Jacob Agi is a partner at Russ August & Kabat, where he is a member of the firm’s corporate & finance, mergers and acquisitions/private equity and real estate groups. Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat, Jacob practiced at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he represented top-tier private equity fund sponsors and corporate clients in significant financing and private equity fund formation matters. Jacob has also assisted clients by providing strategic advice in a variety of corporate matters.
Jacob was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2021 – 2025 Editions) for Real Estate Law. He was named a “Rising Star” by the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine in 2023 and 2024.
Jacob received his law degree from the USC Gould School of Law. He received his B.A. in Business from Brandeis University.
Christine Shin is a partner in the corporate group at Russ August & Kabat and chair of the mergers & acquisitions/private equity practice.
Christine has represented U.S. Fortune 500 companies, international conglomerates and global private equity firms in their significant transactions. She has extensive experience in M&A, private equity, public company representation, cross-border investment, multi-jurisdictional deal execution and related corporate transactions. Ms. Shin leads and executes transactions for private equity funds active in the middle market and counsels their portfolio companies on operational matters.
Ms. Shin has negotiated and closed transactions ranging from less than $10 million to over $3 billion, including representing clients in the automotive, cosmetics, energy, entertainment, fashion, financial services, gaming, healthcare, medical, online gaming, real estate, retail, technology and pharmaceutical industries. She has worked closely with boards of directors in making critical strategic decisions for cross-border expansion in the US and overseas.
In 2022, Ms. Shin was recognized among the Los Angeles Business Journal‘s Women of Influence: Attorneys. She was also named a Super Lawyer Rising Star by the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine from 2022-2024. In 2020 and 2021, Ms. Shin was named “A Leader of Influence” among 2020 Private Equity Investors & Advisors by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat, Ms. Shin was part of the corporate practice at Latham & Watkins LLP. She earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and graduated with honors from Wellesley College where she majored in English and Economics.
Recent Matters:
- Phillips Edison in its $1 billion sale of real estate assets to Phillips Edison Grocery Center Operating Partnership.
- Guidance Software in its $240 million sale to OpenText.
- Air Medical Resources Group in its $750 million sale to Air Medical Group Holdings, a KKR portfolio company.
- ArcLight Capital Partners in its acquisition of hydroelectric power assets from TransCanada Corporation for $1.065 billion.
- Onex Partners in its $3.55 billion acquisition of Thompson Reuter’s intellectual property and life sciences business.
- Acquisitions and dispositions for Oaktree Capital Management, Odyssey Investment Partners, Clearlight Partners, Mondi AG, Nestlé, Motorcar Parts of America, Boeing, Shinseggae Co., Ltd. and the National Pension Service of Korea.
- Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Duff & Phelps, Moelis, Stifel and other investment banks as financial advisors in a wide range of public company M&A transactions.
Steven M. Siemens is of counsel at Russ August & Kabat, where he practices in the corporate and finance department, with a focus on real estate matters.
Mr. Siemens has extensive experience representing landowners, developers and lenders in connection with the purchase and sale, financing (including debt restructuring), construction, leasing and development of commercial, retail and residential properties.
Mr. Siemens’ practice also includes land use, entitlement and administrative law in the area of real property.
Mr. Siemens has represented clients such as Ahmanson Commercial Development Corp., Urban Pacific, Sovereign/Ring Management, Inc., Tribune California Properties, Inc., The Robert M. Bass Realty Group, Foothill Thrift and Loan, Michigan National Bank, The State of Ohio, PCS Development, Inc. and numerous individual property owners.
While at Hastings Law School, Mr. Siemens was a member of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. He began his legal career as an associate at Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg & Tunney, and eventually founded his own firm, Kelly, McAuliffe, Siemens & Ryan (1985-1991), prior to joining Russ August & Kabat.
Mr. Siemens is a member of the Beverly Hills, Century City, Los Angeles County and California State Bar Associations, Business and Real Property Sections. He is involved in a number of community and political activities.
Larry Russ is a founding partner and co-head of the litigation department of Russ August & Kabat.
As an active trial attorney, Mr. Russ has focused on trademark, copyright, patent, business torts, trade regulation and advertising law and complex litigation. Mr. Russ has also worked extensively on antitrust and unfair competition matters.
Directly after being admitted to the California Bar in 1978, Mr. Russ launched his career by successfully challenging Levi-Strauss & Co’s resale price maintenance program related to men’s jeanswear in Levi Strauss & Co. v. Federated Pants, et al., 1979-2 Trade Cases #62,727 (C.D. Cal. 1979). In 1981, as co-lead trial counsel, Mr. Russ achieved a multi-million dollar jury verdict in one of the first private Section 7 Clayton Act cases that directed Pillsbury Flour Co. to divest itself of Wilton, Inc., a dominant cake decorating equipment specialty firm.
