Daily Journal covers Scali Law expansion

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This article was originally published in the Daily Journal, on October 13, 2016.

LA-based Scali Law Firm to open Sacramento office

By Eli Wolfe

Daily Journal Staff Writer

The Los Angeles-based Scali Law Firm, an automotive industry boutique, is opening a new office in Sacramento next Monday as part of an effort to strengthen ties with clients based in central and northern parts of the state, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

Christian Scali, the founder and managing partner of the firm, said the expansion north will give clients easier access to attorneys. He added that it will also position Scali closer to the state Legislature and the government agencies that control automotive regulations.

"That market, in my experience, appears to appreciate a local presence," Scali told the Daily Journal. "Also, we do a lot of franchise work with the New Motor Vehicle Board, which is located in Sacramento."

Scali declined to name specific clients who are in close proximity to the Sacramento office.

The firm, which opened in 2013, provides clients — most of them auto dealer groups — with regulatory advice and counsel on industry matters ranging from franchise issues to vehicle-sales advertising.

Monica J. Baumann has been hired as senior associate attorney to run the Sacramento office. Prior to joining the firm, Baumann was the director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the California New Car Dealers Association, where she worked with auto dealers on regulatory compliance.

She also worked in a litigation practice at Greenberg Traurig LLP, which Scali said will be an invaluable asset to the firm as it expands its "litigation footprint."

Baumann, who has a broad expertise in automotive dealership law as well as corporate ethics and compliance issues, said she was drawn by the firm's "holistic approach" to client concerns.

"They focus not just on handling problems when they come up but preventing them," Baumann said.

For the time being, Baumann will be the only attorney in the Sacramento office. Scali said there will be further hires down the line, but he emphasized that this process will be slow and methodical.

"We've already started looking for additional attorneys to bring in, but we're being very selective because we only want those folks who know our industry," Scali said. "That naturally limits the growth of the firm, because there aren't that many attorneys who have that expertise or knowledge."

Over the past three years, Scali has represented a number of auto dealership groups in California and in other states.

The firm is representing the general manager of Sage Auto Group dealership in Tennessee against a $13 million warranty fraud claim brought by Nissan North America Inc. It is also assisting a dealer group in Central California with restructuring its debt and obtaining roughly $50 million worth of real estate.