Kevin J. Lamb

Partner

1986 - J.D., cum laude, University of Michigan

1983 - B.A., with honors, University of Michigan

Kevin J. Lamb began his law career at a bankruptcy boutique mastering the intricacies of the Bankruptcy Code and the subtleties of both a creditor and debtor practice.  Due to the dual nature of the practice, Mr. Lamb is intimately familiar with using the sword of relief from stay, fraudulent conveyance, preference, trustee appointment and Chapter 7 conversion actions to recover from a defaulting debtor, or using the shield of the bankruptcy code’s automatic stay while reorganizing, restructuring, or selling a debtor’s business.

Mr. Lamb then joined the real estate department of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, practicing in all aspects of real property law.  He worked with developer clients such as Trammell Crow Company and Lincoln Properties in negotiating and drafting acquisitions, and performing and evaluating all aspects of the due diligence process, including document and title review, and environmental review.  Several of Mr. Lamb’s clients concentrated on acquiring environmentally challenged properties from their prior use as oil fields or industrial sites and required both quantification of environmental cleanup as well as cost recovery from prior users.  Mr. Lamb also obtained significant CEQA/land use experience, obtaining entitlements for clients, utilizing environmental impact reports, specific plans, variances and conditional use permits.

Mr. Lamb left Jones, Day to become a partner at Musick, Peeler & Garrett and to revitalize that firm’s business department, and thereafter went on to start his own firm.

Mr. Lamb continues his representation of developers and financial institutions, working out troubled real estate loans; providing pre‑foreclosure counseling; and post‑foreclosure asset management and disposition, as well as his representation of both landlords and tenants.  Mr. Lamb has expanded his representation of foreign clients in  inbound transactions, asset management and asset enhancement, utilizing his skills at obtaining entitlements; leasing and/or refinancing.

Thomas T. Kawakami

Partner

1986 - J.D., University of San Diego

1983 - B.A., U.C.L.A. 

Prior to founding Lamb & Kawakami LLP, Mr. Kawakami had been a partner in the business and tax, trust and estate departments at Musick, Peeler & Garrett and  earlier an associate in the tax department at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. 

Mr. Kawakami specializes in providing privately held businesses with all aspects of corporate, real estate and tax advice.  Mr. Kawakami has experience in complex business transactions, including financing, business financing, formations, reorganizations, acquisitions and sales.

Mr. Kawakami also has developed an expertise in estate planning.  He counsels his clients with structuring their estates, gift and estate tax planning, and succession planning.  This part of the practice routinely involves wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, charitable foundations, family limited partnerships, and other estate and gift planning techniques.

Toy R. Fields, III

Partner

1988 - J.D., University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law

1985 - B.S. in Business Administration, University of Southern California

Toy Fields has experience in commercial business litigation, involving complex matters, for a variety of businesses and individuals, including manufacturers, distributors and real estate clients.  While experienced in all facets of business litigation, the focus of Mr. Fields’ practice is in the areas of Real Estate and Employment matters.

Mr. Fields’ vast experience in Real Estate litigation includes a lengthy history of representing developers, management companies, brokerage firms and property owners in a wide range of disputes.  Mr. Fields’ proven track record has spanned varied types of Real Estate litigation including all landlord-tenant issues, title disputes, enforcement of contractual obligations, brokerage-related disputes, construction and design defects, quiet title actions, easement and property line disputes, foreclosure, and judicial and non-judicial realization of real estate security and personal property security governed by the Uniform Commercial Code.

In the area of Employment law, Mr. Fields acts as liaison to the firm’s clients providing counsel on all management decisions.  Mr. Fields has worked with both small and large companies, in an effort to steer clients through the myriad of day-to-day challenges that face employers in today’s world.  Whether it be formulating an employee manual for a start-up company or establishing new policy and procedure for existing companies, Mr. Fields is prepared.  In the event of litigation, Mr. Fields is highly experienced in the full spectrum of employment-related matters including claims concerning wrongful termination, employment discrimination and harassment issues.  Mr. Fields also involves himself with internal investigations for the Firm’s clients and is ready to represent employers in routine grievances and formal arbitration hearings.

Robert Y. Nagata

Of Counsel

1970 - J.D., University of San Diego

1977 - M.S., Golden Gate University

1967 - B.S., University of Southern California

Robert Nagata has been practicing law in California for more than 30 years, assisting clients with all aspects of corporate and tax matters.  Prior to working of counsel to Lamb & Kawakami, Mr. Nagata was a partner at Musick, Peeler & Garrett, and before that, a partner at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.

Mr. Nagata is fluent in Japanese and regularly advises foreign companies and individuals in the intricacies of establishing and operating businesses in the United States.  Mr. Nagata assists his clients with all aspects of corporate, real estate and tax law, including strategic planning relating to setting up new companies, structuring corporate and real estate transactions, real estate and asset based lending, land use and environmental matters, and tax consequences of all decisions.

