Attorney

Susan Whalen was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where she still maintains close family ties. She has been a resident of California since 1983 when she first moved to San Diego to complete her studies. Indicative of Susan’s resilient work ethic, she earned her law degree attending law school in the evenings and on the weekends while working full time and law clerking part time, passing the California State Bar exam when first taken in 1987.

Susan is a unique professional with diverse business and legal experience, having served for over 30 years in additional capacities beyond in-house legal advisor for dozens of her corporate clients, e.g. General Counsel, Member of the Board of Directors, Executive Vice President, Corporate Secretary, and Corporate Liaison for Business and Legal Affairs. In these roles, she gained added exposure to and addressed many complex issues providing business-driven legal insights and delivering successful results. Because of this significant experience as an Executive Officer managing multifaceted corporate affairs, she appreciates the bottom-line business objectives and incorporates that commercial insight into every project and matter. Her added-value is the business acumen that she possesses, making her legal practice especially impactful.

Susan’s experience and legal practice are concentrated in transactions and contracts ranging in all sizes, types and industries, real property surface and subsurface interests, corporate formation and governance, mergers and acquisitions, secured financings and recapitalizations, varying business matters, oil and gas, regulatory permitting, compliance and environmental, and litigation / bankruptcy support. With her overlapping legal and business credentials, Susan is also well-suited as Acting General Counsel for businesses in need of retained, dedicated services for their ongoing legal and corporate affairs.

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Education
Ms. Whalen received her Bachelor of Science in Laws in 1985 and her Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. In 1984, she was presented with an Honors Award by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in recognition of superior academic achievement for outstanding legal research and writing skills.

Bar Admissions
•  California, 1987

Court Admissions
•  U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1987
•  All California state courts, 1987

Community Involvement
•  Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley – Volunteer of the Year, 2013
•  Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley – Woman & Youth Award, 2014

Interests and Activities
•  All sports — especially Dance, Yoga, Swimming
• Travel