone considering three of the four female equity partners are under 40.
Prior to joining WTJ, Kristi was a Partner in the Professional Liability and Business Litigation Practice Groups of McCormick Barstow where she started her legal career as a Summer Associate in 2009. Kristi has successfully taken several cases through arbitration, trial, and appeal on behalf of her clients and truly enjoys being in the courtroom.
Kristi has handled a variety of matters and focuses heavily on civil litigation. Her main focuses are on professional malpractice defense, public entity representation, and commercial litigation, including trade secrets, fraud, defamation, breach of contract, unfair business practice, corporate and partnership dissolutions, as well as land use matters. Kristi also regularly advises government and private entities on legal issues in an effort to help clients implement litigation prevention strategies.
Kristi’s favorite pastime is spending time with her four children and husband, Ryan, who is also an attorney in town. On any given weekend, you can catch the whole family spending time outside—usually traveling, boating, hiking, skiing, attending sporting events, or wine tasting.
Courtney McKeever came to WTJ after more than seven years at Baker Manock & Jensen, PC, where she was a Partner. Prior to that, she worked in the corporate and securities department for a large international firm. Courtney’s areas of expertise include real estate, general business law, ag business, entity formation, and business sales and acquisitions. She regularly assists her clients with the sale, acquisition, and/or lease of agricultural, commercial, and industrial properties. Courtney has represented clients in large and small business sales and mergers. She also helps her business clients with day-to-day business contracts of all types.
In her free time, Courtney loves running and spending time with her husband and kids hiking, playing at the beach, or wine tasting.
WTJ was proud to welcome two hardworking Central Valley natives, Brodie Surfus and Jaskarn Chahal, as Summer Associates between May and August of 2021. We are even more excited to announce that both accepted full-time post-bar offers at the end of their summer tenure.
Brodie grew up in Visalia, and has been attending UCLA School of Law. He is on track to graduate in the spring of 2022, and will then take the California Bar Exam.
Originally from Fresno, Jaskarn (“JC”) Chahal is currently attending Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. He is currently finishing up his law classes as he prepares to take the California Bar Exam after graduating in the spring of 2022.
Both Brodie and Jaskarn plan to practice business litigation and will re-join the WTJ team after completion of the summer 2022 bar. We are thrilled to welcome Brodie and Jaskarn permanently to WTJ in 2022!
