The Santa Barbara law firm of Fell, Marking, Abkin, Montgomery, Granet & Raney closed effective Feb. 28. It was a “natural winding down,” according to a news release from Frederick “Rick” Montgomery, one of the firm’s co-founders.

Montgomery, a family law specialist, opened his own firm in Santa Barbara after Fell Marking closed. Other attorneys from Fell Marking have moved to existing or new firms in the area, including a handful that helped open an office of the international firm Rimon. One of the attorneys to move to Rimon was Joseph Abkin, another founding partner of Fell Marking.

Fell Marking was founded in 1977. In 2020, it was the fifth largest law firm based in Santa Barbara County, with 11 practicing attorneys.

ON THE MOVE

Attorney Stacie Nyborg has joined the corporate and business department at the Santa Barbara office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the firm announced April 22.

Nyborg was previously with the firm of Fauver, Large, Archbald and Spray in Santa Barbara, and before that had her own law firm in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her law degree from the University Of Southern California Gould School Of Law.

Her focus is on corporate law, tax law, transactions, wealth transfer, business succession planning and estate planning. She also has experience with venture capital, securities, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property management. Her clients include businesses, where she often acts as outside general counsel, and high-net-worth people and families.

NEW SHAREHOLDERS

The Westlake Village-based law firm of Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner has elected two new shareholders: Sharlene Lee and Reema Kapoor.

Lee joined the firm in 2012 and practices in the areas of business litigation and employment. She is a 2018 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Leadership Advancement Fellow, past president of the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, and a board member of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association.

Kapoor began her legal career in Canada. In less than four years at NPW, she has advised on M&A transactions worth a total of nearly $1 billion. She is a Ventura County Asian American Bar Association board member, has played active roles in her daughters’ Girl Scout troops, and enjoys volunteering and participating in South Asian community and fundraising events.