Throughout his career, Mr. Russ has successfully represented clients in the direct marketing industry and the apparel industry. Mr. Russ also has extensive experience representing clients in the home entertainment, technology and communications sectors, including video game hardware manufacturers, computer software developers, electronic toy makers and wireless communications companies.
In 1985, Mr. Russ obtained the highest Superior Court sanctions award in California history in connection with his representation of plaintiffs in a complex Malibu real estate fraud matter in which the trial judge delivered a seven-figure verdict and awarded punitive damages.
In 2002, Mr. Russ negotiated a highly publicized settlement on behalf of Yodeler Wylie Gustafson against Yahoo. Gustafson, who had recorded a single yodel for a Yahoo radio commercial, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Yahoo after the company began using Gustafson’s distinctive and unique yodel as the company’s audible signature on a myriad of company products and releases.
Mr. Russ represented the prevailing parties in several major apparel cases. In 2010, Mr. Russ successfully defended Forever 21 in a copyright and trade dress infringement action filed by Express. Mr. Russ obtained Summary Judgment in Forever 21’s favor, as well as an award of attorney fees.
In 2016, Mr. Russ was lead Class counsel in Perkins, et al, v LinkedIn, a privacy class action challenging LinkedIn’s ubiquitous ad- connection emails. The Class was approved and LinkedIn agreed to modify its practices and pay the Class $13,000,000+.
More recently, Mr. Russ has been re-focusing his attention on consulting with established and emerging companies in connection with e-commerce, financing, expansion, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, strategic alliances and intellectual property issues. Along with the new chair of the Mergers & Acquisition Department, Christine Shin, Mr. Russ is tasked with the mission of building a pre-eminent M&A team rivaling the talent and depth of knowledge of big law M&A departments.
In addition to his law practice, Mr. Russ is the past President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish National Fund Los Angeles zone. Mr. Russ is also involved as a principal of several well-known Los Angeles apparel companies including world renowned retailer, American Rag Cie. In 2014, Mr. Russ/ American Rag Cie was selected as a finalist by the Los Angeles Business Journal at the prestigious Southern California Apparel Awards, and WeAr Magazine, a world-renowned international magazine focusing on the apparel industry, announced that American Rag Cie was voted as the best retail denim store in the world.
Mr. Russ is also active in helping emerging and troubled companies raise funds. For a number of years, Mr. Russ served as an associate editor of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers quarterly publication. He is an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Litigation, Antitrust and Intellectual Property Law Sections as well as an active member of the American Bar Association Antitrust and Intellectual Property Law Sections.
Mr. Russ was recognized as a Super Lawyer by the Publishers of Los Angeles Magazine from 2008-2025. From 2013-2025, Mr. Russ was recognized as a Southern California Top 100 Super Lawyer. Mr. Russ was also recognized among The Best Lawyers In America list for Patent Litigation from 2012-2025. In 2024 and 2025, he was named a “Legal Visionary” in the LA Times B2B’s Business of Law: Updates, Trends, & Visionaries Magazine. Mr. Russ was selected to The American Lawyer’s Top Rated IP Lawyers list in 2015.
Admitted
- State Bar of California (1978)
- U.S. Supreme Court (1989)
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (1978)
Matthew Rips is a partner at Russ August & Kabat, where he practices in the real estate and corporate and finance departments.
Mr. Rips’ practice focuses on the representation of developers and financiers of retail shopping, multifamily housing, office development and redevelopment projects. Mr. Rips combines his extensive business management and finance background with his legal expertise to represent a wide variety of clients including real estate investment trusts, pension funds, equity funds, private developers, lenders and others, in their endeavors as developers, owners, investors, buyers and sellers.
Equity financing is a key element of any development project. Mr. Rips has developed a finely tuned approach to structuring and negotiating the partnerships that provide such financing. In a wide range of circumstances, he has guided clients through the complexities of managing the risks and allocating the rewards of developing billions of dollars worth of real estate.
Public-private partnerships have become a cornerstone of urban redevelopment. Mr. Rips has successfully negotiated a variety of agreements between public and private entities, such as disposition and development agreements, ground leases, purchase and sale agreements, loans and grant agreements.
Whether converting an office building to residential condominiums or building a retail shopping center, developers face a multitude of risks. Through the use of contracts, insurance and other tools of the trade, Mr. Rips regularly works with his clients to manage the risks of design errors, construction defects, delays, accidents and related risks associated with most high end real estate developments.
Prior to joining Russ August & Kabat, Mr. Rips served as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer for the second largest vision insurance plan in the western United States. Mr. Rips guided the company through a major restructuring ultimately leading to a ten-fold increase in net income. Later, he negotiated the merger of the company with a major East Coast vision insurance plan, resulting in a combined enrollment of 6 million families and individuals.
Mr. Rips was recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer from 2015-2025 by the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine. He was named a Commercial Real Estate “Visionary” in the L.A. Times Commercial Real Estate Magazine in 2021.