Louis K. Ito

Of Counsel

1970 - J.D., cum laude, Southwestern University School of Law

1954 - B.A., California College of Arts and Crafts

Mr. Ito obtained his J.D., cum laude, from Southwestern University School of Law in 1970, and his B.A from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1954.

Mr. Ito is well-known in the Los Angeles business and legal communities from his many years of service to Japanese-American businesses.  He served as Deputy  District Attorney for Los Angeles County from 1970 through 1994, where his major assignments were with the Central Operations Trials Division, Organized Crime Division, Special Investigation Division, Consumer Protection Division and the Antitrust Division.  Throughout his career as a prosecutor, his work on international criminal cases, and his fluency in Japanese, brought him in contact with many officials in the Japanese Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs.

In April 2003, Mr. Ito received a Declaration from the Government of Japan for his work in the investigation and prosecution of international criminal cases and providing legal assistance to the law enforcement authorities of Japan.  For his role in furthering Japan’s understanding of the American legal system and promoting exchange between the two countries, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.  This Imperial Medal of Honor was conferred to him at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo where he had an audience with the Emperor.

Mr. Ito has also served as General Counsel to Yamagata Studio in Malibu, with responsibility for all legal work related to the corporate and business matters, including international business transactions.  He was a charter member of the Japanese American Bar Association of Southern California, and is a member of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California and the Japan America Society.

Jeffrey S. Hamamoto

Associate

1998 - J.D., Pepperdine University School of Law

1999 - LL.M., New York University

1995 - B.S., cum laude, in Finance, California State Polytechnic University

Mr. Hamamoto served as a judicial extern for Hon. Robert M. Takasugi, United States District Court, Central District of California, in 1998, and as a law clerk extern in the Office of the United States Tax Attorney, Tax Division, in 1997.

Prior to joining Lamb & Kawakami, Mr. Hamamoto served as an associate in the firms of Allen and Kimbell LLP, and Levine, DeSantis and Associates, where he developed an expertise in all aspects of estate planning, including preparation of revocable living trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, charitable remainder trusts, wills and durable powers of attorney; performance of post-death estate and trust administration; preparation of estate and gift tax returns; probate administration; and preparation of applications for tax exempt status for public charities and private foundations.

Lawrence L. Yang

Associate

1999 – J.D., UCLA

1996 – B.A., UC-Berkeley

Lawrence Yang has represented business and government clients in a broad range of commercial and civil litigation.  His practice includes experience litigating general commercial, real estate, insurance, and product liability matters, workplace discrimination and harassment claims under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), as well as credit reporting issues under both California’s Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA) and the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Prior to joining Lamb & Kawakami LLP, Mr. Yang practiced at the international law firm Bryan Cave LLP, one of the largest in the world.  He is admitted to practice in all California state courts, California federal district courts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Namrata Dwivedi

Associate

Paralegal

Ms. Gomez is a transactional paralegal with more than 14 years of legal experience and 10 years experience in title underwriting.  Prior to Lamb & Kawakami, Ms. Gomez was a paralegal in the transactional, corporate and real estate departments of Lamb & Baute, Musick, Peeler & Garrett and Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.  In addition, Ms. Gomez was a title officer for six years at Orange Coast Title Company.   

Paralegal

Ms. Maule is a transactional and tax paralegal with more than 5 years of legal and 19 years of escrow and title experience.  Prior to joining Lamb & Kawakami, Ms. Maule was a paralegal at Lamb & Baute, and at Musick, Peeler & Garrett in both the business and the tax, trust and estate departments.  In addition, Ms. Maule was the manager and Senior Escrow Officer of Commerce Escrow Company, specializing in exchange and high-liability escrow transactions.  Ms. Maule holds the Certified Escrow Officer designation through the California Escrow Association and teaches classes in escrow procedure and trust accounting.

Paralegal

Prior to joining Lamb & Kawakami, Ms. Ellis worked for 20 years as a corporate and real estate paralegal at Jones Day.  As a senior corporate paralegal at Jones Day, Ms. Ellis supervised and carried out a wide range of corporate and real estate transactions, including:  purchases and sales (asset, stock, real estate, bulk transfer); leveraged buy-outs; initial public offerings; private offerings; lending transactions (unsecured and secured by real and/or personal property); formations, mergers, consolidations and dissolutions of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships (profit and non-profit); real estate transactions; estate planning documentation; work-outs and foreclosures; oil and gas transactions; and other corporate matters.  Before becoming a paralegal, Ms. Ellis served as Asst. Vice President and manager of the Los Angeles Escrow Division of Crocker Bank (which is now Wells Fargo Bank) and held the Certified Escrow Officer designation through the California Escrow Association.  Ms. Ellis joined Lamb & Kawakami in May 2005.