PORTFOLIO GROUP EXPERIENCE

Richard Kolodny

The driving force behind The Portfolio Group's success is our President, Richard Kolodny, named by The Daily Journal as one of the top legal recruiters in California. Before he founded The Portfolio Group in 1995, Rick practiced law at O'Melveny & Myers and served as general counsel of one of the largest private companies in California. Rick received a BA, summa cum laude, from Clark University, an MA in history from Columbia University, and a JD, cum laude, from The University of Michigan Law School. The Daily Journal (California's leading legal publication) reported that, with 15 years experience as a practicing lawyer, "Kolodny is able to understand the law firm environment from a high-level professional's point of view" and has "an unsurpassed level of contacts in the legal community." Lawdragon identified Rick as one of 18 legal recruiters in the United States that were named to its list of "100 Legal Consultants You Need to Know." Rick's placements have been reported in The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, The Los Angeles Daily Journal, The San Francisco Daily Journal, Corporate Counsel, California Law Business and The Recorder. Rick and his team have placed over 700 lawyers in leading law firms and in-house legal departments, including many of the most prominent partner, practice group and general counsel placements in California. His clients include leading national and international law firms, regional law firms, boutiques, Fortune 500 companies, public and private corporations, private equity firms, investment management firms, hedge funds, and nonprofit organizations.

Nima Aghili
Nima received his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. He also received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Before joining The Portfolio Group, Nima was a labor & employment associate at Quarles & Brady. He is fluent in Farsi. Nima places attorneys at every level with law firms.

Mary Drago
Prior to joining The Portfolio Group, Mary Drago held legal and business affairs positions at major entertainment studios, most recently for NBC Universal. Previously, Mary had been Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Paramount Home Entertainment; Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs at Universal Home Entertainment; and Senior Counsel at The Walt Disney Company. Mary began her law career as a litigation associate for Irell & Manella after having served as a district court law clerk. Mary graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and summa cum laude from Trinity University where she majored in print journalism and political science. Mary places partners, practice groups, counsel and associates with law firms and in-house legal departments.

Angelina Kwong
Angelina Kwong graduated cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles where she was a member of The Loyola Law Review. Angelina is an active community volunteer, and has been a board member of numerous non-profit organizations including Meals-On-Wheels, The Los Angeles Library Foundation, The California Master Plan for Education, and Boys & Girls Town of Los Angeles. Angelina focuses on the placement of partners, practice groups and counsel for national and regional law firms and corporations.

Quimby Pierce
Quimby Pierce received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. at University of Southern California. Quimby began her practice in the corporate department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. She later joined Kaye Scholer LLP as a corporate associate, where she specialized in mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and financings. Quimby places lawyers at law firms, corporations and investment banks, with an emphasis on mid-level and senior attorneys.

Melanie Simangan
Melanie Simangan graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Comparative Literature, with an emphasis in Spanish and Ancient Near Eastern studies. Throughout college and upon graduation, she interned in the development departments of numerous non-profit organizations in Los Angeles.

Melissa Tom
Melissa graduated with a B.A., cum laude, in Business and Economics from University of California, Los Angeles. Upon graduation, Melissa worked in commercial real estate and co-founded a company that managed real estate projects in Southern California. She places attorneys in all practice areas with national, mid-size and boutique law firms as well as with in-house legal departments.